Travel the World in Books Readathon Update/Wrap Up and Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

This week I decided to mostly ignore my blog to read more books around the world! I accomplished my goal of reading three books the other day, but not the books I'd planned on reading. My reading mood was more set towards historical romances, so I devoured two, both set in England:

The Harlot Countess (Wicked Deceptions #2) by Joanna Shupe
Rating: 2ish Stars
This featured a scene with a couple from the previous book in the series that basically ruined my enjoyment of this book and that book. I kind of wish I'd just skipped this one.

and

The Lady Hellion (Wicked Deceptions #3) by Joanna Shupe 
Rating: 3 Stars
Much better than the previous two, due to one of my favorite tropes: crossdressing. I also loved that the hero was agoraphobic and essentially housebound- I really doubt the 'treatment' would've worked in real life, though.

For a less fluffy read, I chose Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson.
Rating: 3 Stars
It's contemporary fiction that follows an unlikely friendship of an older and younger woman who live in a small village in Sweden. The younger woman, Veronika, has traveled the world and experienced the sudden loss of her husband. Astrid has remained in the village almost her entire life, trapped by secrets and regrets. It's a rather pensive read, but I will expand upon my thoughts in a review (eventually). I felt like the essence of the book was somewhat lost in the meandering storyline.

Right now I'm reading a nonfiction biography: Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre. It's set in a smorgasbord of nations: England and France mostly so far. I think my favorite thing is that Eddie Chapman is such an antihero- he's a conman, he takes advantage of women, and yet, you want to cheer him on. It's hard to read a man by his biography, though.

That's all I'm up to this Halloween, other than handing out candy this coming evening. I hope to have Agent Zigzag halfway finished by the end of the readathon, if not read in its entirety.

Update 11/1: I didn't manage to make any more progress on Agent Zigzag, but getting 31% through during the readathon was pretty good for me and nonfiction books. A big thanks to the many hosts of Travel the World in Books Readathon:

Tanya (Mom's Small Victories)

Becca (I'm Lost in Books)

Savvy Working Gal

Lucy (Fictional 100)

Aloi (Guiltless Reading)

I've had a great time, even though I wasn't able to participate as much as I did last year. This is such a great concept, as it is so easy to stick with books written in the US about the US, when I think it's important to diversify your reading. You may even find your new favorite author!

Happy Halloween Bookish Travels!