Monthly book post: October

October list:
Warm Springs: Traces of a Childhood at FDR's Polio Haven by Susan Richards Shreve. Shreve is a talented writer, and her short but incredibly rich account is as much about family dynamics, race, and human nature as it is about polio and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, two topics that are compelling enough on their own.

Here if you need me: A true story by Kate Braestrup. The story of a suddenly widowed mother of four who becomes a game warden chaplain in Maine. When loved ones go missing in forest or lakes, Braestrup is the one who stays with the family. With frankness sometimes even humor, the way she assesses and provides the needed comfort to families (and to her fellow officers) is nothing short of grace.

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. This sweet children's story deserves to be shelved alongside the works of L. M. Montgomery and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I can't remember where I just read about Fisher, but she's a fascinating woman, credited with bringing the Montessori tradition to the U.S.

Also read:
Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Novel by Leonie Swann (Yet another international best-selling mystery must lose something in translation).
The Headmaster Ritual by Taylor Antrim (Joins the list of books I wanted to throw across the room)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards