October Reading

October was a month of much needed autumnal bliss. We had family visitors for a few days and a few friend dates, a few fun events/activities, lots of time outside, and a decent number of nights cozied up with a good book!

At the beginning of the month I decided to read the Sweater Weather series because of a gushing post I read on a Christian fiction blog. Courtney Walsh wrote one of the books so I didn't think to check out if they were indeed Christian. The first book used the words "boobs" and "sexy" enough times that I started to really doubt that this was actually a Christian series. I read a Christian book review and a few Goodreads reviews and decided to abandon the series. I'd still happily read Courtney Walsh's offering but hers is sadly the only one not available through my library!

GROWN-UP READS
📖 How to Study the Bible Intentionally (Christian, nonfiction)... Incredibly helpful! Ready to slide back out of my Bible study slump!
📖 The Perfect Rom-Com (Christian, but really just clean, fiction)... overall this was fine but it was really not at all what I was in the mood for. I may have liked it more if I'd read it at a different time but I can still see the cuteness objectively.
📖 The Second Story Bookshop (Christian but basically just clean, fiction)... Overall, this was a fun autumnal read. This romance featured lots of kissing and a female MC who already had a boyfriend when the sparks started to fly with the male MC but I overall liked it.
📖 The Tipping Point (secular,  nonfiction)... I've intended to read a Malcolm Gladwell book for years! I am so fascinated by social science books like this. I'll definitely read more.

📚 Plus applicable sections of The No-Cry Nap Solution // What to Expect: The First Year // The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding // The Wonder Weeks

📺 My oldest read The Hobbit so we watched all three Hobbit movies together. They're so lovely at times but good grief, so violent! I was very excited for these and kept saying I couldn't wait for our cozy autumn Hobbit parties. I snuggled in with a mug of tea and pretty quickly realized this was not going to be a sweet cozy movie 😅

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS
📖 The Brushmaker’s Daughter (secular,  middle grade, historical fiction)... This WWII fiction focused on a Jewish young lady whose father is blind. They found refuge working in a brush factory that employed several other blind people. I really liked it! I love this author's WWII books and am always surprised that she can write so many WWII stories That all feel different to me.
📖 The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I really enjoyed this clever mystery and can't wait to see what my seventh grader thinks!
📖  Operation Grizzly Bear (secular,  middle grade, nonfiction)... This was excellent middle grade nonfiction for nature lovers! It's about Jean Craighead George's brothers and (tiny) little bits of her + her childhood are sprinkled in.
📖 Road Trip Rescue (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will pass it along to my upper middle grade children. So far one of them has read it and she loved it + asked for book 2.
📖 Puppy Pirates #1: Stowaway! (Secular, chapter book, fiction)... Cute, fine, but those who don't allow twaddle won't love it.

*I also finished a Harry Potter buddy read with one of my kids and we all worked through The Ology, Atlas Adventures, and Home Ec for Everyone in homeschool (along with our regular subjects). 

PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: Library Mouse: Home Sweet Home // Nightsong // A Puppy for Annie