October was a very slow reading month for me as my first assignment for uni was due at the end of the month. I feel like I’ve not found any reads that have stood out for me recently and I’m really hoping to enjoy more books in November. I’m going to pick out some books I want to get to by the end of the year and I’ve got a new blog post coming this week about that so keep a look out if you’re interested!
I managed to read 2 physical books and one ebook this month. I enjoyed the books, but felt like something was missing from the mystery/thriller ones I read. Continue reading for my reviews:
B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton
Rating – ★★★.5
I read the first in Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone/ Alphabet Series last year and loved A is for Alibi. In B is for Burglar, Beverley Danzinger asks Kinsey Milhone to help locate her sister Elaine Boldt. But nothing is as it seems, as Kinsey struggles to locate Elaine and is sent on a wild goose chase across Florida and California. What she ends up finding is strange and concerning, but Kinsey risks it all in the hope of finding Elaine and revealing the truth.
“Instead of learning the rules, she’d learned to disappear.”
I enjoyed the book as it was an easy and relatively quick read. I particularly liked the descriptions and the fact that it is set in the 80s as I love that era! The characters were interesting and I liked Kinsey’s development from the first book, her personality really shines through. I would like to pick up the next in the series but I’m in no rush.
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewel
Rating – ★★★
In a large house in London’s fashionable Chelsea, a baby is awake in her cot, fully clothed and well-fed. Downstairs, three corpses are decomposing and next to them is a hastily scrawled note. They’ve been dead for days, but who has been looking after the baby?
“The only bad books are books that are so badly written that no one will publish them. Any book that has been published is going to be a ‘good book’ for someone”
I really wanted to love this book as I’d heard great things on bookstagram about it, but unfortunately it just did not live up to the hype for me. I’ve been struggling with thrillers lately as I felt I’ve read so many that I’m just not ‘thrilled’ by them anymore! I buddy read this with my friend Ruby and she felt the same, also giving it a 3 star rating. That being said, the narrative and suspense were good and there were some great quotes. I felt there were too many characters, although some were necessary, I felt some were just fulfilling a role rather than being central figures in the book.
Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back by Alicia Cook
Rating – ★★★★
Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back is a poetic mixtape dedicated to those who struggle or have struggled with their mental health. Divided into two parts, “Side A” holds 92 poems, titled as “tracks,” and “Side B” holds the “remixes,” or blackout-poetry versions, of those 92 poems. The book includes the evergreen themes of love, grief, and hope. (Synopsis from Goodreads). Alicia Cook talks about the things we shrug off, the bits we leave out in messages and the stuff that’s really important to share.
“It’s as though you’re not just the love of my life, but the love of all my lifetimes.”
“No one knows how much she cried last Wednesday because she was quiet about it, and to some, pain is only noticed when it is public, and loud, and obvious.”
This poetry collection is full of beautiful, raw, honest and real poems and quotes. I couldn’t just pick one to spotlight so here’s two. I would recommend this collection and I appreciate the fact that the poet has put a list of trigger warnings right at the beginning. They are so important and necessary. I loved the little songs at the bottom of each poem as the ‘currently listening to’ adds to the musical theme of the collection and also allows you to delve into the poet’s thought process as she was constructing each poem.
As we head into November, I’m hoping to read some of the books that have been on my TBR for what feels like forever! I started Clap When You Land in October so I’m hoping to finish that and then move onto Insurgent! I’d love to know what you’re reading this month.
Books and Baking 