What's on My October TBR? Sally Rooney, Axie Oh, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and More!
Considering it's already October 12 when I'm posting this, I am definitely coming to terms with the fact that I'm not going to get through all of these books before the month is over. Maybe if I spend all of fall break reading nonstop I'll make it, but I'm not holding my breath. Still, I figured I'd share the books that I'm hoping to get through this October to possibly inspire you to pick up a new book or two sometime this month.
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Beautiful World, Where Are You
by Sally Rooney
I started reading the new Sally Rooney book a few days ago without having really absorbed the title or read the summary at all. I guess that shows you what name recognition will do for an author. Even though I didn't love Normal People or Conversations with Friends, for some reason, I still really wanted to read this book. I started reading it the second my library hold finally came in. I can already say that I'm enjoying this book faaaaar more than any of her prior books, but it is a much slower read than the other two.
Summary:
Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend, Eileen, is getting over a break-up, and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon are still young―but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
Malibu Rising
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I've been curious about Malibu Rising since June when it seemed like everyone in the world was talking about it. I've finally had my library hold come in, and I'm hoping to start reading it this weekend. I'm excited to read a book based in the LA adjacent area since I haven't had many chances to read about places I actually live before now. I'm always interested in books that revolve around fame in some way, which initially drew me into the book. Apparently the book ends with a house going up in flames, and I really loved the last book I read where that happened, which seems promising (Little Fires Everywhere).
Summary
Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, the family drama that ensues will change their lives will change forever.
XOXO
by Axie Oh
As for YA, I finally have a chance to read XOXO this month. I've been excited to read this one since it came out last summer. In the wave of K-Pop books that have come out this year, this cover definitely made the book stand out from the rest. I also think it's really interesting that the book is set in South Korea and is a truly international story. I love books that give a fictionalized peak behind the curtain of the music world, and it's always fun to explore a brand new place without living your living room.
Summary
Jenny’s never had much time for boys, K-pop, or really anything besides her dream of being a professional cellist. But when she finds herself falling for a K-pop idol, she has to decide whether their love is worth the risk. A modern forbidden romance wrapped in the glamorous and exclusive world of K-pop, XOXO is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Maurene Goo.
Camp
by L.C. Rosen
The second YA book that I want to finally get around to reading this month is Camp. I was just recently reminded of how badly I wanted to read this book when I saw it mentioned. I feel like a summer camp story could be just the escapist moment that I've needed, and even though this blog isn't solely YA focused anymore, I want to keep uplifting LGBTQIA YA titles as much as possible. Since I'm not on the tight timeline of a library hold with this title, it'll probably be the first to get pushed to November, but I'm trying to be an optimist.
Summary
Set in a summer camp, this sweet and sharp screwball comedy set in a summer camp for queer teens examines the nature of toxic masculinity and self-acceptance.
LA Weather
by Maria Amparo Escandon
Speaking of books set in LA, I have a hold set to come in on LA Weather this month. The promise of a fast paced book set in my new hometown definitely peaked my interest. When their parents announce their impending divorce, three sisters are left to question where their lives are heading as well. It's mentioned in the full summary that one of the sisters is a social media star which is always intriguing. I was also excited to see that the book was described as fast paced because so much literary fiction is unfortunately on the slower side. It's definitely a style that I can appreciate, but this month, I need something fast paced to keep me reading through the chaos.
Summary
FORECAST: Storm clouds are on the horizon in L.A. Weather, a fun, fast-paced novel of a Mexican-American family from the author of the #1 Los Angeles Times bestseller Esperanza’s Box of Saints
Twilight
by Stephanie Meyer
This is not going to get reviewed on the blog if I even end up reading it. I've been contemplating trying to speed through it for a YouTube video I'm making at the end of the month, but I'm still not sure if I can stomach everything that is Twilight, even for a very specific purpose. On the other hand, I always felt left out when everyone was reading it when I'd first started 5th grade. The book was held in the library but for 8th graders only, so I've always been curious about what such an infamous book might actually have in store. Twilight, The Huger Games, and Divergent are technically YA, but in my head, they have constituted their own very specific genre of their own.
I'm sure I'll be disappointed in it, but I might have to finally indulge that curiosity.
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