Well! I didn't manage to complete a single nonfiction book in October ... nor did I manage to read a "National Month" book (although I started The Truth about Cancer by Ty Bollinger, which hits both of these categories, since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so A for effort I guess?). But I had my heart shredded multiple times and went on some wild fiction rides ... so let's get into the mini reviews! All covers are linked to Goodreads.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Reading Challenge: A Gothic Fantasy Book
Starling House, by Alix E. Harrow
★★★★.5
Genre: Gothic Fantasy
"A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can't stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all." (From Goodreads)
I loved the characters in this book (Starling House included) so much!!! I was afraid it was going to end badly, but I was so glad when it didn't. This was SO atmospheric and I loved every second of it.
Mood Reads
Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen
★★★.5
Genre: Fiction
"Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma’s stories of Briar Rose. Becca would have sworn the stories were made up, but on her deathbed Gemma extracts from Becca a promise to fulfill three impossible requests: find the castle, find the prince, and find the spell-maker. Her vow sends Becca on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma’s astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose." (From Goodreads)
I think it's misleading to call this a Sleeping Beauty retelling. Once I stopped expecting it to turn into fantasy, though (about 30 pages from the end), I could look back on the story and appreciate it for what it was. My heart feels very heavy after finishing this.
(Also, I feel like the story should have been about Josef Potocki. He was the most interesting character in the book, imo.)
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, by Heather Fawcett
★★★★
Genre: Fantasy
"Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen." (From Goodreads)
A delightful conclusion to the Emily Wilde series!
Heartless, by Marissa Meyer (Audiobook)
★★★★
Genre: YA Fantasy
"Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love." (From Goodreads)
This was my third reading of Heartless and it was just as good the third time as it was the first! My only quibble is that, early-ish in the book, the Marquess starts telling a story about a human girl, whom I can only assume is Alice, who found an upward-falling rabbit hole, but the timing doesn't work out, as Cath isn't the Queen of Hearts yet, the Mad Hatter hasn't gone mad, etc. (Although I suppose all things are possible in Wonderland, and Time is a rather fickle character.) I absolutely love Marissa Meyer's writing, and her characters are so clear. (Although–okay, I lied, I have one other quibble: Cath does have a bit of "not like other girls" syndrome.)
Side note, but I also really liked the narrator!
Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins
★★★★
Genre: YA Dystopian
"Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding." (From Goodreads)
I think I have a book hangover now.
*DON'T READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS*
There was no way to end this series happily, but really?! She had to kill off Finnick AND Prim?!?! Things really started going downhill when Boggs died, and I gave up on a happy ending when the mutts got Finnick (who was one of my favorite characters). I did appreciate that Suzanne Collins didn't try to sugarcoat the ending–war is messy and ugly and people we love die. But we can still find some semblance of happiness after all of that, which is what Katniss and Peeta did. Still, though ... ouch. I need to recover.
Out from Boneville, by Jeff Smith
★★★
Genre: Comic/Graphic Novel
"After being run out of Boneville, the three Bone cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone, are separated and lost in a vast uncharted desert. One by one, they find their way into a deep, forested valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures..." (From Goodreads)
My husband really wanted me to read this, so I did, and it was fine. (Don't tell him, but I chuckled a few times while reading this.)
The Heartbreak Hotel, by Ellen O'Clover
★★★
Genre: Romance
"A bed-and-breakfast for the brokenhearted might hold the key to another chance at love in this achingly hopeful debut romance." (From Goodreads)
This was my October Book of the Month, which I buddy read with my bestie. We had ... thoughts 😂
First of all, what is Henry's actual height? He's so tall that Louisa putting her hands on his shoulders makes her shoulders *twinge*, but their crotches are perfectly aligned, yet he's short enough that he can comfortably get her *hip* in the crook of his *elbow*?! My imagination is struggling. Also, this book suffered from the modern disease of way too many similes, some of which did not hit quite right (I don't have any examples, sorry). I didn't really like Louisa until the end, so I guess her character arc was a success? And I definitely do not ship Louisa and Henry–they've got some major communication issues to work out (such as: he L-I-E-D).
I thought this was going to be a cute fall romance, which it sort of was, but I didn't feel grounded in the season or place of the story at all. It could have been set almost anywhere and I would have shrugged and gone, "Okay."
The only part we really liked was the Goldie subplot. But we did get some good laughs from this book, so that's pretty much the sole reason I gave this three stars and not 2.5!
The Names, by Florence Knapp
★★★★★
Genre: Fiction
"In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates... Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing." (From Goodreads)
This book was worth the wait! There were 80-some people ahead of me in line when I put it on hold in the summer, but I'm so glad I held out. I loved The Names not only because it was well-written, but because it demonstrates that every choice we make has its pitfalls and it upsides, and we may be surprised by the outcome–no path is guaranteed a happy ending. Each version of Bear/Julian/Gordon(/Hugh?) made mistakes, and each version of him surmounted them and grew as a person. I loved how he and Maia were essentially the same in each version of the story, but different according to their circumstances. I did have some trouble keeping the storylines straight (specifically, for some reason: was it the Bear storyline or the Gordon storyline where Maia saw Gordon Sr. in traffic? Not sure why that detail in particular was so hard for me to keep track of). In a couple years, I want to reread this but take one storyline at a time (i.e. read all the chapters for one name, then move on to the next, then the next). I'm interested to see how that would change the experience. This book captivated me and I hope Florence Knapp has more books forthcoming!
Paper TBR
Hangsaman, by Shirley Jackson
★★
Genre: Classic/Literary Fiction
"Seventeen-year-old Natalie Waite longs to escape home for college. Her father is a domineering and egotistical writer who keeps a tight rein on Natalie and her long-suffering mother. When Natalie finally does get away, however, college life doesn’t bring the happiness she expected. Little by little, Natalie is no longer certain of anything—even where reality ends and her dark imaginings begin. Chilling and suspenseful, is loosely based on the real-life disappearance of a Bennington College sophomore in 1946." (From Goodreads)
So, I had to look up what this book was about after I finished it. And I'm still not sure. At least I know now that it's NOT "an eerie novel about lesbians", because Shirley Jackson herself strongly repudiated that theory (seemed like a perfectly plausible theory to me). It's a coming-of-age novel, except I'm convinced that Natalie, the main character, has a touch of schizophrenia. Basically, it had no plot, and what plot there was never got resolved. I really wanted it to come back to the little rhyme Natalie concocted: "Vick's the butcher / Anne's the thief / And Langdon's the boy who buys the beef." But it never did. I found theories positing that Tony was imaginary, which I don't think she was, but now I'm confused about that too. In short, this book made me feel stupid.
Reading Challenge Updates
Organized challenges I'm participating in:
2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge - 0 books
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Reading Challenge - 1 book
2025 New Release Challenge - 3 books
Personal challenges:
Books I Didn't Get to Last Year - 2 books
National Month - 0 books
Middle Grade - 0 books
Comments
Post a Comment