October 2018 Reading List
Books on my October 2018 reading list, including Tin Man, We Were the Lucky Ones, Someday, Crossing to Safety, And the Mountains Echoed, and Away.
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I’m backing off again a bit for my October 2018 reading list, after a mediocre and somewhat slow reading month in September. The change of seasons is hitting me hard, and I can’t quite tell if I need some slow-movers to curl up with or some page-turners to get me energized again. I think I’ve opted for the slow-movers, but I’m hoping the choices below will be compelling and make for a more successful reading month in October.
Next month is nonfiction November and I’m already prepping my reading list. Last year was my first year participating and I found it quite challenging to read so much nonfiction. There’s no requirement to only read nonfiction, but I do like to try. I’m crossing my fingers that these choices for October will carry me through.
I’m linking up with Literary Quicksand, Rachel at Never Enough Novels, and Allison at My Novel Life for the TBR Mix ‘n Mingle. On the first Wednesday of each month we share the books we’re planning to read.
October 2018 Reading List
Tin Man: A Novel
I’m always drawn to books about childhood friendships that continue–and change–into adulthood. The mystery of what path those relationships took to get to…wherever they land…is always compelling to me (some other recent ones like this: The Gunners, The Chalk Man). So this one caught my eye, especially after seeing raves by a few other readers.
Here’s the publisher’s summary for this one: Ellis and Michael are twelve-year-old boys when they first become friends, and for a long time it is just the two of them, cycling the streets of Oxford, teaching themselves how to swim, discovering poetry, and dodging the fists of overbearing fathers. And then one day this closest of friendships grows into something more. But then we fast-forward a decade or so, to find that Ellis is married to Annie, and Michael is nowhere in sight. Which leads to the question: What happened in the years between?
We Were the Lucky Ones: A Novel
I may need a break from World War II historical fiction after this year, but this one has lingered on my TBR for a while and many trusted reviewers promise it’s worth the read. In the spring of 1939, three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives as the war encroaches on Poland. When the war finally reaches them, the Kurcs are flung to the far corners of the world, each trying to find his or her own path to safety.
Someday
I don’t read a ton of YA novels, but David Levithan stands out as an author with a unique voice who creates memorable characters. The predecessor to this book, Every Day, had such a strange and interesting premise that I knew I had to see where Levithan took the story. Here’s the summary:
Every day a new body. Every day a new life. Every day a new choice.
For as long as A can remember, life has meant waking up in a different person’s body every day, forced to live as that person until the day ended. A always thought there wasn’t anyone else who had a life like this.
But A was wrong. There are others.
A has already been wrestling with powerful feelings of love and loneliness. Now comes an understanding of the extremes that love and loneliness can lead to — and what it’s like to discover that you are not alone in the world.
Crossing to Safety
I recently included this one in my books about aging and end of life list and I couldn’t resist snagging it at the library (because I am obviously short of books to read). Based on all the raves, this seems like a backlister that’s worth my time, though I’m not expecting it to be a fast read.
Carryovers from September
I knew I was overshooting my reading plans last month. Hopefully I’ll get to these in October:
And the Mountains Echoed
Hosseini’s books are always hard-hitting, and this one promises to be the same. A multi-generational and global story that starts in Afghanistan in 1952, this promises to be a book about how choices reverberate through generations. Some of the themes sound similar to Homegoing by Yaa Gyaasi, and I have hopes that this will carry the same emotional resonance.
Away
This book has been on my shelf for a while, and I’m looking forward to this story about a woman who tries to start a new life in America after her family is destroyed in a Russian pogrom. She embarks on a far-reaching search through the U.S. and back to Russia when she learns that her daughter may still be alive.
What are you reading in October? Any thoughts on my choices for this month?
I’m with you on reading nothing but nonfiction for a whole month! I generally throw a short novel or two in there…even though I’m one of the hosts! And I generally stop reading nonfiction entirely by the 3rd week or so.
And We Were the Lucky Ones is so good! I have pretty much stopped reading WWII fiction b/c I’m so sick of it, but that was the one exception of the past few years.
Oh, I hope you get to Crossing to Safety! It’s a slow burn, but I just think it’s so powerful. I’m already excited to reread it someday!
I’m a huge fan of memoirs that read like fiction. That counts as nonfiction. You could probably throw fiction based on true stories in there too (Alice Network, Lilac Girls, etc)! I’m interested to see what you’ll be reading in November!
I’m on a YA kick right now and David Levithan’s books sound interesting! That’s a new to me author, so I’m looking forward to checking him out.
You’ve got some great Oct picks! I highly recommend Tin Man, We Were the Lucky Ones, and Crossing to Safety. They’re all very different so will work well together- if that makes sense.
I absolutely loved Crossing to Safety. Great choice! Hope you like it as much as I did!
Bitter by Francesca Jakobi and,at 71,shrugged off my snobbery about chick.lit and just immersed myself in An Absolute Scandal by Penny VincenzI and nearly finished The Break by Marian Keyes.Most of Vincenzi’s novels belong on your Big Books list.Reserved Getting to Safety…
Thank you for reminding me of Vincenzi! I love her books and they are BIG. Off to see if she’s written anything new!
Sorry,Catherine.I read An Absolute Scandal as my contribution to our book clubs theme “Authors who died this year”.!!Trying not to giggle,sorry.I’m fortunate in just “coming to”Penny Vincenzo..already picked up three at a monthly book fair and my book club friends are looking for me.Marian Keyes The Break is another “type” altogether but just as entertaining.And has the advantage of still being with us.Sorry,sniggering again..:-)