A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy by Sarah Lazarovic
I was confused by this one. I expected tips on simplifying but found a celebration of material goods instead. Perhaps I missed something.
Dr. Mutter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz
A fascinating look at a more than fascinating man. Reading about the early days of medical school was interesting and made me cringe more than once.
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
What a lovely, and incredibly moving, story.
Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican
Brutal. That’s an understatement. See my review here.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
I read this for the very first time. It was as spooky as I expected and the ending made me gasp aloud. It was the perfect October read.
This One Summer by Jillian & Mariko Tamaki
An absolutely gorgeous graphic novel with a story that could have come out of my own childhood. This one hit close to home.
The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg
A brilliant look at the practice of presenting female children as boys, in order to circumnavigate the oppression of women in Afghanistan. An amazing book.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Another great graphic novel. I’ll admit to liking Boxers & Saints more, but this one was well worth the time.
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
This was my first Cather. (I know!!!) I was stunned by the breathtaking prose. Simply gorgeous.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
If you haven’t read this yet you shouldn’t wait a moment longer. The power of this novel cannot be overstated.
Sleep in Peace Tonight by James MacManus
An interesting take on historical happenings just proceeding the United States involvement in WWII. You can see my review here.
What was your favorite read of the month?
The Relentless Reader 
Great month! I've seen mixed things about Brutal Youth…I'm going to check out your review, but I get the feeling it wasn't up your alley – ha!
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Wow – my assumption was totally wrong and I'd also already read and commented on your review! I couldn't remember who had written that one…sorry about that! Need to get my head on straight 🙂
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LOL, that's funny! Especially since I went into that book feeling quite skeptical myself 😉 I can never keep track of what I said or where I said it. You aren't alone. I blame my age, ha!
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What a great month – so many interesting books! I would love to read The Haunting of Hill House soon – I really like everything by Shirley Jackson that I've read. I also really would like to get This One Summer soon – it looks lovely!
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Okay, I need to read like all of these. I'm glad you loved O Pioneers! It's one of my favorites.
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Thanks, I was happy with this mix of graphic novels, classics, and contemporary fiction 😀 This One Summer was such a nostalgic feeling read for me, I really liked it a lot!
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It was a good month, mostly thanks to the 24 hour readathon 😉
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You had a great month. I guess your reading dry spell is a thing of the past. I not getting much read at the moment – too much going on!
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I'm going to have to re-read Ethan Frome. I read it Freshman year in high school (yes, it was assigned) and didn't like it at all. However, I've found that some of the books I hated as a teenager I actually love as an adult.
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Great month in books for you. I really wanna read Speak. Happy November reading!
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I have to credit the 24 hour readathon with getting my numbers up a little bit in October 😉 Let's see what happens in November, lol. Real life has a way of sneaking in. Ugh, stupid real life 😉
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Oh yes! We change so much that it's totally expected that we'll adore books that we once hated. It's a quick one too so you won't have to put a lot of time into it.
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Thanks 😀 Oh, you really should read Speak. It's really powerful and heartbreaking. Everyone should really read that one!
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Great month for you! Underground Girls is on my list for the Travel the World in Books reading challenge we are doing. I only read 3 books in October (which is a lot for me) and I loved them all. This Dark Road to Mercy and the Silent Sister were unputdownable mysteries and Seven Letterd from Paris swept me off my feet!
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*oops letters…:)
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I think you'll really like The Underground Girls 😀 It's incredibly interesting! I really liked This Dark Road to Mercy and I have The Silent Sister sitting on my shelf right now. I hope to make time for it soon. You know how that goes, lol.
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What a great mix of books!I read a review of A Bunch of Pretty Things I Didn't Buy and considered reading it. I read a quote saying something like only rich people can be minimalists and wanted to read more; was I wrong. Isn't it a bunch of paintings of things she'd like to buy? I'll be skipping this one. Ethan Frome is on my reading list. I think I have to read it in 2015. I'm reading Underground Girls and love it.
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I've heard that sentiment expressed recently as well, that only well-off folks can afford to simplify or move into a Tiny Home and give up all that they own. I don't know if I agree with it totally but I do understand what is meant by that statement! I'd skip it as well. It was just very \”okay\”. The art isn't that striking and the ideas expressed are fine and good if you have the money to only purchase one of an item but it should be the very best you can find and blah blah. I'm totally paraphrasing here but you know what I mean 😉
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You read SO many great books! SOOOO many I love! Now I need to get off my ass and read Ethan Frome (I even have the pretty Penguin English Library edition) and Dr. Mutter.
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great titles, I want to read Dr. Mutter's Marvels. here is my wrap-up: http://wordsandpeace.com/2014/11/03/2014-october-wrap-up/
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Thank goodness for the readathon. That saved my month 😉 Perhaps my entire reading year can be chalked up to the inspiration of those two days?
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It's a great one! I hope you get a chance to read it 😀
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I'm reading The Underground Girls of Kabul — so, so good! GAH. We must make the entire world read this book!
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I completely agree with you! It should be required reading…for all humans.
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What a great month you had!
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It was a good one! I have to give most of the credit to the 24 Hour Readathon 😉
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I will eventually read The Haunting of Hill House… 🙂
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I hope you do, Melinda! It's short/spooky/good!
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