Okay, sit back and relax for this post! I didn’t get a chance to write my September reading post, so I decided to consolidate it with October. I read a lot though… more than I even realized until I sat down to write this post. So there’s a bunch of great book recommendations, including a few that gave me book hangovers. (My favorite kind of reads!) I’m going to keep the blurbs short and sweet since there are so many
If you read any books from the list, make it How to Read a Book and Workhorse!
A GORGEOUS EXCITEMENT by Cynthia Weiner
3.5/5 Stars
I picked up this book based on the premise, which is a novel based on “the preppy murderer.” I loved a lot about it– the 1980s city vibes and the coming of age story of a girl just trying to fit in. But I think a lot just didn’t resonate me. (I did keep wondering that maybe if I had ever tried cocaine I might appreciate the plot a bit more . There is a lot of drug use throughout the novel!)
THE PHOENIX PENCIL COMPANY by Allison King
3/5 Stars
I checked this out from the library and went into it blind. It is told through dual timelines and has a lot of magical realism. There was a lot I wanted to like about the book (they play a lot of Chinese Mahjong!) and I normally struggle with books that make me suspend disbelief, but I could get into the magic part to an extent… Then there was a point in the book where I was scratching my head as to why it had to go there with the magic.
ONE GOLDEN SUMMER by Carley Fortune
4.5/5 Stars
Carley Fortune can be hit or miss for me, and this was a big hit. I loved the love story. While I read it at the very end of summer, it would be the perfect beach read. Maybe worth saving for next summer before a big trip. I couldn’t put it down. (And if you read Every Summer After, I think you’ll like it even more. It’s sort of like a sequel…)
SPECTACULAR THINGS by Beck Dorey-Stein
4.5/5 Stars
This is a wonderful book about sisterhood. Wow. I couldn’t put it down. The depth surprised me…. Maybe I judged the book by it’s cover (I did….), but I went into this thinking it would be a light fun read. Instead, it’s a deep novel about family and ambition and love and sacrifice. Having grown up as a big sister to an avid soccer player, I think I loved the soccer element that much more.
HAMNET by Maggie O’Farrell
4/5 Stars
Hamnet is a beautifully written novel that imagines the life and loss of William Shakespeare’s young son, Hamnet. It weaves together the story of his wife, Agnes, and their family’s grief, while exploring how love and tragedy might have inspired one of Shakespeare’s greatest works, Hamlet. I loooooooved the prose and found myself revisiting what I remembered from high school English class.
TILT by Emma Pattee
4.5/5 Stars
Tilt shook me, no pun intended. It’s a wild novel that takes place in one day in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. A pregnant woman is in Ikea when the earthquake hits and decides to walk through Seattle to try to find her husband. I don’t know what I was expecting when I read this, but I legitimately couldn’t put it down. It’s a little quirky– and you do have to come to terms with some bizarre choices that the main character makes– but… wow.
EXIT LANE by Erika Veurink
4/5 Stars
This was one of the most highly hyped books of the season! Exit Lane is a bit like When Harry Met Sally with a LOT more spice. It’s a quick read and I really enjoyed it. I love a good romance that has a lot of push and pull between two characters… will they, won’t they, should they, why don’t they.
BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan
4/5 Stars
Overall, I really liked Buckeye. If you’re looking for a sweeping family drama that you can get slowly sucked into, I think you’ll also enjoy Buckeye. It was a bit slow (maybe even painfully slow) to get through though for me.
THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans
4/5 Stars
I seem to be an anomaly when it comes to The Correspondent. Everyone I know has raved about it (and maybe I set my expectations too high). I did like it though. The story uniquely unfolds through various letters and emails and forms of correspondence between the main character and different people in her life. I liked the slow passing of time and the way her character shows herself through her writing and communication with friends, family, and strangers. It’s a heartwarming and endearing novel.
IT GIRL: THE LIFE & LEGACY OF JANE BIRKIN by Marisa Meltzer
3/5 Stars
Despite knowing who Jane Birkin is and what she looks like and, of course, the lore of the Hermes handbag named after her, I didn’t know too much about who she actually was. I probably would have been satisfied with a long-form article on her or maybe a documentary so I could have more visuals to accompany it. Still interesting! Her story is much more sad than I ever realized.
VALENTINE by Elizabeth Wetmore
3/5 Stars
A sad and tragic novel about Odessa, Texas and the oil boom in the 1970s. The book opens with the horrible rape of a teenager in an oil field and it unfolds from there. Lots of strong female voices throughout who survive hard circumstances and pave their own truths.
FAVORITE DAUGHTER by Morgan Dick
4/5 Stars
I picked up Favorite Daughter from the bookstore earlier this summer and finally got around to reading it. It’s about two half-sisters who have never met before. One becomes the other’s therapist after their dad passes away as his dying wish. It’s kind of insane and also so much darker than I realized when I picked it up. It deals with a lot of heavy topics.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO LORI LOVELY by Sarah McCoy
4/5 Stars
Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely was such a surprising read for me. It’s told through multiple timelines– Lori Lovely’s up and coming career as a movie star in 1969 and then her life as a nun in 1990. Twists and turns and a story that is incredibly captivating.
AWAKE by Jen Hatmaker
4/5 Stars
A memoir! I was vaguely familiar with Jen Hatmaker’s story through Instagram. Her life and family fell apart when she heard her husband sending messages to his mistress next to her in bed in the middle of the night. It’s sort of like a motivational self-help book meets battlecry for women everywhere. She unpacks a LOT with how she was raised (in an oppressive religious environment) as she finds herself post-divorce.
HOW TO READ A BOOK by Monica Wood
5/5 Stars
How to Read a Book is one of my favorite books of the year. It surprised me in the best way. I thought it was going to be like a corny Lifetime movie-esque book… and instead found myself unable to put down the most wonderful story of redemption and how books play such a meaningful part in people’s lives. I truly LOVED it.
MEAN MOMS by Emma Rosenblum
3/5 Stars
A group of catty private school Manhattan moms. I wanted to like it…. but it was just a little too fluffy and ridiculous. Also the characters seemed to be very thinly veiled caricature of actual NYC moms.
THE IRISH GOODBYE by Heather Aimee O’Neill
3.5/5 Stars
This would make a good book if you’re looking for a family drama to read over Thanksgiving. It’s about a family in the aftermath of tragedy. Each of the now-adult sisters are dealing with their own relationship problems while they all come back together at their parents’ home for Thanksgiving.
WORKHORSE by Caroline Palmer
5/5 Stars
This is a beast of a novel…. but don’t be intimidated by the length. I found it to be incredibly readable. Almost like a lot of short stories over time that weave together a wild tale of a girl trying to “make it” in the magazine industry in NYC. Major Devil Wears Prada vibes. I love how it feels like a detailed diary that unfolds with lots of character development.
