I read 14 books in October. I’m looking forward to another great reading month in November!
My favorite books read in October were Cackle by Rachel Harrison, Inheritance by Nora Roberts and Every Step She Takes by Alison Cochrun.
Books Read In October: 📖 Cackle by Rachel Harrison 📖 Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison 📖 George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl 📖 The Witches by Roald Dahl 🎧 Bad Dolls by Rachel Harrison 📖/🎧 Inheritance by Nora Roberts 📖 Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison 📖 How To Survive A Horror Story by Mallory Arnold 📖 Re-Coupling by Harriet Shenkman 📖 Every Step She Takes by Alison Cochrun 📖 Play Nice by Rachel Harrison 📖 Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham 📖 Say A Little Prayer by Jenna Voris 📖 This Foreign Affair by Harper Bliss
What did you read in October? Which was your favorite?
Last night I went to yet another awesome author signing event at the Strand in NYC. I love going to these events, because they’re relatively small and always great! I have yet to read a book by Alexandria Bellefleur, and after going to the event, I learned that I’m clearly missing out, because this author has a big fanbase. Everyone was talking about the astrology signs of her characters, and now I’m totally going to look up “pisces” on her website, so I can read a character like me.
I love when I can see myself and connect to the books I read. Alexandria and her books are queer, and I can’t wait to dive into her latest, The Devil She Knows, which came out today! I got my book signed & personalized and also had my photo taken with the author. I loved it so much!
I also bought Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko, her debut novel, ahead of her signing in a couple weeks. I spent way too much money on queer and bookish stickers, and bought a tote bag since the one I brought was way too small. I just love browsing the Strand!
I went to Author Day at Harrison Library and it was awesome! I got to reconnect with one of my favorite author friends, Lisa Montanaro after having been to her book signing in May for her debut novel Everything We Thought Was True, meet a fellow bookstagrammer, Jen (@electric_bookaloo) and catch up with an old friend. I even won a raffle!
BOOKS & AUTHORS PICTURED Jessica Anya Blau – Shopgirls V.S. Kemanis Lisa Montanaro – Everything We Thought Was True Cleyvis Natera – The Grand Paloma Resort Cherry Lou Sy – Love Can’t Feed You Liv Constantine – Don’t Open Your Eyes Amity Gage – Heartwood Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau – The French Honeymoon Clémence Michallon – Our Last Resort Mariah Fredericks Alyson Richman – The Missing Pages Lauren Willig – The Girl From Greenwich Street John Beyer – Live A Little Better Susan Shapiro Barash – Estranged (author not pictured)
I recently went to a local library in person as well as watched a Zoom session with authors David Hicks and Nikki Erlick, both natives of Harrison. I had a great time at both of these events, and am grateful that I was able to attend.
David’s book, The Gospel of Danny, is about a man named Danny Gausepohl in today’s fractured world and deals with love and loss in his own life as well. The book grips you right from the beginning, and I can’t wait to keep reading!
Nikki’s book, The Poppy Fields, is a speculative fiction/light sci-fi book that was inspired by the Wizard of Oz that is perfect for bookclub discussions. It is a book about a new, experimental treatment center that helps people sleep through their grief so that when they wake up, they’re healed. I am super excited to read this book as well!
Cinematic Destinies by Patricia Leavy is sweet story about the Forrester family. Finn and Ella celebrate their 30th anniversary while their three adult children, Betty, Albert, and Georgia, each face their own personal challenges along the way.
The novel explores love and identity in a way that feels both real and uplifting. I loved the Iceland setting, which was especially unique.
This book is a warm, hopeful conclusion to the series, and it left me smiling.
Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book.
I read 10 books in July. I’m looking forward to another great reading month in August.
My favorite books read in July were: Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko, When We Go Missing by April Henry and The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff.
These are all the books I read in July:
📖 Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko 📖 When We Go Missing by April Henry 📖 25 Alive by James Patterson 📖 With A Vengeance by Riley Sager 📖 The Murder Game by Carrie Doyle 📖 The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk 📖 Show Me Where the Hurt Is by Hayden Casey 📖 The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff 📖 Easy Crafts For the Insane: A Mostly Funny Memoir of Mental Illness & Making Things by Kelly Williams Brown 📖 Don’t Open Your Eyes by Liv Constantine
In This Could Be Forever by Ebony LaDelle, seventeen-year-old Deja is a rising freshman at University of Maryland whose dreams are to become a cosmetic chemist. Just before starting her classes, she has a chance meeting with eighteen-year-old Raja, a tattoo artist at a local tattoo parlor.
It’s insta-love for these two, but their backgrounds and families couldn’t be more different: Deja is a Black girl from North Carolina and Raja is Nepali American whose family expects him to find a nice Nepali girl to marry.
Told from each of the main characters’ viewpoints in alternating chapters, readers see inside each of their minds how they struggle with both wanting to be together and the pull to please their families.
I adored this sweet and empowering love story, and look forward to more from this author!
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
I recently went to the library for a preview of the books coming out in June, July and August. My friend Caroline and her colleague hosted it and we even got snacks from a local establishment to munch on during the program.
The books I starred to put on hold in order of publishing date are:
📖 Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – June 3, 2025 📖 With A Vengeance by Riley Sager – June 10, 2025 📖 Kuleana by Sara Kehaulani Goo – June 10, 2025 📖 Don’t Open Your Eyes by Liv Constantine – June 17, 2025 📖 The C.I.A. Book Club: The Secret Mission to Win the Cold War with Forbidden Literature By Charlie English – July 1, 2025 📖 The Original by Nell Stevens – July 1, 2025 📖 How to Survive A Horror Story by Mallory Arnold – July 8, 2025 📖 Between Two Rivers by Moudhy Al-Rashid – August 12, 2025 📖 Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman – August 26, 2025 📖 Katabasis by R.F. Kuang – August 26, 2025
Here is the group photo of everyone at the program: (I’m the one on the left in the aqua shirt and Caroline is in the stripes crouched in front of me).
The next night I went to a different library for a wonderful discussion and author signing with Amy Poeppel and Karen Dukess for their new books Far & Away and Welcome to Murder Week, respectively. I got the books signed as well. It was awesome! I even got a summer reading tote with a pack of new colored pencils, perfect for the artist in me.
Amy’s book is about two women – one from Dallas, TX and one from Berlin, Germany who switch houses for several months. Karen’s book is about three Americans who travel to England to solve a fake murder mystery. I am very excited to read them both!
The last library program I went to was an art program at yet a third county library. We made little collages on 4×4 wooden squares, painted them with quick dry paint sticks, and then glued paper things onto them and then mod-podged over it and put a magnet on the back. I had so much fun!
It was a collager’s paradise! Cut up books, old playing cards and lotería cards, magazine pages, you name it! And the woman sitting next to me at the table and I had a lovely discussion about books the whole time.
The left one has the rainbow bookshelf and the Ace card (a little nod to my queerness & my asexuality) and the right one is about my heart, the Spanish speaker in me and the infinity-ness of circles and what they mean for me.
I had an amazing time at all three of these programs, and I can’t wait to keep going to similar ones!
I went to two out of three days of Barnes & Noble Union Square’s Pride Festival this year!
On Sunday afternoon they had a panel of authors called “Let Me Be Perfectly Queer” moderated by author TJ Alexander and featuring authors Christina Li (The Manor of Dreams) Debbie Millman (Love Letter To A Garden) Jesse James Rose (Sorry I Keep Crying During Sex) and Prabal Gurung (Walk Like A Girl).
It was a lovely and powerful conversation! They gave out free swag like bookmarks, pins and body art and I even got a reserved seat! There was also a cute Heartstopper backdrop for lots of photo ops!
Of course I got to Barnes & Noble early to browse and scored some other books as well! Besides the books from the events, I’m most excited to read the art books I bought.
Here are the books I got signed on Sunday at the event:
Here is the swag I got on Sunday:
Here are the other books I scored while there Sunday:
Monday night was another panel called “GYA.” It consisted of queer YA books. The authors in attendance were Zikiya Jamal (If We Were A Movie) Alice Lin (Love Points to You), Page Powars (And They Were Roommates), Brian Selznick (Run Away With Me), K. Wroten (Everyone Sux But You). It was moderated by David Levithan.
The second night was just as magical as the first with all kinds of incredible questions answered and audience engagement. We even got to take photos with each author as we got their books signed! The staff at Barnes & Noble Union Square is amazing; kudos to them for keeping everything flowing so smoothly.
I had so much fun on both nights and came home exhausted! I am SO excited to read ALL the awesome books I bought 🌈📚💜
It is widely known that ghostwriter Olivia Dumont’s father killed his two siblings, Olivia’s aunt and uncle, when the three of them were kids. Her father became famous writer Vincent Taylor, and she’s been hiding that fact her entire professional life.
Now, Olivia’s career is stalled, and she has the chance to ghostwrite her father’s memoir, a tell-all to what really happened in 1975. But is it the real truth?
This book was propulsive and unputdownable!
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
Michelle’s Bookish Life 