October readings ended on a scary note

This month wasn’t a big number of books (only 4). But at 1,889 pages total, that’s 61 pages a day. So well above my resolution. Here we go!

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (940 pages). So apparently this is my year to finally read all the classics that have been sitting on my antelibrary shelves for years. First observation- Anna’s last name is actually Karenin. There is no A on it in the novel. Second observation- for a novel that is literally named after one character, she is far from the main character. There is another storyline involving Levin and his life that gets just as much attention. Those observations aside, I’m glad I finally tackled this one. I rather enjoyed it. Unlike Crime and Punishment, the Russian surnames were distinctive (I legit got characters confused when I read C&P). I kept everyone straight in this one!  Long story very short- the married Anna has an affair with the unmarried Vronsky (who broke another girl’s heart by leaving her for Anna). Tragedy ensues. Other stories intersected this one. I truly found all of the stories relatively interesting. I did assume that Anna’s suicide would be the ultimate action of the novel and it was not. I finished in 13 days. 

The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin (402 pages). Historical fiction about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of Charles Lindbergh. I literally knew nothing about her, including her name. And other than Lucky Lindy’s flights and the kidnapping of their baby, I knew nothing about them as a family either. Turns out, first and foremost, we share the middle name Spencer. So love her already. More importantly, she was an amazing woman. She was the first American woman to get her glider pilot’s license. She was her husbands copilot and navigator for much of their marriage. She was an author. She mothered 5 babies after her first was kidnapped and murdered. And she dealt with Charles. He was a hard man, a bit of a Nazi sympathizer, and a serial adulterer. Like 3 other women and 7 other children. She was amazing. I finished in 7 days. 

Vivian by Alexander Walker (304 pages). Despite the fact that Gone with the Wind is one of my favorite novels and movies, I could list on one hand the number of things I knew about the beautiful star. I knew that Vivien was British, that she campaigned for the role of Scarlett and got it by appearing at the burning of Atlanta filming, and that she was married of Lawrence Olivier. She was so much more than that. And this book was a wonderful biography of her life, from her birth in India to her death at 53. And all of her loves and life in between. I actually had no idea she suffered from bipolar disorder that basically ruined her mental health (and subsequently her marriage to Olivier). I finished in 6 days. 

Funerals to Die For by Kathy Benjamin (243 pages). An excellent choice for the days leading up to Halloween. This book discussed different funeral and burial rituals from around the world and throughout time. It also offered up some very amusing stories about very odd people and their funerals. I enjoyed it!  I finished in 5 days, because it was the end of the month and that’s how many days I had left!

This month’s favorite was ....