48. What I Read in October

a month of comforts translates into a month of rereads. only one i didn't love!

October was full of comforts and rereads. Rereading is one of my favorite things to do, and I always find myself cycling through rereads in the fall. I really enjoyed all of these besides The Striker. Honestly, I only read it because I was bored. That sounds horrible, but I know there are people out there who loved it and good for them! Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

Not In My Book by Kate Holt (ARC) - pub date Dec 10

I was really blown away by this debut. I was so fond of Rosie, and I really looked up to her as well. For me, workshopping my writing is one of my greatest fears. But Rosie wants it, craves the criticism even, because she knows she is a wonderful writer. Aaron is actually hilarious, especially because I love dry humor. I wanted to fondly roll my eyes at them, shake them a bit, because to everyone in their workshop class and to me as a reader, it was so obvious their feelings for each other! It made it somewhat humorous and also a wonderful way to relate to the world & feel you are apart of it. 

I especially adored the focus on romance as a genre and a worthy one at that. Something that really bothers me is how many MFA programs turn their noses up at romance and fantasy when they are wonderful genres. I love how Rosie stuck to her guns and fought for herself and the genre. Katie was so right in her descriptions of romance books - they are more than simply romance plots. 

I’m not a huge fan of miscommunication tropes, especially because I do think they overreacted. However, the reasoning for why did make sense based on their past. That was really vague, but I don’t want to spoil anything! Additionally, I do feel like there were some loose threads at the end. I would have loved a bit more wrap up.

The Co-Op by Tarah DeWitt (ARC) - pub date Nov 12

Tarah begins this novel with an author’s note explaining how much love and care she put into this book. It carried with her through other releases and times in her life. I could see that care in every word.

LaRynn is similar to myself in some ways. We both lean harsher, angrier when it comes to protecting ourselves. Seeing her able to open up was definitely something sweet for me to see. Deacon is funny, smart, and a very giving person. It was so heartbreaking to see where his belief in his inferiority comes from.

I could feel and see the parallel between Tarah’s journey writing this book and their journey rebuilding the house. It was tough. There were always set backs. But. But, there was so much love and care and memories and happiness. It was part of their history and became their future. It echoes through Tarah’s journey writing this one too. It was raw. I felt like each character had a piece of Tarah, and the grief over losing their grandmothers was very real. It was also hilarious. I flew through this book. It reminds me why I love romance books - it is never just about the romance. 

Bride by Ali Hazelwood (reread)

Part of the reason why I loved it so much during my first read in April was because I didn’t expect it at all. The world here is so unbelievably unique - I would love a second book.

Misery is funny and relatable. Each character has a depth to them, and I think you can recognize a lot of societal issues here such as race and identity. It was a beautiful example of overcoming past differences and trusting in your gut and yourself that you know what is right. An expression of love in all it’s forms!

PS yes there are some weird stuff in this book

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (reread)

I love this book. It’s so cozy and heartwarming while also covering important family topics and acceptance. It’s just so good.

I feel like each of the girls is a third of my personality - I love them so much. Mika is a stunning example of smiling in the face of adversity, of being yourself and trying new things. What is worse? Being who you are and hated for it or no one ever knowing the real you? Or never even trying?

Here we see a collection of different people combined and representative of so much love. A reminder that there will always be people out there who will love you for you.

Dance of Thieves Duology by Mary E. Pearson (reread)

Quite frankly, I forgot about a lot of this book which is why I decided to reread it. Pearson does such a truly fabulous job building background for our characters, especially some that are incredibly unique. The spies/enemies/friends/banter combination between our two main characters is done so well - we are shown how they become close, we follow along as they lie to each other, we feel the heart break when the time comes. Just so unique and so beautiful.

I’ve tried to read the original trilogy by Pearson which is set in this same world twice but both times I DNF’d the first book around the same time. For anyone who has read it, should I keep going? I just felt like the writing and style of that book was so different than this duology - much more YA where this felt more adult and serious.

Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle (reread)

I simply adore this book and these characters. I often find myself really not liking the second chance trope, even ruining books for me, but when I like books with it, they become part of my heart.

I first read this book in one go on the journey from Florence to Sorrento - what is it about trains that are so perfect reading wise? - and I was so struck by my love for it that I immediately read it again.

This is a story about magic in real life. It’s a story about sisters. It’s one about growth from who you were at sixteen and acceptance of all that has happened to take you where you are. It’s witty and raw. Love can be seen sprouting from the pages, each word a testament to the years of hard work Sarah put into this.

There is a real emphasis put on maternal instinct, the many different kinds of mothers, and the different ways you can loose a child. It is very sad and something I hadn’t considered before. The balance between grief and wit and love constantly keeps you invested.

It’s a beautiful reminder of the many different ways love and magic exist in the world. What else can you ask for?

The Striker by Ana Huang

The only one I wasn’t in love with this month. I had seen positive reviews for this book recently and for this author for a long time. Honestly, I don’t really know much about her or her books, but I had time to read and figured why not? It isn’t necessarily bad, but I felt like it lacked depth. I personally felt as though we were told a lot of things versus shown and felt them.

Additionally, I typically don’t mind if I read books with the same tropes because the characters usually make it feel like it’s own story. However, due to the lack of feeling above, I didn’t form that connection with either character.

Despite my personal thoughts, there are many people who really enjoyed this book, so if you are a fan of sports romances, give it a try.

What was your favorite read of the month?

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We’re in fantasy era. Also: affiliate links!

1. Hexed by Emily McIntire (Folk, Romance): Nov 5, 2024

2. Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage (Romance): Nov 5, 2024

3. Where The Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez (Historical Fiction/Romance): Nov 5, 2024

4. Stranger Skies by Pascale Lacelle (Dark Fantasy): Nov 5, 2024

5. Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Fantasy): Nov 5, 2024

6. An Insignificant Case by Phillip Margolin (Thriller): Nov 5, 2024

7. The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong (Fantasy): Nov 5, 2024

8. The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White (Mystery): Nov 5, 2024

9. Second Chance Season by Emily March (Romance): Nov 5, 2024

Books I’ve compiled from a variety of lists such as the New York Times, Amazon, and the B&N Top 100, but also through what I’ve seen online. I’ve decided to simply add the books I haven’t before, since I’ve caught up to the new additions. If you’re curious, last week’s post can be found here.

1. In Too Deep by Lee Child and Andrew Child (Thriller)

2. The Striker by Ana Huang (Romance)

3. Bloodguard by Cecy Robson (Fantasy)

4. The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne (Fantasy)

5. Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer (Horror)

6. Memorials by Richard Chizmar (Horror)

Say hello to Ana Huang! Our poll winner from last week.

via variety.com courtesy of Ana Huang

Ana is a highly praised contemporary romance author, with many of her books becoming bestsellers and translated into dozens of other languages. Ana is best known for her Twisted series, and she just released The Striker. Many people adore her works, and I see a lot of my friends online rave about them!

Ana loves to travel and a good chai latte. Outside of her own books, she loves to read thrillers and fantasy books. Ana “skeleton drafts'“ her books, which means she starts by getting to the end as quickly as possible, then goes back to fill in the blanks before sending to others for reading and editing. Ana is super active on Instagram and often has articles across many platforms about her works! She seems like a really wonderful person.

You can learn more on her website and Instagram.

Just a reminder to comment any recommendations or email me: thesundayreads@gmail.com!

1. Hmmmmmmm if you are a fantasy lover read the Dance of Thieves duology!

That’s all for today! Much love

Izzy