Everything I read in October was in the 4-star range, which meant that didn’t read anything I disliked and would recommend all of these to readers in different moods.

Stats

Total books read: 11

#readmyowndamnbooks: 6

Retellings: 3

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (4.5 stars) – Ali Hazelwood continues to refuse to let me down with her STEM-centric contemporary romance novels. I really enjoyed the central romance, fake-dating plot, and the arc the heroine goes through with her interpersonal relationships and career.

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison (4 stars) – I continue to devour Rachel Harrison’s catalog, and by finishing Black Sheep, I think I have unfortunately caught up with all of her published works. The strengths of her most recent release, for me, were in her well-developed and “unlikable” main character, grabbing premise, and extremely satisfying ending.

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall (4 stars) -I had a lot of fun reading this historical fantasy Sapphic romance featuring curses from vengeful goddesses, fairy shenanigans, a standoffish and smirking duke’s daughter love interest, and a cast of characters defying societal expectations in various ways. Possibly my favorite aspect of this book is that it’s narrated hilariously by Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which adds another dimension to the plot. It’s a creative and entertaining yet romantic addition to Alexis Hall’s catalog.

Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business by Roxane Gay (4 stars) – I’ve been a huge fan of Roxane Gay and her writing for many years. Rather than a collection of new essays, Opinions is a collection of already-published writing on a variety of topics, so it’s only reasonable that I liked some a lot more than others. I preferred Gay’s writings on current events and cultural criticism to the celebrity interviews and book reviews, which weren’t as impactful for me.

Beast in Shining Armor by Cassandra Gannon (4 stars) – I’m absolutely loving Gannon’s series of fantasy romance fairytale retellings, and I think they deserve a lot more attention and popularity. This unconventional Beauty and the Beast retelling also involves a labyrinth and fight to the death to claim a crown, with a great enemies-to-lovers romance along the way.

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears (4 stars) – This was powerful and so heartbreaking to read; I wanted to give Britney a hug within the first chapter.

The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste (4 stars) – This was my second book from this author this year, and I enjoyed the everyday horror evoked by the Rust Belt setting and misogyny of Cleveland. I did find the ending to be a bit unsatisfying and anticlimactic after a lot of really fascinating buildup, but I’ll continue to revisit this author.

Doppelganger by Naomi Klein (4 stars) – This was a thoughtful and somewhat meandering nonfiction book built on the premise of the public’s conflation of the author Naomi Klein with another cultural figure, Naomi Wolf, whose views evolved to become that of Klein’s polar opposite. It was interesting and endlessly self-reflective while discussing a lot of current events and topics from a broader viewpoint.

The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy by Megan Bannen (4 stars) – I think my expectations for this one were a bit out of line with what it ended up being, which resulted in some disappointment despite an overall enjoyable read. I was expecting more of a dark fantasy with some romance, but this is much more of a romantic comedy with fantasy elements.

Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding (4 stars) -This was a very fun contemporary romance retelling of Emma set on the Upper East Side and featuring almond dad Mr. Woodhouse, art history grad student Emma, and environmental VC founder Knightley. I heard about it on the Make Out Already podcast and am so glad I picked it up; I believe this is my third Austen retelling this year and it did not disappoint. Certain plot elements remain faithful to the original while others change in a way that aligns with the modern setting.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (4 stars) – This novella retelling of Sleeping Beauty is, in my opinion, much sweeter and less dark than its predecessor Nettle & Bone, but equally well-crafted. I enjoy a fairytale retelling that subverts expectations, and that’s exactly what this is; we also get discussions about different types of fairies, what it means to do the right thing, and inner versus outer beauty. Great for a readathon.