Colorways by Vicki Welsh

I have to say that my October reading month was not as good as September. If you are looking for a great book to read, go back and look at the September list. There weren’t any real failures this month, but I’d give the month an “average” rating.

Probably my favorite book was Home of the American Circus, followed by The Sanderson’s Fail Manhattan. What good books did you read in October?

DNF Books:
US By David Nicholls – bored me to tears

This book has been on my list for several years. It’s gotten rave reviews. It didn’t work for me.

The story is a look back at a 70’s rock band that combined a band named The Six, led by Billy Dunne and the soloist Daisy Jones. The story is presented as a series of interviews, documentary style, done decades later. There’s a huge cast narrating each part.

I am told that the Amazon series based on this book is very good. It’s a pretty good story, if you like stories of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. The format absolutely lends itself to a TV presentation. I struggled with the interview format of it. Each element of the story was told and retold from at least 2 perspectives so it moved kind of slowly for me.

After WWI, women started to feel like they had some independence and options other than marriage. Many of them flocked to New York City looking for new opportunities. The Barbizon was where they went. It was designed for women, especially those pursuing artistic careers.

This book is a history of the hotel and how it changed over the years with the changing makeup of the city. The story is told through some if it’s most famous guests including: Molly Brown (the Titanic survivor), Sylvia Plath, Grace Kelly, Joan Didion, Ali McGraw and others. For a time it had 3 floors dedicated the the students of the Gibbs Secretarial School.

It’s not exactly riveting but it is interesting to see history through the residents of this one building. If you are a Sylvia Plath fan, you will love if. For me, there was entirely too much focus on her.

Scott Johnston is a master of pointing out the absurdities of our culture. I read his first book, Campusland, in 2019. It was a hilarious take on the PC culture on campuses, and that was BEFORE COVID. This book follows a very wealthy family, the Sanderson’s, as they fight to get ahead in the rich enclaves of New York. William graduated from Yale and has a great job at Bedrock Capital. He’s trying to get a key promotion but has to do one thing to get HR off is back. His wife, Ellie, is not from this world and is just trying to survive and keep her two daughters happy in they tony private school.

The oldest daughter, Ginny, is a Senior and William is determined to get into Yale. Ginny doesn’t seem as excited about the idea. She and her sister, Zoey, are just trying to survive in the ever-changing expectations at school.

Everything goes haywire when the all-girls school enrolls their first transgender student an, soon after, the trans kid disappears.

It’s funny and thoughtful at the same time as everyone.

Last year I read Larkin’s book, The People We Keep, and it was one of my favorites of the year. She writes very rich and gritty coming of age-type stories.

Freya Arnalds had a tough childhood and she escaped as soon as she could and settled in Maine. She’s now thirty and, after a financial crisis, must move back to her hometown in New York because she has a place to live in her childhood home. Now she must come back in contact with her past that includes her evil sister and some childhood friends. The most important person in her life is her niece, Aubrey. Aubrey has been secretly living in the abandoned house and carries some animosity toward Freya for leaving her in the first place.

The book is set in Somers, NY, the home of the American circus and the story ties to the history of the circus a bit.

This one was as good as The People We Keep. Larkin writes a great story with very “real” characters. Aubrey is a wonderful character who is very mature for her age. Freya is determined to hold things together and rebuild her relationship with Aubrey.

This is the second Robert Harris book that I’ve written. I read Act of Oblivion on May and I enjoyed both books. Conclave is about exactly what you think it’s about: the selection of a new pope.

The story opens with the death of the pope. A few short weeks later 118 Cardinals, under the age of 80, gather at the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope. The story covers the next 72 hours as the Cardinals navigate politics, ambition, rivalries and God’s will.

I was completely glued to this book right up until the plot twist at the end. There was no reason for it other than to be edge or push some political agenda. It’s implausible and ridiculous and it annoyed me to no end.

After reading the book I watched the movie. It followed the book closely but, of course, more succinctly. The ending had the edges sanded off a little.