Everything I read in September + October

and some musings on the state of the world as it applies to reading

Hope you’re hanging in there 💗

I’ve had a hard a time returning to ~business as usual~ in the last 5 days as I navigate grief and anxiety in the wake of the election. I’m ready now for a distraction, at the very least, and I decided that writing about reading was the right way to ease us back in. I’ve been meaning to write this post for a couple weeks, and now I’m glad that I hadn’t yet.

Reading is, always has been, and always will be political.

I love books for so many reasons. They obviously provide an unmatched opportunity for escapism, the ability to completely immerse ourselves in a world that is not our own - and we need that more than ever now. But even more important, books are a window into the real lives of other people. They show us the realities that we will never live ourselves, pulling the curtain back and revealing nuances of experiences we will never have. While we shouldn’t need anything to convince us to have compassion for others, reading stories that do not mirror your own fosters empathy, understanding, and kindness. They also can show us a myriad of paths that our current lives could take, prescient peeks into a future that we may or may not want to see come to life.

We have to continue reading diversely, consuming the stories of others who are different than us, and absorbing the warning signals of authors who saw the writing on the wall before it was even written. So yes, read books to turn away from the sadness and the fear of our world, but don’t turn away from what these books can give you to bring back into the world when you return.

I typically do a reading wrap up at the end of each month, but September and October were slower paced reading months for me. This will be a review of everything I read in both months.

Sept + Oct breakdown:

6 BOOKS TOTAL

GENRE:

• 2 Thriller

• 2 Contemporary Fiction

• 1 Translated Literary Fiction

• 1 Nonfiction

FORMAT:

• 4 digital copies from the library

• 1 physical book from my personal collection

• 1 digital Netgalley arc¹

AVERAGE STAR RATING: 4.1

I find a 5 star rating system flawed, but I haven’t fleshed out something better. When deciding on a rating for a book (which, by the way, is wholly unnecessary), I consider three categories.

• Reading experience (the most important!)

• Quality of execution

• Characterization

PAGES READ: 2150 (average length 454- chunky ones!)

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PS: If you, like me, are meticulous about tracking the books you’ve read, I highly recommend the digital reading log templates sold by this seller on Etsy. Simple to use, easy to read, and just a good time for anyone who is interested in their reading stats.

Please note: There are affiliate links in this post. All books are linked out to bookshop.org, which supports local and indie bookstores when you purchase through them. If you purchase through these links, I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you.

And lastly, please be sure to check trigger warnings for any and all books I share.

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RAINBOW BLACK

This is the longest book I have read in one sitting as an adult, and I cannot think of higher praise than that. I can’t remember who I saw recommend this on TikTok (it was probably Celine or Bridget) but I immediately grabbed it from the library and found myself awake way past my bedtime, completely engrossed. Lacey Bond has a seemingly satisfactory life in the 1980s, living on a farm with her mother and father who run a daycare from their home. One day, Lacey’s life is upended when her parents are accused of and arrested for dozens of horrific acts allegedly perpetrated against the children who attend the daycare. The accusations against her parents are inspired by real life events that occurred during the Satanic Panic of the 80s², particularly the McMartin Daycare case. Following the arrest, Lacey’s circumstances continue to spiral as she endures loss and finds love in the unlikeliest of people and places. This book is a complex look at queer relationships, the way our past can consume our present, and identity in all senses of the term. Read when you have a fully free evening to dedicate.

Rainbow Black bookshop.org link

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THE GOD OF THE WOODS

I’m sure you’ve heard about this novel ad nauseam in the last 3 or 4 months, with many people dubbing it as “the book of the summer”. I personally love a summer camp setting, especially in the 1970s or ‘80s, so I was excited to sink my teeth into this one. It takes place at a camp owned by the Van Laars, a wealthy family whose son mysteriously disappeared 14 years prior. This summer, their daughter Barbara is attending the camp when she goes missing in the middle of the night. The novel alternates between multiple perspectives and time periods, progressively illuminating more areas of the Van Laars’ lives, including those of both their missing children and the circumstances in which they vanished. It’s a very sophisticated and engrossing “whodunnit” cloaked in an effective eeriness that will keep you guessing until the bitter end. Moore explores the toxically codependent dynamic between members of the upper and lower classes, and what it means to be a woman in the world, burdened with the ironically high expectations of a society that doesn’t always respect you. Read when you’re ready for an immersive experience.

The God of the Woods bookshop.org link

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BUTTER

I am very sad to report that this book disappointed me greatly. Everything about it sounds exactly like something I would love (The Guardian calls it “a tasty exposé of fatphobia and trauma”). The book seeks to expose the ways we classify women’s worthiness according to their body size, their relationship to food and domesticity, and the misogynistic undertones of society. I absolutely think that a lot of the intended effect was literally lost in translation as this book was originally a Japanese best-seller. While I really appreciated the intent and general ethos of the book, the actual reading experience was seemingly endless. I had to force myself to finish, which I only did because of how endeared I was to the book by its synopsis. We follow a journalist who becomes enamored with a brazen, imprisoned female serial killer who lured men with her cooking before killing them, inspired by the real life Konkatsu Killer. At the end of the day, this book is about taking up space and prioritizing your pleasure as a woman, renouncing the heavy expectations society places on us to serve everyone else over ourselves and to cater not only our appearances but our existences to the whims of others. How can I disagree with that? Read when you’re ready to be hungry and hate the patriarchy (more).

If the general gist of this sounds appealing to you, check out Piglet

Butter bookshop.org link

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SELLING SEXY

I find the story of Les Wexner’s empire to be incredibly, darkly fascinating. I absolutely devoured the documentaries about both Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch. For anyone who grew up in the early 2000s, these mall brands were the backdrop of our childhoods. For me, they were also an emphasis on the ways I did not fit in. Wexner’s portfolio of brands is dark and twisty, a uniquely American encapsulation of consumerism and entrepreneurship. This book gives us a deep look into the inception, creation, and progression of Victoria’s Secret as a brand. I went to school for fashion, and the fashion history nerd inside of me loved the more technical aspects of the first parts of the book. Only later does it get into more of the pop cultural relevance, like the Angels and VS Pink. If you have any interest in the subject, I’d certainly recommend this book. Read when you’re ready to find a new underwear brand (if you haven’t already).

You can read my general thoughts on Victoria’s Secret here

Selling Sexy bookshop.org link

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SAME AS IT EVER WAS

After reading Lombardo’s The Most Fun We Ever Had, her sophomore novel shot straight to the top of my TBR³. This was a completely different reading experience, but still powerful and gripping. This book follows a Gen X mother named Julia through several phases of her life, alternating between the present as an almost-empty-nester, her past as a young woman, and, subsequently, a young mother. Lombardo illustrates how a single chance encounter can alter the course of our lives forever, depicted through a relationship between Julia and an older woman, Helen, who Julis meets during a difficult time in her life. Julia’s relationship with Helen sets off an unexpected and often unpleasant chain of events, affecting every conceivable nook and cranny of her existence. We follow along as Julia experiences challenges in her relationships with her mother, her children, her husband, Helen, and herself, feeling the intergenerational effects of each. Even a life of intense peaks and valleys may feel the same as it ever was when you’re navigating it one day at a time. Only when you turn and look back at it as a whole do you realize how much you’ve endured and enjoyed. Read when you’re feeling frustrated and not sure how to move forward.

Same As It Ever Was bookshop.org link

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FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES

I’ve heard endless praise for Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, but have never heard anyone talk about her debut novel. If you read this (and you should), please be sure to read her foreword where she discusses her very non-linear journey to becoming a published author. It was incredibly inspiring. The book largely follows a young Korean-American daughter of immigrants named Casey Han as she embarks on early adulthood in 1990s New York City. After she falls out with her family and has nowhere to turn, a run-in with an acquaintance sets her on a new path. We follow Casey as she navigates love, career, and finding purpose as she struggles to make something of herself in a city full of privilege, little of which has made its way to her. Casey is constantly surrounded by secondhand glamour without experiencing any of it for herself. The name of the novel comes from the free lunches served to the affluent staff of the investment bank where she works, a stark contrast to the physically demanding and unrewarding dry cleaning business her parents run. The book seamlessly and extremely subtly slides between perspectives of those who know Casey, giving it a comprehensive omniscience. Lee tackles race, class, the difference in cultural expectations, and more in this sweeping and expansive intergenerational story. Read when you’re craving the feeling that reading Real Americans gave you (or read that after this!).

Free Food for Millionaires bookshop.org link

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My Immediate TBR:

As I mentioned, I’m slow moving when it comes to reading these days, but here are the books I’m planning on diving into next.

I currently have digital library copies of:

• Pachinko | Min Jin Lee (FINALLY currently reading!)

• The Bee Sting | Paul Murray (love a long family drama)

• All the Colors of the Dark | Chris Whitaker (I’ve heard such good things)

• Sunburn | Chloe Michelle Howarth (my book club’s pick for the month)

Waiting for my library holds of:

• Be Ready When the Luck Happens (Ina Garten’s memoir, Bad on Paper’s perfect Thanksgiving-adjacent November book club pick)

• Trust | Hernan Diaz (Pulitzer Prize winner + a Barack Obama favorite book)

• The Unseen World | Liz Moore (by the author of The God of the Woods + Long Bright River)

(some of the) Backlist physical books I have at home waiting for me to open them:

• Family Meal | Bryan Washington

• The Unwilding | Marina Kemp

• Chain-Gang All Stars | Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

• Banyan Moon | Thao Thai

• The List | Yomi Adegoke

It’s also almost time for CHRISTMAS READS!! I’m not a romance reader 85% of the year, but this is my time to shine. I love cheesy, sappy, (sometimes spicy) Christmas novels and I am happy to share what’s on my Christmas TBR if that is of interest. Off the top of my head, some past favorites are any holiday books by Catherine Walsh), A Little Magic by Lindsay Lanza, and Season of Love by Helena Greer.

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Don’t forget to share your favorite books of the month + let me know what you’re reading next. And if you’ve read any of the books mentioned here, I’d love to know what you thought! Any that you’re now planning to read? Tell me!

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1. advanced reader copy

2. This Autostraddle article and this BookTrib article aptly describe the connection between that and the persecution of queer people / some of our current “moral panics”

3. to be read