I am embarassed by my lack of reading in October. I blame Netflix and Sons of Anarchy

So last month was HUMILIATINGLY bad on the reading front.  I read 2 books.  Yes, just two.  I got about halfway through a third, but didn't finish it.  So it won't count until this month.  Here goes....

Wonder by RJ Palacio (313 pages).  This was my book club book.  August Pullman (age 10) has just gone to school for the first time.  Auggie (who happens to share my birth date) was born with severe facial deformities.  Which resulted in his parents' decision to home school him.  Once he reached fifth grade, they decided it was time for him to be around other people.  So they started him at a nearby private school (less kids around to be shocked by his face).  Auggie quickly makes some new friends.  Or so he thinks.  This story is told from multiple points of view- Auggie, his older sister Olivia, his friend Summer, his friend Jack, Olivia's boyfriend Justin and Olivia's friend Miranda.  Each of them views Auggie's "facial abnormalities" differently.  And each of them realizes that those abnormalities define all of them, not just Auggie.  I bought this book in the kid's section of Books-A-Million.  But it was so much more than just a kids' book.  It was truly a wonderful story.  And it makes you think about who people are, not what they appear to be.  Looking beyond looks to who a person truly is.  I recommend it to anyone with kids!

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (299 pages).  I bought this book for one reason - I am obsessed with the Netflix series!  No really, season 2 can't get here fast enough!  There was a part of me that was a little worried about ruining the show for myself.  But not to worry- they aren't really a lot alike.  The names of some of the women aren't even the same.  And let's face facts- we all know she's only serving one year in prison.  Spoiler alert- she gets released!  Some of the things that I like so much about the show (Pennsatucky being a crazy Christian, Alex being in the same prison) weren't true in the book.  Neither was the timeline of the crime to the arrest.  But guess what- I didn't care!  I still really liked the book.  The characters were just as intriguing (even though you don't get to know them quite as well as the show).  I just found Piper, the main character, quite fascinating.  A rich white girl thrown into a world that most people don't even understand.  And she understood that she put herself there, with her bad decisions.  So it was up to her to make the best of the situation.

And that was it for this month.  612 measly pages of reading.  I hang my head in shame.....