What I Read In October 2022
A couple of stand-outs and a dissapointment.
I was a little burnt out on reading in October. Am I allowed to say that? I read 5 books last month which is pretty good considering only one was an audiobook.
The 2 books you must add to your TBR list:
1. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
2. Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
A Christmas Romance you can skip:
All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox
THIS COVEN WON’T BREAK BY ISABEL STERLING
Goodreads Synopsis: Hannah Walsh just wants a normal life. It's her senior year, so she should be focusing on classes, hanging out with her best friend, and flirting with her new girlfriend, Morgan. But it turns out surviving a murderous Witch Hunter doesn't exactly qualify as a summer vacation, and now the rest of the Hunters seem more intent on destroying her magic than ever.
When Hannah learns the Hunters have gone nationwide, armed with a serum capable of taking out entire covens at once, she's desperate to help. Now, with witches across the country losing the most important thing they have—their power—Hannah could be their best shot at finally defeating the Hunters. After all, she's one of the only witches to escape a Hunter with her magic intact.
Or so everyone believes. Because as good as she is at faking it, doing even the smallest bit of magic leaves her in agony. The only person who can bring her comfort, who can make her power flourish, is Morgan. But Morgan's magic is on the line, too, and if Hannah can't figure out how to save her—and the rest of the Witches—she'll lose everything she's ever known. And as the Hunters get dangerously close to their final target, will all the Witches in Salem be enough to stop an enemy determined to destroy magic for good?
My Thoughts: As far as a follow-up to These Witches Don’t Burn is concerned, this sequel was disappointing at best.
THE BOOK EATERS BY SUNYI DEAN
Goodreads Synopsis: Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book's content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries.
Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devon—like all other book eater women—is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairytales and cautionary stories.
But real life doesn't always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger—not for books, but for human minds.
My Thoughts: In England, a secret society of book eaters feasts on books for sustenance, retaining the vast knowledge kept in the pages. Every once in a while, a book eater may give birth to a mind eater, akin to a modern-day Vampire. Driven by their insatiable desire to feast, they discard the bodies of their victims before moving on to the next unsuspecting human treat. The story centers around Devon, a book eater, and her son Cai, a mind eater.
The chapters alternate between the modern day and Devon’s past. Devon’s past is particularly dark… she’s a Princess stuck in a patriarchy that does not allow mothers to raise their children. After having her firstborn daughter stripped from her, Devon goes to great lengths to provide for her son, escape the shackles of their upbringing, and create a life she can ultimately live with.
I really enjoyed the pace of the writing. The story unfolds slowly but with enough suspense to keep you reading. I was scared going into the book that I would feel repulsed by the gore, but the story is written in a way that connects you more to the overall morals presented. The Book Eaters is an urban fantasy set in modern-day Northern England and Scotland. There was a bit of a disconnect for me between the worlds. The Book Eaters seem to come from a different time and their culture and customs don’t mesh with the modern world. It further sets their kind apart from humans. The Book Eaters’ backdrop is Gothic, set in castles and ruins, yet in every other chapter, Devon is running through train stations and shopping in quick marts.
Overall, this is a great gothic horror debut that has very little to do with book eating but everything to do with themes of motherhood, survival, oppression, and patriarchy. I’d recommend this to someone who’s looking for a completely interesting, imaginative, and unique story with lots of dark elements. Not my usual read but one that will stick with me for a long time. This review definitely isn’t doing to book justice! You have to read it for yourself.
AND YET: POEMS BY KATE BAER
Goodreads Synopsis: Kate Baer shot into the literary stratosphere with the publication of her debut poetry collection, What Kind of Woman, which became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller.
Kate's second full-length book of traditional poetry, And Yet, dives deeper into the themes that are the hallmarks of her writing: motherhood, friendship, love, and loss. Taken together, these poems demonstrate the remarkable evolution of a writer and an artist working at the height of her craft, pushing herself and her poetry in a beautiful and impressive way.
Intimate, evocative, and bold, Kate's beguiling poetry firmly positions her in the company of Dorianne Laux, Mary Oliver, Maggie Nelson, and other great female poets of our time.
My Thoughts: Kate Baer does it again. And Yet seems more like a continuation of themes explored in What Kind of Woman and was a welcome departure from I Hope This Finds You Well. Baer's poems are written for a very specific audience-- mothers struggling with identity and failing in a quest to do it all and be everything for everyone. And Yet is raw, gritty, and unashamed. Baer's poems are evocative and illuminate the beauty in the seemingly mundane. I will forever pick up anything she writes. She's turned me into a reader that doesn't mind poetry. Thank you to the publisher, Harper Perennial, for the eARC!
KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE BY DEANNA RAYBOURN
Goodreads Synopsis: Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon.
They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller.
Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.
When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses-paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.
Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman--and a killer--of a certain age.
My Thoughts:
“Only women are ever called persnickety," Mary Alice said. "Men get to be 'detail-oriented.”
Four women in their 60s have worked as assassins for an organization called The Museum. Tasked with taking out the world’s biggest bad guys for years, their old-school tactics are no longer valued and have landed them in retirement. Only they can’t just retire— it’s kill or be killed. Targeted by one of their own, Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie set out on one last (? TBD based on that author’s note) great adventure and it may just be their biggest yet!
I adored this book and absolutely can not wait for my Nana to read it too. It’s everything you could want in a cozy mystery. I’ve read quite a few books with older characters this year and something about them just works perfectly. I could easily see this book as a TV series. The action and settings are so dynamic. My only criticism is that I had a hard time keeping up with all the names. The main characters have their “real names” and their assassin names. The author also occasionally calls them by their last names. On top of all the side characters, it was a lot to keep straight!
Told through the eyes of Billie, there’s a surprising tenderness to some of the main themes. If you’re looking for a fun, quick read this is great for fans of Oceans 11, James Bond, or the Golden Girls. I sure do hope this is a series! For now, I’ll be seeing out some of Deanna Raybourn’s other titles.
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS BY MAGGIE KNOX
Goodreads Synopsis: When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show Starmaker, each thinks they've finally gotten their big Nashville break. But then they're paired up for duet week and stun the world with their romantic onstage chemistry. With fans going wild for #Saxie the network demands that they remain a duo on and offstage, or exit the competition. Faking a relationship until their final performance in the Starmaker holiday special shouldn't be too hard, except for one small problem--Sadie and Max can't stand each other.
But with their dreams just within reach, they agree to the ruse. Will their fake relationship be exposed before they can win? Or will an unexpected trip to Banff spark real feelings by the Christmas finale?
My Thoughts: If you love romance filled with miscommunication this is the book for you! Unfortunately, All I Want for Christmas didn't check off all the boxes on my Christmas wish list. I wasn't convinced by Sadie and Max's connection, the Nashville backdrop, or the Starmaker reality show setting. The jumps in the timeline were jarring. The book also barely mentions Christmas except for a song or two. The best part of the book was Patsy Canine, Max's dog. I'd love an entire spinoff from her POV. I'm really disappointed in this second book from the Maggie Knox duo after devouring The Holiday Swap last year.