Books Read in October 2020

This is so much fun to be back!

I am starting off with October and it was not as fruitful as September. I have completed two books this month compared to seven last month. I have been a little distracted this month.

I will share a little about my reading habits so that you know what to expect from me in the future. I choose books to read for the month, but I also have a few books that I read a little bit of each day.

Each morning with a cup of tea, I read ‘The Writer’s Daily Companion’. I use it like a daily devotional for writers. Each day it offers something new.

• Monday: Writers on Writing
• Tuesday: Motivation
• Wednesday: Writing Class
• Thursday: Editing
• Friday: Biography
• Saturday: Books Writers Should Read
• Sunday: Writing Prompts

I also read a chapter from a book on the writing craft. Which I plan to continue doing indefinitely because of my huge collection of craft books. This month I am halfway through ‘Light the Dark – Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process. I will share more about this book once I have completed it.

Now onto what I read:

‘Stop Worrying; Start Writing – How to Overcome Fear, Self-Doubt and Procrastination by Sarah Painter. This book is short only 117 pages. But it is packed full of information to get you out of a slump. This was the craft book I read chapters daily for last month and it is a keeper. Each chapter gives you different methods to break through whatever blocks are keeping you from writing. I found many ideas that I have never heard before and with the number of years I have been writing, that surprised me. I think her advice is what encouraged me to take another look at my blog and start posting content again.

Sarah Painter is a bestselling author and host of the Worried Writer podcast – www.worriedwriter.com. Her fiction includes – The Language of Spells in the Light of What we See. She lives in Scotland with her children, husband, and a grey tabby called Zelda Kitgerald. She drinks too much tea and is the proud owner of a writing shed.

On a scale of 1 to 5 stars and 5 is best, I would give this one 4. If I ever give a book less than 3 stars, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is awful, it means it didn’t resonate with me. A five I reserve for books like – To Kill a Mockingbird or Gone with the Wind. Those are classics and I rarely read new books that I feel will become true classics. They not only have to be excellent, but they need to be books I think will age well and be popular for generations to come.  So, a four from me is really an excellent rating and I would recommend reading it, if it sounds like something you would enjoy.

I planned to read more spooky stuff because of Halloween but the one book I really wanted to read and did was Halloween Party by Agatha Christie. I had picked this book up often over the years but never bought it until this year. I am a true Christie fan. I discovered her years ago when my first was a toddler and we spent a lot of time at story time at the local library. I devoured as many of her books then as I could find. Obviously, I didn’t find all of them and remember complaining to the librarian that they needed to supply more. I did get an introduction to her main characters, Poirot, Miss Marple, and Tommy and Tuppence. My favorite has always been Miss Marple but I did love Tommy  and Tuppence. I have now grown to love Poirot as well. I would also give this one a 4.

This novel introduced a new character to me as well, Ariadne Oliver, a mystery writer and friend of Poirot. In Halloween Party, Ariadne has a new friend she met on a cruise who invites her to her small village and a Halloween party. That night, a child makes a wild claim about having witnessed a murder in the past. That child is later found dead with her head in the apple bobbing tub. Ariadne contacts Poirot because something does not feel right. It was an enjoyable read. If you have never read a Christie, her characters are fairly rounded even though the sleuth does not really change during the series. The crimes are set up well and will keep you guessing. I also watched the adaptation on Britbox for this book. It is part of the Poirot series and they never disappoint. Beautiful scenery, believable cast that usually follows close to the book descriptions and story line.  I plan to continue reading Christie books often so you will see more soon.

Those were the two books I completed this month, but I did start a few that I plan to finish eventually. Those were Alice Hoffman’s Magic Lessons, Stephen King’s If it Bleeds, and The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry. I did enjoy the portion read so far but this month I was too much like the proverbial dog seeing a squirrel and was easily distracted. I will review them once I have completed reading them.

I hope this may have given you the itch to pick up a book or two. Please feel free to comment and offer suggestions of books that you love too.

 I do look forward to the cold nights ahead with a good book and a hot tea or chocolate.

Until next time, keep reading.

Virginia