What I Read in October
October was a productive reading month over here! I guess the cozy vibes of fall are in full swing, and reading goes right along with flannel blankets and mugs of tea. Read on for my recommendations from this month.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
5/5 Stars
When Elwood Curtis, a black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee, is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, he finds himself trapped in a grotesque chamber of horrors.
I was blown away by this book. The story packs in a lot more substance than its 210 page count might suggest. And that ending: I was shocked and saddened. I love books like this that ask the big questions: if you are morally good, will things eventually work out for you in the end? Do evil people behave that way only in certain situations, or would they act like that no matter the circumstance? For such a short book, there's so much to think about.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
3/5 Stars
In a 1950s Paris swarming with expatriates and characterized by dangerous liaisons and hidden violence, an American finds himself unable to repress his impulses, despite his determination to live the conventional life he envisions for himself. After meeting and proposing to a young woman, he falls into a lengthy affair with an Italian bartender and is confounded and tortured by his sexual identity as he oscillates between the two.
James Baldwin has a distinctive way with words, and I value this work as the definitive LGBTQ perspective of expats in postwar Paris. The plot did end up being interesting, but started slow for me. I enjoy a character who is in a hard place, and this book definitely pushes that hard. However, I am a stickler for good setting and scenic descriptions, and this book is more character-driven. But that's my personal taste.
Sula by Toni Morrison
4/5 Stars
Nel Wright has chosen to stay in the place where she was born, to marry, raise a family, and become a pillar of the black community. Sula Peace has rejected the life Nel has embraced, escaping to college, and submerging herself in city life. When she returns to her roots, it is as a rebel and a wanton seductress. Eventually, both women must face the consequences of their choices.
Every sentence in Sula is incredible. Morrison's ability to conjure the most original and precise simile is unparalleled. Emotional and weighty yet readable, Sula is undeniably a masterpiece.
I also had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook, narrated by Toni Morrison herself. Her voice is so lovely to listen to.
Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemie
3/5 Stars
Nori, an illegitimate child born to a wealthy family in 1950s Japan, is kept in the attic due to her mixed race. When her half brother arrives, she bonds with him over their love of music. What follows is a coming-of-age story in which Nori attempts to find her place in a world that rejects her.
I really wanted to love this book, which has a great premise: bastard child kept in the attic! non-Western historical setting! Mixed race main character! But ultimately it just fell flat for me. I struggled to connect with Nori, and a lot of the actions seemed implausible and melodramatic. I know this is a debut novel, but the writing also didn't move me; I caught several cliches, including a character describing her appearance in a mirror to seemingly no one, a character looking around to see who shouted, then realizing it was herself, and just some descriptions that didn't make sense (describing a clear blue sky in one sentence, then describing the clouds in the next). A lot of the secondary characters were underdeveloped (who the hell was Noah?) and in the end you find out that one character orchestrated something horrible, but since you never really got to know that character, you didn't feel Nori's outrage the way I think it was intended. But I will say that a lot happens in this book, and it kept up the pace the whole time and had me reading until the end.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
3/5 Stars
Set on the Korean island of Jeju, The Island of Sea Women follows Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls from very different backgrounds, as they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective. Over many decades—through the Japanese colonialism of the 1930s and 1940s, World War II, the Korean War, and the era of cellphones and wet suits for the women divers—Mi-ja and Young-sook develop the closest of bonds. Nevertheless, their differences are impossible to ignore.
Despite the unique historical time period and subject, this is definitely a story I have heard before from Lisa See. Fans of her will be happy with this novel, but it doesn't make me excited to go out and get her next book.
It also felt like the research was shown a little too on the nose, especially when the dialogue sounded really unnatural in order to explain some historical significance. The author assumes that the majority of readers don't know about this diving community and way of life, and so I understand that she'll need to work in some of this information, but I still want to feel like I'm reading a story, not a history textbook.
The Stranger Beside Me by Anne Rule
5/5 Stars
The true crime tale of Ted Bundy, America’s most famous serial killer, and the author’s unsettling connection to him.
Well-paced writing, extensively researched, and thoughtfully considers Bundy as a complex person, rather than one-sided. Rule has an interesting perspective as someone who knew him, was not attracted to him, and conversed with him as Ted's intellectual equal. However, she understands that the audience wants to read about Ted first and foremost, so she allows her personal story to take a back seat and only weaves it in when it makes sense or adds to the commentary.
I stayed up late reading this, finished it quickly, and only kept reading because I knew how it ended. Hands down the scariest book I've ever read, but even beyond the murders was the years-long legal battle that really showed just how far Ted was willing to go to keep up the façade of a normal person, confessing only at the very end before his execution.
The arguments for executing him vs. keeping him alive for psychological study purposes were thought-provoking, as were Rule's opinions on if he could be "cured" or if she ever knew the "real" Ted. Was there one "real" Ted or were there two Teds?
I read the 1989 edition, which has several tacked-on sections (prologue, forward, afterward, epilogue, "the last chapter") and they eventually got repetitive; in a funny way, it reminded me of all the appeals Ted submitted after his trials, which were all for nothing.
Ann Rule was an amazing true crime writer, and this make me want to pick up another one of her books.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
4/5 Stars
After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find - her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
This book basically has everything I want in a horror novel: classic haunted mansion, young, beautiful protagonist left alone with a creepy old family, supernatural elements. It kept up the pace for most of the novel with plenty events that build on each other and have you guessing who can be trusted. However, I did feel like the ending dragged out, and I didn't fully understand the reason Noemi is there in the first place; I get that she's investigating the alarming letter from her cousin, but why would the family send Noemi? Why wouldn't they send a family member with more authority? If there was any indication that something shady was going down at this house (enough to send someone to investigate), why would you send your young daughter all alone?
Wow, No Thank You. by Samantha Irby
3/5 Stars
A collection of humorous essays from a perimenopausal woman with Crohn’s Disease.
Just ok; I may be younger than the intended audience, but I still couldn't find much to laugh about. The first two essays were built on a trope I've definitely heard before: woman who doesn't care about her looks and would rather stay in than go out. I also really did not enjoy the "Hello, 911?" and "Sure, sex is great, but have you ever..." essays. They were just like 100+ jokes in rapid fire that definitely lost their shine after the first 5. What I did value in this book was the last essay, Irby's humorous take on how she got her first book published.
Cobble Hill by Cecily von Ziegesar
3/5 Stars
Four families and their private lives come together in this eclectic Brooklyn neighborhood.
This book started out strongly for me. Lots of juicy storylines of extramarital flirting, a faked illness, and a pyromaniac kid. But about halfway through, all the momentum just stalled. Everything seemed to become so mundane, and it just kind of petered out by the end. I think the flaw of this book is that the sections following one character/family are too short. I never felt like I spent enough time with anyone, so it all was like a hodgepodge of stories interrupting each other. But it was a easy read, maybe best suited for a vacation.
