October Reading Wrap-Up and November Possibilities

I love fall and October is my favorite month of the year! The weather and foliage were glorious, so we visited quite a few parks, trails, and historic sites. This photo, taken early in the month at Gillette Castle, looks south down the Connecticut River.

Our NYC daughter and son-in-law and my sister-in-law all visited in October. We took a couple of short trips, too. First was five days in NYC. Highlights included an afternoon at the newly renovated Frick Collection  and dinner at the Gramercy Tavern. My husband has been wanting to try their tasting menu for years! We ended the month with a trip to central NY for my nephew's wedding.

As for reading, I finished four book - all four or five stars - early in the month. I barely had time to read for the last week or two.

BOOKS READ IN SEPTEMBER

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén

literary fiction in translation, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Heart the Lover by Lily King

literary fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 2 by Beth Brower

historical fiction, group reading project, ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

In a Distant Valley by Shannon Bowring

literary fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*my Quick Lit reviews are here*

NOVEMBER READING POSSIBILITIES

Dracula Daily by Bram Stoker

a long term group read, wraps up this week

The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990 by Jonathan Mahler  

nonfiction, in progress

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 3 by Beth Brower

group reading project, in progress

The Promise by Damon Galgut

reread, World Lit book club selection

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

reread, MMD December selection

How was your October? What was your favorite book?

 

Quick Lit: October Edition

When the Cranes Fly South 

by Lisa Ridzén, translated by Alice Menzies

Vintage 2025, 320 pages

 I had a good cry after finishing this novel. The writing is gorgeous, but the story itself is overwhelmingly sad. The main character Bo is a fragile, elderly man living alone with his big dog, Sixten. He gets by with routine visits from caregivers, while his wife has dementia and lives in a nearby nursing home. Bo's son, Hans, has decided that his father is no longer capable of caring for a dog and plans to find Sixten a new home. The novel is a combination of Bo's account of his current situation and loss of independence interspersed with his memories of earlier days. Short entries from the caregivers' log offer the reader another perspective.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Heart the Lover by Lily King

Grover Press 2025, 256 pages

This short novel reads quickly and effortlessly, and the dialog positively shines! It is both a prequel and sequel to Writers & Lovers, yet definitely stands on its own. It's a novel about love and friendship, and how the choices we made in youth become part of the fabric of our lives. Again, the end left me in tears. I loved this book even more than Writers & Lovers, which I reread last month.

This was a read/listen combination for me and the audiobook narrated by Rebecca Lowman is excellent! I'm looking forward to seeing Lily King at my local indie next month.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol.2 by Beth Brower

Rhysdon Press 2019,  152 pages

I'm reading this delightful series, one book per month over eight months, with a small group from MMD Book Club. It's basically a Victorian soap opera and I've been using them as palate cleansers after heavier reads. Volume 2 was even better than Volume 1 and I can't wait to start Volume 3!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

In A Distant Valley by Shannon Bowring

Europa Editions 2025,  336 pages

We return to rural northern Maine for the third and final installment of the Dalton series. Once again Shannon Bowring's style and characters are reminiscent of Elizabeth Strout or Richard Russo. I enjoyed one last visit with my old friends and appreciated Bowring's decision to wrap up the series on a hopeful note. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

September Reading Wrap-Up and a List of October Possibilities

It seems like I'm writing these monthly wrap-up posts every couple of weeks lately, but here we are easing into the fourth quarter of 2025! September was a good month for us. We spent almost two weeks with family in central NY, enjoyed time with friends both old and new, replaced our gas fireplace (just in time, as it turns out!) and I read plenty of good books.

Books Read in September 

Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki

World Lit Book Club, literary fiction in translation ⭐⭐⭐

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol 1 by Beth Brower

historical fiction, reading project ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

MMD September selection ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Writers & Lovers by Lily King 

literary fiction, reread ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris

nonfiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff 

nonfiction, audio reread ⭐⭐⭐⭐

October Reading Possibilities

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén (completed)

Heart the Lover by Lily King (completed)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 2 by Beth Brower

(in progress)

In a Distant Valley by Shannon Bowring

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

(MMD November Selection)

Dracula Daily by Bram Stoker

(ongoing real time readalong)

My October reading is already off to a good start. I've finished two books - one started last month and one short, highly-anticipated new release. What was your favorite September book? What are you looking forward to this month?

The Sunday Salon: September 28, 2025

Here we are... the final Sunday of September and the first Sunday of fall. This photo was taken alongside the Lieutenant River two weeks ago, and I'm certain the view from that spot is much more colorful today. I'd planned to take a current photo for comparison, but was thwarted by the (much needed!) rain. Maybe this week.

We had some old friends visit for a few days last week. He's a childhood friend of my husband's and I have known them for over forty years. We haven't spend such a big chunk of time together in several years - it was so much fun!

It was also a good reading week and I managed to finish three books.

Recent reading//

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

Writers & Lovers was a favorite back in 2021 and I wanted to reread it before Lily King's new novel, Heart the Lover, comes out. It was just as enjoyable the second time around! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris

This book hooked me immediately and kept me completely engrossed until the final sentence. As I turned the pages, my growing anger progressed to fury and outrage. For many years J&J has enjoyed the type of impeccable reputation most companies only dream about. Journalist Gardiner Harris says it time to set the record straight.  

Harris divides this exposé into four sections: Consumer Products (Johnson's Baby Powder and Tylenol), Prescription Drugs, Medical Devices (joint implants, etc.), and Vaccines. He details a decades-long pattern of putting profitability over patient safety, illegal sales and marketing tactics, and withholding critical information/outright lying to the FDA. All of this has resulted in staggering patient morbidity and mortality leading to lawsuits and judgements which are considered merely part of the cost of doing business. Harris goes on to offer a series of reasonable changes which would ensure a safer path forward. 

There is a fair amount of medical and technical detail presented here and, as a former hospital pharmacist, I was interested in every bit of it. Less medically-oriented readers may opt to skim some sections. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

narrated by Barbara Rosenblat and John Franklyn-Robbins

This cozy, feel-good reread was the perfect remedy for No More Tears! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Current reading//

 

Dracula Daily by Bram Stoker

The ongoing real time read-along continues... and it's getting really good!

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén

I just started this book yesterday and love it already, despite the somber tone.

How was your week? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

 

The Sunday Salon: The Last Day of Summer

 

Hello, friends. It's hard to believe today is the last full day of summer. As much as I love fall, I'm still sad to see it end. This has been such a pleasant, low-stress summer for us - and after the past few years, we've appreciated it so much! We're back home after spending ten days in central NY visiting  my parents, celebrating my mother's 90th birthday, and catching up with old friends. It was a wonderful trip, but it took most of this past week to get caught up. Here are the books I've finished since my last post...

Recent reading//

Good Morning Comrades by Onjake

This was the latest selection of my World Lit book club. It's a short novel set in 1990 Angola and told through the eyes of a 12-year-old schoolboy. At that time Angola was no longer a Portuguese colony, but is  in the midst of civil war. The boy tells of a criminal gang randomly attacking schools, pokes fun at his Cuban teachers, and is amazed that his visiting Portuguese aunt does not live with rationing. Viewing a political situation from a child's perspective made this an interesting read. I didn't know much about Angola's history, so spent a little time reading up on it first. That was very helpful. 

⭐⭐⭐

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower

 The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s

Have you heard about the Emma M. Lions series? They seem to be developing quite a following and I thought the first installment was a delight. My plan is to read the rest of the series, one per month, for the next seven months. Fans say these books just get better as the series progresses. The audio edition is available on hoopla and definitely added to my enjoyment.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

This is the September selection of the MMD book club and I loved it! Set in Nigeria and London from the 1970s - 1990s, it's billed as a modern retelling of Mansfield Park  by Jane Austen (which I reread last month) but you don't need to know anything about Austen's story to appreciate this one.

This is a novel that highlights family dynamics, race, culture, identity, and belonging. Funke, the quiet, studious daughter of a wealthy British mother (disowned by her family) and a Nigerian father, is sent to live with her mother's relatives in London after a tragic accident. The family is cold and distant with the exception of her cousin Liv. They develop a close relationship that is tested as the novel unfolds.

The story is at turns beautiful and gut-wrenching. It was a read/listen combination for me and the dual-narrator audio production is outstanding!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Current reading//

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris

Another read/listen combination, this is both unputdownable and infuriating.

Writers & Lovers by Lily King (reread)

I'm enjoying this book just as much the second time around.

Dracula Daily by Bram Stoker

An ongoing, real time readalong... it's getting good now!

The week ahead//

We have some friends coming to visit for a few days midweek. We'll probably hit some of the more touristy attractions - always a good time. Our new gas fireplace unit is being installed Thursday. The mornings are getting a little chilly, so I'll be glad to see the old broken unit go! We may even get some much-needed rain. Fingers crossed!

How was your week? What have you been reading?

August Reading Wrap-Up and a List of September Possibilities

Hello, friends, and happy September! Fall is definitely on the way, but before I settle in with autumnal reading, here's a quick wrap-up of my August books.

August was a good reading month for me. I only read four books, but they were all winners. Two were  backlist titles from favorite authors, one was a classic reread (a long annotated edition this time) and I enjoyed one popular new release.

Books Read in August

Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout

literary fiction, I'm an Elizabeth Strout completist! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman

literary fiction, a favorite author,  backlist ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Annotated Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, David M. Shapard

classic, reread,  MMD Austen in August ⭐⭐⭐⭐

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

contemporary fiction, new release ⭐⭐⭐⭐

September Reading Possibilities

Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki 

World Lit Digital PBC, in translation (completed)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 1 by Beth Brower 

historical fiction, buddy read project, (completed)

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

MMD September selection (in progress)

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén

literary fiction, in translation, new release

Writers & Lovers by Lily King 

reread, literary fiction

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris

nonfiction, read/listen combination

I finished the two short books already, so my September reading is already off to a good start. What was your favorite August book? What are you looking forward to reading this month?

A Labor Day Weekend Update

Hello, friends. Happy Labor Day weekend! We finally have some cooler weather along the CT shoreline and it feels like fall is on the way! The windows are open and I'm loving the early morning and late evening temperatures in the 60s, and even the occasional dip into the 50s. Can my first pumpkin spice latte of the season be far behind?

As much as I love fall, I'm savoring these last few days of summer. We took a picnic dinner to the beach the other night, my brother and SIL from PA stopped to have lunch with us at the lobster shack yesterday on their way to Providence, and tonight we plan to attend the final Concert on the Green of the season. Most schools in the area started last week. That seems early to me since it was always after Labor Day in New York.

Recent reading//

The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman

Now this is my idea of a summer read! Two families vacation in a lavish South Carolina beach house. The wives are childhood besties from West Virginia whose paths have drastically diverged, the husbands barely tolerate one another, and the kids (preteens and teens, with angst) are along for the ride. The novel deals with family dynamics, dysfunction, and class issues, plus a there's a drowning. I've enjoyed several of Kauffman's previous novels, especially The Gunners and Chorus, and this was another hit. The goodreads ratings are shockingly low - Too many characters?  Too much dysfunction? - but it was a 5-star read of me. If you're not a fan of a messy family dramas, it's probably best to run in the opposite direction. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Annotated Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, David Shapard

I've been a Jane Austen fan for decades, but Mansfield Park was the only one of her novels I'd never gotten around to rereading. It's Jane's longest novel and for years I've considered it my least favorite. As part of an annual Austen in August tradition, a small group at Modern Mrs. Darcy decided to tackle The Annotated Mansfield Park. Last summer we read The Annotated Persuasion and I enjoyed both that particular edition and the leisurely reading and discussion schedule, so I was happy to participate again.

I managed to stick to the schedule until Volume 3, but then lost all restraint and raced through the last few chapters. I still don't care for how it wraps up so quickly and mostly off stage, but it's always a pleasure to read Jan Austen... especially with this group!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

These Summer Storms by Sara MacLean

Family drama in a beach house seems to be my summer reading sweet spot right now. This one is an over-the-top 'rich people behaving badly' story set on a private island in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. Franklin Storm, the recently deceased patriarch suggestive of tech mogul Steve Jobs, remains controlling and manipulative even in death. He has set up a surprise win-your-inheritance challenge that takes family dysfunction to the next level. There is also an enjoyable, but unexpectedly steamy, romantic storyline. This was a fun, frothy page-turning summer read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Current reading//

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower

This series seems seems to be developing a cult-like following. Very enjoyable so far!

Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki, translated by Stephen Henighan

This is the next selection for my World Lit book club.

Dracula Daily by Bram Stoker

The real-time readalong continues...

The week ahead//

We don't have a lot planned for the week, other than a day trip to a coastal wildlife refuge in Rhode Island. I also hope to get a painter in for an estimate. My goal is to get the living room, dining area, hall and stairway painted before we head south. Last week we replaced dining room chandelier and that's already made a big difference!

How was your week? What have you been reading?