Good afternoon book buddies!

I just got back from a grocery store run and about to start a pot of red beans for a hearty chili but thought I'd take a second to update you about my reading week. It's still a million degrees here in Los Angeles, but we're doing whatever we can to channel Fall.

Between Case Management week activities, playoff baseball, and another fun concert at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, I was a tad bit busy this week. I did manage to make a dent in my October TBR, but I still have a ways to go if I'm going to read all the books in my pile of possibilities.

I still haven't picked up The Next Ship Home again, but I'm hopeful that I can tackle this one this week. I really need to do better about reading my BBFL books earlier in the month, yet somehow I always wait until the last minute. Maybe next month's book will change that! Stay tuned this week for more info about our November book.

As I said last week, my paperback copy of Dracula was hurting my eyes, so I found a Kindle copy and then promptly purchased an accompanying Audible version to I could read immersively. I am LOVING this book, y'all! It's so atmospheric and the epistolary structure is helping ratchet up the tension!

The Quarter Queen took over my dog walks for the first half of the week and for good reason! If you are a fan of fantasy reads, then this is one you don't want to miss. Full of culture and strong FMC vibes, The Quarter Queen was exactly what I hoped it would be. 4⭐️s

Y'all, I am obsessed with Lonesome Dove. I managed to read 53% with my eyes only, but I finally switched to the audiobook yesterday because I didn't want to miss one single second with Call and Gus. I listened while power cleaning the house (managed to gather 5 bags of clothes and shoes to donate!!!) and haven't been able to put the audiobook down since. I love this story and will likely suffer a great book hangover when it's finally done.

ICYMI:

• Did you catch the September reading wrap-up on Youtube?

• Or maybe you prefer to see the September reading report on IG?

• Hear me gush about The Quarter Queen here

• Book Bestie members now have access to the December historical fiction heads up!

Hear It Here First:

Stay tuned this week for a series of posts about The Calamity Club, as well as my last few Netgalley reviews!

I'll also be announcing my November TBR as voted on BY YOU!

Now I'm off to dive back into Dracula for the rest of the day. Happy reading, y'all!

xoxo

c

Better late than never, right? I was neglecting my responsibilities up in the mountains last week, but I still want to give these books these flowers:

Monstera by Delilah S. Dawson 5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy sapphic stories with an underlying horror tone.

Bonobo by You-Jeung Jeung 5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy the exploration of humanity through an unusual premise (a human's soul joining a bonobo's body).

Another Name for Red by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala 4.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy Angeline Boulley's books. This is a coming of age mystery that highlights the MMIW movement.

As You Wake, Break the Shell by Becky Chambers 4.25/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy sapphic science fiction. This is quieter than I expected, but enjoyable.

Music Against the Night by Yiyun Li 4/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy character-forward historical fiction where the characters aren't necessarily likeable.

Foreign by Sonora Jha 4/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy learning about living experiences in other countries through fiction.

How to Lose at Longing by AK Herman 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy the exploration of human longing. This is a short story collection.

To Bewitch a Hunter by Luciano Lamberti 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy reading translated fiction and a trippy story.

The Water House by Nneoma Ike-Njoku 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy haunted house stories where the house is merely a specter of the imagination for the first half.

This next October recommendation is one I believe to be a literary masterpiece. Love, loss, life and time are all themes well traversed throughout its pages. Perhaps I'm so drawn to this novel in particular because I heavily related to Addie's character. Her worries are ones I share and it's such a joy to see oneself reflected in a work of fiction, the knowledge there are others who have the same struggles, the same fears. That you are not alone.