October reading round up
12 books read and listened to last month
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As a child, I lived for the summer reading contests at the local library, collecting dopamine hits with every sticker that represented another book read. This is my adult version of that, seeking credit for the reading I’ve done over the past month.
For what it’s worth, I don’t read for pseudo-intellectual superiority. I read to escape the horrors of day to day life as a woman under a fascist dictator, and because I am a writer myself and I enjoy the craft in all forms. Therefore, if you are expecting a list full of Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, you should brace yourself.
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s everything I read (and listened to, because I also count audiobooks) in October: **potential spoilers ahead**
SERIES
This month I tackled four books across two* major series: Throne of Glass series and Fae & Alchemy series.
Throne of Glass series (books 1, 2, and .5)
The Throne of Glass series is an eight-book fantasy series by Sarah J Maas, author of other series in the genre: A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) and Crescent City. Although the two latter series occur in the same world1, Throne of Glass is it’s own entirely.
This month I re-listened to books one and two in the series, Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight respectfully, and listened for the first time to the novella, The Assassin’s Blade. The Assassin’s Blade is a prequel of sorts, explaining the backstory of the main character, but it is flexible in its fit into the rest of the series. It can be read first, if you are a chronological purist; or after Crown of Midnight (book two) or even Heir of Fire (book three).
The series is an investment of both time and emotion, and I have a knack for diving into large commitments like that at inopportune times. So I have decided that I am going to fully dedicate myself to reading the series in it’s entirety starting this month (November.)
Fae & Alchemy series (book 1)
Quicksilver is currently the only book published in the series, but book two, Brimstone, is set to publish on November 18th. I didn’t realize it was a series when I borrowed it from Libby, but nevertheless I was hooked. I enjoyed the world building and the story, and I felt like it included a lot of fantastical elements that are typically stand-alone in their own right. I’m very curious to see how Brimstone builds on the world that Hart has created in Quicksilver.
STAND ALONE BOOKS
In addition to the series, I also read/listened to eight stand alone novels2!
1. Practical Magic - Alice Hoffman
I’m in a seasonal book club, so every month our book is centered around the season we’re currently in. October’s book selection was Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I liked this book more than I thought I would, considering I am not as spellbound by the movie as the internet seems to be. There are a lot of differences between the book and movie, but I appreciated how in the book, the magic of their world was almost a low level constant existence that the women simply accepted as life.
2. One Perfect Couple - Ruth Ware
I enjoyed one of Ware’s other novels, The It Girl, so I was excited to try another. The premise of One Perfect Couple is that a seemingly mismatched couple (a scientist and her younger, fame-seeking boyfriend) join a hastily-created competition show, only for things to go wrong from the start. The writing kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. There were some really interesting narration choices that I thought were clever once the twist had been revealed, but the story did seem towards the end to drag on a bit. Overall, I don’t think it topped The It Girl, but I will continue to read Ware’s work.
3. The Hunting Wives - May Cobb
This story had so much potential, but I hated the writing. It felt like the slowest build and the fastest ending. I finished it as a hate read, but I truly could not have been more displeased. I may use this story as an exercise in the future to see how it could have been handled differently. I’m sorry to Cobb but I really hated this.
4. The Soulmate - Sally Hepworth
This was a quick read with lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed the way that the story was told, from different points of view and periods of time. Some twists I was able to predict, and some I was not, which I deeply enjoyed. If you like twisty suspense, you should give The Soulmate a go.
5. Here’s to Us - Elin Hilderbrand
This was another re-read of a Hilderbrand Nantucket novel. Here’s to Us is the story of three wives (exes and current) of a recently deceased chef coming together to celebrate his life and determine the futures of their own. In classic Hilderbrand fashion, there is drama, heartbreak, and names you never thought you would read on the page. (Seriously, I would love to know her process for naming characters!) A fun, heartwarming beach read.
6. Local Woman Missing - Mary Kubica
Another twisty thriller. I had seen a lot of discourse around this book online and I wanted to give it a go. I thought it was told in a really interesting way, with the different points of view. I kept trying to predict the twists, and like The Soulmate, at times I was still surprised. I would definitely pick up another book by Kubica.
7. A Flicker in the Dark - Stacy Wilingham
A fourth thriller! (Can you sense the theme?) I liked A Flicker in the Dark a lot. The narrator is sort of unreliable, which comes across in the writing as well. I felt like I was losing my sense of reality along with the narrator/main character. This story also started to feel a little repetitive, but I thought it was an awesome debut novel for Wilingham. A Flicker in the Dark published in 2022, and she has published a novel every year since (impressive!) I look forward to reading more of her works.
8. Barefoot - Elin Hilderbrand
Hilderbrand! Again! The theme of October was apparently thrillers and beach reads. (But to be honest, those are always my go-to’s!) This was my first read of Barefoot and the familiarity of Hilderbrand’s writing is so comforting that I always just fall into the story. While Hilderbrand’s stories typically follow Nantucket locals, this story was mostly focused on two sisters and a friend who come to the island for the summer (a tradition for the sisters, and a much-needed escape for the friend.) They employ a local to help babysit the two children in tow, and expected, delightful summer chaos ensues.
Next month…
I’m doing “No Audiobook November” to give my brain a break from a nonstop stream of information that I have been feeding it via 10-15 audiobooks a month. So the list will likely be much shorter, and I’m okay with that!
POST PUBLICATION EDITS: In the original publication, Sarah J. Maas’s name was spelled incorrectly. Also, Practical Magic was referred to as simply a stand alone novel, when it is part of a series.
Or so I have inferred from context clues; I have not read Crescent City.
Practical Magic is technically part of a series, but it was my book club read and we didn’t read the entire series.