What did you read in October?

[ufcasey]

Now that we are in November, what did you read during the month of October? Any you would recommend?

[meowmaps]

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 4.5*
The Holdout by Graham Moore 4*
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi 4*
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden 4*
Mother Land by Leah Franqui 4*
Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture by Emma Dabiri 3-3.5*
America for Beginners by Leah Franqui 3-3.5*
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo 4*
His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie 4*
Like Crazy: Life with My Mother and Her Invisible Friends by Dan Mathews 5*
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha 4*

I think everything I read in October had something interesting to offer but I'd probably especially recommend Like Crazy. It's quick and short (I read it in a day) and a mostly delightful experience to submerge yourself into. There is some slight heaviness from the fact that the author's mom has undiagnosed (until very late) schizophrenia and she's elderly and ailing but it's otherwise a love letter to their time living together before her death. Lots of good humor too.

[minzy]

A Fast Woman - Laralyn Doran - 3 stars
Know My Name - A Memoir - Chanel Miller - 4.5 stars
The Island of Sea Women - Lisa See - 4 stars
Stuart Little - E.B. White - 3 stars
Leave Only Footprints - My Acadia-To-Zion Journey Through Every National Park - Conor Knighton - 4.5 stars
Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson - 4.5 stars
Tweet Cute - Emma Lord - 3.5 stars

I thought Know My Name and Leave Only Footprints were both very good.

[Vespasia]

Fewer books for me because one was so long.

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh - 5+ stars! I loved this so much. It was hilarious and there were seriously times when I couldn't keep reading because my face was too scrunched up from laughing.
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini - 4 stars. I highly recommend if you like long Sci-Fi epics.
If You See Her by Ania Ahlborn - 3 stars. Somewhat disappointing haunted house book.

ETA: I forgot one. The Henna Artist was a DNF.

[abs]

Anxious People-DNF
Waiting for Tom Hanks-DNF
Troubles in Paradise-4*
In a Holidaze-3.5*

Clearly not an awesome month for me.

[jwright]

Nov 2, 2020 12:51:53 GMT -5 abs said:

Anxious People-DNF
Waiting for Tom Hanks-DNF
Troubles in Paradise-4*
In a Holidaze-3.5*

Clearly not an awesome month for me.

I'm just starting Anxious People - what did you not like about it? 

[abs]

Nov 2, 2020 14:28:17 GMT -5 jwright said:

Nov 2, 2020 12:51:53 GMT -5 abs said:

Anxious People-DNF
Waiting for Tom Hanks-DNF
Troubles in Paradise-4*
In a Holidaze-3.5*

Clearly not an awesome month for me.

I'm just starting Anxious People - what did you not like about it? 

I think it's just me.  The writing is very good and I want to revisit the book at some point but right now isn't the right time.  I've had a very hard time concentrating on books this year and if it's not just immediately engaging it's hard for me to get through it.  I got through half of Anxious People but it took two weeks and I never looked forward to picking it back up.  It was just time for me to move on to something else.

[jwright]

The Guardians - John Grisham 3*
The Giver of Stars - Jojo Moyes - 4*
Untamed - Glennon Doyle -3*
The Guest List - Lucey Foley-4*
Caste The Origins of our Discontent- Isabel Wilkerson 5*
Mexican Gothic -Silvia Moreno Garcia 3*

Kind of slow for me, Caste was excellent but took me awhile to get through. The Guest List was the most fun read of the month.

[tcu2003]

Me by Elton John 3*

Reread Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

How to Raise Kind Kids by Thomas Lickona 3*

The Vagina Bible by Jen Guntner (technically finished it on 11/1, but I’m counting it) 4*

[mie]

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren 3.5*
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson 3*
You Had me at Hola by Alexis Daria 4*
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord 4*
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai 3.5*
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian 3.5*
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert 4*
Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan 3*
Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner 4*
The Roommate by Rosie Danan 4*
Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop by Jenny Colgan 3*

You Had me at Hola and The Roommate were quick reads that were probably the better books of the month.

[rootbeerfloat]

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez - 3*
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost - 3*
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende - 3.5*
Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren - 3*
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson - 3*

[rainbowchip]

Not a great month for me.

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaakov Gyasi 3*
Crushing It by Lorelei Parker 3*
The Jackal by J.R. Ward 4*

[travella]

4*
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
3*
The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel, 3.5*
2*
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Rural Diaries by Hilarie Burton Morgan

[tacokick]

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson

Empty by Susan Burton

Ties that Tether by Jane Abieyuwa Igharo

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by
Janelle Brown

Just Like You by Nick Hornby (cute)

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (lots of abuse, incest, cannibalism, murder despite the cute cover FYI)


The Searcher by Tana French (very good)

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson

The End of Her by Shari Lapena

The Wife Staker by Liv Constantine

The Switch by Beth O'Leary (cute, light)

To Tell You the Truth by Gilly MacMillan (entertaining)

Good Night, Beautiful by Aimee Molloy (entertaining)

The Talented Miss Fairwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe (very interesting plot idea IMO)

The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

Watching Me Without You by Lynn Coady

Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford (good but sad)

The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle (really absurd)

Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman

[litskispeciality]

I read

Wildflower by Drew Barrymore
The Last Mrs. Parrish - it's better than I thought, but potential trigger warning, and body shamming issues

18/24 for the year, gotta pick it up in these last 2 months

[mrspez07]

Audio:
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein 3*
Far From the Tree by Robin Benway 4*

Book form:
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende 3*
Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain 4*
Mercy House by Alena Dillon 4*
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn 3*

Two best wee Far from the tree and Big Lies.
The narrator of Far from the tree was the same one from the Great Alone and Educated.