That Month Where I'll Be Reading When I'm Not Working or Sleeping: October Reads and Those Pesky DNF'S

I'm still a bit far from my goal of 100 books this year.  It seems like a pretty easy thing to achieve; after all, I read every day for an hour minimum.  If I'm lucky, I get in a chunk of 4 hours.  I had a glorious streak about 5 years ago, where my reading capacity was amazing, and I not only met my reading goal, but blew past it. All I can say now is that life is even busier when I thought it would slow down, and my chances of having chunks of time to read have become less and less.  Still, I'm trying a Hail Mary to get closer to my goal before December 31st.  

Part of that goal is to read some of the books I've bought over the past few years that are still sitting on my bookcases.  I am definitely someone who gets easily distracted by new books and pretty covers.  My discipline goes out the window! Before I talk about my reads for October (which is the gateway to my favorite reading months--cool days and chilly nights), I have to discuss my Did Not Finish books.  Dang it. 

 I tried really hard to get into this book, but I found myself not very interested.  I enjoyed The Little Paris Bookshop quite a bit, so I was disappointed I couldn't find my groove with this one.  I'll probably try again next year.  

 Ah, Strange Practice.  Sure to be a series, or at least have a sequel or two.  I've enjoyed reading this book very much--I started it on vacation in July.  However, I lost my reading mojo and now am stuck 3/4 of the way through.  It's still lying next to my bed, waiting for me to pick it back up.  I'll probably finish it before the end of the year, but for now, it's not going to be picked up again anytime soon. A doctor in London who takes care of supernatural creatures, with a vampire as a bestie?  A great concept, and I like all the characters.  Oh, how I wish I'd finished it on the plane ride home.  Dang it. 

Another novel I read great reviews on that had me checking it out of the library as soon as it was available.  A Viking historical saga full of pillaging, raping, and the struggle to avenge an attempted murder all make it fascinating.  I just didn't have the time to really sit down and concentrate, which is what this novel deserves.  I'll probably try again when it's in paperback.  Sometimes reading a hardcover book is tough for me, knowing I'll have a second chance and probably buy the paperback--then I'll read it.  Even though I didn't finish it, I would say it would make an excellent Christmas gift for fans of historical sagas, and those curious about the Viking way of life.  




Now, without further ado, I present my October reads.  I like to read novels that are on the dark side in order to get my Halloween groove on--when I'm not watching paranormal shows on TV.  And because too much of the dark stuff drags me down, I've tossed in a few other reads that will lighten me up.  

Bookshelf read that has waited too long!

I'm a fan of Carol Goodman and love her Gothic tales

Saw this on the web and it looks like an excellent  combination of history, antiques, and ancient prophecies. 

I've had many friends read this and tell me it's fantastic.  A novel about what's going on in our world today.  

I love bees!  Three stories told in past, present and future.  

This caught my eye; not sure what to expect. 

I'm reading this now, and LOVING IT.  Similar to Christopher Moore.

A favorite author--can't wait to read it!

New to this author; publisher review request.  It's a hefty hardcover, but I'm eager to dip into the Nordic  crime  genre.  Better late than never!

I've got a few other titles that will sprinkle in throughout the month.  Watch for an upcoming book giveaway.  Happy Fall reading!  The Bookalicious Babe
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That Month Where I'll Be Reading When I'm Not Working or Sleeping: October Reads and Those Pesky DNF'S

Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman is a story about making the choice between motherhood and a life as an artist, the painful coping of loss, and the mysterious deaths of two women, one in 1947, and one over 50 years later.  How are the deaths connected?  What clues can be found in Lily's journal, which Meg, the main character, finds hidden behind the tiles of her fireplace?  


Meg travels to Arcadia Falls in upstate New York to begin a new life as a teacher in folklore at an artist's school founded in the 1920's by Vera and Lily, two lovers who turned a summer artist's colony into a thriving school for the arts.  Lily's mysterious death at the bottom of a cliff in the winter of 1947 is intertwined with Meg's arrival at school, and the tragic death of a student who is found dead at the same spot as Lily was all those years ago.


Meg's fascination with Vera and Lily, and their fairy tale, The Changeling, soon finds her delving deeper in the mysteries that swirl around the school campus.  Who is who, and what is the real truth behind Vera, Lily, and Ivy, the Dean at the school who first arrived in 1946 as a 16 year old orphan.  


Set in a wooded, secluded area, this novel is lush with descriptions of fairy tales, magical woods, and women in white who flit through the trees.  Is it all imagination, or is something other worldly happening?  I really like Carol Goodman's writing, and this is a perfect fall or winter's night read.  

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Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman

Sometimes I just can't believe my luck.  I was reading a book, and at the end there was an interview with the author.  She mentioned Carol Goodman as someone she likes to read.  Since the book I read was a ghosty story, I quickly got on the computer at work,  looked up Carol Goodman and bought a few of her titles. How could I have missed her all these years?!


Happy day for me!  The Ghost Orchid is fantastic and has made me a Carol Goodman fan.  It takes place at Bosco, an estate that has been turned into an artist's retreat in upstate New York.  Ellis is the main character.  She's come to finish a novel about Corinth Blackwell, a medium who visited Bosco in 1893 and disappeared, along with the only surviving child of the owners, Milo and Aurora Latham.  


This story moves between Ellis' experiences at Bosco in contemporary times, and Corinth arriving at Bosco, where she has been hired by Milo Latham to conduct a seance for his wife, hoping to contact their three children, who died from diptheria the year before.  Corinth's secret is that she really does have a gift, but it so frightened her as a child, she uses tricks to make believers  out of her customers without actually contacting spirits.


The other main character in this story is the garden.  It's no ordinary garden. Aurora has decided to recreate the gardens of Italy at her estate, and has hired Italian gardeners to put in fountains, paths, and statues everywhere.  It's an enormous garden--one that has hidden paths, a secret grotto, and a statue of an indian maiden tied to a local legend.


This book was awesome!   An intelligent ghost story.  Ellis sees and hears all sorts of mysterious things, and begins to unwind the story of Corinth and Bosco.  Something there needs to tell it's story, and Ellis, who also has the gift of sight,  becomes the unwilling storyteller.  


So many secrets, so many relationships twisting around this story!  The atmosphere is wonderful, the writing fantastic, and the suspense keeps you glued to the pages.  What happens to Corinth?  Who is haunting the gardens, and why?  What does the local legend of Ne'Moss-i-Ne  have to do with Corinth and Ellis?  


Hurry to your local library or bookstore and pick this one up.  I have made a permanent spot on my bookshelves for Carol Goodman's novels.  I can't wait to dive into the rest of her novels.

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The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman