Best Books - October 2020

October was jam-packed with books. I took a few weeks off from writing in order to do some research on an upcoming novel, which meant I spent every day reading non-fiction solidly for about twelve hours. I've included some of the more fun non-fiction reads in my wrap-up below, but I've excluded those that I didn't read cover-to-cover.

My favourite books of the month were fiction. I had two five-star reads, but here's Gussie presenting my favourite for inspection: Hold Back The Tide by Melinda Salisbury.

I read the sampler from the novel last year, which I picked up at YALC, and I knew from the very beginning that I was going to love it, even though I wasn't entirely sure what it was going to be about. It's a YA fantasy story set in Scotland around a loch. It follows the daughter of the loch keeper, who is charged with monitoring the water level and making sure it's full enough to supply the town it supports. But the local mill owner has recently increased production and suddenly the loch isn't anywhere near as full as it used to be. The protagonist, Alva, knows that her father should be doing something about this, but she's too scared to make him. You see, Alva's father is a murderer, and she's worried that if she pushes him too far, she'll be next. When people from the nearby town start disappearing, she knows she'll have to take matters into her own hands.

I was completely gripped by this book from the very first page. It's fast-paced and weird, like nothing I've ever read before. The twists are sometimes expected, but sometimes so creative they catch you unaware. But every inch of the story is well-written, with an inspired story and a voice that drags you along. I read it in a single sitting.

What are the best books you read last month? I'd love to hear your recommendations.

x- Josie -x

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Everything I read in October:

WAKENHYRST by Michelle Paver - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

HOLD BACK THE TIDE by Melinda Salisbury - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo- 🌟🌟🌟🌟

CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo- 🌟🌟🌟🌟

BURIED ALIVE by Jan Bondeson- 🌟🌟🌟🌟

UNMENTIONABLE by Therese Oneill- 🌟🌟🌟

LIPS TOUCH by Laini Taylor - 🌟🌟🌟🌟

WAKE by Robert J Sawyer - 🌟🌟🌟

THE ENGLISH: A SOCIAL HISTORY by Christopher Hibbert - 🌟🌟🌟

BLINK by Malcolm Gladwell - 🌟🌟🌟🌟

INK by Alice Broadway - 🌟🌟🌟