Books Read in October

Brilliant fall color in October!

Whew, it's taken me a while to write my October reading summary because I read SO many books last month and finally finished reviewing all of them! It was a mostly dark reading month, for the RIP XIV Challenge. Here's what I finished in October:

• Miracle Creek by Angie Kim (VA) - adult mystery/legal thriller
• The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey (OH) - YA post-apocalyptic thriller
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (UK) - adult classic mystery

• Threatened by Eliot Schrefer (Gabon) - YA suspense/thriller
• Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land (UK) - adult psychological thriller on audio
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Korea, Japan) - adult novel

• A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (CT) - YA mystery on audio
• The Midwinter Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag - middle-grade graphic novel
• Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke - middle-grade graphic novel

• Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson (FL) - adult suspense on audio
• The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld (OR) - adult mystery/suspense
• Grimoire Noir by Vera Greentea & Yana Bogatch - YA graphic novel

• Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (CA) - adult mystery

Thirteen books?? I don't think I've ever read 13 books in a single month before (though, three of them were quick graphic novels) - no wonder it took me so long to review them all! With the focus on mystery, suspense, and thrillers, it was a very fun reading month. Of the thirteen, four of them were YA, two were middle-grade graphic novels, and the rest were adult books. I listened to three books on audio and read the rest in print. I enjoyed every one of these - so hard to pick a favorite! I really loved Pachinko, The Child Finder, A Study in Charlotte, and And Then There Were None, but if I have to pick a single favorite, I think it would be Threatened by Eliot Schrefer, about an African boy living with chimpanzees in Gabon. I was so engrossed and fascinated by this novel that I immediately got a copy of one of Jane Goodall's books for Nonfiction November!

Progress in 2019 Reading Challenges:
This is my favorite part of my monthly summary - updating my Reading Challenges:

Mount TBR Reading Challenge - The RIP Challenge is always great for my TBR Challenge! I added eight books from my own shelves last month - woohoo!

Monthly Motif Reading Challenge - October was Tricks and Trades month, and the characters in The Midwinter Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag are witches!

Back to the Classics Challenge - I finally read a classic last month, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. That brings my grand total for the year so far to ... 4!

Monthly Keyword Challenge - After eight months without meeting this challenge even once (clearly, not the best choice for me), I finally had one keyword for September and hit it again in October with The Midwinter Witch.

Nonfiction Reading Challenge 2019 - No nonfiction last month.

Diversity Reading Challenge - Five books last month had diverse characters.

Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge - I read several books set in the UK (nothing new there) but added Gabon, Korea, and Japan (and learned a lot about those places!).

2018 Literary Escapes Challenge - I added two new states, Florida and Oregon.

RIP XIV Challenge - Twelve of my thirteen books last month were for this challenge - so much fun!

Finally, Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break - not really a challenge per se, but a fun game that I play each month. I filled in 20 squares in October:

Sorry for the bad photo!

Spaces Filled:

Miracle Creek - not in a series
The Infinite Sea - squad/friends, future setting, immortal creatures
And Then There Were None - read a physical book
Threatened - shelf love
Good Me, Bad Me - free book
A Study in Charlotte - romance, in a series
Pachinko - historic setting, library book, candy
The Midwinter Witch - holiday, vacation, shifter creature
Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl -  Non-human on the cover
Never Have I Ever - audio book
The Child Finder - kidnapped
Devil in a Blue Dress - reluctant hero

What was your favorite book read in October?