Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m doing things just a little bit differently than in the past. Since I decided to participate in the 2016 PopSugar Challenge, I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill (although it looks like I’ve skipped reading the challenge entirely this month…oops!). If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is What I Read in October 2016, my brief book reviews and recommendations.

Books Finished:

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

2016 PopSugar Challenge: a book about a culture you’re unfamiliar with

This novel takes place in Chile and California during the Gold Rush in the 19th Century. The main character is Eliza, a young orphan girl raised as part of a genteel family in Chile. The descriptions of the characters are rich, but the first half of the book felt a bit slow to me. The second half had more going on, as well as new characters introduced into the story line, which made it feel fresher to me. Overall, I liked the novel, but wouldn’t count it among my favorites.

The Long View by Elizabeth Jane Howard

To be honest, I didn’t really like this book. I’ve read a couple of others by Elizabeth Jane Howard, and loved how she took a realistic peek inside the different character’s minds. But this book felt really depressing. The book works itself backwards in time, I think in an effort to explain how the people got to be who and what they are, which is sad and kind of terrible people. But I didn’t really understand that until about 3/4 through the book. There were glimpses of the beauty of her other books, but overall I didn’t love it.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

2016 PopSugar Challenge: a satirical book

Satire is the use of humor to expose folly of vice for the purpose of bettering the situation. I think this book fits that category, because when you really think about death, we often have silly or unrealistic views of what it looks like. This book is informative and funny, which is unexpected for a book about cremation, the funeral business, autopsies, medical dissections, and scientific cadaver donations.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

2016 PopSugar Challenge: a book that’s becoming a movie this year

Oh my goodness! This is a page turner from start to finish. With an unreliable (and largely unlikable) narrator, it’s difficult to know what’s accurate and what is not. But that just serves to make the story even more engaging.

Further Still: A Collection of Poetry and Vignettes by Beth Moore

With so many heavy hitting books this month, I wanted something light, and easy to read. This one fit the bill, as it is made up of short stories, poems, and Moore’s musings. I appreciates it very much as a contrast to my other choices this month.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

My friend Brenda and I decided to start a book club, and picked this for our first meeting. I really enjoyed the book, and found it to be a quick read. But although I definitely felt glad for Cheryl’s redemption, it didn’t change the fact that I disagree very strongly with many of her decisions and life choices. And it was difficult for me to set my feelings aside, which meant that I felt disconnected from her as the protagonist. In particular, as a Christian, I couldn’t help but feeling that if she had only been willing to let God into her heart, that her life wouldn’t have felt so overwhelming and depressing to her. There was a line that she used, about having ‘a hole in her heart’, that particularly struck me. Perhaps it’s because my bible study is working through a book called She’s Got Issues where that author uses the term ‘a God-shaped hole in her heart,’ and I couldn’t help but see the parallels.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

2016 PopSugar Challenge: a book from the library

Having seen the movie before reading the book, to some extent I knew what to expect from the story line. But that in no way dismisses the emotional impact that it had on me. After finishing the book last night, I simply sat and thought about it for a while, which is atypical for me. If you decide to tackle it, be prepared for it to be emotionally tough sledding, but an otherwise relatively quick read.

Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark Levin

The subtitle for this book is A Communist Manifesto, and that is an apt description. Spoiler alert: if you’re not conservative, you’ll probably hate this book. Levin makes some great points, and has support for them, about how our nation has and is changing because people view the government as better able to meet our needs and make decisions than we are ourselves. I’ve been working my way through this one for several months, and finally finished it. This is not a quick read, as Levin’s points need some time to digest.

Mentoring Matters: What Every Mentor Needs to Know by Tom Osborne

2016 PopSugar Challenge: a book written by a celebrity

Tom Osborne is the former head coach of the Nebraska Cornhusker football team, for those who aren’t from Nebraska. He also served in Congress and run for Governor of Nebraska as well. This book is about his experiences as both a mentor and a mentee. It also discusses the TeamMates mentoring program which Tom and Nancy created. I serve as a mentor and on the Board for our local chapter of TeamMates, so this book was interesting.

The Black Violin by Maxence Fermine

I picked this book up at the public library’s book sale. It never hurts to add a book to my collection about music and musical instruments. This one is short, but that doesn’t take away from the power of the story. I found the story and characters thoroughly engaging.

Books Abandoned:

None.