Wednesday, November 7, 2018

What I Read in October

I kicked off the month with a thrilling page-turner.



The Cabin at the End of the World

Wen and her two dads are vacationing at a remote cabin in New Hampshire when four strangers appear asking her dads to help save the world.  What follows is a terrifying tale of survival.

I could not put this book down.  This is the kind of page-turner you truly get lost in.  I would pick it up at night to read for just 10 minutes and an hour would go by just like that.  One night, my heart was racing and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep so I just kept reading.

If you're like me at all, you'll go look up the ratings before committing to reading this.  You'll see the 3 star rating and start to waver.  Unfortunately, the ending is not what you'd want it to be and it is my belief that this ending is causing most of the low reviews.  (Some readers have complained that there's too much detail but, really, it's such a short book, the detail should not push the ratings down.  In my opinion)  If I had read an actual book and not an e-book on my kindle, I would have tossed the book across the room.  I don't know why the author did this to us, but he did.  So, yeah, a great page-turner with an infuriating ending.


And then there was this book . . .



A psychic is hired by an oil company to find drilling spots in the Pacific Northwest.  She only agrees to do so as she believes she will be able to save the whales that inhabit that part of the ocean.  The beginning of the book hints at some sort of secret plot by the government to cause harm to the whales and other marine life.

This is such a quick read and was going along just fine until about 80% of the way through the book when it became completely 100% unbelievable.  I actually said, "Okay, we're all done here," aloud to myself.  I did finish it and the ending was just as bad.  Unfortunately, this is not one I would recommend.    


Last, but most definitely not least, was A Place for Us.



I cannot say enough about this book; it's that good.  This is the story of an American family with Indian roots.  It's not a thriller, or full of suspense.  This is simply a classic novel that is so incredibly well written, you'll become involved with the characters and their lives, and you won't want it to end.  You'll learn about the Muslim religion and Indian culture and how these impact different family members in different ways.  If you're looking for a book you can sink your teeth into, this is it.  It's fantastic!  


So I only got through 3 books this month.  My wish list keeps getting longer and longer, of course.  Too many books and not enough time for reading!


To see what I've read so far this year, click here.

To see the list of books I read in 2017, click here.
To see the list of books I read in 2016, click here.
To see the list of books I read in 2015, click here.



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2 comments:

Erika said...

Oh gosh, so many thoughts!! You are the only other person I 'know' that's read Cabin at the End of the World!! I read it this summer based on a review I heard on NPR. I will agree that the ending was garbage, but the book overall was really well done. I read so much that I rarely remember much about books a few months after I've read them, but I'm surprised by how much I remember/think about this one!!

AND. A Place for Us. Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. My favorite book of the year so far. You describe it so perfectly- not a story where a whole lot actually happens, but SO impactful. Man did I weep with this one, and I think about it often as well. I am mostly just excited that this was the author's FIRST BOOK (like wow, way to start a career!!) and she is super young and hopefully has dozens of amazing books ahead of her!!

JEN said...

You have the best book recs! I'm halfway through the book about the hospital in New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. Good read!