And here it is, October (my favorite)!
It’s been a busy few weeks (honeymoon! work! life!), but I have been diligently reading as much as I can squeeze in, and here’s what’s crossed my nightstand lately…
–Marissa
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo has been one of the mostly hotly anticipated releases this fall! Bardugo’s first adult fiction work takes place at Yale… but at a Yale with ghosts, sacrifices, magic and dark deeds. The world building on this one was great, and though fantasy isn’t my favorite, I appreciated this one – though it was LENGTHY. If you loved Bardugo’s YA novels, I’m sure you’ll love this!
Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur has been one of my favorite reads this fall, but Brodeur just has such a way with words and with telling a story – albeit a true one. The subtitle “My Mother, Her Lover, and Me” is a bit misleading, but is actually accurate. I don’t want to give too much away, except to say I really, really loved this memoir about love, coming of age, relationships with mothers and daughters, infidelity, wealth and want. Highly, highly recommended!
Toil and Trouble by Augusten Burroughs was a fun, one-day read for me. I already love Burroughs, but his latest really hooked me – it’s all about how, his whole life, he has identified as a witch. His mom, his grandmother… they all had mystical abilities, but Burroughs gives lots of examples of how a touch of magic has changed the course of his life time and again. Witty, wry, heartfelt, and fun – I really enjoyed this!
Clear My Name by Paula Daly was a fast, satisfying suspense novel about a woman who is in prison and declares her innocence throughout the process… and then finally gets her case picked up by the Innocence Project UK. The investigator into the case get pulled and pulled into the case, but all is not as it seems. I’ve really enjoyed Daly’s last couple of suspense novels!
Twenty-One Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks was just such a fun, satisfying novel. I love a novel that pushes the boundaries of storytelling, and this one is told entirely in LISTS – and yet, it works! It’s funny, warm, tender, heartbreaking and witty, and I just devoured it while I was on vacation!
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert was a refreshing romance read, since it features a main character who is a woman of color, plus size, and with medical issues that aren’t often featured in stories… and yet this romance oozed sexy, hot scenes, and a sweet romance. I liked it!
Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris is a sort-of sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and tells the story of Cilka, primarily her experiences after the war, when she is taken from Auschwitz to a gulag in Siberia for war crimes. This novel tells the story of how she survived, who she met (and helped) along the way, and what life was like after she finally gained her freedom. Worthwhile, for sure…
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Septys is not something I would have picked up on my own, but based on my love of Salt to the Sea, I had to read it! This novel takes place in Spain, 1957 when the country was still under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. The main characters are a young woman who lived through the Spanish Civil War and an young American who comes to stay in the hotel where she works. I learned a lot from this novel, but I definitely prefer Salt to the Sea. 🙂
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson was delightfully weird. 🙂 A down-on-her-luck girl gets a call from her former roommate, asking her to come watch her stepchildren for a few weeks while they get reacclimated to their home…. except the roommate is now filthy rich and married to a politician… and the children occasionally catch on fire. 😀 Quirky yet warm, I really tore through this easy novel!
I also read A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (I’ve never read the Kinsey Millhone series!)… The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory (fun!)…Slow by Brooke McAlary (wise advice!)… Fair Play by Eve Rodsky (lots of food for thought in this one!)… and back-to-back reads of The Art of Making Memories and The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking (such cozy reads)!
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