Challenges and goals update: How did I do in October

October was a very good month reading wise. Blogging wise...not so much. I was mostly active on my other blog, but with a lot of things going on at the lab, I neglected this site once again. I have some news I would like to share: I got my Canadian residency! Both A and I are very happy that I won't need to be renewing visas and other permits for a long time. But anyway, let's talk books!

Diversifying 2015: Ironically enough, this month was the #Diversiverse month and I only read one book of a POC author: El amor es una droga dura (Love is a Hard drug by Uruguayan author Cristina Peri Rossi. It was quite good and very different from what I had been reading. I should do better next month.

Read Harder: For this challenge I tackled the "A book that someone else has recommended to you" part with Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire (The Old guy that didn't want to celebrate his birthday) by Jonas Jonasson. It was completely hilarious and I recommended it wholeheartedly. Also for "A Book published by and Indie press" I read The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison. I liked it but I had very high expectations for it, and it didn't fully attain them. It was interesting didn't really resonated with me. Finally as a "Retelling of a classic story" I read Fairest by Marissa Meyer.

My goals:

Read at least 1 POC author per month / Read at least 1 book in Spanish per month:: Only one this month:
El amor es una droga dura (Love is a Hard drug by Uruguayan author Cristina Peri Rossi.

Read CanLit book per month:For this goal I read Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood, a series of short stories. I absolutely loved it, particularly the first ones that get intertwined. I think there's no book of Atwood that wouldn't find delightful.

Read at least 1 book of nonfiction per month: As mentioned I read The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison.

Finished series:To get "ready" for the final book in The Lunar Chronicles, I finally read Fairest by Marissa Meyer, book 4 of the series. I am so enamored with this world! Seeing a bit of Levana's story surely puts a lot of things in perspective!

Read more already owned books: Off the 10 books I read this month 3 were my own, 1 was borroed and the other 6 came from the library.

Read the picks of the month for each book club: The Sword and Laser pick for this month was The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson.It definitely had an Ancillary Justice vibe, and who knew economics and politics could give you such a rush. While I am happy I got to know this story, I am not sure I love it. Very enjoyable and a great world building, but I was left with the sensation that something was amiss.

Besides the books I already mentioned I also read In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume. It was my first book by the author and I liked it. It was an audiobook, and the narrator (Kathleen McInerney) did a wonderful job. I will eventually give it a try to her YA novels. I also read Still Alice by Lisa Genova; this one got me crying in no time and then I decided to watch the movie, and oh boy, the waterworks!. I think the author does an outstanding job making the reader feel what Alice is going through. Also a first, I read Reality Boy by A.S. King and it got me thinking, why on Earth didn't I read her books before? Her characters are so well built and so complex and real! This might have been a first, but it's certainly not a last one. My last read of the month was Before she Dies by Mary Burton; a thriller, bit of noir novella, was enjoyable, and I never managed to foresee who the bad guy was, which is a good thing!I'm glad I chose it for my Readers Imbibing Peril X challenge.

Well that was it for October. How was your reading?

What am I reading this month: October

I just can't believe the weather today. It's 2 degrees outside. I guess fall is definitely here, let's just hope it's not a cold one. On the bright side, I have several reads to keep me cozy!
 
For my reading more in Spanish goal I will be reading El amor es una droga dura (Love is a hard drug) by  Cristina Peri Rossi, an Uruguayan author, so this will also play a part on my Diversifying 2015 challenge (you can sign up here).

For the Sword and Laser Book Club, we will be reading The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson. I just finished listening to the podcast and apparently it has been compared to Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, so I have high hopes for it.
 
For my "reading more CanLit" goal I am going to read Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood (don't you love that cover??) since as you probably have noticed, I love everything she writes.

On nonfiction, I am reading The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison. I've been meaning to read it for a while and it will go to count as my "A Book published by and Indie press" from the Read Harder Challenge. Also for this challenge, I will be reading Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire (The old guy who didn't want to celebrate his birthday) by Jonas Jonasson, which will be my "A book that someone else has recommended to you". It was recommended by my Thesis adviser actually, and so far it is hilariously weird.

And last but not least, to finish the RIP challenge this year, I will be reading Before She Dies by Mary Burton, a book that has been long waiting in my shelves to be read. 

Those are the planned books this month. What are you reading this chilly October?