October was pretty much a reading slump for me. I managed to read 6 books, but found most of them somewhat disappointing based on the hype.  Here they are (in the order I read them):

• The Secret Chord (Geraldine Brooks) – a fiction novel loosely based on the life of King David. I usually like Geraldine Brooks’s work but this one disappointed me. There wasn’t anything wrong with it — well-written — but I didn’t like the direction she took with David and Jonathan’s friendship.
• This is Awkward: How Life’s Uncomfortable Moments Open the Door to Intimacy and Connection (Sammy Rhodes) – lighthearted and entertaining, Rhodes broaches deep and challenging topics with enough humor to make it go down easy. A good read.
• Everyone Brave is Forgiven (Chris Cleave) – again, this was a great story and inspired by Cleave’s own grandparents.  However, this book came so highly praised that I couldn’t help but feel let down.
• Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (J.D. Vance) – the best book I read in October. A personal look at rural Appalachian poverty with insights that are easily broadened to apply to the whole.  I highly recommend this book and think it should be required reading for teachers in my school division.
• Lilac Girls (Martha Hall Kelly) – yet another highly anticipated read based on true events. This one covers a truly dark topic – human experimentation done in the Ravensbruck concentration camp. A hard, but beautiful, read.
• The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective (Richard Rohr & Andreas Ebert) – I’ve been reading up on the Enneagram lately because I am fascinated with personality theories and have been for a long time. I appreciated this book because it fairly addresses strengths and weaknesses of all types and is both convicting and comforting. I still haven’t figured out what I am but I’m slowly narrowing it down.

Hopefully a month from now I will have a list I am more excited to share.

Total books read in 2016: 84 and counting.