Yes I’m writing this blog post incredibly late, but to be honest with how busy I’ve been recently, you’re lucky you’re getting it all to be honest! Anyway, let’s get into the four books I read in October and what I thought of them.
So, as the title suggests, in October I managed to read four books. Which when you consider three of them were over 500 pages, I think is not a bad showing to be honest.
What I’ve done below, as I do with all of these sorts of articles, is list the four books, include the summary from my review, a link to the full review and a link to buy the book itself from Amazon if you wish.
If you see a book you’ve also read or are keen to read yourself, do let me know in the comments below or share this article to social and tag me with which books you’ve read/are interested in reading yourself.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
“I was a huge fan of The Housemaid and everybody I’ve spoken to about it online was also. Not only does it hit all the perfect notes required of a thriller but it has a a genuinely shocking twist that you won’t see coming along with some truly detestable characters. It’s clever and, not avoiding the cliche term at all, truly unputdownable. If you’re looking for a genuinely gripping new read that could very well surprise you with how much you enjoy it, The Housemaid would be right near the top of my recommendations list at the moment.”
Read my full review | Buy the book from Amazon
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
“At first, I didn’t know if I was enjoying The Return of the King as much as I enjoyed The Two Towers. However, when the second half of the book kicked in, it took it to another level that had me appreciating the lore of the world and the creativity of Tolkien’s mind.
The Lord of the Rings is the greatest piece of fantasy ever written and if you need more evidence of that, the fact that I’m three books in, have already watched the films multiple times and I’m still enjoying it so much is a real testament. The story is deep, sweeping, epic and transcends its genre with metaphors for politics, acceptance of differences and friendships of opposites. You don’t expect a book like this to warm your heart while in the middle of an epic fight scene. But it can. If you’ve ever wondered about reading The Lord of the Rings, having now finished it, I would say, yes, definitely you should.”
Read my full review | Buy the book from Amazon
Babel by R.F Kuang
“I desperately wanted to love Babel, so much of the premise of it is something I’d be interested in usually: historical fiction, fantasy elements and some deep characters with a story that covers many years. However, the flip in the plot from mystery and intrigue to a simple political revolt didn’t do it for me. Yes, there are still some great moments that brought my immersion back in but it just wasn’t enough. I know this book is much-loved but I suppose there has to be someone who doesn’t think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. I liked it a lot, I just didn’t love it.”
Read my full review | Buy the book from Amazon
The Return of the Knights by Gregory Kontaxis
“The Return of the Knights starts off a little questionable but eventually finds its rhythm and becomes a fantastic debut epic fantasy novel from Gregory Kontaxis. It has epic battles, politics, mythical creatures, likeable characters and a plot that will keep you reading to find out what happens. Its strongest element though is its world-building which develops so naturally that at times you don’t even realise you’re learning anything more. I know there’s a prequel novella coming out which I’m keen to read and find out more about this world. The Return of the Knights is a strong recommend for any fantasy fans!”
Read my full review | Buy the book from Amazon
In summary
October was a great month for reading to be honest. I was a massive fan of The Return of the Knights by Gregory Kontaxis – a promising new author in the fantasy genre with a strong debut.
There was obviously the transcendent The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien which is without a doubt one of the greatest works of fantasy fiction ever written.
And then The Housemaid was a surprise hit for me too. I can’t honestly remember the last time I was that into a thriller as I was The Housemaid.
Unfortunately Babel wasn’t quite the absolute banger I was hoping it was going to be based on the comments I’d seen for it on social media. But I still enjoyed it.
If I had to pick, I’d say my favourite book of the month was The Return of the King but The Housemaid was a close second!
Have you read any of the books above? Do you plan to now you’ve read this? Let me know in the comments below or tag me on socials ‘@lukesblog1’!
