The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

8/10 - I liked this much better than I was anticipating I would. From the description, I was expecting something like Water For Elephants, which I didn't think lived up to the hype. I really enjoyed how the story unfurled, sort of like stream of consciousness. I also liked how you could never tell if Esme was really crazy, or if she was just a typical teenager who was bucking her oppressive high society upbringing. I wished the author had filled out the ending a little more. I'm not one who likes to just "imagine" what happened. I'm also not sure what she was trying to add to the story with the relationship of Alex and Iris. I would have liked more closure on that.

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

9/10 - You just have to love Christopher Moore. I've never read a more funny, witty, totally out there author. Charlie Asher is a classic Moore character who has unwillingly been charged with stopping the powers of darkness, along with his sidekick a 7ft tall black record store owner named Minty Fresh. Things got a little, WTF, at the end, but overall hilarious and fun to read.

What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman

6/10 - Again, mysteries aren't really my genre. I thought this would be a good read for October, but there was nothing creepy or scary. I felt like the author was trying to hard to make then ending hard to predict instead of making it a good story. I also felt it was confusing with all the jumping from people, places, and times. Usually I do pretty well with that, but the character in this book had so many aliases, I didn't have any clue who the narrator was half the time. I don't predict I'll be reading any more by this author.

The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall

10/10 - I really loved this book. I would compare it to She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. The way the main character's life sort of ebbs and flows with happiness and despair. Udall does a fantastic job with all the characters too. Not a cliche' in the bunch as far as I'm concerned. I'll be looking for more of his work.