October is when I realized that if I want to hit the same number of finished books that I have for the last 5 years...that I needed to buckle down on my reading. Luckily, my running has slowed down and that gives me a little extra time in my week (but then I picked up another part-time bookkeeping job as well as some projects with school...and there went that extra time). I don't like judging my reading month solely by how many books I've finished but when other projects are not progressing well...it feels good to at least finish some books.
I'm very active on Goodreads here, somewhat active on Instagram here, and linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy on the 15th!
The only other book post this month:
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Reading this 600+ page book was on my 23 in 2023 list because of how much it intimidated me. That's a LONG book. I almost took it off my TBR many times but I'm glad I didn't. It was a fantastic read that went faster than expected with that page count. Followed the ladies working at Bletchley Park, breaking Nazi codes during World War II. Absolutely incredible and fascinating what these women did. If you can stand 600 pages...I'd recommend it. 4.25 Stars
Super Bloom by Megan Tady
I have never had a professional massage in my life and maybe if I was a little more familiar with spas and such this would have resonated with me more. She works in a spa, doesn't like it, get roped into making notes on being a "body worker" by an author but then she wants the ideas for her own. I just couldn't get invested in the characters really or the plot or what they were trying to do. 3 Stars
Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World by Gretchen Rubin
I think I've read all of Gretchen Rubin's self-improvement books and I really have appreciated all of them and her outlook on life. This is a bit of an expansion on The Happiness Project in that she's trying to be more present in her life by engaging her 5 senses. It really was interesting and made me think about various parts of my own life I could experience deeper like that. 4 Stars
The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary
I specifically picked this one to read on our fall trip to Jellystone since I remember reading a previous book by this author there AND another book about a possibly failing hotel. I still think Flatshare has been her best book and I'm never real big on the enemies to lovers trope but this was fun and English set and a bit of Christmas in there too. 3.25 Stars
Strangers in the Night by Heather Webb
This was about Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, following their multi-year romance, their few years of marriage, and their lives after. It convinced me that these people were a bit crazy. So much cheating, being cheated upon, relationships starting and ending with cheating! At least from the way this was written, it seemed like they couldn't be happy with or without each other. Makes me appreciate my, by comparison, boring and stable marriage. But, still interesting. 3.25 Stars
Jesus Today by Sarah Young
My devotional for the year that only had 150 entries so I finished it early. My 3rd time through it and I appreciate her words every time. 5 Stars
How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder
A romance about a fake relationship in Hollywood (I went on a streak last month where I read many Hollywood set books, accidentally). It was a page turner and had me invested. Fun but some stuff too about past pain and hurt and such. 3.75 Stars
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Things by Matthew Perry
This was our book club book for October that was picked 10 months ago. I ended up finishing it on a Tuesday, wrote my Goodreads review on Friday, and then barely 24 hours later my sister shared the news report that he had died. This book was heartbreaking. It was very common knowledge that he had suffered from addition throughout Friends and after but I didn't realize the extent until I read the book. And it ended on such a positive note that I was really rooting for him to be able to stay sober and find the happiness he seemed desperate for. I saw a tweet that said something about how the first Friend dying is such a momentous thing for Millennials and that rang very true. I have the Friends Central Perk Lego set, Little People, a mug, and the full 10 season DVD box set. Watching it will definitely feel a little different now. The book is worth a read if you are/were a Friends fan although it will read differently now, for sure. 4.25 Stars
Lasagna Means I Love You by Kate O'Shaughnessy
Middle grade about a girl in foster care looking for some family history through recipes. I had a hard time believing her blog would be such a success from the start and that the New York Times would cover it and that a 12ish year old could handle a pop-up restaurant. Basically, required a lot of stretching what is possible but also a look at the foster care system and how that works out for some kids. 3.5 Stars
Holy Moments: A Handbook for the Rest of Your Life by Matthew Kelly
A very quick read that I think church gave us for free last year. Basically commit random acts of kindness to others and be on the lookout for the same in your life. We can all be kinder to each other. 3.25 Stars
The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Morre
A summer book which felt a little out of season but sometimes it's nice to be reminded of being warm. This is the third of hers that I've read and they all read a little like Elin Hilderbrand but less page-turner-y. This takes place on Block Island, following 3 people trying to do their thing. Then a big storm comes and everything changes. Or some things change. It would have been better on the beach but, alas, my porch would have to do. 3.5 Stars
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Mandanna Sangu
I purposely left this to read right before Halloween, since it's about witches. A bit like A Place to Hang the Moon but set in current times and I like A Place better. About witches living among us and about young ones who need a witch teacher to help them control their powers. A story about found family and a bit about fostering too. Set in England (do all witches live in England?? This is entirely based on this book and Harry Potter). Good October read if you aren't into anything spooky. 3.25 Stars
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
My 4th year in row reading this on Halloween. Halloween was extra crazy this year with working, helping at a kindergarten Halloween party, and then trick or treating (in the snow). This takes about 30 minutes to read and I barely got that in. But such a fun and festive read for Halloween, I'll keep up this tradition for awhile! 4.5 Stars
Read with Luke and/or Sam
The Lonely Lion Cub by Amelia Cobb
This is a chapter book meant to be read by beginning readers maybe (like 2nd-ish grade) but Sam LOVED it when I read it to him. And there are like 27 books in the series so we might be on these for awhile. Obviously I am not the target audience here so I'll let Sam's review stand. 3.75 Stars
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Kay
Like many people, this is one of my favorite Potter books, maybe my favorite favorite?? Hard to say but I do really enjoy it and sharing it with Luke was such a delight. He declared it his favorite as soon as we finished it. These books take a LONG TIME to read outloud (this one took 2 months) but I have really enjoyed sharing them with Luke. 4.5 Stars
The Story of Gumluck the Wizard by Adam Rex
An easy chapter book I read to Sam, it was a bit goofy and was a bit confusing on who was telling the story (a crow), maybe hard for a 5 year old to keep track of but he really liked it, which was the point. 3.25 Stars
The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson
This is the 5th year I've read this to Luke, Sam started listening in a few years ago. I wasn't impressed with this book the first time I read it to Luke but it's really grown on me since and there is one part that makes me laugh every. single. year. (It's about pants. Mowing pants.) A solid October read aloud with kids. 4 Stars
What have YOU been reading lately?
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