October Reading Report

Oh, October. You were here, and then you sped by like wildfire!

In October I / we managed to finish:

• Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss. This was our (primary) September read-aloud and it was definitely enjoyed by all. We followed it up with the Disney movie, also fun though a little bit different from the book. Naturally.
• The Black Star of Kingston by S.D. Smith. At the beginning of the month, and over our fall break from our homeschool co-op (we were still doing school at home, but it was a blissful week where we didn't go ANYWHERE!), we whipped through S.D. Smith's prequel of The Green Ember. We missed our characters from his first book, but the prequel did not disappoint.
• The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows. This is one that I picked up on a whim after I saw that I could check it out on my Kindle. (I love doing that - one less book I have to remember to return to the library. It just disappears when my time is up). Written by the author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this book had intense characters and I was drawn into their story, however, it had a darker feel to it. One of the main and most loved characters was extremely flawed and I had a hard time relating or enjoying him throughout the book. Well written, but no Guernsey which is what I wanted.
• Home is Where My People Are by Sophie Hudson. After reading the previous book, I wanted something a lot lighter! I toyed with the idea of picking up Mitford, but since I can't ever read just one, I went with another book on my Kindle that I laugh outloud through every time I pick it up. Sophie (Boomama) has a way with words and that fact that she and I are roughly the same age, I can totally relate to her stories as she is reminiscing and I love when I read an author that I think I could be friends with in real life. Cannot wait until her third book is coming out sometime next year.
• The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This was the October Reading to Know bookclub pick and I devoured this mystery. I'm pretty sure this is the first Sherlock Holmes I have ever read and it will not be the last. The story kept me guessing as the mystery unraveled - very important to someone who has cut her teeth on Nancy Drew in elementary school and Agatha Christie in high school. I'll be coming back to him very soon.

Up next:

• The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw is our current read aloud and I am hoping we can finish it up in the next couple of days. We are to the "just one more chapter mom!" part of the book where I've got them hooked. Again, this is another great story, but definitely geared more to an older student. My 8 year old is probably on the young end to read this, but she is hanging in there with us because it is such a compelling story and we are rooting for the main character. Probably not a book you would pick up with kids that are sensitive without prereading.
• I'm not sure what we will tackle after TGG. I'm leaning towards a mystery - I don't think we have every done one as a read aloud and we may do something fun and light like a Nancy Drew book. I have the whole ND series in hardback and not one of my girls has picked that series up and given it a shot. I feel like I have failed somewhere as a mother! Whatever we pick, it will probably be something lighter and shorter than our current read. 
• Another one I would like to read soon is The First Four Years. (Qualifies as a shorter read, but not as a lighter one!) I have put off reading the last book in the Little House series for far too long - one, because it will be the end of our time reading through the books, and two, because it is going to be a hard one to get through.
• I have no idea what I'll pick up personally. Maybe more Sherlock. : )

Any good books I need to know about? Happy reading!