I really hit my reading stride this month. I’ve been leaning into all the coziness of wearing pajamas, being wrapped in a blanket, and getting sucked in to a good book. Here’s what I’ve read over the last month or so.
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
This was such a heartbreakingly beautiful book. I don’t want to say too much about the plot, because it takes a while to really unfold and fully understand what’s going on. It centers around the death of a main character, Vivek Oji (clearly, not a spoiler), and then trying to figure out what happened and why… but it’s not a thriller, or a who-done-it. It’s not light reading, but it really is beautiful and so moving.
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
I feel like this book has been making the rounds, so you may have heard of it already! It follows a fake bachelorette- style reality show, where the bachelorette is a plus-sized woman. It’s a fun read, but it’s also a smart one, and witty and insightful.
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
In Sweetbitter, we follow a woman who leaves everything to move to New York and gets a job in a restaurant. It’s kind of dark – there’s lots of learning, and growing, and making mistakes. I’d already watched the TV show based on this book (with the same name), so I knew the gist of what happens – it’s a mix of dark and romantic, about growing up and growing into your own.
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
I loved this one!! It’s a collection of short stories, but the second half-ish of the book is devoted to the longer short story that the book is named after. It’s about a governmental office that is started to correct historical inaccuracies. The story is riveting and surprising, and I wanted it to be longer!
The Boys Club by Erica Katz
This book follows a woman working for a fictional investment banking company (or something similar in finances, I don’t really know a lot about that world), and what it’s like working in what is the “boy’s club” of finance. I sped through this one and really enjoyed it.
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan
This story was really well-told – it looks at the underpinnings of celebrity, and how you can appear to be happy and to have the perfect life when you don’t actually feel that way at all. It reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six in that it’s told from multiple points-of-view, and it made me think of my childhood and the celebrity pop stars of that era.
The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking
I already wrote a post (here) about how this book has been inspiring my attitude this fall/winter. It’s such an interesting perspective into happiness, and how we can use our surroundings to shape our moods. Some of it (spending time with friends and family) is out-of-reach for now, but there are lots of fun, small suggestions in the book.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
This book wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be when I picked it up. It follows a character who is given the opportunity to experience what her life would have been like if she had made different choices along the way. It was a bit cliche to me – it wasn’t my favorite.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You, and Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han
You’ve likely either seen the Netflix adaptation of these books, or you’ve at least heard of them! I’m always firmly in the “the books were better” camp, so I knew that I needed to read these! I really enjoyed all of them – I know they’re three different books, but I read them one after another so it felt like one larger novel to me. They’re really fun reads!
