Books I'm Falling into this Month

photo by Nekopie

It's a new month, which means new reading material for me!  I royally sucked it up in September when it came time to reading.  Still trying to balance my work load + study time for classes + everything else in between, I am hoping October will be more productive in the book department.

Below you will find my tentative reading pile for this month.  I am super excited for quite a few of these books!  October is one of my favorite months, even though the seasons don't really start to change until closer to Thanksgiving around here.  However, a girl can still dream of fall leaves & cooler temps - right?  Plus Halloween falls in October, which happens to be my favorite holiday :-)  I have chosen a few books to read during this month that may have that "spooky" or "creepy" factor, or books that take the imagination to a whole new place!

Let me know in the comments if you've read any of these, what your thoughts on them are, or if you want to pick a few to read along with me!  Be on the look out for upcoming reviews for these books.

Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever. {taken from goodreads.com}

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.{taken from goodreads.com}

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry hates living with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their spoiled-rotten son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny closet beneath the stairs, and the entire family treats him with disdain. What's more, Harry keeps getting into trouble for making strange things happen -- things he seems to have no control over. But then Harry discovers the truth about himself when a determined messenger delivers an enlightening message. It turns out that Harry's mother was a witch, his father a wizard. And not only is Harry also a wizard, he's a famous one! His survival of the attack by the evil wizard who killed his parents has marked him as a legendary hero -- as has the lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

Soon Harry finds himself attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he receives training in some magic basics, masters riding a broomstick, and discovers his incredible talent for a game called Quidditch, which is played in the air on flying brooms. And for the first time in his life, Harry has friends who care about him: his fellow students Hermione and Ron and a giant named Hagrid. But all is not rosy when Harry discovers his true destiny and finds he must once again face the evil one who killed his parents. His survival will depend upon the help of his newfound friends, as well as his own wit and powers. {taken from goodreads.com}

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic.

Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad.

Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried. {taken from goodreads.com}

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities. {taken from goodreads.com}

My reading pile is forever changing, so I may be incorporating other books as well. Check back often to see what I've reviewed and you can always find me on goodreads to see what I'm "currently reading".

I receive a small commission from books purchased through the Amazon links provided.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Published: October 1, 2006 by HarperTeen
Received: bought from Barnes & Noble

When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel. {taken from goodreads.com}

When I first heard about this novel the first thing that came to mind: Adventure!  Here's a girl who has an amazing, yet terrifyingly exciting task ahead of her.  She has been given 13 envelopes to open on her quest across Europe by her Aunt who was the epitome of living every day as an adventure.  I say was because Ginny's Aunt has passed away, and Ginny will soon realize that it's more about knowing the person her Aunt was; rather than accomplishing each new task that lays inside each little blue envelope.

The story takes Ginny from New York, to London, to Paris, across the continent to places like Amsterdam and Greece, and back to London.  It is here in London that Ginny meets the man for whom her Aunt built a relationship with when she lived there during her final days.  It is London that also gives her the most glimpses inside her Aunt's world full of art, adventure, spontaneity, and the burdens that surrounded living a life this way.  London also introduced Ginny to Keith, an English student full of life and fun.  Each new envelope unearths things about her Aunt she didn't know before.

Though the adventures that Ginny encountered were fun to read about; it was the meaning behind them that I wanted to know the most about.  I felt that some things were not relevant to the story, and just like Ginny I felt confused as to why her Aunt would send her there.  The build up to the last few envelopes was a bit of a let down for me as well.  I was wanting something a little more dramatic.  I also found Ginny's character to be a bit unbelievable at times too.  She is described as a shy, quiet girl whose parents have always had a strong hold over her life so that her Aunt did not have a negative influence on her.  Yet here she is, still a young child, running across Europe by herself.  I felt that the story contradicted the character a bit.

I was also disappointed in the relationship with Keith.  I kept waiting for something extraordinary to happen, yet that fell flat for me as well.  Perhaps all my questions will be answered in the sequel The Last Little Blue Envelope.  Maureen Johnson may have written this first novel in anticipation of what's to come next.  I sure hope so, because I closed the book needing more -- but not in the way I usually do from a story.  It literally ended very incomplete to me.  Though there are a few plot holes and I did not always agree with the characterization, over all the story was an enjoyable read.  I will be picking up it's sequel and plan to continue with Ginny's story and that very last envelope that left me hanging.