Books I Read in October 2022

What's so funny is that, in September, I told myself I would intentionally slow down when it came to reading. I had a few buddy reads (where I read books with friends, usually agreed-upon chapters every day and then we discuss in the evenings), but other than that, I tried not to overexert myself. And I feel like when I say that, the month ends and I've read more books than I realized. In September, I read nine books. In October, I read 12 and I honestly don't know how it happened. I didn't feel overexerted at all. So . . . I guess that's a good thing. Anyway. Here are the 12 books I read in October!

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Shelves: Comedy, Modern Literature

Review: Thank goodness for the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. and the panel that included the author, Xóchitl González. I had seen this book through BOTM and on TikTok, but when I initially read the premise, it didn't do much for me. After hearing the author speak about her book, I knew I had to read it. I went into this book thinking it was going to be a light-hearted, comedic litfic that dealt with Puerto Rican family and politics set in Brooklyn. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so much more than that. I think, if you have people in your book club who are hungry for knowledge, this would be a great pick. It would be easy to read this character-driven story and not engage deeper with the content, but this book really shines when analyzed more.

The only things I think I struggled with was the typical sort-of meandering that character-driven books tend to have, and that this novel tries to say and do a lot of things. There are so many things going on in all the subplots that it felt like, as the author's debut novel, she aimed to do everything she could.

I liked the characters though, and I liked the very real discussion of familial relationships. Other themes discussed include identity and class, colonialism, gentrification, and what the American dream means for white people versus BIPOC communities. They were so well done, and, as a historian by training, this book made me think about how history has been written. We know history has primarily been told from the side of the victors, which paints a very white, European-centered narrative. Olga Dies Dreaming has an important point of view on the issues of Puerto Rican independence, disaster relief post-natural disasters, and the very real issues that threaten communities of color through gentrification.

This novel has so much heart, I feel like I could talk about it forever. I was given the opportunity to discuss this on a podcast with Dr. Kyle Johnson called "What're You Reading?" We talked for about an hour, but the conversation was edited down to an easily-digestible 15 minutes. The link to his show on Spotify is here, and my episode went live on Tuesday, October 4, 2022.

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Shelves: All-Time Favorites, ARCs, Beach Reads, Chick Lit, Comedy, LGBTQIA, Modern Literature

Review: Really Good, Actually covers a lot of deep topics through a lens of, at times, uncomfortable relatability and laugh-out-loud humor. We follow Maggie, a 29-year-old academic who is going through a divorce from the man she's spent the majority of her romantic life with up until that point. It doesn't help that, in the split, he took their cat with him.

I found the writing of this book to be pretty fantastic. It was so funny from start to finish, and even the unlikeable parts (of which there are quite a few) of our main character were tolerable for me because I wanted to see if she would succeed. I thought the commentary on these modern times, feminism, and women's roles in relationships and society were all clear-sighted and brutally honest. I thought Maggie was written as a beautifully, frustratingly complex main character that I all-at-once felt for and also wanted to shake some sense into. There are also some interesting takes on friendships. and dealing with depression, anxiety, and trauma that I thought were really important. What are healthy expectations of friends (and work colleagues, etc.) in situations such as these? What borders as toxic positivity? How does that reflect on how today's society handles depressed and anxious people in a bigger sense?

This is probably one of my favorite reads of 2022, and I think Monica Heisey did a wonderful job on it. It's sarcastic, biting, so funny, and relatable for anyone in their late 20s/early 30s. It won't be everyone's 5-star read, but it was definitely a close one for me. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes on January 17, 2023.

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Historical Fiction, Modern Literature

Review: Woman of Light is a gorgeous, descriptive novel that is rich with culture and contains a beautiful set of stories at its center. It's character-driven and therefore a bit slower-paced. The climax happens rather quickly before the finish of the novel, and the book ended leaving me wanting for something that I still can't quite name. There wasn't a single character that was fully likeable or unlikeable for me, which I think is the mark of a well-written, real-feeling character.

This was a buddy read with two friends from TikTok and I loved reading with them. They brought out a lot of depth in the writing, and discussing the heavier issues this novel tackles was much more enlightening because of our conversations. The commentary on racism was really powerful and another important reason to read BIPOC stories! I'm so glad I read this one, even though I feel like it's a bit forgettable, unfortunately.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Favorites, LGBTQIA, Modern Literature

Review: I'm still trying to wrap my brain around what I read. This was a bewitching, very slow-paced story about Miri and Leah, a lesbian couple, at its center. I really loved how everyday descriptions in their simplicity lived at the heart of this book. It was an examination of the many facades of a relationship from the highs to the heartbreaking lows, and the ending left me feeling emotionally drained although I'm still trying to figure it out. The themes of love and loss, heartbreak and frustration, disappointment and hopelessness all particularly between two people who love each other most in the world are exquisitely done. If you go into this thinking it's going to be action-packed from beginning to end, you will be very disappointed.

I guess this book would be qualified as horror or gothic because there is some body horror, themes of gothic novels throughout, and the exploration of quite a few fears (the ocean, small spaces, loss, the unknown, etc.). There were certain moments when Leah and her crew were stranded in their submarine at the bottom of the infinitely dark, deep ocean that I felt myself getting claustrophobic as I listened to it in my car. I felt a profound aching sadness at the way the book ended and the grief I would experience in a situation like that. This is unlike any other book I've read, I think.

It was simple, and beautiful, and tragic. I can't really say much more than that. Other than maybe, it will be a book I will think about for a long, long time.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Horror-Thriller, Modern Literature, Sci-Fi

Review: This book has an interesting premise that I enjoyed reading about overall, but for 198ish pages, it moved pretty slowly. I don't know why I can handle slow-paced novels like Our Wives Under the Sea but not something like Annihilation which I'll include in the same category as Dune as far as books that had interesting, promising storylines but fell sort-of flat for me. I don't know if the sci-fi elements make my brain shut down, or I'm just genuinely not interested in the ecology/biology/environmental elements. I wish I knew!

I liked our main character, and I enjoyed learning more about her and her husband. There were moments within the story that were more fast-paced and I found myself wanting to keep reading because of the way a section or a chapter ended. I wanted to figure out what was happening in Area X. But I think the impersonality of everyone once in Area X, and the vague descriptions of what was happening (because she was figuring it out herself) didn't click with me. Overall, for the majority of it, I kind of just wished it was over and I was done reading it. lol. So, I won't be continuing the series. I thought it ended in a place I could live with.

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Dystopian, Horror-Thriller, LGBTQIA, Modern Literature

Review: Considering this was a book written in a genre outside of my comfort zone, I knew I'd be uncomfortable while reading it. I saw that people review-bombed this book and I'm not here for that kind of behavior. The whole premise of the story promised to be an interesting social commentary on sexuality and gender, society, and autonomy over bodies while also being gory and The Walking Dead-esque, which it ended up being all of those things. I don't mind a little bit (or even a decent amount) of gore. But I had a lot of issues with this story that had nothing to do with the premise, the diversity, or the representation. There were people of all cultural backgrounds represented, all skin tones, all genders, etc. which is always a good thing.

While I appreciated the commentary on being trans in a world where people don't accept you and all the challenges that come along with that, I felt like any bigger themes this book had were lost under too much: too much trauma, too much graphic, copious amounts of gore, action, and sexually explicit content. This book had all the triggers you could possibly imagine: body horror, rape, sexual assault, genital mutilation, homophobia, slurs, etc., etc. pretty relentlessly throughout the whole book (which was around 300 pgs). I take a real issue with authors who put so much trauma onto their characters without anything to redeem it. Do we get moments of happiness (even brief) or growth that make us care about the characters? While yeah, we got some of that, the character development was seriously lacking in comparison to everything else that was going on in the text. When that stuff happens in the narrative, it leads to me reading the book emotionally distant and essentially means I don't care what happens. There were some satisfying moments within the book, but I mostly did not enjoy reading it (and part of me thinks that maybe was the point). I would have purposely not finished it, but actually what I ended up enjoying the most was buddy reading this with someone from TikTok. Thankfully, she reads horror regularly and helped me see the bigger themes here, and drew me out of just focusing on how horrible everything was.

I was given a fairly decent amount of forewarning going into this about how brutal it was, but I don't think anything could have fully prepared me for this book. Absolutely check your trigger warnings because there are many, and be prepared for the most as far as trauma, gore, and sex are concerned. 100% not for the faint of heart.

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: LGBTQIA, Romance, Young Adult

Review: Heartbreak Boys is a YA LGBTQIA+ grumpy-sunshine romance that is so stinkin' cute. It had everything I liked best about Out of the Blue by Jason June--the witty, cute banter and heartwarming moments without feeling like it was trying too hard to be relatable--and it also had something of a Heartstopper vibe in one of our main characters, Jack, who gets outed and then bullied in high school.

While this book, at times, felt like maybe too much was happening to be believable (Nate, our other main character, and his family go on a road trip and invite his former best friend, Jack, and together they form a plan to get revenge on their exes by creating a social media account to one-up them during their summer holiday), I was really rooting for these boys. I loved them both, and I thought the messages within the book were really great, if not a little beaten in by the end: don't let anyone stifle who you are, love yourself, follow your own timeline, live your life to the fullest, don't compare yourself to others, and beware of the toxic cultures on social media.

Heartbreak Boys had a lot to say, and most of it was really beautifully done in a warm and fuzzy way. I liked this one a lot!

This was an eARC provided by NetGalley and Clarion Books for an honest review, so thank you to them for giving me advanced access to this title! It publishes in the US on December 20, 2022.

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Graphic Novels, LGBTQIA, Memoir-Biography, Nonfiction, Young Adult

Review: I'm so glad I read Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. I feel like I better understand the gender queer, nonbinary community and how they feel (generally) about sexuality, gender, identity, and all of the complicated things that go along with those in a world that wants order and definition. I think this is an incredible graphic novel for, especially, young adults who may feel confused or worried about their gender identities so I think what Maia created is a beautiful resource. There are so many creative, helpful ways that gender identity was presented as well as the very real, relatable moments of telling people (even those you love) about unconventional, new ways you'd like to be viewed. I'm sure that can be scary and I think it takes a lot of bravery although maybe it shouldn't by principle.

The only issue I had slightly with this book was the discussions around physical health/OB-GYN exams. The author had a lot of trauma surrounding pap smears, and I feel like readers should be careful in accepting that as an okay response to general health exams. If you are someone with a uterus and female sexual organs, going to the doctor to maintain their health is very important. I feel like that response came from a lack of preparation in multiple aspects, and not at any fault of the doctors, who were presented as doing everything they should have done. But, I also see those being easily misconstrued by people who may not like going to the doctor and taking that as an acceptable reason to never go. Reproductive health is important, particularly for those of us with female sexual organs.

Outside of that, I thought this was a raw, real presentation of gender identity and I think it would be useful for tweens, teens, and young adults to have access to. Particularly those who are struggling with their identities, sexual or otherwise.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Book Club, Mystery

Review: Then She Was Gone, I would say, was a fairly average reading experience for me. I was intrigued by the storyline and I was interested to see where it would end up, but there was a disconnect with the characters for me. I don't know if it was because, for pretty much every step, I was frustrated at their lack of listening to their intuitions or just frustrated with the ways they acted but that detracted from my overall enjoyment.

For this being a mystery, I was actually able to somewhat figure out some of the plot and there was really only one moment that made me gasp out loud because I didn't see it coming. This was a fun one to discuss with my book club, though, as most thrillers seem to be. There were multiple points of view--it jumped into first person for a couple of characters but then stayed third person for others, which I think added a little something extra as far as intrigue goes. The "villain" though wasn't overly creepy or scary (or maybe that was just me?). The snippets of them from other characters' perspectives clearly showed that something wasn't right, but when I was in the villain's head in the book, everything felt pretty logical. Maybe that's the mark of a well-written villain? lol

This was my first Lisa Jewell book and I thought it was alright. It wasn't overly tense or gory, if those things are bothersome. I don't know if I'll read anything else by this author, but it was a fun one for our book club.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Horror-Thriller, Modern Literature

Review: The Only Good Indians wasn't what I was expecting. I read this with a friend, and she summed it up well by saying it was more psychological for a horror book than we both anticipated. We were both expecting more suspense, I think, instead of the slower-paced build-up the book gave us. However, when there was action, there. was. action. It was very intense in some parts and those parts almost always left me stunned and speechless.

Stephen Graham Jones has a wonderful writing style, and he does well at writing great, well-rounded characters and setting. I enjoyed this world and the way it constantly left me wondering what would happen next. My friend and I both said this book hung with us as we read it--something always sort of sitting in the back of my mind when I wasn't reading it. I will say, though, I was confused often and had to reread sections or chapters to make sure I caught what was being said or what was happening. And even then, I was still wondering if I understood it fully.

I read the physical book for the majority (which came in handy to see the punctuation and use of quotation marks in a few parts), but I also listened to a few chapters on audio and I thought the audio narration was really well done. This was a great book for "spooky season" and a good one to pick up for Native American Heritage Month in November!

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Graphic Novels, Memoir-Biography, Nonfiction

Review: If you were ever a fan of the comic Hark! A Vagrant, this is a memoir by the creator of that series. Ducks is her story/memoir about working in the oil sands in Alberta, Canada. These companies that she worked for were male-dominated, outnumbering women at least 50:1, and this follows her as she navigates and unpacks a lot of her experiences there. It is hard to read, particularly if you've ever been objectified to a male's gaze/desire, and it's a long graphic novel at around 450 pages.

Ducks also discusses the economic struggles of people who live in more rural territories of Canada, migrating to find jobs/work, and the effects all of that has on the people and families who do do it. This book also touches on the effects that mining oil and natural resources has on the environment and the First Nations peoples who lived on these lands first. It tackles a lot of important issues through the eyes and experiences of the author.

I thought this was an overall well done graphic novel. I didn't know if I would be interested in this but it will be a story I'll keep thinking about for a while.

Not the Plan by Gia de Cadenet

Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: ARCs, Beach Reads, Romance

Review: This is my first book by Gia de Cadenet, and overall I thought it was okay. I appreciated that each of the main characters was battling through issues tied to toxic family members (I feel like people can probably relate to that; I know I did). I appreciated the conversations around mental health, workplace misogyny particularly in politics, and people of color as our main love interests. All around the board, the characters were diverse. Also, the steamy scenes were well-written for someone who doesn't read a lot of romance.

Outside of that, I found the characters to be a little unbelievable. The pet names and what felt like their excessive uses I did not like, and how quickly everything moved felt unnatural and rushed. While the chemistry was written well between the two MCs, the political drama felt like it really only existed in the last quarter of the book. I didn't feel a steady build of it and felt like it just ramped up all at once. In addition, I think this was supposed to be a Romeo and Juliet take, and I didn't feel any deep-rooted divide between the two politicians, even when the climax of the book/political drama came to its peak. Like, yeah, you read that they disliked each other, but it didn't feel authentic enough for me to believe it.

If you're into sappy, happy-ending romances with a decent amount of spice and an almost love-at-first-sight trope, you may really enjoy this one. It just wasn't one for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes February 7, 2023.