Books I Read in October

October was actually a pretty good reading month for me (yay for all those hours and hours of nursing!), but I only finished two books, so it looks like it was a bad month. My problem was that I kept getting distracted, starting new books without finishing the books I was already in the middle of. I was just so excited about reading again (after the brainfog that was my pregnancy), and a bunch of books came in from my holds at the library, and I couldn't bring myself to be disciplined about finishing. So I'm in the middle of about 10 books right now, and only managed to finish two that whole month.

Oh well, here's the update.

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morely

This book was published in 1917, but if you haven't heard of it, that's okay. I wouldn't exactly call this a classic, it's not nearly substantial enough to be required reading in a high school English class. But it is a completely delightful little read. It's full of whimsy and funny characters and comical situations. But most importantly, this little novel is love letter for book lovers. It is about a little man named Roger Mifflin who is on a mission to bring great literature to the rural farmers of America, and thus he travels about the countryside with a book-shop wagon (essentially a book mobile, except pulled by a horse named Pegassus). And when he meets Helen McGill, a thirty-nine year old farm housekeeper who up and leaves the only life she knows to buy the Parnassus and have an adventure of her own, the story takes off. It's completely adorable, and I thoroughly recommend this to any book-lover looking for a fun, old-timey classic read.

The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith

A book about home decor. Hmm. You wouldn't think a book about something as fluffy as paint colors and arranging $10 tchotchkes would be all that thought provoking. But! This one caused lots of thoughts. Lots of thoughts on the philosophical level. Be prepared, a longer post is coming with all my deep thoughts about home decor, but for now just know that I whole-heartedly recommend this one, especially to any woman out there with house-shame (do you know what I mean by that?). Smith has a fun voice and is a good story-teller, and this is a lovely little read.