Reading Through My Bookshelf: October's Reads

I hope that, on this Veterans' Day, we can remember the sacrifice that so many make and have made to defend our country and realize that this country is built on diversity and unity. This week, our election process occurred, as it does every four years, and now it's time to move forward. I pray that we can reach out to those who think differently from us and let God heal our wounds.

Moving on to today's post, last month I read six books and listened to an audiobook (one of my new favorite things to do). It's not a lot, but they kept me entertained amidst the never-ending slew of schoolwork.

1. Rebels by Jill Williamson 4/5 – This third book wraps up the Safe Lands trilogy, and it's a trilling conclusion. There were parts that felt just a bit too neat, but I really enjoyed it, nonetheless.

2. The Patriots by Jack Cavanaugh 4/5 – This book, the third in Cavanaugh's American Family Portrait series, is set during the Revolutionary War and focuses on twin brothers – Esau, a loyalist, and Jacob, a rebel. Through the course of the story, each brother takes the path that he considers right, but, in the process, they must reconcile their hatred for each other and learn something about brotherly love.

3. Hadassah: One Night With the King by Tommy Tenney with Mark Andrew Olsen 5/5 – This fabulous book tells the story of the biblical Queen Esther, and I am completely in love with it, ya'll. So much so that I talked about it on my new YouTube channel.

4. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (audiobook) 3/5 – I tried once to read an Agatha Christie novel but didn't get very far into it. Too dry. Listening to one proved to be more engaging. Still fairly slow and somewhat dry, but I was quite intrigued toward the end. The conclusion, however, didn't satisfy me, even though it did fit to some degree.

5. The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson 3.5/5 – This was a cute but fairly predictable medieval story. I had the end figured out long before it happened, so it felt anticlimactic. There is some demonic action in it that was surprisingly intense, though.

6. The Dark Talent by Brandon Sanderson 5/5 – I'm continually amazed by Sanderson's series, Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians. This one was so good, yet so different from what I expected. Darker, for sure, than the previous books, but amazing. I feel like I can't properly describe my feelings without massive spoilers.

7. Enola Holmes and the Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer 4.5/5 – Okay, so I don't actually own this one, but I picked it out for my younger sister, and I wanted to keep an eye on what it's about. That being said, it's a short but intriguing speculation on the life of Enola, the fabricated younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. I'm excited to read the rest of the series.

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And there you have it. My reads of October. What stood out to you from the books you read last month? Have you read any of these titles? Let me know in the comments!