What I read in October

Finding my way back into a reading groove

October was a strange reading month. It was a month where I felt like I wasn't reading much, but still, the books piled up. As I closed out my wedding season, my work week was very busy, and I did very little reading on Tuesdays through Saturdays besides a few pages at night before falling asleep. But Sunday and Monday (my weekend) were full of long reading sessions as I relaxed and introverted in preparation for the next week.

a selection of October reads

So, I went for long stretches of the week without reading much and then did a lot of reading in a short time. A strange cadence for me! I've recently felt inspired to read and had some fresh energy infused into my reading life (more on that in another post soon), and I've really enjoyed that.

Here are the eight I read this month and some brief thoughts on them.

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Colored Television by Danzy Senna | Literary fiction | Really liked it

This novel about a mid-list LA author who is desperate for the American Dream had me cringing slightly through the whole thing, but I really enjoyed it! I wanted to read something that would give me something to chew on while reading, and this delivered. It's smart, quippy, a little dread-inducing but also very readable. A perfect blend of literary and commercial fiction, in my opinion. If you loved the TV show Beef or the movie American Fiction, then I recommend this one!

Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker | Literary fiction | Really liked it

I'm a big fan of Bieker's work, so I was intrigued to see what she would do while foraying into the literary thriller world. Overall, I liked this novel. It's about a young mother who begins to question reality when her estranged mother contacts her from jail. I think Bieker really shines when diving deep into the interior lives of women, and this was no exception. I found parts of this novel very funny (the grocery obsession!) and liked the pacing and the tension she wove into this. I do think, however, it would have been a slightly stronger novel if she didn't try to fit it into a thriller package.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney | Literary fiction | Liked it

I'm a Sally Rooney fan, and I had mixed feelings about this novel about two brothers grieving the death of their father and navigating their personal relationship. All of the things I love about Sally Rooney's books were present in this one, and I could absolutely see what she was doing— and thought she accomplished it. But, I just found it incredibly tedious at times. I loved Ivan's sections and slogged through Peter's sections (his sections are written in a very staccato way, which made me anxious. But I know that was the point! For the reader to feel the chaos of his mind.) I think it's an impressive addition to her bibliography, and it has been interesting to see her grow as an author. But it's likely my least favorite novel of hers so far. However, after I finished, I enjoyed reading reviews and listening to conversations about it. In that sense, I liked that it was a book that challenged me and continued to make me think about it for many days after I finished.

Under Your Spell by Laura Wood | Romance | Loved it

What a delightful British rom-com about Clemmie, the daughter of an aging rock star, and Theo, the most famous musician on the planet! They meet at a party one night, and Clemmie has no idea who he is after swearing off everything to do with the music industry. When he decamps to her family's cozy cottage on the English seaside to work on his latest album, she goes with him and sparks (obviously) fly. This rom-com felt as if Jenny Bayliss wrote a celebrity/normal person romance, and I loved every minute of it! Fans of Jenny Bayliss, Emily Henry, and Christina Lauren will find lots to delight in here.

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens | Romance | Really liked it

It's always a treat when a new Sophie Cousens novel arrives. This one is out on November 19, and it's just as warm and witty as I've come to expect from her books. Cousens has become one of my favorite romance authors in the last few years, and I love how she writes slightly older characters. This newest one is about a young divorcee who falls in love with her slightly younger work rival when they both begin writing for the same column at their magazine. If you love classic 1990s rom-coms and Cousens' other novels, especially The Good Part, then you'll love this one too!

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett | Literary fiction | Really liked it

I'm grateful that

Becca Freeman

and

Olivia Muenter

picked this as their Bad on Paper book club pick this month. This novel has been sitting on my shelf for years, and I finally read it! It's a heavy novel at moments, especially the ending, which felt very operatic, but Ann Patchett infuses her signature style of wit, tenderness, and levity. This novel is about a wealthy businessman's birthday party that turns into a month's long hostage situation where the lines between hostage and captor begin to blur. Overall, I loved this one, and I'm eager to continue to explore Patchett's other backlist titles from the 90s and early 00s that I have yet to read.

Shady Hollow by Juneau Black | Cozy mystery | Really liked it

What a charming book! I was looking for something comforting and decided to pick this up after hearing a few bookish friends sing its praises. It's a cozy murder mystery set in a village of gossipy woodland creatures, and it was exactly what I wanted when I read it. It's an adult book, but it has all the charm and whimsy of a children's book. It's been a while since I've read a book that lit up my imagination in such a way, and this one did that for me.

Graveyard Shift by M. L. Rio | Horror | It was okay

This was my local book club's pick for the month, and while I'm grateful that it pushed me out of my comfort zone in terms of genre, I thought this novella was just okay. It's about five characters who are brought together by their insomnia each night in a graveyard. One night, they witness something strange which leads them to the sinister underbelly of the campus that connects them all. This is a novella, clocking in at just over 100 pages, so it's a quick read. If you like dark, gothic stories, you may enjoy this more than me!

Have you read any of these? I’d love to know what you think! Or, what was your favorite book this month?

What I read in September

What I read in August

What I read in July

‘Til next time,