A round up of all we have read, written and obtained in October.
What we have read in October
October’s reading began with Sourdough by Robin Sloan. An egg problem, a robotic arm and a sourdough starter that….sings?
Books of libraries past was the theme of our next read with Oliver Tearle’s The Secret Library. It’s full of dinner party trivia including why Samuel Pepys hid a whole wheel of parmesan in his garden!
A haunted time traveling cafe in Japan is a bizarre concept for a book but Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi was a brilliant read. It was our first taste of Japanese fiction and it won’t be our last.
In October thoughts inevitably start drifting towards the end of the year and Here Is The Beehive by Sarah Crossan became a contender for Read of the Year with her stunning adult debut. Written in verse it examines the beginning, middle and end of an affair in all its brutal glory.
From one awesome read we went straight into another. K-Pop Confidential by Stephen Lee submersed you into Korean culture and the sensation that is Korean Pop. Lee smashed it and I loved it way more than a 37 year old shoud have.
Mr Salary by Sally Rooney was brief but only confirmed our belief that Rooney is one of the best writers around at the moment. You need this one in your Christmas stocking if you haven’t read it already.
Books of the Month for October
Our adult book of the month was The Mothers by Brit Bennet and you can read all about it here. Have a go at our Book Club questions if you’ve read it already.
Umbrella Mouse to the Rescue by Anna Fargher was our children’s book of the month. Did you know dogs parachuted into Europe during World War 2? We didn’t until we read the book!
Read of the month for October
Goes to….. Here is the Beehive. Although special mention has to go to K-Pop Confidential and Mr Salary. It was clearly a very good month for reading.
What we got up to in October
We took a virtual trip to Durham Book Festival and listened to interviews from Richard Osman and The Mothers author Brit Bennet. In the spirit of Halloween (spirit! see what we did there?) we gave you our spook-tastic reading suggestions for children and had a go at making bread that sings.!We also celebrated Book Shop Day and hope you did too by supporting your local book shop.
What we obtained in October
A lovely lady who always induces pastry envy gave me a copy of The Harpy by Megan Hunter which I am SO looking forward to reading. I also accidentally bought Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo, book club recommendation Slow Horses by Mick Herron and Tales From the Cafe (the follow on from Before The Coffee). I couldn’t resist the gold cover! Did you know it’s a trilogy?
Don’t forget to let us know what you have been up to book wise this month. Our next Book Club is the 26th November and we would love you to join us. Keep your eyes peeled for the #Lowdown all about our new book in the next few days.