10 Books in the 10th Month
Good morning! Happy Monday!
I read 10 books in October, and honestly, that’s the most I’ve ever read in a month. Audiobooks have been life changing. The reason I was able to listen to so many was I chose a lot of shorter stories knowing that my attention span hasn’t been great lately.
I am just going to group them into good, fine, and not for me. I started the month off chasing the high of Mexican Gothic. I really, really enjoyed that book last year. It was spooky in such an interesting way. I never did find that same spooky factor this year.
Books that were NOT for me
We Have Always Lived in the Castle: Boring and whiny. I was very unclear of the point the entire time. I guessed who the real killer was immediately. Booktok loves this one. I am not a fan. Maybe it would have been better had I read it with my eyes as the narrator was irritating. If you’re looking for a little risk try at it, Kindle has it for 99c right now. Who knows? It may be for you!
Chicano Frankenstein: I didn’t dislike it necessarily, but it wasn’t for me. First off, original Frankenstein is boring af. I’m sorry, but it is. The moody rains when he’s depressed, blah blah blah. I thought this more modernized version may have been more my speed, and it was, but I’m still not into it. What I did like: the socio-political conversations. What I didn’t like, how bland the writing was, and how the socio-political conversations never really interacted with the main characters. If you are a fan of Frankenstein, you may love this!
Braised Pork: I was not the target audience for this book. I thought it was going to be more traumatic or mystery type writing. It isn’t. It is a very artistic, dreamy, lost in the sauce type of story. Is it bad? No. Is it for me? No. Are you a poetic, dreamy reader and writer? Then this book MAY be for you. It is only 2.99 on Kindle right now so a low stakes read if you’re interested.
Books that were Fine
A Lullaby for Witches: Great concept with the time travel and timeline jumping! B- execution. Is it BAD? No. It was fine. Some parts just felt rushed and underdeveloped, but the concept is unique and good. It’s a cozy witchy book that reminded my of Cackle in the abusive, crappy boyfriends motif. Whereas Cackle has the character grow from crappy boyfriend dependence to independence, this one is all about a torrid love affair from 100 years ago. Again, neither were bad. They’re both fine. I just never need to read them again. BUT they might be really fun for you.
The Beautiful Ones: This is by the author of Mexican Gothic. I keep reading her work beyond Mexican Gothic, and I am never quite as happy. I would definitely give this book a solid B though. It is a good story. It’s historical fiction in France. The main character is very ASD coded, which I loved. It’s a solid read, but not one of the best I read this month. If you like an historical romantasy that isn’t too hot and steamy, this is a good match for you. What left me wanting more was I wanted more magic. There wasn’t as much magic as the blurb made me believe.
Fifty Words for Rain: Gosh, I wanted to love this one so much more than I did. It is a good book, but it felt like the entire book was just trauma and hardship. There was an entire hour or so of the book that was just narcissistic abuse and r@pe. That was hard. I am giving it the fine rating because I had to slog my way through the last part of the book. Is it bad? NOPE! It just wasn’t the best fit for me. In fact, I would recommend it to people who like historical fiction that takes place abroad. Just understand the TW: racism, SA, narcissism, child abuse/neglect, etc.
Books that were GOOOOOOD
The Last Cuentista: So yes, this is a middle grade read, BUT! The story is fantastic. It is sci-fi dystopia with ancestral connections and magic. It is so cool! I’ve never read anything like this. I feel like everyone should read this book. It is just so good. The writing is really well done, which isn’t always the case for middle readers. The story line is astounding. The intermingling of space and ancestral earth magic is divine. 10/10.
Pride and Protest: A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, a little smut, a lot of laughs, and a whole lot of social justice and balancing safety/security with doing the right thing. I love a good P&P twist, and this is up there with Pride, which is my other favorite modern retelling. 10/10
The Book of Unknown Americans: Y’all, grab the tissues and some rage because this one will get you going. TW: racism, ableism, SA of a cognitively disabled teen, xeniphobia. This book is amazing. There are so many characters. This is so much dynamic. The anxiety, depression, loneliness, confusion in navigating our education system it’s all so real and poignant. I would say most people should read this. It is a phenomenal story.
Warriors: Into the Wild: Don’t come for me. I have never read this series, but I am reading it with my kiddo I tutor. We are both OBSESSED. Every day, we take turns reading out loud for an hour, and we usually finish 2-3 chapters a day. We make predictions. She looks things up. She is so excited. -I- am so excited. We start book 2 today, and it will be on my November book round up. Lmk if you grew up reading this one. I am weeks from being 36 and only just now reading it. I’m so late to the game!
What are you reading? Have you read any of the above? Do you agree, disagree with my opinions? Let’s talk books!
Wishing you well this week! May your life offer what you need in this moment.
With love,
Aventurine ✨
10 books is amazing! I do love audiobooks but unfortunately I tend to fall asleep listening to them 😂 I really want to read The Last Cuentista but I am on a no spend spree at the moment so may have to add to my Christmas list.
In October I read…
One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns. They are a two book set and I highly recommend them, dark and gothic but fun.
Wise Women by Sharon Blackie who I am loving at the moment, it is all about old women in European Folk Tales.
Witch in Darkness by Kelly-Ann Maddox which is just amazing, combining self and witchcraft beautifully.
Persephone’s Pathway by Jennifer Heather - it was ok.
Gruesome Fairytales by Annalee Adam’s which was the chosen book in a book box I ordered. I didn’t like it! It was badly written, it was just dark and depressing bordering on torture porn so not for me.
Mother Earth is Calling You by Sonraya Grace. I picked this up in a charity shop and it turns out that she is a local author and hosts lots of spiritual events which is cool. The book was ok, it was a bit too ‘spiritual’ for me.
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore. Not really my type of book but the Facebook group that I am part of kept going on about it and it was available on Kindle Unlimited so I thought that I’d give it a go and actually I quite enjoyed it. It was a an easy comfortable read and I finished it in an evening.
I started the Throne of Glass series in September and got half way through before I needed a break so I’ll probably go back to those this month.
I've only read the last cuentista from your list and I also loved it! This month I've been reading a lot of nonfiction. I finished What it takes to heal by Prentis Hemphill and it was great. I'm listening to Braiding Sweetgrass. Last month I read We, a Russian dystopian novel by Yevgeni Zamyatin. It's supposed to be one of the very first dystopian novels and it inspired George Orwells 1984. The author was exiled from Russia and was never able to return or publish his book in his country. It was good and important in my imagination studies. I might do a review or reflection in my newsletter.