What I Read in October.

My reading has slowed down considerably this year, especially over the summer months when we were preparing for and moving to Portland. It got to the point where my Goodreads goal of 40 books had to be lowered or I'd have had no hopes of achieving it. But as someone kindly pointed out to me, when I set that goal in January, I had no idea we'd be moving across the country this year, so I shouldn't beat myself up over it. Fair point :)

In October, I was able to squeeze in six books, mostly because I've been leaning more towards shorter reads so I can play a little bit of catch up. I'm trying to remind myself that I feel so much better when I spend my time reading than when I mindlessly watch yet another episode of some TV show on Netflix (that I've probably already seen at least twice). If you'd like to hear me talk about these books instead, I have a monthly wrap up for these books over on my YouTube channel.

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Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote Between the World and Me as a letter to his 15-year-old son on the topic of race in America and discusses what it is like to be an African American man in this country. In every review of this book I've seen, people use the words "powerful" and "important," and I couldn't agree more. I would also add that it is a raw, poetic, heart-breaking and necessary read. I think it could be a very valuable book for all Americans, and especially those who are not people of color, and I would not be surprised if this book is adapted into school curricula. I think it's so important that we expose ourselves to perspectives and experiences different than our own and to foster empathy for marginalized groups, and think that this book is an important way to do that. It's not a book that provides answers, but I think it helped me to foster more understanding and context for the current racial climate in this country.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2

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Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

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Before I Go to Sleep is a psychological thriller focused on a woman who experiences amnesia every night when she goes to sleep, so she wakes up each day not knowing most details about her life, including where she is or who she is married to. I picked it up because I was interested in a creepy-but-not-scary read for October and thought this might fit the bill. I was pretty disappointed in it though. It was somewhat of a page-turner, but I found the plot of the story to be repetitive and the character development lacking, since the main character's history had to be explained to her over and over each day. Even though I haven't read many psychological thrillers, this one did not feel unique; it had that cheesy, over-dramatic feel of a typical Lifetime movie.

Rating: ☆☆

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In the Woods by Tana French

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My second attempt at reading a dark-but-not-scary book was much more successful. In the Woods is the first book in Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series, and focuses on two cases: The unsolved mystery of two children that disappeared in the woods of an Irish town in the 1980s, and then the present-day murder of a young girl in the very same woods. The book focuses on a detective team as they attempt to solve the murder and investigate the possible connection between the two cases. Even though this is crime fiction, I found it to be much more akin to literary fiction. The writing was solid and the characters complex, multifaceted, and infuriating at times. The theme of friendship was present throughout the book, and the author examines the various moments when friendships cross a line from innocent to destructive. Overall it far surpassed my expectations, and I'm eager to continue on with the other books in the series.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2

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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

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The House on Mango Street is a modern classic YA/children's book, but it was one that I missed out on reading when I was young. The book is a series of vignettes—not quite separate short stories, but also not a cohesively plotted chapter book. The vignettes give a glimpse into the life of Esperanza, a young girl coming of age in a poor, Latino neighborhood in Chicago. I didn't dislike this book, but I did feel somewhat indifferent towards it when I was done. It didn't have the depth I wanted it to, perhaps due to the simple language, the lack of structure, or simply due to the fact that I should have read it in my younger years.

Rating: ☆☆☆

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What's Your Story? by Brandon Doman

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The book What's Your Story? is based on Brandon Doman's The Strangers Project, in which he offered random strangers in New York City a blank piece of paper and asked them to share their story, whatever it may be. The book is a collection of these stories and letters. Overall, I really liked the collection and found them to be a mix of confessional and heartfelt. It was fascinating to see similar threads and ideas pop up in different people's letters, and it really reinforced the idea that we have more in common with each other than we'd assume. I'd recommend checking it out if you like collaborative projects like Humans of New York or PostSecret.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

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Audacity by Melanie Crowder

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I saved the best for last—Audacity was my favorite read of the month, and will likely be one of my top favorites of the year. It's not a book I hear anyone talking about, so I feel like I need to persuade everyone to read it! I'll be doing a separate book review on my Youtube channel for it. It is a YA historical fiction novel written in verse, based on the real-life young activist/feminist, Clara Lemlich. Clara's family escapes religious persecution in Russia in the early 1900's by immigrating to the US and settling in New York City. Clara fights to pursue her education but also has to work to help support her family. She finds employment in the city's sweatshops, where she quickly becomes disturbed by the abuse and mistreatment of workers. Unable to keep quiet in the face of injustice, she fights to form a worker's union that women are able to join and becomes a significant voice in the labor rights movement. Clara's tenacity, determination, and feisty nature was inspiring, and I wish I would have had this book when I was a teen. It contains a wonderful message about the importance in fighting for social justice and standing up for what you believe in.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Have you read anything good recently?