I struggled with reading during the month of October. I felt like I spent a lot of time reading… but I actually lost track of the number of books that I quit. I kept searching for a cozy October autumnal book and everything I was trying was just too cheesy to continue 🙈 And of course this just left me in a reading rut.
YELLOWFACE by R. F. Kuang
4.5/5 Stars
Yellowface is a book I was seeing everywhere and I knew I wanted to pick it up and give it a try. Honestly, I had no idea what it was about going in and it impressed me! I was engrossed in the story from the very beginning. In it, after her friend dies in a freak accident, the main character ends up publishing her secret manuscript as her own. The rest of the book is the fall out from that fated choice. It tackles racism and the publishing world and, honestly, it’s kind of hard to read at times because the main character is just so unlikeable. BUT, it has a razor sharp perspective, teetering into satire. It’s brilliant. I could NOT put it down.
CACKLE by Rachel Harrison
2/5 Stars
In my quest for a cozy October read, I decided to read Cackle. Ultimately, it just wasn’t for me. I actually enjoyed the beginning and had higher hopes for a cozy, spooky read in a cute town. Annie leaves NYC after a breakup and gets a teaching job that brings her upstate to a quaint town. She befriends a woman in town named Sophie who she quickly hits it off with and the two become practically inseparable. The friendship kind of drove me crazy (Sophie calls Annie “pet” for example)– I just couldn’t get past that. (Or the actual pet spider.)
THE EX HEX by Erin Sterling
3/5 Stars
This was a cute Halloween-y rom-com read. I swear I say this every month, but I just want to love romance novels and I keep trying even though it’s not my favorite genre. The Ex Hex is a super light, cute little novel about a witch who accidentally curses her ex-boyfriend. If you need a palate cleanser next October, this could be a great option. It’s just easy to get into and easy to read.
BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN by Jessica Knoll
5/5 Stars
Wow, I loved this book. I haven’t read anything else by Jessica Knoll, but had heard glowing reviews about Bright Young Women. I could not stop reading it and– the sign of a really good book for me– I couldn’t stop talking about it after I finished. I told so many people to read it!! It’s a novel inspired by the actual victims of Ted Bundy. If you have a book club, this would be an excellent pick one month because I think it would lead to great conversations, too. It’s a novel, but it’s also a critique on popular culture glamorizing serial killers and creating celebrities out of them. I thought it was genius how Jessica Knoll tackled this and other feminist themes. Excellent!!!!
WEYWARD by Emilia Hart
4/5 Stars
My sister recommended this book as a good October read and she was right! It is the stories of three women throughout three different periods of time (modern day, WWII, and the Salem Witch Trials) and how they’re all connected. I loved how Emilia Hart shared what it really means to be labeled a witch as a woman. Some complicated themes as they relate to women and women’s issues.
READ WITH ME
I was in a reading rut in September, I understand the pain! I now have 4-5 books started and can’t decide which one to focus on because they’re all good. However, I’m about 60 pages into Bright Young Women and it has me freaked out. It is so beautifully written but I did not sleep well the night I started it.
Thank you for your honest reviews! I always love to hear people’s thoughts on recent reads!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
My favorite posts. This is the review I needed to read Bright Young Women! Still slightly concerned that I’ll be too terrified to sleep while reading it but 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️.
I too was in a reading a rut and decided to choose a book that was out of my usual scope and so glad I picked up “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store”. I am loving this book!
Just started reading Weyward on your recommendation and am loving it! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the post, I enjoy seeing what other people are reading. 🙂
Cackle sounds interesting but I know sometimes books sound better than they actually are! “Pet” is actually a term of endearment in some parts of England (like “love”). Maybe the author has some British/English links??
Bright Young Women sounds especially good; I’ll check that out.
I just finished reading The Deep by Alma Katsu which is based on the sinking of The Titanic and her sister ship The Britanic. It’s classed as horror but I’d also say it’s a “supernatural mystery”, noy really that scary, lol. It’s quite good.
Zania