Eight books down in October! We traveled to Utah in October, celebrated birthdays, and were just busy in general, but I got in eight books, most of which were actually pretty good! I go through books so quickly that sometimes I worry that I will forget about the good ones before I’m even able to share them, but making these monthly wrap-ups for almost three years now has been so helpful for my reading life! So without further ado, here is what I read in October 2022.
I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED BY JENNETTE MCCURDY – 5 STARS
I’m Glad My Mom Died is the breakout memoir of the year – it won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Memoir of 2022, and I haven’t stopped hearing about it since it launched. I listened to the audiobook, which I highly, highly recommend if you’re going to read this book. Jennette McCurdy voices the book herself, and hearing her story from her own voice was so powerful. There are many, many trigger warnings throughout this book, so please do your research before picking it up, but if you grew up in the era of iCarly, this book is such a great read for you. It was so eye-opening to learn of the abuse and mistreatment that Jennette McCurdy was experiencing while I was watching her as Sam on tv. Such a good and memorable read.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON BY DAVID GRANN – 4 STARS
Another nominee for a Goodreads Choice Award, this time for the Best History & Biography category, Killers of the Flower Moon was such an interesting and informative story of the Osage people in the 1920s and how the FBI came to be. I had no idea about any of these moments in history, and I’m so glad I learned about it. It’s a huge plus if you’re a true crime fan.
EVERYBODY ALWAYS BY BOB GOFF – 5 STARS
This was a reread for me, and it was still just as good. Bob Goff’s story-telling is so fun and imaginative (even though many of his stories are completely unbelievable in a ridiculous way). He loves people well, and he loves the Lord boldly. You will leave this read inspired and encouraged.
WISH YOU WERE HERE BY JODI PICOULT – 4 STARS
This book came up at our book club and I hadn’t heard of it, so when it came up on Libby, I grabbed it! It’s set in New York City in early 2020. Diana works at Sotheby’s and her boyfriend Finn is a surgical resident. They have the trip of a lifetime planned to the Galapagos Islands, but when Finn is forced to stay at the hospital due to the COVID outbreak, he insists that Diana goes alone, and the picture perfect vacation that she envisioned falls apart. Until about 50% through, I thought this might be my favorite book of the year, and while I still really enjoyed it, it went in a direction that I just didn’t love as much as I had hoped. I still recommend, but be warned that it is heavy in the COVID content.
SEA OF TRANQUILITY BY EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL – 3 STARS
I loved Station Eleven and liked The Glass Hotel okay, so this new book from Emily St. John Mandel caught my eye. Her books always have a little bit of science fiction / paranormality to them, and this one was no different. It was interesting in that this story incorporated characters from her other books, but I don’t really know how to describe the plot without giving anything away.
SUMMER BY KAREN KINGSBURY – 4 STARS
Another installation of my favorite family! I’m only about halfway through the Baxter family series, and I already feel sad to say goodbye to them!
THE EX HEX BY ERIN STERLING – 3 STARS
This was a book club pick for the Presley Paige Book Club for October! It was grown up Halloweentown / Sabrina the Teenage Witch vibes! The story of a family of witches in a small town where the magic suddenly gets shaken up and two former lovers are forced to work together to fix the town’s magic for everyone. It was a little too witchy for me, but it was a cute, quick read.
THINGS WE NEVER GOT OVER BY LUCY SCORE – 4 STARS
And this was my book club’s pick for October! We throw out a few options every month and then vote on our favorite, and this was the winner! It was about Naomi, heading to small town Knockemout, VA to help out her estranged twin sister. Instead she’s left with a stolen car, no money, custody of a niece that she didn’t know existed, and of course, a grumpy, hot neighbor to deal with. Make no mistake, this book is spicy, but I was actually so invested in the plot and the characters! I really enjoyed this one!
You can find all of the books I’ve read this year here:
What I Read in January & February
What I Read in March
What I (Didn’t) Read in April
What I Read in May
What I Read in June
What I Read in July
What I Read in August
What I Read in September
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