October is always a good reading month for me. Despite homecoming and football games, I seem to be back in the routine of school and I find more time to carve out for good books. Plus, the weather is usually turning from hot-as-Hades to something much nicer, and it’s easier for me to sit outside with a good book.
This year, though, October was a bit different. I read (listened to?) three audiobooks! I’m pretty sure that’s a record for me. I typically only listen in the car, on my short drives to and from work, and I’m usually maxing out my loan limit on books. This month, though, I managed to squeak in three books, with Rebecca only taking me four days to listen to! I even went out of my way to exercise just to listen to it for longer.
I had some really good reads this month, so I hope the weather and this blog inspires you to pick up a good read in November!
Books are listed in the order they were read. For more mini-reviews, check out my What I Read tag.
Monthly Stats
- Total Books Read in October: 7 Books
- Total Authors Read in October: 7 Authors
- Total Pages Read: 2,757 Pages
- Total Books Quit: 0 Books
- Average Days Per Book: 4.4 Days per Book
- Average Pages Per Day: 88.9 Pages per Day
Long Story Short…
- If you’re looking for a classic mystery story, check out Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
- If you like Shakespeare and sci-fi, read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
- If you want a historical fiction witch hunt, go for The Huntress by Kate Quinn.
- If you enjoy immigrant stories, read both A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum or Frankly in Love by David Yoon.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Premise: One night in Toronto, Jeevan is watching the famous actor Arthur Leander act in a production of King Lear. Twenty-four hours later, the Georgia flu is running rampant and killing 99% of the population. The story follows Jeevan, Arthur, and other characters as they navigate the world, pre- and post-apocalypse.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: I started this book years ago (probably not long after it came out), and put it down almost immediately. I remember the first chapter, and I remember thinking, “Shakespeare and the end of the world? No thanks.” WELL I WAS WRONG. I mean, there is a bit of Shakespeare and certainly the end of present civilization, but there is so, so much more to this book. I will say that I listened to this on audio and I was finding excuses to drive around just to listen to it… but I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much in print.
The world-building in this novel was really special. The way that the author wove all of the characters together was really brilliant… there were twists and turns and connections I never saw coming, but when they came together, it was magical. The story lines got a little chaotic, and in most books, I would hate that much chaos and jumping back and forth, but it actually worked really well in this novel, and I think it was a well-organized chaos. This was my book club’s pick this month, and I’m excited to see how everyone else felt about it.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes sci-fi novels. Anyone looking for some strong character development. Anyone itching for a beautifully written must-read.
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
Premise: Isra is a woman in Palestine who is deemed so fortunate when a Palestinian man from America chooses her as his bride in 1990. Flash forward to 2008, and Deya is struggling to overcome the expectations of her family and heritage to determine what she truly wants out of life.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: Maybe I didn’t like this book as much as I expected to because I expected SO MUCH from this book. The reviews on it were amazing, and I was expecting to be blown away. I will say that, from the very first chapter, I knew this book was different. I actually stopped reading it 50 pages in because I had too much going on and I knew I’d want to give this book my full attention. And I’m so glad I did!
While the writing style made it a bit hard for me to connect with the characters (third person, very removed), I thought the storyline was excellent and there was something so unique about this book. Maybe it is the different culture? I so rarely read Arab American points of view, so the storyline was so distinct from anything I’ve ever read, and the character motivations were a stark contrast to other books I’ve read this year. That being said, there was something so universal about the struggle between parental expectations and finding your own way in the world, and I just really enjoyed seeing the path this book took.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a unique perspective. Anyone who enjoys multi-generational books. Anyone interested in the lives of immigrants.
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
Premise: Frank Li is a high school boy… who just happens to have really strict Korean parents. He spends his life straddling between the world of American teenage nerds and the world of strict Korean parents. When he falls in like with a white girl, though, this dichotomy becomes even stronger.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: I love books that seem so fluffy on the surface (teenage love, blegh), but have complex themes lurking just below. The cutesy love stuff was peak YA, which I kind of loved. It was especially interesting to have a boy POV, since most YA I read is by women with female main characters. I thought it was kind of adorable how goofy teenage boys can be when it comes to relationships, and I really liked the way the author handled it.
But just below the surface were ideas of racism and classism and how to become who you want to be, despite your parents. All of the characters in the book struggled with identity (as do most teenagers, I guess), but the first-generation Korean American experience is not one I’m super familiar with, and I’m glad I was able to read about it. I will say that the plot was a bit muddled on this one, and I would have liked a few things to be sped up a bit, but overall, I enjoyed this novel.
Who Should Read It: Anyone interested in reading about first-generation experience. Anyone looking for great characters. Anyone interested in a quick read.
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
Premise: Five years ago, Monica’s sister committed suicide after four of her squad-mates died in mysterious circumstances. Now, coming on the 5 year anniversary, Monica discovers that the answers she was given about these deaths may not be so clear cut as she thought.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: I read a lot of YA and I work with teenagers every day, so I think I’m pretty good at seeing the validity of YA novels… and I’m pretty sure this author was actually never a teenager. There were so many inconsistencies with how real life teenagers work (only one state requires you to be 17 to drive, and that happens to be the state the author is from), and there were a lot of convenient excuses made up as to why her parents were literally never home (how many soccer practices does your little brother have, honestly?). Then, let’s not even talk about how she actually has no clue how cheerleading and dance teams work… There was just a lot of stereotyping and cliches and nonsense that really took me out of the book.
However! Despite all of this! I actually enjoyed this book. The mystery was really good, and there were quite a few twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting. All the way until the last couple chapters, I still had no idea who committed the murders and how the other girls were involved… I even doubted Mango the dog for a hot minute. So kudos to the author for creating a fun mystery that had me on the edge of my seat… but maybe stick to adult fiction?
Who Should Read It: Anyone who wants a light murder mystery. Anyone looking for a quick, upbeat read.
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
Premise: Will Schwalbe’s mother is dying of pancreatic cancer. She is determined to live her life to the fullest, despite the chemotherapy and the sicknesses. Her connection with Will and their love of books drive them to create a book club, where they discuss books while she is at chemo.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: This book was the perfect example of a 3 star book. I enjoyed it. I thought the banter between Will and his mother was great, and there was so much discussion about life and death, what it means to give back, and small kindnesses… I really enjoyed the philosophical discussion while I was driving and listening to this one. It was a perfectly fine book, and while I didn’t really feel the need to drive around the block just to hear more, as far as memoirs go, it was a solid read.
Who Should Read It: Anyone facing the end of their life. Anyone who likes to get book recommendations (there’s a lot of book name dropping here!)
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
Premise: It’s after WWII, and Ian and his team are on the hunt to find Nazi war criminals who were missed during the Nuremberg trials. His main goal is to find
die Jägerin, The Huntress, the woman who killed his brother in cold blood. When the path heats up, he finds himself getting entangled with people he wasn’t expecting to meet.
Rating: 5 Stars
Thoughts: Ooooof this book. I loved The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, so when I saw this one was coming out, I knew I had to snag it. And it did not disappoint! It was a bit intimidating at 531 pages, but I absolutely flew through it. I mean, I read every one of those pages in 5 days, and during homecoming week, no less! There was action, suspense, mystery, love, all set in a post-war era that had glamor and style.
The best part of this novel were the characters. I loved each and every one of them! There was Ian, who had a drive to hunt down bad people, overlapped with some surprises about his past that kept me guessing about his motivations. There was Jordan, who had big aspirations and dreams, and who refused to let society tell her that she should marry and settle down with a good guy, even though she saw it as the end of her life. There was Nina, who grew up in abuse and neglect in Russia and fought her way out through the skies. Each character was unique and nuanced and had such rich backstories… it was masterful and such a joy to read.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes historical fiction. Anyone who likes mysteries. Anyone who likes love stories. Basically anyone.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Premise: When our unnamed narrator falls quickly and easily in love with Max de Winter, she dreams about returning to his home at Manderley. Once she gets there, however, she realizes that Manderley and the people in it are still haunted by Rebecca, Max’s late wife.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: Full disclosure: This book has a very sentimental place in my heart, so my review is not for just this time I read it, but also for the first time I read this as a 5th grader, and again in high school, and again in college. This was the first book my mother allowed me to read from her fancy adult bookshelves, so it occupies a very sweet spot in my heart.
That all being said.. this is just a really good book. There’s mystery and intrigue, crossed connections, lost loves, and a surprise ending that turns everything on its head. I was a bit more bothered by our main character this time around, because she really should have just talked to Max about her problems instead of letting her imagination run away from her. But then I’m reminded of a woman’s place in the home in 1936, and the fact that she was so much younger than Max, and it makes me excuse her just a bit from all of it. I loved this book, and it probably won’t be the last time I read this one.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes gothic lit. Anyone who enjoys murder mystery and intrigue. Anyone who wants a good spooky story.
