Thrillers, rom-coms, memoirs! It’s been a packed month of reading for me. I added six books to my yearly tally. I’m now at 42!
Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult by Maria Bamford • 🎧 • ★★★☆☆
I’ve been a longtime fan of Maria Bamford’s. I recall seeing a half-hour set on TV probably 20 years ago, and I was instantly hooked.
Since then, I’ve followed her pretty closely: I’ve listened to her albums, watched Lady Dynamite, caught her voiceover work, tuned in for Zoom comedy shows and still recall the Target ads she starred in.
Perhaps that’s the reason I didn’t love her memoir (don’t get me wrong—I liked it quite a bit). Since I’ve kept up with her and her work, a lot of the stories inside were familiar. This being said, it’s a very good listen (how could you not opt for the audiobook in this case?). And I really admire how open Bamford is about her journey with mental health—even from a very young age. I take those stories to heart, and I’m so thankful she readily shares them.
The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James • ★★★★☆
Is it just me, or is 90% of historical fiction set in WWII-era Europe these days? When I saw that The Woman in the Castello was set in 1965 Italy and was filled with gothic themes, I had to pick this one up at the library.
In this book, actress Gabriella gets her big break in an Italian thriller. It’s a great opportunity for her career but also gives her a chance to provide for her mother and daughter. The catch with this role: It’s being filmed in her estranged aunt’s castello. After a single day of filming, that aunt goes missing. Soon Gabriella suspects something is very wrong, and soon the spooky themes from the script start to infiltrate her time on set.
This book felt fresh yet comforting (yes, comforting—even for a thriller) to me. I say it’s a great read for fans of historical fiction, thrillers and gothic novels. Lucky for me, I’m all three.
Mister Magic by Kiersten White • ★★★☆☆
Ever feel like one of your childhood memories was more fever dream than reality (like the show Zoobilee Zoo)? That’s what Mister Magic is to generations of children. Despite being on the air for decades, there’s no evidence of the show—or its sudden absence on TV schedules since a cast member suddenly disappeared. Now, the last remaining cast members are coming together to record a podcast.
Now how great of a hook is that?
I’ll say that Mister Magic is a well done and intriguing book, but it didn’t quite deliver on the horror or thriller premise that was advertised. Instead, it leans more into escaping controlling communities and religion. I think that likely made it a more complex story, but I felt it got tangled at times.
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager • ★★★★☆
I read my first-ever Riler Sager book last month. I’m hooked.
The House Across the Lake started with some strong Rear Window vibes. This is fine! But it’s been done. Well, those Hitchcockian feelings were just the start.
Yes, Casey, a celebrity in exile, does develop an unhealthy habit of spying on her neighbors across the lake. But she’s also struggling with the death of her husband and addiction. She’s also suspecting something is very wrong when she doesn’t see her neighbor for days after a wine night gone awry.
This is a just-right early fall read. Coming down from a weeklong, lakeside trip and going into cool days, this one hit the spot.
The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave • 🎧 • ★★★★☆
Michael knows me well. He recommended this book about women in a remote Norwegian village in the 1600s. After all the men at sea during a storm, the women have to fill in the gaps and keep the village running.
Years later, a magistrate (or comptroller or some other miscellaneous figurehead), is sent to the town along with his wife to establish some sort of order. Well, this guy prides himself on finding witches. Unsurprisingly, he finds them everywhere he goes.
I have mixed feelings on this one: The first half of this book was incredibly slow. But the reward was excellent.
Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow • ★★★★☆
This book didn’t have to try very hard to get me hooked. The protagonist, Ruby, is a food writer struggling to figure out what her next steps are. I am in that precise boat!
Instead of pondering infinitely over cold brew coffee and quilting like me, Ruby decides to move to Scotland to get some new perspective and work on drafting a cookbook. Swap Scotland with Ireland and you have a literal dream come true for me.
In Scotland, Ruby tries to find her place in her small community while also trying to make her cookbook dreams come true. And there’s also a handsome Scot involved. The path to happily ever after (or happily what’s next) isn’t precisely linear. What Ruby thinks she wants isn’t the same as what she actually wants. I think that’s a good reminder for me, and it’s part of what makes this a more satisfying read.
As always, you can follow along with my progress and see what I’ve read over on Goodreads! Also, if you’re an audiobook fan, I encourage you to try Libro.fm—you can support your favorite small bookstore while downloading your next listen.
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