October wrap up post

Well, here we are at the end of October.  Does it seem like time is going by faster to anyone else?  I forgot to do a September post, in fact, and meant to do one but never did!  Well, I read 20 books in September, in case you were curious!  This month, I only read 13.  That’s a significant dip, considering my wrap-up posts from the summer, but at least I’m still reading at a decent pace!  Just thinking about what’s ahead, I will probably be reading even less in November and may be posting fewer reviews.  We shall see.  I may add on another weekly meme to make up for the lack.  Any suggestions?

The breakdown for this month by genre:

General/Literary Fiction

• The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
• The Tenth Case, Joseph Teller (I’m not sure where this fits in, so it will go here)
• Testimony, Anita Shreve
• Life After Genius, M. Ann Jacoby

Historical Fiction

• Azincourt, Bernard Cornwell
• The Heretic Queen, Michelle Moran
• The Greatest Knight, Elizabeth Chadwick

Fantasy

• The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
• Victory of Eagles, Naomi Novik

Non-fiction

• The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell
• Descartes’ Bones, Russell Shorto

Romance

• The Darkest Touch, Jaci Burton
• Her Only Desire, Gaelen Foley

If it isn’t linked, I haven’t posted the review yet!  They will all be posted soon, though.

And now time for the part that is usually difficult, which is choosing a favorite for the month.  This month, it’s easy, and if you’re keeping up with my blog, you can probably guess which book it was.  (You can tell me if you were right in the comments!)

That book is …

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran.  Can I tell you how wonderful it is when a book exceeds my possibly inflated expectations?  Michelle Moran is writing quality historical fiction and I’m just thrilled to be reading.  If you’ll recall, Nefertiti was also one of my favorites when I read it.  The Heretic Queen is better.  If you have not read this book, put it on your wishlist – or enter my giveaway – because I think you’ll love it!  It’s rare to find a book that has a compelling story, engaging and sympathetic characters, history and historical details that make you want to find out more, and great writing; this is that book.  I highly suspect it will be one of my favorites for the year.

Have you read anything fabulous this month?  Let me know!  I have just rediscovered the library and I’d love to put my TBR pile off by reading your suggestions.