My Virtual Bookshelf - TBR adds for October

As we enter the last quarter of the year with so much stress and strife, I find that I retreat more and more to reading. I read all over social media how the stress of the political climate, or the restrictions from Covid, or recovery from a natural disaster in your area, make many readers turn away - they can't concentrate. I'm thankful it's the opposite for me. I'm able to tune out the world and sink into the world created by the book I'm reading. Here are the 25 books that I found interesting enough to add to my TBR this month. Any of them interest you??

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

Genre: General Fiction

Published July 2020, 368 pages

I added this book because: found it on a book blog on Top 10 Tuesday

Synopsis: a young woman inherits a struggling bookshop and begins caring for her ailing grandfather; she wants to sell the shop but grandfather doesn't; as she begins to connect with customers, she begins an unexpected journey of discovery, new connections, and what might unlock her heart. (and, it's about a bookshop)

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann

Genre: Thriller

Published May 2020, 343 pages

I added this book because: Rachel on #BooklistQueen recommended it

Synopsis: woman and her two children are kept captive in a cabin in the woods by her "husband and protector"; when they escape, their stories don't make sense.....who is she really?

The Gilded Ones #1 by Namina Forna

Genre: Fantasy, YA

Published Feb 2021, 432 pages

I added this book because: saw it on a FB list and it sounded good

Synopsis: a 16yo girl is awaiting her tribal test of blood and when it shows impure gold instead of red, she faces harsh consequences. Instead she finds herself recruited to the emperor's army and when she arrives at huge walled city, finds no one is as they seem.

**ED: Review here

Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain, translated

Genre: Sci Fi (time travel), General Fiction

Published 2019, 218 pages

I added this book because: recommended by Mel on #StrongSenseofPlace blog (they have a great podcast too)

Synopsis: a group of neighbors share a 1954 bottle of wine and wake up the next morning in 1954 Paris; charming and evocative of the romance of Paris

**ED: Review here

The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain, translated

Genre: General Fiction

Published 2015, 159pages

I added this book because: it's also recommended by Mel on her Paris podcast episode (great episode by the way) #StrongSenseofPlace

Synopsis: a bookseller finds a handbag and in it is a red notebook; with no idea who it belongs to, he begins to search for the owner

Little by Edward Carey

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published 2018, 448 pages

I added this book because: again, Mel

Synopsis: a tiny, odd-looking little girl is apprenticed to a wax sculptor after the death of her parents. She becomes Madame Tussaud; this is an imaginary telling of her life.

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart

Genre: Nonfiction

Published 2002, 396 pages

I added this book because: Paris, and again, Mel

Synopsis: a man discovers a small piano restoration shop in his neighborhood and becomes friends with the owner; all about music, pianos, and a man's love of his Parisian neighborhood

Trail of Lightning #1 by Rebecca Roanhorse

Genre: Dystopian

Published 2018, 287 pages

I added this book because: #ownvoices and an urban fantasy with a Navajo legend basis

Synopsis: after the flooding of the world, gods and monsters return to walk the land and Maggie, a monsterkiller, is asked to find a missing child and faces legends and battles dark witchcraft on the rez.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Genre: Classic, Horror

Published 1959, 182 pages

I added this book because: it's a classic scary tale for October

Synopsis: four disparate people arrive at an old house with a 'haunted' history and it seems the house is gathering its powers to choose one to make its own

The Good House by Tananarive Due

Genre: Horror

Published 2003, 597 pages

I added this book because: it sounds like a good Halloween read from a #BookRiot list

Synopsis: a woman moves back to her home town to revive her law practice after the suicide of her son. She finds locals are being compelled to commit acts of violence - does her family history contribute to the situation?

Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Published August 2020, 320 pages

I added this book because: #BookBub 'best of' recent releases

Synopsis: woman is trying to resolve her bad dreams set in the past with current events of a missing person in her home town; new twist on missing person theme.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published 2005, 642 pages

I added this book because: recommended on the #StrongSenseofPlace episode about 'books about libraries'

Synopsis: (from SSOP) "part detective story, gothic thriller, historical fiction, and a love letter to libraries, a large cast of unforgettable characters fight for light in the face of unspeakable evil"

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

Genre: General Fiction

Published September 2020, 288 pages

I added this book because: I like books set in other cultures and this is the Reese newest bookclub selection

Synopsis: a debut novel - a seamstress in Ghana marries up to wealth and is ignored by her new husband but eventually discovers her own path; about culture, marriage, rules, and finding independence

Spellbreaker #1 by Charlie Holmberg

Genre: Fantasy

Publish date 11/1/2020, 284 pages

I added this book because: it was free for Amazon Prime this month

Synopsis: victorian, cozy mystery, magic. A new series from author of The Paper Magician trilogy; a young woman has the ability to undo spells but her ability is a crime so she has to keep hidden. As wizards start dying, she tries to figure out why.

The Cipher #1 by Isabella Maldonado

Genre: Thriller

Publish date 11/1/2020, 328 pages

I added this book because: it's the 2nd Amazon First Reads for Prime

Synopsis: first in a new series, a taut thriller, police procedural, serial killer tale where the serial killer is again on the track of 'the one that got away' years earlier; the killer uses the internet to pull the public into his cat-and-mouse game; can FBI agent avoid being a victim again?

Revolver by Duane Swierczynski

Genre: Historical Mystery

Published 2016, 319 pages

I added this book because: it was on sale at Book Outlet online

Synopsis: 3 timelines, the story follows the story of how, in the 1950s, two cops (one black, one white, partners) were killed and how that affects the lives of their families for generations

Incarnations by Susan Barker

Genre: General Fiction

Published 2014, 371 pages

I added this book because: on sale at Book Outlet and I love the cover

Synopsis: a Chinese cab driver gets a series of letters from an unknown author detailing how they've known each other through many lives over 1,000 years

The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James

Genre: General Fiction

Published 2015, 225 pages

I added this book because: on sale at Book Outlet and it sounds 'different'

Synopsis: set in southern Indian, the story explores the ivory trade told from a poacher's viewpoint and focused on a particular rogue elephant

The Lola Quartet by Emily St John Mandel

Genre: Mystery

Published 2012, 279 pages

I added this book because: recommended by Anne at #ModernMrsDarcy

Synopsis: two melded storylines - a young woman in hiding and a young man who lost his job and has to move back to his home town & eventually gets drawn into investigating the girl in hiding.....all with a noir feeling

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published 2018, 497 pages

I added this book because: recommended by Mel @ #StrongSenseofPlace

Synopsis: a boy can magically make literary fictional figures appear in real life and as an adult that ability gets him into some trouble; dark, magical, strong familial relationships, evocative of New Zealand

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh

Genre: General Fiction

Published 2004, 333 pages

I added this book because: Amazon kindle sale and it sounded different

Synopsis: set in Sundarbans, islands near India, three people arrive with different but similar plans to explore the area. They team up and share adventures/thrills/disasters with crocs, tigers, and dolphins; written evocatively of the culture and landscape.

The North Water by Ian McGuire

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published 2016, 255 pages

I added this book because: found it on a BookBub list of 'cozy reads'

Synopsis: ill fated ship in 1859 trying to reach the Arctic but runs into trouble as it's discovered that one of the crew is a murderer

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Genre: Fantasy, YA

Published March 2020, 393 pages

I added this book because: highly recommended by Anne at #ModernMrsDarcy , and showed up again on a Top 10 Tuesday blog

Synopsis: a 40-year old caseworker in the Dept. of Magical Youth is assigned to visit a secret orphanage and he discovers some unusual kids and their protective caretaker that turns his idea of the world upside down

**ED: Review here

Spirit Run: A 6,000 Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land by Noe Alvarez

Genre: Memoir

Published March 2020, 240 pages

I added this book because: found it on a Top 10 Tuesday blog

Synopsis: a Mexican immigrant working the farms in Yakima, WA, decides he needs a change and joins a marathon that goes from Canada to Guatemala designed to renew indigenous cultural connections

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published 2019, 493 pages

I added this book because: a friend recommended it

Synopsis: Wyoming, 1870. Two families that live on adjacent ranches on the frontier and when a husband strays with the wife of the friend, relationships fracture and the husbands clash. Two women are left to raise their families and try to survive the harsh conditions as well as each other.

**ED: Review here

So, there you have it - another big month of TBR additions. I honestly don't know HOW I'm going to read them all - but I'm sure going to give it the old college try.