I started October reading a book by a neat lady who has a you tube channel: The Chateau Chronicles, about, you guessed it: a chateau she bought in France. I enjoy her escapades and her little dog Chloe. So I was surprised to belatedly find her book The Alchemy of Loss: A Young Widow’s Transformation. She is a 911 widow and the book was a very heartfelt honest account. I enjoyed it. Oh, her name is Abigail Carter.

Next, I read Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women. I’d never read this author before. It was a bit confusing to me, because it is listed as True Crime genre, but is fiction. No secret it is loosely based on Ted Bundy’s sorority house murders. So, although the author does not name him, isn’t that kind of capitalizing on the subject? The title was taken from the real life judge calling Bundy a “bright young man.” Not gonna lie, this book made me revisit the actual crime and the videos of his trial are truly bizarre. The story was a little confusing to me, but interesting.

Next, I finally got to Attica Locke’s Bluebird, Bluebird the first book in the Highway 59 series. She is a native Houstonian and since I have lived near Highway 59 my entire life, I was intrigued. I really like her book The Cutting Season. I reread it recently after visiting some of Louisiana’s River Road plantations this Summer. I know this is not a politically correct pastime these days, but I love history. Her writing is so good at capturing a location. I plan on reading Heaven, My Home in preparation for book 3 in the series, which should come out in September ‘24.

Next I read Annabel Monaghan‘s Same Time Next Summer. These books make me feel like I am cheating somehow, bc they are just easy reads. I really enjoyed Nora Goes Off Script. It was really cute. Kinda Hallmark movie cute. Not something I typically read, but it was fun. This latest one was IMO not as well written. It spent too much time in the “then” teenage romance part and K preferred the “now,”
adult part of the story. There were bits that were undeniably charming though.

I had a surprise book my daughter turned me on to: Killers of A Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. Again, something different for me. My daughter and I were in a book store and she said “Mom, you might like this, it’s about killers in their 60s!” Hahaha. Okay! I was late getting to this one. It turned out to be a cleverly written surprise. I felt the story draw me right in. Got lost in some of the scenarios: the catacombs in Paris, New Orleans Jackson Square. Hoping this will have a sequel.

My reading this year has been so varied, which I absolutely love and did not do on purpose.

My best book so far was Dennis Lehane’s Small Mercies (see what I mean about varied!). That one gets very violent, but is a real lesson in human nature and how sadly, not much has changed.

Currently reading Crying In H Mart for book club. I almost DNFd it with all the food descriptions at the beginning, but felt bad, knowing it is the authors memoir about her mother. I am sticking with it and it has gotten better. Hoping I will get what all the hype was about.