october reading review...

A once-a-month review of the books I read.

The rating is the same as Goodreads--5 stars means "it was amazing," 4 is "really liked it," 3 is "liked it," 2 is "it was okay," and 1 is "didn't like it."

Anne's House of Dreams by Lucy Maud Montgomery (3 stars)

I liked this one better than Windy Poplars, but I got very, very sick of the phrase "house of dreams". And that's about all I can say about this one.

Anne of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery (3 stars)

The focus shifted here from Anne to her kids--it should have been called "Anne's Children". Not as engaging as the first book in the series, but the kids are fun characters.

Rainbow Valley by Lucy Maud Montgomery (3 stars)

Again, about Anne's kids. I would have liked this story much better if Susan hadn't been in them. She's annoying.

Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery (3 stars)

I almost gave this one two stars because I don't like authors who get political, and this one had a lot of politics. And way too much of Susan. It was great to see Anne's youngest daughter coming into her own, but the romance was way to flimsy. It got it's third star because of the dog, and that's all I'm sayin' about that!

The Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-5 by Lemony Snicket (3 stars to each)

The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window, The Miserable Mill, and The Austere Academy

These are fun, quick reads. I love the way he handles vocab (seeing as these are for young readers), and how he keeps the story moving at a good pace. Sadly, I read them in such quick succession that when I went to a movie a few days later, I kept expecting really bad things to happen :P I'll be continuing the series in November. (Note: Each one takes me between one and two hours to read, for those who are interested in how quick they are!)

Longshot by Dick Francis (4 stars)

The second book by Francis that I've read, this one was also recommended by Dara. It was fantastic. The main character was a poor writer, so I was able to identify right off. And let's just say that even though I'm not a fan of horse racing, I do love horses. Since Francis brings horses into all his stories, I'm pretty much a sucker for them all now. And his main characters are so very lovable. If you like easy reads that have wonderful characters, pick up something by Francis!

Room by Emma Donoghue (3 stars)

Shelly mentioned reading this one a few months ago and the premise sounded interesting. A mother and her five-year-old son who live in an 11X11 room. I knew from the get go that there would be difficult subject matter (they are prisoners, the mother was kidnapped at 19 and is raped by her captor, the son is a product of rape), but I watch a lot of shows that cover such matter, so I knew it wouldn't creep me out. And while the idea was good, there were several things that didn't quite work. First off, Donoghue sets the story in America but she really doesn't understand American culture like she needed to (she's Irish I believe). Second, the point of view is always the little boy's, but it doesn't always ring true to a child, even a smart child. There are a few others, but you can read my review on Goodreads.com of you want to know them! Not as powerful as all the hype makes it out to be.