October Review of Reading List
Hellur Luvlies! I was on bed rest for most of the month, so I ended up reading and knitting for the majority of October.
Libby helped me pace my reading and you know what? I feel like we’re a good team now. Some of the books I pulled were short easy reads, that’s why the total for this month was… 19.
I DNF’d 2 books in October. One is shortlisted for a prize. The other just played into stereotypes I wasn’t willing to invest in.
Okay, my mini book reports are ready below. I think I was fair in my assessment. Please take my pinion with a grain of salt.
Enjoy!
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October Reading List – Reviews
LUVED
How To Make Your Brain Your Best Friend by Rachel Barr. A must read for me. I wrote a post about it because it resonated with me so much. A brain book written by a brain scientist about the effects of currently technology on lives. I made immediate changes (spending less time on here and other digital platforms being one of them) and I had one of the most creatively fulfilling weeks in my year. Yes, some of what Barr wrote about is common knowledge but some of it wasn’t. Hand this book to any young person in your life, so that they know they have free will.
Our Sister’s Keeper by Jasmine Holmes. I read my first spooky book during spooky season and it was GUUD. The book was slow to start but then TWIST, then BAM another TWIST. I did NOT see most of the second half of the book coming. It was a historical fiction set in 1920’s East Cobb, an all Black town where men are cherished and their wives are secondary to the needs of the town. Thea and her husband move to this town of Birds, so he can be the new principal of the school. Right out the gate, the men are saying some outta pocket sh*t, so you understand that Black women are still not free in this Black town. Holmes references the Rosewood massacre and other Freeman town tragedies that happened around the same time, so it felt connected and kinda too close to home. 4.75/5 stars.
The Road To Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. I thought this was going to be something like Little Miss Sunshine but it wasn’t… it was better. I rarely like each character in a book, but I felt something for each person in this winding, wavy tale of family lost and found. Self absorbed PJ, the cat of death, the resilience of children (young and old), the release of life’s painful moments, the PLOT TWIST!… Each character faced their demons with reluctant bravery. I stayed up to read this in one sitting, it was that great.
YAY
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells. Another banger from Wells. SecUnit Murderbot is travelling in disguise (on the run) to the planet where the original Murderbot massacre happened to find answers. He befriends a ship named Art and helps humans get compensation for their work. OMG I just read what I wrote and it’s pure gibberish, but in this series it’s a strong book #2.
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. I liked the concept that this was set in the literal afterlife of someone who dies young, and how there is growth, love and healing before you’re reincarnated. I can’t believe this was Zevin’s first novel. It’s complex subject matter, but it has a full satisfying ending. BUT she has to stop making Black people commit the Unspeakable in her books though… just my two cents.
Loved One by Aisha Muharrar. So… this book made me cry. A (selfish musician) best friend dies leaving so many loose ends for Julia to pick-up. Her grief was secondary to the others around her. I really hated how the story ended for Julia. She deserved better. Sometimes we don’t get the ending we expect but it’s worth the read anyway.
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. I’m going to say it… I prefer the way Franklin writes of her time period, than Jane Austen. *shots fired* The youthful voice of Sybylla wasn’t cringey, but unflappably full of life from a gregarious personality, even if she was served a raw deal. I also watched the 2026 TV series of the same name, which interpreted the book brilliantly for tv.
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte. This was a last minute entry because Libby was feeling generous. Even if the humour was dark, Rejection made me uncomfortable, the same way Miranda July did. When subject matter feels too close to home and I am not open to reading something difficult, I have to take a beat. But I picked it up and finished it. These characters exist IRL. Trauma informed each of their perspective and the book spoke to how we use rejection to rationalize cruelty. It’s a layered but worth it.
Rogue Protocol Book #3 and Exit Strategy Book #4 in the Murderbot series. SecUnit arrives on the planet finds out some shady sh*t about the company GrayCris and is reunited with his original crew of weirdos, who are being blackmailed. I am gobbling this series up lol. Highly recommend.
The Enemy by Lee Child. A Reacher backstory book, where we meet his mother, brother and we find out when he started to stray in his military career. I liked it. One of the less mindless, detailed ladened books in the franchise. The Reacher series is pure filth for me. It’s literally taking a washcloth to my brain.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Gosh… re-reading books from childhood hits differently as an adult, huh? I still loved the magical element of it. The story of sacrifice, forgiveness and growth. Everything is here.
SORTA MEH
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. Set in 400 BC Italy during Peloponnesian War were Athens falls to Syracuse, we follow two potter friends as they use Athenian captives to put on a play Madea. It was… wordy. A lot of detail that I had a hard time retaining, but it gets better as you get into it (especially, when they put on the play). The second half made it worth it, but half a book doesn’t a full book make.
When Angels Speak of Love by Bell Hooks. My least favorite Bell Hooks book. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either.
RENEWED
One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford. Started off strong but I ran out of time. I can’t wait to finish this one.
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. This book makes me feel MURDEROUS. The caucasity of these companies destroying the planet and humans for money. If this doesn’t make us revolt, nothing will. I need more time with it.
DNF
Black Bag by Luke Kennard (DNF 75%). Really not an interesting plot line at all. An out-of-work actor gets hired to be part of a professor’s research project, where he has to walk around campus and in class most days wearing a black plastic bag. One of those books centered around the environment of academia where nothing fcuking happens. PASS.
Kitten by Stacey Yu (DNF 20%). A young Asian woman lets her white boyfriend fetishize her, to where she starts behaving like a cat. Umm… No. I am not reading these one dimensional stories anymore. This book is bird food.
WAITLISTED
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. The waitlist turned into weeks for Theo. I might get it by January at this rate 🙁
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xoxo Luv Laney Luv
No Ai used to write these reviews, so forgive the occasional error, k?
