2026 Reading - October!

1.  The League of Gentlewomen Witches, India Holton (audio)(Dangerous Damsels #2) - I love using Libby, the library app, to get the audio for books I own.  There's nothing quite like an India Holton novel.  Her books are the perfect combination of cozy, fiesty, and romantic, with a hefty sense of humor to season it all.  After lots of heavy books last month, this was exactly what I needed!  Bonus, I laughed out loud so many times and days later was still quoting the book to my husband. 

2.  A Divided Duty and 3.  But by Degrees (short story), Seanan McGuire (October Daye #20) -   I've loved Toby for so long that the annual new book feels like a warm hug.  Having said that, I did complain last year because McGuire's constant recaps were taking over the book.  (Seriously, if you are picking up book 19, you aren't new to the series, so it feels unnecessary.)  Happy to say that was mostly corrected this year.  McGuire pulled back to include far fewer characters, creating a more contained story.  The result was a much better book.  Honestly?  I'd be happy if she left it here, but she says in the back that she knows she's not done yet. I'm thinking about revisiting the first few books so that I can see just how far the plot and characters have come.  Oh, and the bonus short story?  It was absolute perfection.  Usually, the short stories feel like a sweet treat for the readers, but this time it felt like actual nourishment for the overall story arc.  

4.  The Grace of Wild Things, Heather Fawcett (audio) - I fell for the concept of a witchy Anne of Green Gables, and am delighted to say that it was just as sweet and perfect as could be.  Made me want to revisit my collection of Anne books.  

5.  Plant Lady, Minyoung Kang (audio)(translation from South Korea) - I saw this book at Skylark....but I've not always had luck with translations so I decided to check out the audio from the library.  Well, now I need to get a copy for my shelves.  Mild-mannered plant lady, like myself, with a dreamy plant shop...and also female rage incarnate, doing what's necessary to take care of women in need.  It was fun, and satisfying, and such a delight.  I'd highly recommend reading the author note at the end, which made me emotional.  (for Spooky season - serial killer with legit motive)

6.  The Dinner List, Rebecca Serle (audio) - I'm appreciating Serle more and more.  Serle built this magical realism tale on the concept of which 5 people you would invite - living or dead - to a special dinner.  She then used those five people to explore concepts around family, grief, friendship, and living when things aren't so easy.  It was a short book, but it packed a punch, and I've been thinking about it every since.  

Then I decided I'd already read two Halloween/Octoberish books this month, so I might as well make it a theme!  I pulled everything vaguely Halloween or October, and set to.  Of course, I didn't just read Spookyish books!  Other things called to me too.   

7.  Unbound, Ali Hazelwood (novella) - Unbound and Bound are finally in print, and it was so much fun to finally get to read the second in the duology! I have to say, I was really quite surprised by this novella.  The FMC is a far cry from Hazelwood's usual, and the writing was so, so beautiful.  In fact, I think this is some of her very best!  Also, I usually finish a Hazelwood novella feeling that I need more...but this time around it felt just right.  (Vampires!)  

8.  Blood on Her Tongue, Johanna van Veen - Hmmm.  I loved the plot and the characters.  They were all so perfectly gothic, and you know I have a soft spot for the gothic.  BUT, the quality of the writing just didn't support the book.  A huge disappointment, really.  (This was a BookTok recommendation from a while back, and the other recs I got in the same vein were much, much better.)  (More vampires...)

9.  Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match, Sally Thorne (audio and print) - The Novel Neighbor recommended this one when I told them how much I like twists on the classics.  Goodness, it was a delight!  I really enjoyed this take on the Frankenstein siblings, and for all that it was a very comic story it also made my heart ache.  It was just plain fun in a way that this type of story usually isn't.  

10.  ZomRomCom, Olivia Dade (audio and print) - Was not as much fun as I'd expected.  In fact, it was a tad tedious.  (Not helping that the puppy did damage to my copy, so I was disgruntled in general every time I read it.)  So many good, and very funny, elements.  Top notch spice.  Plot not great. (zombies...)

11.  As You Wake, Break the Shell, Becky Chambers - So beautiful that I cried often while reading.  It's been a few years since we had a new Becky Chambers book, and it meant the world to fall back into her writing.  Chambers specializes in Hopecore, and her gentle writing style tends to carry big ideas and big themes.  Even when truly horrible things are happening, Chambers never lets us forget that there is good in the world.  Told in two timelines, As You Wake is a love story at heart, supported by the human connections the two women build around them in troubled times.  We know (from timeline two) that things work out, but by the end things are becoming desperate in timeline one.  I'm so curious about where the story is going to go in the next book....and I'm still pondering the details and symbolism included here.  I know this will be a book I revisit time and time again. 

12.  Weavingshaw, Heva Al-Wasity (audio and print) - My overall impression, on my second reading attempt, is that the author has potential...but she also has pacing, plot, and character issues.  The book was painfully slow in parts, but felt rushed at the end.  Just when the story with our FMC and MMC really started to take off, she shifted perspective to another group of characters, and the resulting chapter was so jarring that it completely halted the narrative.  I loved the immigrant/refugee portion, and the 'good guys' were fairly well-rounded, but the 'bad guys' felt like cartoon villians.  Audio tends to expose these faults in a way that's really hard to ignore.  V.E. Schwab, in her podcast, No Write Way, has discussed the fact that an author's early work is never their best, and that it can be difficult for writers who instantly gain popularity on their first books.  I felt that here.  Al-Wasity just needs time to develop her skills.  (Full on Gothic with ghosts)  

13.  Haunt Sweet Home, Sarah Pinsker (reread) - My husband and I like to watch silly reality tv before bed, and for spooky season we've been watching HGTV haunted house makeover shows.  Naturally, that reminded me of this little gem, so I decided to reread!  It was every bit as much fun the second time around!  (Ghosts!  fake and real)  

14.  A Court of Splintered Harmony, Sarah J. Maas - I took SJM seriously when she described the way in which she is writing the Valkyrie Cycle, and so I went in fully prepared for this book to just be where she sets the stage for the larger story.  I'm also not someone who enjoys making predictions or developing theories, so I had no real expectations beyond my trust in SJM's writing.  I was right (and I think a lot of readers may be annoyed).  Splintered Harmony is very short on plot and heavy on atmosphere and emotional fallout with just the right spark (ok, fireball) at the end to set us up for the larger storyline.  By the end I was cackling in glee - feeling the exact same way I did when I finished Onyx Storm.  SJM is a brilliant writer, and I cannot wait for what comes next!  

A few notes: 

• While you technically don't have to read Crescent City before this book, it does very much spoil CC if you don't.  
• Also, having read CC does considerably enhance the emotional aspects. 
• I laughed every time the inner circle referred to Bryce Quinlan by her full name. 
• SJM gets a lot of hate, and there’s some crazy shit out there about her writing in this book that I flat out don’t understand. 
• I've always hated Elain.  
• I did spend a large portion of the book wanting to smack the inner circle upside the head. 
• The FMC becoming a mother is frequently a death knell...but I loved how Feyre was depicted.
• I think I'm now a Nesta girlie.  Surprise!
• Having grown up on Into the Woods, I totally get what happens.  This is where SMJ (as in the second Act) undoes the Happily Ever After and starts leaning into the consequences. 
• Watching the fandom melt down online because they didn’t read the opening author letter or didn’t understand it is my new favorite hobby. 

15.  Murder by Memory, Olivia Waite (novella) - I’m not a mystery reader, but I was intrigued by the premise.  (But only purchased because it was on sale)  It was a delightful quick little treat!  I really enjoyed the cozy science fiction, and the characters were charming.  Plus, there was a yarn shop on the spaceship!

Sampled - on hold for rest of series!

Immortal Rose, Alexandra Bracken (print and audio) - Yes, I bought it because it was pretty, but then one of my most trusted book influencers started to talk about it, and I knew I needed to read it asap.  I decided to try the audio from the library and darn...it's really good audio.  (Yes, I bought my own copy on Libro.fm.)  When I got about 1/3 of the way on, I knew I wanted to read this as a completed story!