The leaves are falling, and the books are calling! Is there anything more “Fall” than snuggling up with a good book on the couch? I mean, aside from sitting outside on a sunny day with a good book!! ???? Fall around here was busy, but I carved out time to read. I had a big fall reading list I wanted to get to, but only made a little dent in in!
Anyway, I am excited to share my Book Review Round 3 with you today, featuring books from my fall reading list – I feel like this one is a lot of “meh” type of reviews! A few of these books let me down a little bit! You’ll have to let me know if you agree. Here we go!
Fall Reading List
1. One by One by Ruth Ware — My neighbor recommended One by One to me. It was a fast-paced thriller. I will say the tech-talk and ski-lingo got a bit old, but then the “who did it” part of the plot picked up, I couldn’t put the book down. I think it took me 2 days to get through this one.
Co-workers in a French chalet get caught in an avalanche, and of course then there’s a murder. I did predict the “bad guy” in this one, but still liked the end. I wouldn’t call this a “must read”, but it was a good, quick read that held my attention, and kept me thinking about the characters after I set it down!
2. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah — This was SO good. So good. Probably my favorite on my fall reading list!
First off, I felt connected to the characters instantly. It’s set in the 70s. A father/husband has been changed by war and uprooted his family to move to Alaska. Completely off the grid. Soon, the mother and daughter find out they are very much alone. Their relationship is what did it for me, I think. It was so powerful. This book COULD have been an adventure book, but it’s definitely a girly book. (not a dirty sexy Verity book, but like a chickflick ????) It took me on a journey – it was an emotional one, though.
3. Devolution by Max Brooks — Holy crap guys, this one was a PAGE TURNER. I will give a fair warning: this is gory, gruesome, and VERY descriptive. If you get squeamish reading about blood, then you definitely don’t want to read about an adult male being dragged through the windshield of a car and thrown around like a rag doll by a massive beast. if you feel me. That said, I had a hard time walking away from this one. I really wanted to know how it ended. Many parts were unsettling, but I don’t think it “took away” from the book at all. I enjoyed this book, despite it being a little bit out of my usual genre!
This just may not be the best book to read late at night. In the dark. By a large window that overlooks a forest. Just saying.
4. The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robet Gailbraith — Admittedly, I have had this book for over a year, and finally sat down to read it! So fun fact: this is a pseudonym for JK Rowling, but this isn’t a magical book (thankfully, lol). I had high hopes for this, and was really let down. It’s the first of a series, and I was really eager to have a series to read again – but I don’t think I will be picking up the other books.
It’s got models, drugs, and murder — it should be a sexy read… but it was very much a detective story. And a slow one at that. If a book like Verity was “too much” for you, then this would be more your speed. I found it to be just “okay” – but I did finish it!
5. Murder On Sugar Island by Michael Carrier — My father-in-law recommended I check this one out! It’s part of a series of murder mysteries all based in Michigan, so I had to check it out. The author is a lot like James Patterson, and I found it to be a little dry. While it was a very good book, it left out a lot of the… vulgar parts. For lack of a better word. Which, apparently are the parts I like ????
I am pretty good at guessing endings, but this book did a great job of giving subtle clues, while keeping me on my toes the whole time! While I felt it lacked on some of the emotional/thrilling parts, it was suspenseful, and did keep me turning pages. I give this a 4/5!
The Golden Cage and Home Before Dark are up next on my fall reading list. Has anyone read either (or both!) I’ll be back with a review of both soon! Let me know if you’ve read any must reads lately, and I’ll add them to my list!
Check out an older book review here (including the best book I have read all of 2020!)
Happy reading!
xo -j
