Laura’s October Reads

The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan

Continuing the journey through the Wheel of Time series, I started the month by finishing book #8, The Path of Daggers. While I think that this book was a necessary part of the series and that we needed some of this buildup to understand plot points to come, this definitely wasn’t a favorite read for me. I really struggle with the way that Jordan writes women, and I get bored with a lot of the extra details/characters that don’t really seem necessary and probably could have been exchanged for other (more relevant) character storylines.

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

I’m a big fan of Agatha Christie and love many of her books. Hallowe’en Party follows the famous Hercule Poirot as he tries to solve the case of a murder at a holiday event after being summoned to investigate by his friend, Ariadne Oliver. While this wasn’t as good as some of her others, it  was still an entertaining book to read in October, and Christie didn’t disappoint me with some twists and turns in the storyline.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

As someone who doesn’t read very much romance, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the Brown Sisters series earlier this year, but I quickly fell in love with all of them. Eve Brown’s story was extra fun because I listened to the playlist that Hibbert included at the beginning of the novel while I was reading. It was like I was in the middle of a romantic comedy movie and I loved it. I would highly recommend this series to novices of the romance genre or those looking for some feel good stories. Also, can Netflix please hire Talia Hibbert to start writing some movies? COME ON! I need this to happen

Monstress Vol. 6 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

I started the Monstress graphic novels a couple months ago and when I found out that Volume 6 was available for pre-order, I decided to get it. I loved having something to look forward to in the mail. Simply put, I love these graphic novels. Takeda’s art is amazing and I love the world that Liu has built and how it centers around strong, smart, kind women. Volume 6 continues Maika’s journey of self discovery and gives us some back stories on Maika and Kippa, all while the war is raging on between the different countries/factions. It was a great addition and now I’m going to be anxiously awaiting Volume 7.

Vei Vol. 1 by Sara B. Elfgren and Karl Johnsson

Some great art and a strong woman lead? I’m in! Vei is a warrior of Jotunheim who finds herself fighting for her gods in a contest that determines who will rule Midgard. I really appreciated this take on Norse Mythology and even though it was short, I thought it was a really good setup for the storyline and characters. The art was also really beautiful and seemed to fit the story really well. I’m looking forward to how it will wrap up in Volume 2!

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

If you love The Princess Bride movie, I highly suggest you check out this audiobook. While it’s not a sensational book, it definitely gets points for nostalgia and the “fun factor.” Hearing the actors and directors involved in the casting and creation of one of my favorite movies give some behind the scenes info on the movie was SUCH a good time. I also loved hearing the cast gush over each other and what a great experience they all had.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

I know that people are mixed on Kristin Hannah’s writing. I personally really like what I’ve read of hers so far (probably a guilty pleasure/comfort reading thing). So when I saw The Four Winds was available at my local library I quickly grabbed it. This is a historical fiction centered around the Dust Bowl that affected the plains region in the 1930s, and in typical Kristin Hannah fashion, a lot of tragedy strikes the main characters of the novel before you get to the “feel-good” section. I thought this was a great book and I really appreciate the work that the author does to make sure she’s being accurate to the time she’s writing about and her character descriptions.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

This book was recommended to me based on some of my recent reads in scribd, and they nailed it! For those who haven’t read/heard of it, this is a YA, fantasy graphic novel that follows main character, Nimona, as she works alongside the world’s greatest villain, Ballister Blackheart, who we quickly learn might not be great at this whole villain thing. Oh, and did I mention that Nimona is a shapeshifter? Because she definitely is. This book combines fantasy and science and pokes fun at both of them (as well as poking fun at its own characters), and also adds in some really heartfelt moments. I LOVED this book.

Lumberjanes Vol.1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn Allen

I had seen lots of people on Instagram talking about Lumberjanes, especially librarians. So after I completed Nimona (also by Noelle Stevenson), I decided to check the first volume out to see if they lived up to the hype. Let me just say, these are great graphic novels for kids and I wished that I would have had these available to me when I was younger. The cast of characters is strong, smart, fun, diverse in many ways, and the shenanigans they get into/adventures they go on are just as fun as they are.