Best books of October 2016

These are the three best books I read in October. They are all recommended.

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett: Told with compassion and subtle humor, Commonwealth follows the lives two families upended and intertwined following a stolen kiss. This is one of Ann Patchett’s best novels. ★★★★★

Zero K: A Novel by Don DeLillo: A surreal look at the meaning of humanity and death. ★★★★

Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley by Antonio Garcia Martinez: An unfiltered and gossipy look inside of Silicon Valley and the money that fuels the tech machine. Antonio García Martínez shares the drama that unfolded as he transitioned from a startup founder to a product manager and advisor at Facebook and Twitter. ★★★★

Other books I read in October:

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson: The book the movie is based on. They are very similar, but different enough to make the book seem fresh. ★★★★

The Wind Through the Keyhole: The Dark Tower IV-1/2 by Stephen King: A good story and could stand on its own. Fans of The Dark Tower series will like it. ★★★★

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates: Fifty-five years after first being published, Richard Yates’ novel of suburban angst is still relevant. ★★★★

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson: I’m a big Erik Larson fan, but this is his weakest effort. The interwoven stories don’t work as well here as in Larson’s The Devil in the White City. The biography of Guglielmo Marconi would have been enough to carry this book. ★★★

American Whiskey, Bourbon & Rye: A Guide to the Nation’s Favorite Spirit by Clay Risen: A nice reference for whiskey drinkers. ★★★★

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver: This is Kingsolver’s first book. If you’ve never read Kingsolver, start with The Poisonwood Bible, which I think is a far superior novel. ★★★

The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson: The good, the bad and the sometimes funny sides of Britain. ★★★