October Book Review

Alright, so I read four books last month but I'm only going to talk about three of them here.  The missing book falls into the true crime category and I have a second book on the same exact subject loaded on my kindle, ready to read.  I figured it made more sense to review both books at the same time.

First up for October . . .



I have mixed feelings on this one.  It definitely kept my interest and had some unexpected twists, but some parts didn't add up or make total sense to me.  At the end, I was left feeling like okay, that could have happened but I have questions.

"Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.
 
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past. 
 
That is until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit; and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished."

I was afraid this would be gruesome and while there are some disturbing scenes, it's not terrible.  I've read much worse.  The writing isn't very deep. which was fine. I got over it.  I don't always need depth in suspense, page-turners.  Have you read this?  What did you think?  


For all you Little House on the Prairie fans . . .



This book was authorized by the Little House Heritage Trust and reads just like a Little House book.  Told from the perspective of Caroline, Laura's mother, we learn of the family's move from Wisconsin to Kansas in 1870.  It's been years since I read this series but it was interesting to see a different point of view and how life was as a wife and mother.  One of these days, I'll get around to reading Pioneer Girl.


For fans of historical fiction . . .



I was slightly hesitant to read this because it was new and there weren't many reviews, but the topic seemed interesting so I went for it.  I ended up really, really enjoying this book, which is based on true events.

"The New York Times bestselling author of the celebrated A Land More Kind Than Home and This Dark Road to Mercy returns with this eagerly awaited new novel, set in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina in 1929 and inspired by actual events. The chronicle of an ordinary woman’s struggle for dignity and her rights in a textile mill, The Last Ballad is a moving tale of courage in the face of oppression and injustice, with the emotional power of Ron Rash’s Serena, Dennis Lehane’s The Given Day, and the unforgettable films Norma Rae and Silkwood." 

The book is told from the perspective of several different characters, who all end up being connected to each other.  I thought that was clever and enjoyed how the chapters jumped between characters and their points of view.  It kept the book more interesting, in my opinion.  I mention this because in some of the more critical reviews, readers didn't like this.  If you're a fan of historical fiction, I would highly recommend this one.


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