What I've been reading in October

 I won't able to download this month's book club choice, so I started reading the one that came 2nd in the poll The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

Following an emergency in her own apartment (the roof falls in!) Rosie needs somewhere to stay, in a hurry.  Her best friend Lina is away, Rosie has a spare key to her apartment, moving there seems the most logical thing.  What Rosie doesn't realise is that Lina had already offered her apartment to her cousin Lucas while he is in town. Hard to know who is most shocked when Lucas tries to get into the apartment that night, neither were expecting anyone else to be there.

Rosie has heard about Lucas from Lina and has in fact been checking his Instagram account, developing quite the crush on him so it is a little awkward when Lucas suggests that they share the apartment until the repairs are complete and she can move back to her own.  

What Rosie hasn't told her family is that she has left her nice, secure job to pursue her dream of becoming a romantic author.  However, now she has her book deal she is reliant on coming up with a new storyline and of course now she has writers block.  Can Lucas's idea for an special experiment help her in reaching her deadline?  Can she keep her secret crush on him hidden while sharing a small apartment?

So I think we can all guess where this one is going can't we?  It was a little bit predictable but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.  It was easy to read, and the chapters weren't too long so it was good for 'one chapter before I go to sleep'! 

The other book that I read was

 The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman.  This is the sequel to The Thursday Murder Club and we once again find our four elderly friends involved in solving another crime.  

It starts with Elizabeth receiving a letter from her ex-husband and so an investigation begins involving stolen diamonds, a violent criminal and a genuine threat to his life.  Naturally, Elizabeth involves her friends, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim, can they find the diamonds before the killer finds Douglas?

This was another easy read, full of engaging characters.  Having seen Richard Osman interviewed where he explained that his inspiration for the location was the home in which his own mother resides, I can now visualise exactly what the area looked like and of course, the 70+ year old residents are so well described, it is easy to get immersed in the story.  Could a group of 'innocent' elderly people get involved in killings, mobsters, drugs and stolen diamonds?  Of course they could.  After a certain age, it is easy to become invisible and for people to seriously underestimate your capabilities. Could they solve the mystery before the police.  You bet!