Best Books of October
As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.
So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.
These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from October.
If We Were Villains (M. L. Rio): This is a book with plot holes. Major plot holes. Major major major plot holes. And I’m still going to recommend it because even with those plot holes, it was a great read. It reminded me of The Secret History by Donna Tartt—both in content and in pacing. I love books set in schools.
The Midnight Library (Matt Haig): This was a quick, sweet read about getting to test out all of the roads not taken in life. It was clever and wistful and hopeful. It was a book that came to me at the right time, but I think I would have been smitten with this book at any time.
Carry On (Rainbow Rowell): This was a re-read before I read the sequel, Wayward Son. I liked it the first time, but I didn’t think she stuck the landing. The story sort of wobbled apart at the end. But this read-through was a completely different experience. I thought it was a great ending, and the whole thing was well-structured. I mentioned that to ChickieNob, and she re-read it and agreed that it was much better the second time around.
Dreyer’s English (Benjamin Dreyer): This is the most enjoyable reference book you’ll ever read. It’s worth reading cover to cover because (1) the first part of the book is more story/explanation than reference and (2) you’ll know where to look when you have a question in the future.
Majesty (Katharine McGee): This is the sequel to American Royals, and I believe it’s the end of the story. Meaning, there are only going to be two books in this series, though the ending left things sort of feeling like there could be another book in the future. I liked the story and liked all the characters again. I wish it took a stronger stand with the ending. I either wanted it wrapped up tightly or left open-ended so the author could return in the future. Some characters had no fuel left in their story. Some characters were left hanging. So… read knowing that’s how it will close and be okay with the journey.
His and Hers (Alice Feeney): This was the sleeper hit of the month made all the more perfect because I also read the worst book of the year this month. (Clearly, I didn’t review that book this month because… read my rule above.) I loved this book so much that I immediately put everything else she has written on my TBR list. I thought I knew who the killer was, and I was delighted to be so incredibly wrong. Loved this book.
What did you read last month?
5 comments
I read Anxious People by Fredrik Backman and I LOVED it. I also read Boyfriend Material and loved that too. I read some other stuff that was good, but those were my favorites.
So I gotta know what your worst book of the year was. . . just in case it’s on my “want to read” list. I have so many books on that list that I will likely never read them all, so anything I can do to winnow the list is good.
Coming back to answer your question about what I read in October. . . .
Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren. Although I am not generally a big fan of romances or “chick lit,” I am finding this author’s books very satisfying in this season of life. This book was another solid effort that I thoroughly enjoyed and will probably not remember a year from now. 🙂
The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey. (Is it too meta that your post is a shameless steal from Ms. Lahey and now includes one of her books?) I found this book thought-provoking and full of practical suggestions. I checked it out from the library but am considering buying it so that I can refer to it as my kids get older: they are only in third grade, and I thought that a significant portion of the book was more pertinent to middle school and beyond.
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I think I am the only person I know who reads regularly who hadn’t read this book. It was longer than I expected, and thus took a while to get through, but I enjoyed it.
Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti. Good read with just the right amount of creepiness. The main character annoyed me a little bit, but not so much that I couldn’t enjoy the book.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. The second book I’ve read by the author (Bel Canto was the first). Really solid characters and a unique, interesting story. The house is almost a character in its own right.
A Happy Catastrophe by Maddie Dawson. I realized after reading this book that it is a sequel to Matchmaking for Beginners, which I haven’t read. Nevertheless, this book worked fine as a stand-alone book. I enjoyed the overall lighthearted spirit of the story, despite its dealing with some traumas suffered by the main characters.
I am curious about your worst book of the year too! 😉 “The Midnight Library” is the book under discussion this month for one of my online book clubs, but I haven’t started it yet.
A., I read “Beartown” a couple of years back for my library book club & loved it. I have “Anxious People” on my TBR list, as well as “Us Against You” (the sequel to Beartown).
Sharon, “The Dutch House” was one of the first books I read in 2020, and I still think it’s the best I’ve read so far this year.
I only got two books read in October:
* “Rage” by Bob Woodward. Meticulously researched, as usual, and well written, lots of revelations… but the subject matter (so close to the election) made this one a bit of a slog, I will admit!
* “Convenience Store Woman” by Sayaka Murata (October’s Gateway Women book club pick). This was a bit of an odd/quirky/offbeat one, but it gave me a lot of food for thought — about identity, belonging, “normalcy,” the pressure to conform, the working world (being a “corporate cog”) and what society expects of us.
I love this post. I just got back into reading. I am getting there slowly. I need to renew my library care so I can borrow from the library e books. Not to self. I just read Girl on the train which was compelling but made me feel somehow dirty at the end. And “Raising a Rare girl” from one of my favorite bloggers Heather Lanier. I recommend it!! Finished off an easy Alexander McCall Smith Isobel Dalhousie novel the Novel Habits of Happiness and realized I want her life and her simple but well off contentment and that was a bummer even though I enjoy her to realize I’m jealous of a character.