My Five Favourite October Reads

I read eleven books in October and, as always, it was difficult to narrow it down to my five favourite. However, you can find the results of my deliberations below.

You can keep up to date with all my reading in 2019 here with links to my reviews.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

First up it’s historical fiction and The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey. The story moves between 1936, as nine year old Alice seeks to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past, and 1925 in which her mother, Selina, recalls her days as one of the ‘Bright Young People’.

I described the experience of reading it as an ‘intense but spellbinding emotional journey’. Read my review to find out why.

Next it’s Asylum Road by James L. Weaver, the fourth book in the Jake Caldwell crime series. When I need a break from historical fiction this is the series I turn to for some gripping, page-turning action. I’m never disappointed.

You can read my full review here.

Back to historical fiction and a book that’s also the latest in a series, A Ration Book Childhood by Jean Fullerton. The book follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Brogan family in London’s East End during World War 2. I particularly like the way the author completely immerses you in the atmosphere of the period. Read my full review here.

Next it’s Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout the long-anticipated sequel to the much-praised Olive Kitteridge.

Set, like the first book, in the coastal town of Crosby, Maine it follows Olive through her later years in a series of linked short stories. As always, the author’s gift for observation is brilliant.

You can read my full review here.

Did you know John Buchan, author of The Thirty-Nine Steps, wrote historical fiction? Well, he did and The Blanket of the Dark is widely considered one of his best. Set in the reign of Henry VIII in the Oxfordshire countryside Buchan knew so well, its premise is a ‘what if’ of history. Read my full review here to find out more.

I can’t end this month’s update without mentioning my trip to Henley Literary Festival. I attended four fantastic events and you can read my reviews of them by following the links below.

Michael Joseph Proof Party

Anne de Courcy – Riviera Tales

David Suchet – Poirot’s Pictures

Victoria Hislop – Greek Fable

What were your favourite books you read in October? Have you read any of my picks?