October was the best reading month of this year for me. I read a staggering 9 books. As I was expecting for this time of year I read mostly mystery/thrillers. I will start my new job from November onwards, so I’m expecting to be reading considerably less from then on. I will still try to keep a nice balance between my “Advanced Reader Copies” which I receive through Netgalley and my physical books. In this post you’ll read all about the books I have read this month.
Stats
Books: 9 books
Format: 4 physical books, 4 e-books and 1 audiobooks
Total Amount of Pages: 3.742
Authors: 8 new to me and 1 known (Riley Sager)
Language: 9 English
Karin Slaughter – Pretty Girls (2015)
Mystery/Thriller
It’s a bit of a mystery to me how Karin Slaughter’s novels have eluded me for so long. I decided to pick Pretty Girls up because it was recommended to me by a few people including my mum. She doesn’t read a lot, but when she likes something I can usually trust her opinion.
She was right about this novel. It’s grim, it’s hard-hitting, no wait, it’s more than hard-hitting, it’s downright gruesome and it’s not for the faint of heart.
The novel is about Claire and Lydia. Two sisters who have lost their sister who disappeared after a night out when she was 19 years old. They both handled the disappearance differently. Lydia became addicted to drugs and Claire to her soon-to-be-husband Paul.
The story takes place around 20 years after when the news reports the disappearance of another girl which sounds pretty familiar to what Claire and Lydia have gone through before.
I don’t want to give too much away. I wasn’t really shocked at the plot twists. I saw most of them coming, but the story itself is almost unputdownable so I don’t want to take too much away from it.
I didn’t give it the full five stars because at times it didn’t feel realistic enough. If you have me thinking that, it means my attention has diverted from the plot. That happened a few times so even though it’s a solid 4 to 4.5 stars, it’s not a new favourite of mine. I might pick up more novels by Slaughter though because I do enjoy her writing and thinking.
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Alix E. Harrow – The Once and Future Witches (2020)
Fantasy
I didn’t know what to expect from this book since I don’t often read novels about witches. It’s not really a conscious decision, the description usually either doesn’t appeal to me or they don’t cross my path.
The tag line of Alix E. Harrow’s The Once and Future Witches spoke to me straightaway. “There’s no such things as witches. But there will be.”
This novel is so much more than “just” a story about witches, let me tell you why. It’s set in the past in 1890’s Salem. Well, it’s set in New Salem because Old Salem has been destroyed when the witch burnings took place in the past.
The story is about the three Eastwood sisters. They were apart for many years because of their painful history, but they meet again in the city. They join the suffragists and start the search for the forgotten words and ways to make the women’s movement into the witches’ movement.
These words and ways are important because they make Harrow’s tale unique in my view. Witches don’t really exist. They are actually women scorned who have found the words and ways, and most importantly the will to change their circumstances. Apart from women’s rights, this book tackles a whole foray of other issues. At times a bit too obvious for my liking, but most of the times nicely tucked away inside the seems of the storyline.
A story like this needs a strong antagonist. The Eastwoods’ adversary is mayor-elect Gideon. He’s a man who seems frail from the outside but seems to make shadows move at his will. He’s pretty evil. To be honest, I expected a YA story but I don’t think it is because it does get a bit dark at times.
I’m really happy I picked this novel up. I could happily rave about different elements of this story for hours such as the fact that the words of magic hidden are hidden in well-known fairy tales. How clever is that?
If you’re interested in reading a book with multiple layers which tackles interesting subjects and which includes witches a fast-paced story and quite a lot of action. Look no further!
Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
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Riley Sager – Home Before Dark (2020)
Mystery/Thriller
Another solid read by Riley Sager! Can I just take a moment to gush about that gorgeous green cover? I can’t wait to find out what his next novel looks like (yes, the one that has already been announced and is called Survive the Night).
I have read and loved all of Riley Sager’s books. I liked the fact that the previous one Lock Every Door has gothic vibes, and I’m happy to report he kept that up and upped the ante a little bit with his latest release.
Home Before Dark is setting in a gothic horror mansion. The story is told from the perspective of Maggie. A girl whose family fled Baneberry Hall 25 years ago. Her father has written a book about everything that transpired during their short stay, which is called House of Horrors. The book’s narrative is the second perspective. Yes, Sager has opted for a book within a book construction.
I loved many things about this book including the atmosphere and the setting. Where the pace felt a bit iffy of his previous novel, this one was just right. It was impossible to put the novel down once I got started.
The question about whether or not Baneberry Hall is an interesting one and reminds me a bit of Simone St. James’ novel which was released this year about a haunted motel The Sun Down Motel. Maggie was an interesting character and so were all the side characters. I found the twist and turns to be unexpected, but whereas the pacing of the novel was good; the reveals were a bit too fast for my liking.
Riley Sager is starting to become a household name when it comes to creepy fiction, and I can’t wait to read his next book.
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Tana French – The Searcher (2020)
Mystery/Thriller
Guys, it has taken me years to get on the Tana French bandwagon. Now that I am on it, I will hold on for dear life because she can write a great thriller! I’m looking forward to all that has passed and all that is yet to come.
Judging by the mixed reviews the best is yet to come for me, especially her Dublin Murder Squad series has been received with a lot of praise. For what it’s worth, I’m a newbie to her writing and I really enjoyed The Searcher.
Sure, the most common remark from negative reviews is the pacing and the fact that it’s slow to start. I found that to be the case as well, but I didn’t mind it. It takes time to build a character from the ground up, especially if the setting is small.
The story is set in a small town in Ireland. The kind of place where everyone knows everyone and one day our protagonist walks in and he’s the talk of the town. Cal is an ex-police office from Chicago of all places and he’s looking for peace and quiet after a painful divorce. The novel starts with a lot of talk about home renovations, because that’s what Cal is focused on when the story kicks off.
However, he doesn’t have time to complete it before a local child, Trey, finds him and appeals to him for help. His brother has disappeared and he’s hoping Cal can find him. Cal reluctantly agrees, because he feels a restless itch. The fact that something iffy seems to be going on in this small community is impossible for him to ignore.
What I loved most about this novel is that Cal’s situation felt really realistic. He’s a retired policeman from another country, he doesn’t have the means to do investigations the way he did them back in the States. How he deals with this is the strength of the story and the reason why I think the slow build up is OK. I found myself completely absorbed into the story and its setting in rural Ireland. I really wanted to find out what happened to Trey’s brother.
I give this book 4.5 stars and I can’t wait to read more books by Tana French.
Many thanks to the publisher Penguin UK and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
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Sara Foster – Hidden Hours (2017)
Mystery/Thriller
There are two things I don’t like in thrillers. I don’t like an insecure female lead who spends a lot of her time worrying internally and making up stories in her head. I also don’t like when the story revolves around a character who consumes too much alcohol especially when it’s the key element of the story.
The first 50% of this book was going fully in the direction of my two most hated tropes. Confession time: I was considering putting the novel down, which I hardly ever do especially when I have received a copy from the publisher.
I’m happy I didn’t put it down though, because the last 50% of the book is actually pretty good. The suspense continually rises and by the end of it I was really wondering what had happened to Arabella.
This novel is about Arabella Lane who is found dead in the Thames. No one is sure whether she has been pushed or whether she has jumped. It happened on the night of the big Christmas party of her company. Eleanor, our protagonist, was there but doesn’t remember a thing because she was drugged/drunk.
Eleanor is our tortured female lead. She escapes her past in Australia, and little by little we find out what has happened to her and her family there by means of alternating chapters. That’s how the story is told, through Eleanor’s eyes both then in Australia and now in London. There is also a paragraph reserved every chapter for people who have sighted Arabella or who knew her, but I don’t really see the significance in terms of storytelling for those ones.
The first 50% of the story Eleanor was in her head a lot. Feeling sorry for herself. For the situation. The usual. However, once the chapters in Australia started picking up speed, I became more and more invested in the story in London as well. I’m happy to report that I think this book ended up being an interested read. It helps that the author presents us with more than a murder mystery, because it also tackles the subject what secrets can do to a family.
Many thanks to the publisher Legend Press and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
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James Clear – Atomic Habits (2018)
Non-Fiction
“No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day.”
Sign me up, as I’m one of those people who can easily set a new goal. Someone who can then easily start working towards it…
… And then stop doing it all together because she sees no result.
If this sounds like something you do as well, you might benefit from reading this book. James Clear has created a really simple structure with clear chapter summaries which could help as a reference for the future (for those of us who take notes after reading self-improvement books, there’s no need).
I took note of my main takeaways which is that I like the fact that this book focuses more on processes and systems rather than goals. The fact that you should adopt habits and then link your identity to them in order for them to stick better. I love the Two-Minute rule and I can’t wait to try it out. Habit stacking and Temptation Bundling is something I have been doing for a while but it doesn’t hurt to be more aware of it.
In short, it’s a great read if you’d like to learn more about behaviour change and building good habits.
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Libba Bray – The Diviners (2012)
Paranormal
Wow, what a ride! The Diviners has been on my list to listen for years. People mentioned that January LaVoy’s voice is great for audio books and it really is. I had so much fun listening to this novel.
The setting of this story is everything. It’s set in New York in the roaring 20’s. Evie has to move in with her uncle in New York. He owns a Museum of the Occult, but Evie doesn’t want him to find out that she actually has supernatural powers. She can see a person’s past when she holds an object close to them.
This power comes in handy when gruesome murders happen all around the city.
The banter and friendships Evie has are great. I liked her love/hate friendship with Sam and her love/love friendship with Jericho. I also enjoyed the story through Memphis’ eyes and Theta’s narratives.
Did I mention there’s singing in the audiobook? I will not get naughty John’s song out of my head anymore!
I would like to read this book in print next time, to understand the timelines and everything a little bit better. However, for now. What a great read. Let’s see if I pick up any of the other books in this series in the future.
I’m giving this book 4.5 stars.
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Daphne Du Maurier – Rebecca (1938)
Classic
I have decided to jump onboard the current “Rebecca” train now that Netflix has released a movie. I did something I almost never do. I bought the book and I immediately read it the moment it landed on my door step. All I have to do now is watch the movie. (I’ve now seen the movie and I didn’t like it at all, read the book people!)
Rebecca has all the elements I normally love in novels. I love moody, atmospheric gothic scenes inside an old manor in the middle of nowhere. I love byronic heroes. These two elements are present in my favourite book of all time, Wuthering Heights. They are also present here, yet I didn’t love love love the story itself.
Rebecca is about a girl who serves a rich woman in Monaco one winter. There she meets the tall, dark and handsome stranger by the name of Maxim de Winter. She falls head over heels in love with him, and he falls for her. They decide to get married and she moves in with him. Manderley is his home. The aformentioned atmospheric mansion. It’s also the home of him and his late wife, Rebecca.
The moment the newly wedded Mrs. de Winter arrives in the mansion, she feels that something is off. The shadow of Rebecca stands in between Maxim and her.
This book is filled with my least favourite thriller trope. That of an incredibly insecure woman who internalises all her problems. This might have been the reason why I didn’t love it. A lot of the drama could’ve been avoided if Mrs. de Winter would’ve spoken her mind.
Having said all that, this book is a classic for a reason. It’s a great and fast read. It has some unexpected twists and turns which I really enjoyed and all-in-all I’ve grown fond of Daphne du Maurier’s writing. Let’s see if I pick up any of her other novels in the future.
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Nicola Upson – The Dead of Winter (2020)
Historical Fiction
There’s something about whodunnits in wintery isolated settings this year. I’ve read The Guest List, Snow and One by One is the next book I’ve planned to read.
The Dead of Winter also takes place on an isolated location, namely St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall in 1938. An exclusive charity event has been planned by the owner of the Mount in order to support displaced Jewish children from Germany.
The police officer Archie has been invited since he’s an old friend of the owner Hilaria St. Aubyn. She has invited a celebrity to attend as well hoping that it would bring about some publicity for the Mount and its cause. Archie in turn invites his two friends Josephine and Marta.
You might have guessed it. The guests all have their own backstories and as they arrive on their location one by one, they find out that the Mount will be isolated for a few days due to bad weather. They are ready to celebrate Christmas, so they don’t mind until one of them ends up dead and the only one who could’ve done it has to be among them.
I felt that this book was a little bit short. It’s strange to say, but the action and investigation started half way through and it wasn’t enough to fully grip me although I found the ending to be satisfying.
The story is told through the eyes of around eight different characters, which means part of the first half you’ll have to guess who was who. Then when the action gets going the novel has ended.
I like that this novel is in a way based on real life. Josephine Tey is apparently the Agatha Christie of her time, the celebrity is also well-known and St Michael’s Mount was in hands of Hilaria St. Aubyn back then. I didn’t mind that there are 8 novels about Josephine prior to this one. Sure, I don’t know the characters as well as fans of this series will do but I still enjoyed the story.
All-in-all it’s an OK read. The setting didn’t feel as isolated or grim as I would’ve liked it to, and there are a few too many characters for such a short novel. It’s an interesting whodunnit though with a few twists and turns I didn’t expect.
Many thanks to the publisher Faber and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
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How was your reading month? What books did you read in October?
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