October 2013 Reading Life Month End Review

The last time I did a month end review was in January of 2012.  I did not do one in February 2012 because our beloved cat Mr. C, my companion of nearly twenty years passed away that month.  I think I will try to start doing them again.  

I ended October with 103,423 hits for the month, 2897 twitter followers and 790 Google Followers.  Since Google reader closed down I do not anticipate much growth in that number.  I miss Google reader and have not yet found a satisfactory substitute.  I am very grateful for my readership, especially those who leave comments.   Book blogging has enriched my life in ways I never dreamed it would when I started my blog on July 7, 2009.   The top countries for readership residence in October were USA, Philippines, India, England, and Canada.  The top five  most viewed posts out of now 1902 were all on short storied by authors from the Philippines.  I added what I think will be an important to me reading area this month, Yiddish Literature, motivated by a very generous gift from Yale University Press.  To authors whose books I have committed to read, I will but I don't promise when.  

Short Stories I read but did not post on

1.  "The Cafeteria" by Issac Singer, translated from Yiddish.

2.  "A Married Man's Story" by Katherine Mansfield. Reread

3.  "The Canary" by Katherine Mansfield, reread

4.  "1944" by Ellen Gilchrist

5.   "The Lover" by Alice Walker.  

6.  "The Snobs" by Muriel Spark

I discovered several new to me short story writers I want to read further, including Elspeth Davie, I. M. Homes, Mavis Gallant and Anne Kavan.  I revisited a writer I last read decades ago Muriel Spark and was so glad I did.  

Here are the books I read in October that meant the most to me.

1.  Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pyncihon -any month there is a new Pynchon is a good month.

2.  The Decay of the Angel by Yukio Mishima- the last book in the Sea of Fertility Series.

3.  Signatures in Stone by Linda Lappin - a great read by one of my favorite writers

4.  The Dream Life of Bruno Snell by Nathanael West

5.  A Cool Million by Nathanael West 

6.  Caught by Henry Green - A Very addictive writer.