October Wrap Up #1

I have read six books in the first half of October.

I read two ARCs. The Forest City Killer by Vanessa Brown and Entanglement by Andrew J. Thomas. I've written individual reviews for these so I won't repeat myself.

I finally picked up Bookwanderers by Anna James. This is a children's fantasy book about Tilly who can "bookwander." That means she can literally pull favorite characters out of books and she can go inside a book to live out the story. This was very cute. There is a sequel that is already out in the UK and will be released in the US in spring 2020. I will likely pick up the next book. I gave this book 3 stars.

Then I listened to Confessions by Kanae Minato. This is a Japanese psychological horror story focusing on a middle school teacher and the events surrounding her daughter's death. There were many twists and turns and I couldn't consume the story fast enough. Definitely a page-turner! I gave the story 4 stars.

My library hold of This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger became available so I picked it up next. It's a historical fiction novel set in the Great Depression about some orphans who run away from their state care facility and survive in the wilderness. They meet people along the way, some good and some evil. Krueger wrote beautifully and I was very pleased with how the story turned out. I gave the book 4 stars.

Lastly, I picked up Christodora by Tim Murphy. Another historical fiction set in the 1980s, 1990s, up to 2021. This largely focused on the HIV/AIDS crisis and the people who were affected. The story focuses on Milly and Jared who choose to adopt a little boy who was orphaned when his mother died of AIDS. The stories interweave with several characters who impact the story in meaningful ways. The characters are mostly unlikable but I still enjoyed the story. I gave the book 4 stars.