Today I'm sharing the best book I read in October.
Of the 10 books I read this month, I had just one 5-star read, so that's my Best of the Bunch!
A Man Called Ove has sold me on Backman. He is a master of the craft. Ove seems supremely unlikable as a character when the book opens, but as you slowly get his backstory amid his current plans to take his own life, it's clear that he's a good-hearted man with a strict set of principles who has become increasingly overwhelmed by the world and the life circumstances in which he finds himself. Past incidents are sometimes referenced multiple times throughout the book with slightly more context each time, so what seems to be an absurd feud over a car turns out to be a manifestation of grief from a man whose generation wasn't taught to talk about their feelings. Sparked by the incessant meddling of Ove's new neighbors, a kind of found family forms in the community where Ove lives, with Ove in the center against his grumpy will. (Be aware that Ove's internal judgments of others, especially near the beginning, can be quite harsh and based in ugly stereotypes.)
What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading:
Hazeldine: Volume One and
Cultish
Five years ago I was reading:
King of the Murgos,
More Than Two, and
Whistling Vivaldi
Ten years ago I was reading:
Breath, Eyes, Memory,
Cordelia's Honor, and
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
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