October 2024 Reading Wrap-up

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This was such a good month both for reading and otherwise. I had 5 books I wanted to read this fall and I completed them! Next onto one of my favorite books ever, Jane Eyre. 

As always, here’s my bookshop playlist.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

A great book! I loved the narrator of this (and the narration as it was an audiobook) and loved Merricat and her family. It had uncanny and strange elements but also family moments between siblings and elders. This was my first Shirley Jackson book and I can’t wait to read more. 

Inside Man by K.J. Parker

Hmmm. I’m not sure about this. I found out after I read that this was a sequel, so maybe if I read the first one it would have made more sense? I liked the sort of dry humor but overall I just didn’t like it. 

Model Home (ARC) by Rivers Solomon

What a book! I have a review here.

It’s dark and haunting. I couldn’t put it down (metaphorically because I read it as an audiobook).

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

The amount of love I’ve seen for this book online makes me feel like I missed something. There was a lack of depth to the story and I never felt in touch with it. What I did like was the fairy godmother lore. I would have loved more of that. 

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

This was another audiobook read. The Salt Grows Heavy was short but packed a punch. There was not a lull or boring word in the pages. So good!

Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper

I wanted the magical contest to be high stakes, complex, and nuanced. I wrote out how I wanted the ending to go, lol. Not a favorite but I loved the magical town and atmosphere! Watch this reel for the vibes.

Revenge by Yōko Ogawa
Absolutely LOVED it. Eleven stories that intertwined in dark and mysterious ways. The balance between darkness and light, murder and life, and hate and murder is written so well here. Highly recommend. This author is amazing. 

Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen

This was an interesting read. It was based on a true story of history in Germany in the year 1618. At first, I felt like the tone of this didn’t match the story. After a while I did grow to like the tone and the protagonist's voice, but something still didn’t quite click for me. 

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

I listened to this and LOVED it. What a great set of characters and story. It was humorous and dark, sweet and intense. I can’t read to wait more stories with the Murderbot.

The Other by Thomas Tryon

Review here!

The Other is a slow burn with atmosphere and a set of strange, uncanny twins. Overall, this book was perfect to read this time of year. It told the story in an interesting format, a story within a story, and there were parallels between the stories inside it. 

Lanny by Max Porter

I’ve got a mini-review here!

A lot of people characterize it as a strange book but I think the heart of this stood out to me more. The connections between people here, both for the ones which were unexpected in their warmth and others that were familiar in their stale air. 

The Keep by Jennifer Egan

What an interesting book. I just finished this so my thoughts are swirling all around. There’s such good buildup here. I didn’t love the ending but it also made sense. As you can see, I’m of two minds.