I have to say I’m pretty impressed with what I was able to read during the month of October. I beat my September amount by two books! While of course reading is not a competition, I do kind of like to compete with myself. Plus, I’m usually competing with my constantly-growing TBR (to-be-read) pile. Anybody else? Anyway, without further ado, here is my October Book Summary.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
This book definitely tops the October Book Summary. It had a bit of fantasy to it, but it all felt so real. I felt like I was transported into each of the different lives along with the protagonist. It took a dive into mental health, those that can’t get past their mental health struggles, and those that fight like hell to get past them. I’m a big fan of bringing awareness to mental health, so yeah, five stars from me.
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
While I enjoyed this book, there were predictable parts to it. However, I did not predict all of it, and that’s always a bonus to me. The other thing I struggled with in this book was the inconsistency of the timing of things, or the jumping around of the timeline. There were quite a few times when I was confused on when things happened.
Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D
I had a hard time with a star rating on this one. It was very informative, but did also come across as the author being a bit bitter about something. Considering some of the content, I wouldn’t be surprised about the author being bitter. However, I always take books like this with a grain of salt. Take in the information, and go from there.
Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo
ABSOLUTELY at the top of my list for the October Book Summary. I always claim that my favorite genres are thriller and historical fiction. However, every now and then I give into a good contemporary fiction or romance. THIS is one I’m so glad I took a chance on. I felt emotionally attached to the characters and this book once I was finished. I loved learning more about a different culture, and the story itself was beautiful.
The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
Although I did thoroughly enjoy “The Heir Affair”, I wish I had read the book that came before it, “The Royal We”. I wouldn’t say that it’s necessary to do so, but I think I missed a lot of background on the characters. I’m not sure that I’ll go back and read “The Royal We” now that I know what happened in the second book, but I think it would be a great series for someone looking for a royal drama read.
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
“The Night Swim” by Megan Goldin definitely requires a trigger warning or two. There are very in-depth descriptions of violent sexual assault. This was, overall, a good book, though. I think the twist is definitely one that most wouldn’t see coming, unless you’re a big thriller reader, like I am.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
This book was a life-changer for a lot of people in the reading/book groups that I’m in on Facebook. However, it really wasn’t that for me. I liked the book, don’t get me wrong. It could be because I’m not a big fantasy reader, but I felt like the story was long for an ending I wasn’t entirely happy with. I wouldn’t even say it’s the VERY END I didn’t enjoy. It was just toward the end of the book. I wanted to get more of that part, instead of all of the background and other stories that came before. I would still recommend this book, though, and a lot of people do love it for Book of the Year on Book of the Month.
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
Yikes. I almost hate giving this book this low of a rating, but I just didn’t love it. I know a lot of people, just like Addie LaRue, are raving about it. It’s up for a pretty big award this year, too. I wanted more from this book, I guess. It wasn’t the ending that I minded so much as it was the lack of much depth of the characters throughout the rest of the story. I was hoping to love this one. Unfortunately, not every book is for everyone.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
I feel like this book has a lot of controversy surrounding it. Maybe it’s not so much controversy as it is that people either love it or they hate it. “Verity” is definitely out of the norm for Colleen Hoover, so that may have struck a chord with some. There are highly disturbing scenes described in this story, and the ending could have been done better, or differently, in my opinion, but overall, I was absorbed into the story and at times, couldn’t put it down.
The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle
A lot of the complaints about “The Girl in the Mirror” come from the predictability of it. I agree. A major “plot twist” of this book felt predictable from me from the very beginning. However, the ending will leave you going “huh?!”. It did me. I finished this book late at night, thinking I knew what happened. I got up the next morning and said “wait a minute”, so I re-read the last couple pages. Woah. Not what I thought I had read. That will teach me to pay better attention to the endings of books.
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
While the content of this one, other than being a romance, really isn’t my typical cup of tea, I ended up enjoying it. I couldn’t get too much into the fanfiction part of it, as it’s just not up my alley. However, I loved the story behind all of that, and I fell in love with the characters.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Unfortunately, I didn’t love this book. There were some awesome quotes throughout it that I wanted to pull out. However, the ending left me really disappointed. Add to that the feeling of the timeline jumping around a lot, I just wasn’t that impressed by the end.
Enjoy these quick reviews of my October Book Summary! And have a great reading month in November! Cooler weather means time to settle in with some hot coffee or cocoa, and cuddle up with a book!
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