October 2021 Book Review

It's the most wonderful post of the month! {Getting into the holiday spirit a little early, I guess, ha!}

I read 12 books this month! That might be my highest number, and it was definitely my most diverse month of reading. 6/12 were written by authors of color and 3 were non-fiction!

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner - This was my first selection for the work book club I started! So excited to have ANOTHER book club. My goal is to pick more diverse books, and a co-worker {who is Korean} recommended this one. It was great! Michelle writes about growing up with a Korean mother in the US and the complicated relationship they had and how her death when Michelle was in her early 20s has affected her life. This was such a raw book, I definitely had a lot of emotions throughout. I also really loved all the talk of food {although to be honest most of it I wouldn't eat} - it was just really cool to read about how Michelle's relationship with her mother grew through cooking, such an interesting piece of the story. In our book club discussion, several of us teared up, so I'd say we all were really impacted by it overall!

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins [audiobook] - This is a modern day retelling of Jane Eyre, and I gotta say I like the original better! This was twisty, dark, and fun {I enjoyed that I didn't see some of the twists coming}, but I didn't LOVE it. I'm glad I listened to it instead of read it.

Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore - This is the 3rd, of 4, books in the League of Extraordinary Women series, and I am thoroughly enjoying the series. I haven't ever given much thought to the experience of Suffragists in the 19th and 20th centuries, and books like this make me realize how much I owe to the women who fought for my rights. I like that this series takes a serious topic but also makes it about the friendship of women and also has a romantic storyline as well. This one was a little cliché, and probably my least favorite of the 3 so far, but I still enjoyed it.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See - Holy toledo. Talk about a book that rips you open. This book was incredible. Will be one of the best of the year. This historical fiction story follows women divers on the island of Jeju {off the coast of Korea} from Japanese colonialism to WW2 through the Korean War and all the way to present day. The hardship these women faced and persevered through is just mind-blowing. I do not think I could have survived half of what they did. This story was one I won't forget.

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting - Perfect, cute, fun romance novel. I thoroughly enjoy Helena's books! Who doesn't love a little friends to lovers plotline?

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo - I haven't read anything written in verse before and this was an amazing start. This follows the story of half-sisters who don't know the other exists until their father dies in a plane crash. Set in the Dominican Republic and New York, I loved everything about this one.

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas - The prequel to The Hate U Give was maybe my favorite of this series? I loved reading Maverick's story and seeing how he became the father we loved in THUG. This is a life experience I will never know, but it's such an important story to read in the tumultuous times we live in. One I will definitely have my kids read too.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner - Dark and twisty but also not - I really loved the alternating plotlines and the characters in both the past and present. This one was a really unique plot, and I read it so fast. Also points for that beautiful cover! {grin}

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai - Friends to enemies to lovers - this one ran the gamut and it was so fun. I loved the Indian family and learning more about the dynamic family plays in the Indian culture but also really loved the heart of the characters. Will definitely read more by Sara Desai!

Day of Tears by Julius Lester - Goodness. Trent was assigned this in his Honors English class and read the whole thing after school one day last week {it isn't super long}, and I was intrigued because he closed it and said 'That was really good and really sad.' He hit the nail on the head. It is historical fiction about the real event of the largest slave auction in history. This was so hard to read and yet so important. It was written very well and uniquely - like a play. I devoured it. I am also so, so grateful for his school in addressing these topics in the classroom.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling - I follow a local librarian on IG and she recommended this book. It was so fun to read right before Halloween - a witch curses her boyfriend right after they breakup and 9 years later when he comes back to town things start going haywire. It was really cute and even with the fantasy element, so good!

The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore - We picked this for BFBC this month. It is a narrative nonfiction story about a woman who was put in an insane asylum in 1860 because she disagreed with her husband. It took her years to fight for her freedom and then she worked to fight for women's rights around the country. Such an incredible story where I had so much rage at the way women used to be treated, and another story this month that reminded me how much I owe to the women from a few generations ago. We had to postpone our zoom to this week, and I'm really looking forward to getting together to talk about this one!

I finished the month with 103 books! I've met my reading goal for 2021 and am curious how far I'll get for the year!