October Book Roundup

Ohh, October...somewhat of a reading funk month for me...in between otherwise amazing books. I put down 3 or 4 books that I read halfway ( !! not mentioned on here) and so clearly I had a hard time fully getting into some. I had to try a few pages of so many others to finally decide which one I wanted to settle on. Sigh, this sometimes happens to me- I get in a funk, no book sounds good, and then I'll try them again later and absolutely love them. Unfortunately, these book funks tend to happen more often from now through February when there are much, much fewer new and appealing book releases by bigtime authors. 

Anyways, like I said, surrounding that book funk, I had some really amazing reads this month! I highly recommend a few from this month's books! I'm so glad I found these ones that I rated below.

This cozy month of October started with...

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes- ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Even though the synopsis of this one sounds like something I would never ever read, I wanted more after reading Evvie Drake Starts Over. While this book isn't a sequel, it does tie in to the same town and mentions some of the characters from Evvie, so it was nice to have that overlap! This one had a somewhat strange plot, but it didn't even bother me because the writing was so good with the author's wit, wordplay and humor. This one is good for fall with its homey and comfy cozy vibes. I liked Evvie Drake better, but I was still happy to spend time in this author's clever words!

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda- ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sorry this pic isn't the best, but I just had to take it in front of the woods that we saw from our hotel room in South Carolina. Anyways, years ago, I probably would have considered this author one of my very favorite authors. Her previous few haven't stood out quite as much to me, but this one was a good one! Again, it was good for fall with some spookiness and edginess while also having some comforting small town vibes. It was predictable and nothing to rave over, but I do like her detailed and descriptive writing style.

Live Wire by Kelly Ripa- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

All the stars for this one. This one was one of the best of the month! I've always liked Kelly Ripa, as I used to watch recordings of Live with Kelly and Michael (I need to get back into it again because I would like Ryan Seacrest with her too!). This book was so incredibly witty and funny. It's brash, it's smart, it's honest, and it's very straightforward. I was impressed by how brilliant she is with her words. It's just so clever and down to earth, although she is realistic and unapologetic about her lavish lifestyle too.

I would highly suggest this one! I was laughing while I was reading it. She needs to write many more because there was so much that she wasn't able to cover in this book that I'd still like to know about!

The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I also give ALL the stars to this one! This book wouldn't be for everyone, and it's definitely not a mystery/thriller which it is classified as, but it was so surprisingly good! I would classify it as a unique style of contemporary fiction. It's realistic and believable with its very few thriller aspects. When I finished it, I closed it and told Shane (in the car on the way to Connecticut) that it very well could be one of my favorites of the year. It more than delivered with getting me out of my book funk, and the funny part is- I've had this one checked out since we moved here at the end of July! I wish I had gotten around to reading it sooner!

You do have to work a little bit to piece together some of the information at the beginning, and it is very deep-level, expert writing. It's not the most straightforward all throughout the book and I felt like a few parts were disjointed or lacking a little bit of information, but it is ahh, just so good! It's very much a character-driven story while being slow and thoughtful. There's a lot to unpack with this one! It somewhat reminded me of Thin Girls, another amazing book I read this year. 

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister- ⭐⭐⭐🌟

How fitting is this pic that I quickly snapped in Connecticut as we were about to drive away?

I was surprised at how much I liked this one...it just became very, very long. The synopsis and other great reviews definitely intrigued me, but I haven't been a fan of the books Reese Witherspoon has picked out for her book club lately. As soon as I started reading this one though, I was excited and sucked right in. This is a new author for me, but I immediately picked up on some Jodi Picoult vibes with it. 

This one is another good one for fall as it takes place right before Halloween, how timely! You definitely have to suspend belief (or is it suspend disbelief?) and it has some elements almost of 50 First Dates or time travel. I just couldn't think too much about it and just had to go with it, and then it made a lot of sense and wasn't as confusing as I would think. I think it still seems so plausible because of the very realistic details that balance out the other elements of it. This one actually surprised me a few times, which is rare to do in so many thrillers these days. I'm not a HUGE fan of the overall way the plot went (gangs, organized crime, etc.) which is what lowered my rating...but it overall was so clever and well done.

Well, if you're not a reader, I hope you curl up and enjoy the rest of this month of October as you see in the picture below. If you are a reader, I highly suggest you read The Ballerinas and/or Kelly Ripa's book!

What books should I add to my TBR for November? Here's to another upcoming month of curled-up inside reading! I'll be back here tomorrow morning with a special Halloween post!