Foe by Iain Reid

One Sentence Summary: This is a philosophical novel set in the future where a husband is selected to participate in a space mission while his wife stays home on the farm in the company of an interesting individual.

Number of Pages: 260

Rating: 4/5 stars

Review: Foe by Iain Reid is thought-provoking and unlike any book I've read before. It was advertised as a page-turner, which I can't say I agree with, but it is certainly an interesting, worthwhile novel that sticks in your head after you've completed it. The first half of the book starts slowly, but the second half makes up for it. Reid does a weird thing with punctuation throughout the book: the main character doesn't have quotation marks around his speech. Normally, I hate when authors mess with things like that. However, in this case, it is an excellent choice that makes the conclusion more powerful and adds meaning to the story. Only a talented writer can pull something like that off. Foe is the first book I've read by Reid, and now he's definitely on my radar of authors to watch.

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

One Sentence Summary: A couple builds a haunted house in rural Vermont.

Number of Pages: 353

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: The Invited by Jennifer McMahon is the perfect creepy October read. It's scary but not make-your-pants-brown scary, which is just what I was looking for. The story pulls you in right away and keeps you interested the whole way through while gradually getting eerier. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and always had trouble putting it down. I would have preferred a different ending, but the ending was suitable and doesn't ruin the book. If you're looking for a page-turner fit for October, this is your book.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

One Sentence Summary: A young woman takes on a position as a live-in nanny in a creepy modern house in Scotland and is soon arrested for the murder of one of the children.

Number of Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Review: I really enjoyed The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware and went back and forth over giving it a 4 or a 5. It was a solid book but didn't wow me. (Plus, a book has to be really special for me to give it a five-star review.) In the end, I gave it a 4/5 because it wasn't quite as spooky as I was hoping and the ending changed the whole feeling of the book in not a good way. (I don't want to spoil anything so I won't elaborate on that, but if you do read it I'm sure you'll know what I'm talking about.) The Turn of the Key is a good October read, especially if you want to be a little scared but not too scared. I'd definitely recommend it.