October Reading Recap

Vampires, love stories, and more

It’s been a chaotic handful of weeks over here, so this recap is coming to you a few days late, but it’s here nonetheless! I had visions of October as a month full of spooky, seasonal reading…which didn’t quite happen. I felt scattered and discombobulated all month, with a healthy dose of election anxiety, and found myself picking up and putting down various witchy romances, eerie fantasies, and wimp-approved horror. But I’m choosing to believe that November is just as good a month for autumnal fantasy and paranormal romance, hopefully with a side of some of the chewy literary fiction I didn’t have the attention for this month.

In October, my reading categories were:

• A book from the National Book Award longlist and a book from the Booker longlist: The Most by Jessica Anthony. I really wanted to get to Enlightenment by Sarah Perry but knew I didn’t have the focus to do it justice.

• Something that’s over 500 pages long: Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard

• A book with a healthy dollop of magic: The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

• A romance that’s not the first in a series, with bonus points if I own multiple books in the series: Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison

• And a book by Louise Erdrich or Maggie O’Farrell: Four Souls by Louise Erdrich

My November reading categories are:

• A cozy romance

• Another book that’s over 500 pages long

• One of my most anticipated 2024 releases that I haven’t read yet

• And, of course, a book by Louise Erdrich or Maggie O’Farrell (I only have one Maggie O’Farrell left before I become a completionist!)

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Favorites of the month

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

What a beautiful ode to female friendship and growing up. Funny, voice-y, so incredibly smart, and completely worthy of the Nora Ephron comparisons. I love the way Alderton writes about friendship and the obvious love she has for her female friends. She has a talent for articulating universal experiences yet making them feel so specific. I found myself nodding along as she wrote about dating, being in your twenties, and being the single one in a group of friends but her voice and her stories are undeniably her brilliant, achingly self-aware own. 

The Finest Print by Erin Langston

A historical romance that simmers with feeling and tension, as a printer saddled with an inherited mountain of debt and an aspiring novelist join forces to publish a penny blood in Victorian London. You can feel the yearning seeping off every page, as Ethan and Belle fall deeper for each other within the tight confines of a printing office. I loved both of these stubborn, determined main characters, the amount of research Langston did into her subject, and her elegant, emotional writing style. This is a more grounded but still deeply swoony historical romance that feels like exactly what I want out of the genre. (Open door, high steam.)

Really liked

The Most by Jessica Anthony

A taut, stylish examination of a mid-century marriage that begins when a Delaware housewife gets into the pool on an unseasonably hot November day and refuses to get out. This does a lot in a remarkably short span of pages and the storytelling somehow feels both simultaneously economical and rich. At every turn, Anthony picks the exact right snippets from Kathleen and Virgil's lives to bring these two characters and their relationship to life. An excellent read-in-one-sitting book.

Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison

This absurdly cute romance between a baker and a substitute teacher who agree to practice date feels like a hug in book form. It's cozy, swoony, and sunshine-y and I loved what a soft-hearted, kind hero Caleb was. The small town setting continues to be a delight and this book, set in late summer, features beach trips, kissing in the rain, and a truly lush sense of setting and season. Just don't read it when you're hungry, because there's so many baked goods that you might have to go on an emergency pastry run. (Open door, high steam.)

We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft

Decades after they first met on the dance floor of a London nightclub and embarked on an eternity of parties together, Amber wants to escape Nicola’s control—but friendship breakups come with a deadly cost when you’re a vampire. Croft excels at writing voice-y, tense thrillers and I flew through this darkly glamorous look at toxic female friendship. The narrative voice is super strong, which I tend to look for when I pick up a thriller, and this felt like a fun, fresh take on vampires. I also enjoyed all the little peeks into London's disco scene, the twisty plot, and the way the tone balances the sinister and the glitzy. 

Four Souls by Louise Erdrich

A haunting, richly layered story of revenge, healing, and haunting. Fleur Pillager, who this novel centers on, is a character with an undeniable gravitational pull of her own and I loved being back with Margaret and Nanapush. (I also was surprised by how attached I got to one of the supporting characters here and the unexpected journey Erdrich takes her on.) There's some amazing line-level writing and once again, Erdrich pulls off a near impossible balancing act: a story that has the power of a parable but is also deeply funny and dense, impeccably crafted prose that's deeply readable. 

Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller

An unsettling, atmospheric work of literary suspense about a crumbling house, a hot summer, and a trio of people bound by jealousies, yearnings, and secrets. I relished the setting and summertime Gothic vibes of this novel, from the aura of tragedy lurking in the distance to every creepy detail of the past-its-prime house to the tensions seething beneath the surface. Fuller doles out the reveals at just the right pace and trusts in the reader to keep up without having everything explained to them. Highly recommended if you want something suspenseful with excllent line-level writing.

Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard (Cazalet Chronicles #3)

The third installment in this juicy family saga is smart, compassionate, lucidly written, and sweeping yet precise as it functions as both a family story and a portrait of Britain during World War II. I especially enjoy Howard's ability to switch between perspectives and to create sympathy for almost all of her characters, whatever occasionally reckless decisions they make. Rich (-ish) people having personal drama during turbulent times is one of my favorite subgenres and this series does that par excellence.

With You Forever by Chloe Liese (Bergman Brothers #3)

A wonderfully tender-hearted, soft modern day marriage of convenience romance between brooding artist Axel and sunshine-y Rooney that made me want to decamp to a cozy cabin in the Pacific Northwest immediately. I loved seeing all the big and small ways that Axel and Rooney care for each other, as well as the way that Liese writes family dynamics and friendships with just as much care as the central love story. A warm hug of a book that still comes with a satisfying dash of emotional angst. (Open door, high steam.)

A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym

Witty, a touch melancholy, and wonderfully observed, this comedy of manners follows the well-dressed, well looked after, mildly bored Wilmet Forsyth and her involvement in the petty intrigues of the nearby Anglo-Catholic church as well as with her friend’s feckless brother. There's a precision and grace to Pym's writing that I love and she has an incredibly sharp eye for human nature, from the intricacies of church politics to the inner workings of a marriage. I was particularly fond of Wilmet's relationship with her mother-in-law Sybil, who's a force of nature in the most charming way possible.

Colored Television by Danzy Senna

A biracial writer hungry for middle-class stability and success finds herself drawn into the world of TV writing after the novel she’s spent years on is rejected. I found myself internally shrieking "Jane, no!" during most of the main character's decisions but thoroughly enjoyed this smart and funny take on Hollywood, the creative life, marriage, and motherhood. Senna pulls off the impressive feat of writing a fun book about hard things and complex themes, something which I'm always pleased to see more of in literary fiction. I thought she absolutely nailed the LA setting in all its surreal glory and found myself cringing (in a good way!) at how real some of the little moments felt. 

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

In the ruins of a city that one of them nurtured and one of them destroyed, a demon and an angel meet. This was magical and strange and surprising, a look at grief, transformation, and the long arc of history. Vo is very much a vibes-based author--no elaborate explanations of the magical system here--in a way that very much works for my fantasy taste. Her prose is lush and stunning, casting a spell over the reader. I especially loved the stunning imagery she deploys on every page here, as well as our ferocious main character: the demon Vitrine.

I really liked the majority of it

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

95% pure delight and 5% deeply disappointing 1930's prejudices. The 95% of the book I enjoyed is a sort of wonderful grown-up fairy-tale, sparkly and funny and delightfully lighthearted, with a protagonist to cheer for in Miss Pettigrew. It has both a dash of glamour and a warm heart, the kind of book to curl up with when you're feeling under the weather or having a bad day. I loved the rest of the book enough that I think I would still recommend it, with a heads-up for some outdated language and attitudes.

Liked, with very minor quibbles

The Lady He Lost by Faye Delacour

Years after he was presumed lost at sea, Lieutenant Eli Williams returns to England and to the woman he always hoped would be more than a friend. This had a rushed ending, but otherwise I quite enjoyed this lightly Persuasion-inspired historical romance. I really liked that we got an emotionally attuned hero and pricklier heroine, and thought their chemistry was wonderfully heated. I would add that, despite the premise, this is on the lighter side so it might not be the right read for you if you're looking for a super angsty historical romance. I also loved both Uncle Bertie and Della and was very pleased to find that we're getting Della's book next year. Just a solid, satisfying historical romance that was the perfect quick read for me. (Open door, high steam.)

Liked, didn’t love

Graveyard Shift by M.L Rio

A spooky bite-size read that I wished was a tad longer but still made me more excited for Rio's next full-length novel. Unsurprisingly, the vibes were impeccable, from the crumbling church to the late-night gathering of unlikely allies and the book is deliciously creepy and atmospheric. I wanted a bit more character development but was still thoroughly drawn in and creeped out.

Liked, with quibbles

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I found the exploration of 1950's Hollywood through the doomed production of a biblical epic and the author's commentary on the treatment of female stars fascinating but the pacing here definitely feels a little off. It's a slooow start with a lot of build-up and not much resolution after the dramatic climax, including a handful of unanswered questions. Moreno-Garcia always has a great sense of atmosphere and I enjoyed how she incorporated articles and interviews into the story but this one didn't feel as successful as some of her previous titles like Mexican Gothic.

Who’s That Girl? by Mhairi MacFarlane

After an office flirtation gone all kinds of wrong, Edie finds herself back home in Nottingham and ghostwriting a memoir for charming actor. I thought Edie's personal journey, particularly with her family, was really lovely and moving and I appreciate how willing MacFarlane is to let her main characters mess up majorly and do the work to fix it. The prose is funny and snappy and does a good job of blending more serious issues with humor. But I also found Edie and her tendency to leap to conclusions and self-sabotage a bit annoying and some of the pop culture references dated.

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Currently reading: Once More from the Top by Emily Layden, which is part mystery, part examination of the music business and fame, and part female friendship story.

Recommendations, miscellany, and little bits of joy:

• Voting early! New York City has really good voting infrastructure and as much as I’m worried about the election, it briefly made me feel better to cast my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on Halloween. (The polls even had special Halloween voter stickers!) Reminder to make your voting plan for Tuesday and if you’re in New York, you can still vote early!

• My chosen election night distraction, Rivals on Hulu. This adaptation of a soapy, smutty bestselling 80’s British novel is amazingly over-the-top and features naked tennis, many an 80’s needle drop, and David Tennant as a villain literally named Lord Baddingham.

• Discovering restaurants in my new neighborhood, including some truly delicious Thai takeout.