October 2016 Reading: the Read, the To Be Read, and the Hopeful

October is one of the best months for reading. You're likely to hear me say that about every other month of the year, but when fall sets in the crisp air and chilly nights make curling up with a book even more appealing.

So here are the books that are making my October a joy.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman is a modern master of the fantasy genre. His books often have a dark twang to them and have rumblings of folklore and mythology hiding throughout. His talking on the Norse myths feels fated. What I love about his version of the myths is the storytelling. He seamlessly ties the tales together while reminding the reader that the myths are part of an oral tradition. Loki is just as naughty as ever, Thor as block headed and Odin the mysterious patriarch. It makes for the perfect quick read as you don't need to read the whole book at a time but can easily set it aside when life (or a book from the library) takes precedents. Then again when a book is this good why would you choose to do anything else than read?

What If? by Randall Munroe

I'm doing a reading challenge this year and one of the categories is 'Read a science book'. For the science minded, this book is perfect. But for my social science brain, I had a hard time with the actual science. Munroe answers people's random and impossible science questions, ex. What would happen if you made a literal periodic table of elements by collecting all the elements and stacking them on top of each other?. That question did not have a pretty answer, but a hilarious one all the same. This book is very humorous. I've recommended it to my left brained friends who have raved about it. 

Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet

It has the word autumn in the title, so yes it was a nice treat for this time of year. See my review below. 

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This is the PERFECT October read! Eleanor, Theodora, and Luke are asked by Dr. Montague to take up residence at Hill House, a notorious house to observe any paranormal activity. Hill House has a funny way of seeping into the brain and soon the sinister becomes all too real. Eleanor is a sympathetic character. She is fragile and untested and you feel for her, which makes her musings and insecurities feel all the more real, especially in the end as activity in the house becomes more pronounced. 

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

I just started this book and it is a hug. It's the story of Nina who has just lost her job at the library. She is a quiet, bookish woman who loves finding the right book for people, but is feeling lost until she gets the idea to open her own bookshop...in a van! That is about as far as I've gotten, but this book has the feel of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and just feels good to read. I plan on devouring it.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

Currently listening to this book and it is a delight! Mary Russell, our main character, starts the book reflecting back on her time as a young girl/woman with Sherlock Holmes. The book then goes to their first encounter and ensuing cases. Mary is the equivalent of Holmes in intellect and the logical mind, so Holmes takes her under his wing and Mary's apprenticeship begins. Mary shows that Holmes is not the robot the Watson's stories made him out to be. I am loving the platonic relationship forming between Mary and Holmes and am delighted to watch Mary grow and become ever more deductive and capable. 

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

For some reason Forge, the second book in this series, is on my bookshelf, but not the first book. Chains is the first in the Seeds of America children's series about slaves during the American Revolutionary War who are trying to win their freedom. The final book in the series just came out and I've only heard great things about it, so I'm very excited to start the series and then be able to finish. Don't you hate waiting for books in a series to come out? It's one of my pet peeves, so I usually wait until the series concludes or has many books in it before I'll give it a go. That's also my sneaky way of saying I'm sometimes late to the game :). 


I'm sure more could be thrown in there, but I will leave you in suspense. What has fall inspired you to read? 

So a priest, a quaint town, and a stuffy old bird walk into a cozy mystery....

Let's talk about Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet, the first in the Max Tudor series, but first let me ruminate on my love of the oh so pleasant, yet utterly sinister, cozy mystery genre.

It was a dark and stormy autumn and I needed a book that was fictional with Halloween being a center point of the setting. Unless you want a children's book, there really aren't many adult fiction titles where Halloween plays a large role, that is until you explore the cozy mystery genre. That is when I found The Diva Haunts the House by Krista Davis and was enamored with the genre from there on out.

Now let me stop myself and explain what a cozy is. Cozies are part of the mystery genre. They are characterized by a pleasant setting, usually a small town, and the main character having a hobby, job, or interest that is the center point of the series (i.e. sewing, owning a bookstore, being a cat lover, and, I shit you not, crafting with gourds). The murder takes place off screen and the main character somehow gets pulled into the crime (almost always murder) and starts sleuthing. As per their name, they make for a cozy read.

Alright now let's get into Wicked Autumn. Max is the town's new priest and when we meet him he's been in his position for enough time to feel fairly comfortable with his parishioners. He has a mysterious past as a former MI5 operative. Do I see some run ins with shadowy figures from his past in future books? I think I do. His happy hamlet is rocked when the town's reigning queen of the Women's Institute, Wanda, is found dead during the harvest fair she spent ages trying to make perfect. Was it an outsider? No one believes one of their own could have that kind of evil intent in their heart, but still waters run deep.

Cozy mysteries tend towards non-literary writing (that's a euphemism) but are such fun potato chip reads that you look past it. I was pleasantly surprised that the writing in Malliet's book was fun, the characters very well established and the setting as comfortable as ever. Many first books in a series rush to define all their characters but I didn't feel overwhelmed while the characters personalities and quarks were unraveled. If I continue the series I'm excited to get to know the characters more.

My disappointment in the book was the conclusion. It felt forced and a little too convenient. This is typically my response with cozies. Because the main character is not allowed in on all the police actions, it always feels like you're missing chunks. In the end they did walk through the whys and hows of the murder, which made me happy. So often the sleuth leaves out the overview of what they found out and how they got to  their conclusion. Max and the detective talk it over which wrapped the book up nicely.

Overall, a highly enjoyable read.

If you're looking for similar reads let me offer a few:

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. The first in the Miss Marple series, it is the quintessential cozy and has a lot in common with Wicked Autumn including a victim no one liked and a small British town.

Twelve Drummers Drumming by C.C. Benison is the frist in the Father Christmas series, which, go figure, also has a clergy member from England as the centerfold and takes place in a small town.