Went with a Halloween-themed reading list this month, with the exception of a couple of new releases that couldn’t wait for November.

October 2013

1. The Mark of Athena, by Rick Riordan, finished 10/6/13 (re-read) 

2. Emerald Green, by Kiersten Gier, finished 10/8/13  The conclusion to the Ruby Red trilogy, which is a really fun and fluffy time travel series translated from German.  Kind of a Meg Cabot meets time travel meets London kind of deal. 

3. The House of Hades, by Rick Riordan, finished 10/13/13 

4. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, finished 10/15/13  Finally finished this one after it’s been on my unread books list for years. Truthfully, I thought I might be too scared to read this true crime masterpiece since it details the murder of a whole family in a farm house.  It’s wholly engrossing, and there’s a reason it’s hailed as the first creative non-fiction book.  Plus, there’s tons of  gossipy stuff about Truman Capote and one of the murderers that you can read online when you’re finished. 

5. Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore, finished 10/18/13  

6. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, by Holly Black, finished 10/22/13  They’re selling this as a vampire book for people who aren’t into reading vampire books.  Basically, I’ll read anything Holly Black writes since her world-building is excellent and her prose is careful and elegant.  I’ll warn that you’re not totally avoiding a vampire romance in this one, but at least it makes more sense.  And it’s a cool idea– vampires are out in the open and confined to “Coldtowns,” where humans can dare to enter if they want a chance at immortal life. 

7. Fat Vampire, by Adam Rex, finished 10/23/13  A funny vampire book!  Teenage kid is accidentally bit by a desperate vampire and spends the rest of the book trying to figure out the vampire rules with his best friend.  Some truly great one liners and vampire genre mockery. 

8. A Tale Dark and Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz, finished 10/24/13  Fairytale re-telling that keeps the spirit of the original twisted Grimm stories.  It casts Hansel and Gretel in several of the Grimm stories and follows them as they try to save their kingdom.  It’s written for a middle grade audience, and I think most adult readers would relish reading it aloud. 

9. Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, finished 10/25/13  Oh, but this is good and creepy and perfect for October.  Perhaps you have seen the stop-motion movie, but you should also experience this plainly-written scary story from the mind of Neil Gaiman.  Coraline escapes her boring parents through a mysterious door in her English countryside flat, and she meets her Other Mother. The Other Mother seems too good be true with her delicious dinners and nearly-hungry attention to Coraline’s desires… and she is exactly too good to be true.  Coraline must then be brave in the face of horror as she tries to save her family and maybe some other people.   Turn the lights low, get a cup of cocoa, and read on a dark and stormy night. 

10. Circle of Magic: Sandry’s Book, by Tamora Pierce, finished 10/28/13

11. Warm Bodies, by Isaac Marion, finished 10/29/13  Suppose zombies keep their brain functioning but just can’t verbalize what they’re thinking.  Narrator R can’t remember anything before he turned into a zombie, but he’s getting a real appetite for the vibrancy of life, especially when he meets whimsical and still-breathing Julie.  There’s a pretty clear message here about actively enjoying life instead of mindlessly shambling through your days, but it’s a pretty enjoyable spin on the zombie tale. 

Total Books Read in 2013 (so far):  121

Last months’ list: September