I really am having a hard time believing it is November. And yet the calendar says it is. This year has just flown by, it. seems I can barely catch my breath as the days wiz by. Maybe it is because I am out and about a little more than the past 2 years – even traveling again a little bit. In any case, it has been another month of pretty good reading for me. I still have been seduced by the newer titles on my shelves and library holds as well as my ARCs (Advance Reader Copies). I should be making a bigger effort to get to my older TBRs, but I just reach for what I am in the mood for on any given day.
With all that said, here is what I read in October. Mostly darker selections this month with a few lighter ones sprinkled between.
Forsaken Country – Allen Eskens
I have read all of Eskens books. Forsaken Country is a sequel and I recommend you start with the Life We Bury. Once you become wrapped up in Eskens’ characters, you can continue the journey here as Max Rupert battles his past demons as he assists in the hunt for a missing child. Fast paced and engaging, this was a top read of the year for me.
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Count The Ways – Joyce Maynard
4.5 Raw. Real. Devastating. Count the Ways is a character driven novel of a family, and the center of that family, Eleanor. She is a mom, wife, daughter, lover, writer, artist, creator, friend, protector, provider, the list goes on. I adored this book and appreciated the “real” aspect of every day life that flowed from the pages.
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A Good Neighborhood – Therese Ann Fowler
Devastating. This book wrecked me in about every way. A coming of age story of two teens with a crush on each other that is ripped to shreds by racism and ignorance.
🍷🍷🍷🍷1/2
Our Missing Hearts – Celeste Ng
4.5 – Heavy, Dark, Important. Hat tip to the love of libraries and librarians. Our Missing Hearts was one of my most anticipated titles of the year and it did not disappoint. It was much different than I expected but that is ok. If you are drawn to dystopian novels that are eerily realistic – pick this book up today.
🍷🍷🍷🍷1/2
Other Birds – Sarah Allen Addison
Other Birds is a sweet one wrapped in love, loss, moving on, coming of age and magical realism. Zoey arrives at her deceased mother’s condo on a South Carolina island near Charleston, the summer before she begins college. A strong cast of quirky characters shine in this lovely, heart warming read.
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A Bittersweet Season: Caring For Our Aging Parents and Ourselves – Jane Gross
I picked this one up after a recommendation on an Aging Parents online group. It is a bit older now, so there are some ideas in here that could use a refresh, but mostly I found it informative and full of things to think about before you are in crisis mode with your family.
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Razorblade Tears – S. A. Cosby
3.5 Most of the book is written very well but there are sentences and phrases; especially metaphors, that are so bad and poorly written. They come out of no where and felt unlike the rest of the writing. But there’s enough of them to make a difference to me. Other than that, it is a guttural story of two fathers, unlikely to come together to right the wrong of their murdered sons.
Could have been a 5* for me without those.
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Live Wire – Long Winded Short Stories – Kelly Ripa
Kelly Rippa has always seemed to me to be the type of celebrity that has done it right. She seems fairly realistic and balanced and has done a very good job of keeping her family in tact and out of the limelight while raising her children. And how many celebrities actually stay married? Well Hailey and Matteo did! (IYKYK). So kudos to that alone! Many celebrity memoirs spill the tea on their costar’s and family and I really appreciated that once again she did it right – just cute short stories from her life without needing to throw dirt on others. She eloquently displays that behind all the glam, she’s just another mom doing the best she can. Is this a must read? Probably not. But I enjoy memoirs on audio so it was a pleasant book to listen to while driving to work for a few days.
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The Last Chairlift – John Irving
There are 3 main things that prevented me from rating this higher. It is too long (900+). I don’t mind long books, when it is necessary. It was not. The second, I don’t love series or sequels generally for a reason – too much repetition. Well this stand-alone felt at times like parts were a sequel due to all the repetition. If you are going to publish something this long, trust your readers that they can handle it – the repetition was just a chore to get through (and helped make it too long). Lastly, I didn’t care for the parts that were the script. Otherwise, this was a character driven novel that true Irving fans will likely love (many of my booksta friends have loved it). Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my advance e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Last Chairlift will be available on 10/18/22.
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Hostage – Clare Mackintosh
Hostage was a bit of a miss for me. I expected a highly tense, fast-paced thriller but the whole things was flat and unbelievable to me. I’ve enjoyed a previous book by Mackintosh and I will give her work another try down the road.
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DNF: We Are The Light – Matthew Quick (author of The Silver Linings Playbook)
This is getting rave reviews by many. But I just couldn’t do it. There are some topics that are too raw for my heart and this is one. I should have never requested it as an ARC. I have put it aside for a later time when I feel ready to try again. I hear it is full of hope and healing but I can’t withstand that pain to get there right now.
