The Book Bit: September 2018 Ed.

I'm so ready for fall, you guys. I'm officially over summer. Bring on the leaves, sweaters, pumpkin spice, jack-o-lanterns, and Halloween. I'm ready! I'm always so stoked for October. It's seriously my favorite month of the entire year. And our October is already packed full of activity! Don't worry, I've already got a stellar lineup of reads secured. It's going to be amazing.

Enough of that, let's talk about what I read this month! Both of these books took a little bit more of my patience (for very different reasons) but overall, I wasn't impressed with my choices this month. Not to say they were terrible, but neither one of them blew me away. Before we get started, there will be a Special Edition to the Book Bit in October, so keep your eyes peeled!


"The Hunt for Red October"- Tom Clancy

Everyone knows who Tom Clancy is. He's written a ton of books, a lot of which have been made into films, and even some video games. I mean everyone knows him. But, I've never read him! And seeing as there's a new Jack Ryan series on Amazon (starring one of my fave men, John Krasinski) I decided I wanted to read the first book in the Jack Ryan series. I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. First off, his books are huge. And dense. So. Much. Information. Like, beyond what I was prepared to handle. It made it hard for me to read because it was an extremely technical book. It did end up paying off, because when everything went to hell at the end of the book, I knew exactly what was going on, but still. A lot.

Jack Ryan is an analyst who also enjoys writing history. When 'Red October,' a new Soviet submarine, gets launched early Jack is one of the first to know. Noticing major differences in the sub causes him to bring the developments to the attention of his superiors. Things go downhill fast. Soon, the Soviet deploys its entire Navy, and they're headed straight for the American coast. It's up to the CIA, the U.S. and Royal Navy and super-analyst, Jack Ryan, to figure out what's going on off their shores. The Hunt for Red October begins and ends with Marko Ramius. His plan to take his elusive ship to American shores to defect or start a war hangs in the balance. The fate of Red October depends on who finds them first. The Soviets or the Americans.

This book was exceptionally well researched, Clancy gets all the points on that, but it was incredibly dense. If you like technical books, a lot of military talk, and the inner workings of the political branches of our government, this book is 100% for you. Otherwise. Be prepared to know a lot about submarines.


"A Simple Favor"- Darcey Bell

This was the book club selection this month, and I was extremely excited to read it. I mean, the movie is out in theatres right now. And it looks awesome! But, I found myself disappointed with this book. I won't give away any details, you guys know I like to let you read things for yourself, but I didn't enjoy it. The 'shocks and awes' of the book did nothing for me. I think I have to chock it up to not liking Bell's writing style and I didn't think the book was well researched. I thought the characters were one dimensional and that made it hard for me to get invested in the story. I didn't find it extremely relatable. Which was unfortunate.

A simple favor. That's all it was supposed to be. Mom's do it for each other all the time. When Emily calls her best friend Stephanie and asks if she'll pick her kid up from school, it's a no-brainer. Of course. But when Emily never calls or shows up to get her kid, Stephanie starts to panic. And after two days of radio silence, Stephanie is in complete panic mode. Emily was missing. Using her blog to reach out to mom's around the world and ask for guidance, Stephanie and Emily's husband, Sean, try and locate Emily. As time moves on Emily remains lost. And things become more twisted than ever.

This book had some great ideas and there were moments when I thought the book was going to take off, but it just didn't happen for me. Everything was on the predictable side, and there wasn't enough suspense in the writing for my taste. A lot more could have been done to this book. That's just my opinion.


That's all I have for you this month! I hope everyone is as excited about October as I am, but I doubt it! The lineup has gotten me really hyped. And don't forget! A Special Edition is coming out in October. You'll love it!