October has been a quiet month in terms of reading – both in terms of quantity and quality. Two weeks of holiday (including a trip to Paris and a week of house-guests) have left their mark. Incidentally, I’ve noticed that a day without reading feels really empty and unsatisfactory, no matter how busy I was with other things.
It has also been a month with fewer reviews – or perhaps I am just settling into my new reading principles. I have completed my reading challenge of 150 books this year and am now reading more for pleasure and allowing myself the freedom of NOT reviewing books unless I feel strongly about them.
3 books in French:
Grégoire Delacourt: On ne voyait que le bonheur
Joseph Incardona: 220 Volts – a post on this author and some other French male authors will follow shortly
Daniel Pennac: La Feé Carabine
I exceeded my self-imposed target of one book in French per month, and I enjoyed all three of them. In fact, they were probably my joint best reads of the month
1 translation from Finnish:
Kati Hiekkapelto: The Hummingbird
All of the remaining books were good reads, enjoyable to pass a few hours, but nothing really stood out for me.
3 crime novels set in the UK:
Rachel Abbott: Sleep Tight
James Runcie: Sidney Chambers and the Perils of the Night – upon which the Grantchester series on British TV is based
Kate Rhodes: Crossbones Yard – discussed at our Crime Book Club
1 book set in Peru:
Natalia Sylvester: Chasing the Sun
findingtimetowrite 
Sometimes quiet months can be good too, Marina Sofia. And you do have a nice variety of interesting reads there. I like it too that you’ve decided to do more of the kind of reading you want to do. I think if you don’t focus (at least some of the time) on reading just because you want to read a certain book, then reading becomes a chore.
There were still some books on the list that were ‘required reading’, such as The Hummingbird and Crossbones Yard, but it has been a relief to be able to choose books much more randomly. More guided by mood than wisdom or ‘ought to, should have’.
I agree with Margot, I think it’s great that you are now reading books that you want to read and are taking enjoyment in reading. It’s not about the speed we can read – though I often wish I could read faster as there are so many great books out there! – but about the enjoyment we get from the books. That’s why we read them after all.
It’s interesting though that some of the books I chose ‘freely’ this month were actually average rather than outstanding. Clearly ‘mood’ is not always the best predictor of quality…