October book love

And as I type this, on Sunday evening, there’s finally a tiny chill in the air here.  Sweet relief! I put up some twinkle lights on our patio today now that it’s enjoyable to spend time outside.  I love this time of year when we can turn off the a/c and open all the windows.

October was a great month for ending the day with a good read.  Here’s what I’ve been enjoying.  I’ve been diligent also about updating the Currently Reading page every time I finish a book.  Maybe one of these monthly posts will help you find something that sounds interesting to you.

Family Pictures
by Jane Green

I DO love Jane Green, but I have to just say that this book was an easy, quick read and very emotionally predictable.  Still, I enjoyed it.  I started it at 8pm one night and didn’t put it down until 3am.  Mr. B thought I was crazy.

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Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace
by D.T. Max

I’ve always been a DFW fan.  This book was amazing — written incredibly well and tediously researched by Max, working with Wallace’s friends, fellow academics and those in recovery, etc.  I thought he was sensitive and understanding of Wallace’s major depressive episodes and his struggles with his writing.  While I’d have liked to know more about Wallace’s relationships with his immediate family (and Max was in much contact with them), I respect their privacy.  I had no trouble getting quickly absorbed into this account of a brilliant life with a tragic end.  In fact, I couldn’t wait to go to bed at night to read more.

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When the World Was Steady by Claire Messud

I was serious when I said I plan to read everything this woman wrote! I plodded through this first novel of hers, even though I didn’t really want to be reading it.  It’s about two sisters who couldn’t be more different, and how their lives drift.  They don’t seem to learn anything or reach their own goals.  Maybe I didn’t get it?

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The Last Life: A Novel by Claire Messud

This one is set in the south of France, the U.S., and Algeria.  We meet generations of one family and see their setbacks and disappointments, hopes and fears.  The narrator, a 20-ish-y.o. girl, is lonely and full of tragedy already, and retrospects on her life thus far.  I have to say that what kept me reading was that this is so well-written.  Messud’s phrases and descriptions are mesmerizing.  However, I wasn’t very interested in her characters in this one.

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The Hunters by Claire Messud

Messud’s third book, in my opinion, is MUCH better than her first two.  The first novella here, “A Simple Tale,” is pure, brilliant loveliness.  The way Messud describes growing older and lonely, the possibility that we don’t matter much to anyone, the importance of fully living until the end, or that we can still make a difference to someone else, is brilliant.  The ironic title, for the narrator’s past is anything but simple, hides much within.

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The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell

Wow.  This one was self-propelling in that I kept wanting to know what would happen next.  I thought the characters were drawn particularly well.  Apparently this is a psychological thriller, which is a first for me.  I can’t say the ending was very profound, but I enjoyed it.  An easy and fun read.  I think it’d be fun for a book club discussion.

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The Seven Common Sins of Parenting An Only Child: A Guide for Parents and Families by Carolyn White

Just so you know, those seven are: Overindulgence, overprotection, failure to discipline, overcompensation, seeking perfection, treating your child like an adult, and overpraising.