October Book Review

October - I can't believe I actually read so many books this month! The month felt like it flew by, but I guess I was flying through the pages as the days were passing by...

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general - also known as her tough-as-talons mother - has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. 

But when you're smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away... because dragons don't bond to fragile humans. They incinerate them. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother's daughter - like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wing leader in the Riders Quadrant. 

She'll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise. Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows even more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda - because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five: I know. I know. Everyone LOVES this book series. And I enjoyed it... I will probably read the other books in the series... but I didn't love it. It just didn't grab my attention the way some other fantasy/romantasy/whatever we are calling this genre now... books did. It's unique & different, good world-building and a good story line. Just not as good as the hype (in my opinion). 

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand - It's Nantucket wedding season, also known as summer - the sight of a bride racing down Main Street is as common as the sun setting at Madaket Beach. The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember; the groom's wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate. 

But it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony - and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the bride, groom, the groom's famous mystery-novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield - and no couple is perfect. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of five: The book is definitely better than the series... because they are SO different! I watched the series & was intrigued to read what inspired it; I was so surprised by how different the two were! I have to say I liked the book's storyline better, the way it ended better, all around I enjoyed it more than the show! Granted, I also have come to love Elin Hilderbrand - so that helped. Her books also really make me want to go to Nantucket! 

Cades Cove #1: The Curse of Allie Mae by Aiden James - Buried deep in a ravine in the picturesque Smoky Mountains is a very dark secret. David Hobbs, vacationing with his wife Miriam, inadvertently stumbles upon a small cloth "keepsake" bag & a broken tooth. A human tooth. Miriam begs David to hand the bag & tooth over to the park officials, but he ignores his wife's pleas & secretly keeps the "harmless" items. The action opens a doorway that has been closed for nearly a hundred years & unleashes hell on earth, or at least hell in the lives of David & Miriam. 

Following the brutal murder of his best friend in Denver, and an aborted attack on his oldest son, David desperately seeks to understand why a mysterious teenage girl has chosen to terrorize him & the males closest to him. To prevent further devastation to his family & end the wanton bloodshed, he returns to the enchanted hills of eastern Tennessee, where a terrible truth awaits discovery... one that forces him to face the consequences for the unpaid sins of his ancestors. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five: This book was interesting. It was unique to read a book set in a place that I know so well; I spent my whole life going to Pigeon Forge & Cades Cove, so that made the setting of this book great. However, some aspects of the story were a little...odd? I don't know. It was a fast read & parts of the read were great, while other parts were just a little strange. But - I'm glad I got to read it!

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan - After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca "Bex" Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile. The public is angry. The Queen is even angrier. And the press is salivating. Cutting themselves off from friends & family, & escaping the world's judgmental eyes, feels like the best way to protect their fragile, all-consuming romance. 

But when a crisis forces the new Duke & Duchess back to London, the Band-Aid they'd placed over their problems starts to peel at the edges. Now, as old family secrets & new ones threaten to derail her new royal life, Bex has to face the emotional wreckage she & Nick left behind: with the Queen, with the world, & with Nick's brother Freddie, whose sins may not be so easily forgotten - nor forgiven. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 of five: I absolutely enjoyed this book! It took me a bit to get into it, but once I got going - I blazed through it! I love the continuation of Bex & Nick's story & really enjoyed the way the story played out... perhaps we will get a third book? This book might be my favorite read for the month of October, so good!

The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke - Clem gets a call that is every mother's worst nightmare. Her nineteen-year-old daughter Erin is unconscious in the hospital after a hiking trip with her friends on the remote Orkney Islands that met a horrifying end, leaving her boyfriend dead & her best friend missing. When Erin wakes, she doesn't recognize her mother. And she doesn't answer to her name, but insists she is someone named Nyx.

Clem travels to the site of her daughter's accident, determined to find out what happened to her. The answer may lie in a dark secret in the history of the Orkneys; a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft & murder four centuries ago. Clem begins to wonder if Erin's strange behavior is a symptom of a broken mind, or the effects of an ancient curse?

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐of five: Such a good book & such a quick read too! And I love that, at the conclusion of the book, the author discusses how her characters are based on actual events - it makes it that much more fascinating! I also loved that it was set in an area of Scotland that I don't know much about but would love to see one day!

The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar - Jocelyn & Antoine are childhood sweethearts, but just after they marry, Antoine is drafted to fight against Germany. As WWII rages, Jocelyn uses her position as a librarian in her town of Saint-Malo to comfort & encourage her community with books. Jocelyn begins to write secret letters smuggled to a famous Parisian author, telling her story in the hope that it will someday reach the outside world. 

France falls & the Nazis occupy Jocelyn's town, turning it into a fortress. The townspeople try passive resistance, but the German commander ruthlessly begins to destroy part of the city's libraries. Books deemed unsuitable by the Nazis are burnt or stolen, & priceless knowledge is lost. Risking arrest & her life, Jocelyn manages to hide some of the books while desperately waiting to receive news from her husband, Antoine, now a prisoner in a German camp. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five: This was another good book, albeit a little slower than I'd expected & man; the ending was a bit of a letdown. I suppose with a book about WWII, you shouldn't expect a happy ending... but you can hope, right? The book was good - just not great! 

Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks - At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a loveable six-year old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive & an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear... and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down.

In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new & baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying & rewarding - one that will test his abilities & emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 out of five: This book was a find at the consignment store for just $2.99 & was one of the most enjoyed reads of the month! It's a little different than most Nicholas Sparks books, but the story was great & the characters... man... let's just say there was one character that I'd be tempted to smack if I met in person, ha-ha! Such a good read! 

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So many books and so little time! As this month comes to a close, I'll have added seven books to my "read" column and upped my total for this year to 54!

Lately - Late October

October feels like it has passed in a blur - I honestly cannot believe we are so close to November and also, to the end of another year! Time truly does fly and this month has been no exception! It's been a (mostly) good month and life is full! I figured I'd share some pictures from the last couple weeks - a lot of which are our crazy kittens!

The weather this month has been really lovely - perfect Autumn temperatures - sunny days with nice breezes and cool, crisp nights! Perfect for snuggly sweatshirts and turning on the fire for some extra toasties in the mornings! Beautiful sunsets and lovely sunrises... although that pesky time change is right around the corner.

Our backyard has been a surprisingly colorful spot and I have really loved just gazing at the gorgeous colors out our back windows! I truly love Autumn so much and this year has been no exception!

The kittens are showing their personalities more and more every day - and let me tell you - they are absolutely a mess. Spook is always fascinated when I decide to take a bath; if the door is open, he will come right on in, casually lounge on the edge and even situate himself on the ledge of the bath tub and dip his paws into the water. And don't even get me started on if the door is closed... little paws slapping under the door, expressing his frustration at being left out, ha-ha!

Loki has also gotten in on the bath tub intrigue and on a Friday night this month, he got a little too adventurous and ended up falling into the bath tub, while I was in the tub! Thankfully it was only his bottom half - but he was pretty spooked by Spook, and in he went! He scrambled out pretty quickly and he looked hilarious with his top half all fluffy and his bottom half soaking wet! 

We got in our October tradition of carving pumpkins - I did a more traditional jack-o-lantern while Ryan carved our last name into his pumpkin! They are currently gracing our front stoop and look amazing! Granted - once the last trick or treater has come and gone - they will probably end up gone too; as soon as they are carved, they start losing a little bit of their structure - you know?

We are really loving living in our new home and also really loving getting to know our new town and new state, ha-ha... even though we only moved about thirty miles from where we were - we are in a whole new state and that takes some getting used to! We are enjoying getting our routines established and discovering the places that will become regular "go-tos" for us now that we are settled into our new home! I can't wait to see our new place decorated for Christmas - and that will happen sooner rather than later, ha-ha!

Life really is very sweet right now - it's so wonderful to have a home to call our own, two precious kittens to love on (when they are in the mood, ha-ha) and the blessing of family and friends around us. I am doing my best to take in each day and hold the memories that we are making close. Let me not get too sappy here, ha-ha... oh look, more pictures of bath tub intruders! 

I can't believe the last two months of the year are knocking at the door - this year has been a pretty good one and it's almost time to start looking back on what we liked about this year and what we'd like to change; what should we take into 2025 (are we kidding - how?!?) and what is best left to the past...

One thing is for sure - October passed by in a blur - but it was a good blur, ha-ha! Happy October folks and may the last two months of 2024 be blessing upon blessing.

Fall Family Photos

Ryan and I were able to have updated family pictures made recently; our wedding photographer, who also took our engagement pictures and took family pictures for my family - she's basically our go-to - she did a Fall mini-session offering and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity!

Brooke always takes the most amazing pictures - and this mini-session was no exception! We met her at the Virginia State Arboretum, which was the same place we'd taken our engagement pictures almost three years earlier. The Virginia State Arboretum is the most beautiful spot and I honestly don't think you could take bad pictures with this gorgeous spot as a backdrop!

The mini-session lasted about thirty minutes and the pictures; I think, really turned out so well! I know I'm a little biased, but I love these so much and love having these newly updated pictures of Ryan and I! I cannot believe it's been three years since we were taking engagement pictures... and our second anniversary is just a couple weeks away! I love a good family picture; I think they are something to be cherished for years to come. And of course - these will be making an appearance on our Christmas cards this year too! 

Life with Loki & Spook

We have been cat owners for two months now - literally - two months today - and so far, it's been an experience! Even looking back at these pictures from the last few weeks, they've already changed so much! Now that we know a little more about their personalities, let me tell you a bit more about them!

Loki - named for the Norse god of chaos; he couldn't have been named better! We firmly believe he is the baby of the two, but he is definitely the one in charge. He is the first one to get into anything & everything, leading the charge on creating mischief! He has also been the one to become incredibly cuddly after our return from Norway; he loves sitting in laps & snuggling & his purr is so loud that when he went to the vet for the first time, they couldn't hear his heartbeat over his roaring motor! 

Spook - also perfectly named, this little guy seems to be very easily spooked by everything! He is timid but talkative & doesn't try things until he sees Loki try them first! We are convinced he's the older brother because he often "hugs" Loki or pulls him close & grooms him... those seem like big brother traits to us! He is very slowly becoming more sociable - but it is definitely a day by day process with this little scaredy cat!

They keep us entertained - whether it's racing from one end of the house to the other (which happens often) or diving around the house attacking each other (also happens often) - they definitely have very distinct personalities that shine through more & more each day. If you're sitting on the couch, Loki will probably crawl into your lap to snuggle but Spook will always be content to just sit near to where you are. Perhaps in time I'll have two cats in my lap?

I take way too many pictures of them - but then again, they are always doing something cute & cheeky!

Sometimes I think they even look like little cat models, ha-ha! Granted, this is only when they are sweet enough to pose for pictures... & that's a rare occasion indeed. But I have captured them napping on my book (made it a little hard to read) & Spook came upstairs one morning & let me know his thoughts on how I was doing my make-up...

He was almost compelled to help me rub something in - I must have missed a spot. When it's time for Saturday breakfast, Loki is always glad to be first to the counter! At least here I'm holding him, he's usually first to the counter because he's jumped on the counter! That habit is not breaking... *sigh* And of course, if you're eating anywhere besides seated at the dining room table, you can bet one or both of them are going to come over & investigate!

Sunday afternoon naps are always enjoyed a little more when you have a kitten in your lap - & Loki is always glad to oblige us, even stretching his toes out & getting cozy! One day maybe Spook will experience the joy of snuggling with someone & he'll be hooked too...

All in all - these two silly boys are adding a lot of fun (& fur) to our lives. We love watching them grow & getting to know them better every day! I hope they are a part of our family for a long time to come!