I can’t believe that we are at the end of October already, and sad that we are going into another national lockdown. These dark and cold winter nights are perfect for curling up with a good book and your choice of beverage. I have read some more fabulous books this month, and hopefully I can give you some inspiration for your next read,so here are my top reads for October.
The Devil and the Dark Water is a sinister historical mystery from Stuart Turton, author of the bestseller The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Set in 1634, Batvia, an outpost of the East India Company, whose Govenor General is returning to Amsterdam with famous Detective Samuel Pipps in handcuffs. Just before they set sail they get a prophecy from a leper about the devil and see a strange marking on the sail. And so begins a voyage of fear, mistrust and malevolence as the bodies pile up killed by some supernatural force. With memorable characters and a plot that plays on peoples fear of witchcraft and the occult this was a stunning read.
I am really enjoying exploring the fantasy genre, and one author’s name that keeps coming up is V.E Scwab, so I jumped at the chance to read her new book The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. A new take on the Faustian bargain, in 1794 young Adeline Larue makes a deal with the devil to save her from a marriage she doesn’t want for a life of freedom, and he gets her soul when she has finished living. The price she pays is that no one will remember her, she becomes a shadow moving through history with only the devil for company. That is until she meets Henry in a bookshop in New York in 2014, and he remembers her, and so starts a relationship she never though she would have, but everything comes at a cost. Addie is a feisty heroine and one no reader will forget, in this wonderfully charming read.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January was one of my favourite reads of last year and I am certain that The Once and Future Witches will be on my list for this year’s favourite reads. In New Salem 1893, at a Suffragette Rally, three sisters are reunited and unconsiously summon a tower linked to the old days of witchcraft. Using the suffragette movement as a place to hide, they begin to pursue the old ways, and collect spells that have been handed down from mother to daughter through fairytales and nursery rhymes. But, there are forces stronger than them at large, playing on peoples fear of witchcraft, trying to persecute women. The sisters will need to mend her differences in order to survive. This is a book of the power of women, stories, books, equality and making a better future, a brilliant read.
Immortal by Jessica Duchen tells the story of Beethoven and the mystery of his ‘Immortal Beloved’ who he wrote a letter to, that wasn’t found until after his death. There have been several theories over the years and Jessica Duchen’s fictional novel looks at the sisters Countesses Theresa and Josephine Brunsvik. Narrated by Theresa, through her we learn more about Beethoven the man, his passions, his ups and downs, especially his loss of hearing. This is set against the decedance of Vienna, its parties in palaces full of European Royalty and expensive art work which is juxtaposed with the horrors of the Napoleaonic Wars. Romance, drama, artistic genius and fascinating historical detail come together to make this a perfect historical read.
I know another trying month is coming to all of us with England in lockdown, but I hope you will join me in sharing some more wonderful reads, including The Betrayals by Bridgit Collins, Paris by Starlight by Robert Dinsdale and When I Come Home Again by Caroline Scott. Below is a montage of the books I read in October, all reviews on my blog.
