Reading Wrap-Up for October 2025

 

Life's Too Short to Stick With a 'Bad' Book

 

I really don’t like putting a book on the DNF shelf. I’ve always felt that if someone put in the effort to write a book the least I can do, after picking it up, is finish reading it.

But over the last few months I’ve come to the realization that life’s too short to stick with books that aren’t touching me in some way. I’ve DNF’d more books in the last 6 weeks than I have, probably, in the last 6 years. (I’m not including “paused” books in this note. I’ll touch on that some other time.)

Before I DNF a book, though, I do go to a site or two to see what other people think of it, and I usually go to the one- or two-star reviews to see if any readers are picking up the same vibe I am. It makes me feel better (kind of) when I discover that they are.

It’s especially hard to DNF a best-seller or anything that’s beloved by readers. I start to think something must be wrong with me if I don’t like it. Then I remember that not everyone has the same taste in books. I also try to remind myself that if someone challenges me on why I didn’t like or didn’t finish a book, “not everyone has the same taste” is all I have to say.

Wouldn’t the literary world be boring if we all like the same thing?

(I have finished all the books pictured.) 

Let's Try This Again ...

I've read 57 books so far this year and, I'm confident that by the end of the week that number will be 60. It was not that ago that I couldn't even read 26 books a year. That's only 2 books a month, which makes me feel much better about the only 7 I read last month.

I do have an excuse for September, though. I was without a car for most of the month, meaning my audio book "reading" was cut by 40 minutes per workday. Also, my Bona Girl Trip was in September so my nighttime reading was cut down by a little. 

At least the majority of the books were good, though. 

For the first time ever I was disappointed with a Lisa Gardner book. I love Frankie Elkin but One Step Too Far just didn't do it for me. I will keep reading Lisa's books, though. And, after all, 3.75 is not a bad rating. I just thought the last 1/3 was too slow-paced.

I've never read Stacy Willingham before but had read good reviews of her books so I chose the audio book of Forget Me Not for my Book of the Month Club selection. (I was not impressed by another selection. For October, I was so unimpressed that I'm skipping this month.) It was OK but -- and sorry for this -- forgettable. It was very slow for the first 3/4 then had too much jammed into the lat 1/4. I might read her again. I'll decide when and if I get to that point. 
 

Mary Higgins Clark (who I still miss) and Alice Feeney haven't let me down yet. (I know All Around the Town is quite old, and I don't know how I missed it when it first came out. I am, however, grateful that I was able to pick it up at the Bemus Point Library book sale.) 

It's very unusual to have more than one 5-star rating in a month. I had 3 in September. Jane Eyre. Need I say more? I was late to the party for Remarkably Bright Creatures but so glad I finally got to it. The Secret Book Society, although historical fiction, is very relevant for the times in which we are living. It's the current selection for the Sounds Novel Book Club. This month's meeting will be my first and I'm looking forward to it.  

I'm keeping track of my reading on Storygraph and Goodreads (Fable, too, but I'm going to leave there after my reading streak gets to 366 days.) I also have a physical book journal. Why I need to keep track here, I don't know (Compilation of everything, I guess). And, I don't know if I'll keep up with it. But I do love reading and books, and looking at books, and talking about books, and writing about books, and going to libraries, and searching Libby for books ... You get the idea. So, we'll see what happens here. I'm hoping I don't go 11 months without posting like last time.

Note: The August graphic is to show that I have been doing better than 7 books a month. 

Book Review: Mad Honey

 After the shocking twist was revealed halfway through the book, I was sure I knew who Lily's real killer was. I was wrong, but it kept me guessing -- and kept me reading -- so that's a good thing.

I loved Lily but still not sure how I feel about her boyfriend Asher. I love Lily's mom, too, and have mixed feelings about Asher's mom.

Without giving away anything, I will say that if you think being "woke" is a bad thing, you will either hate this book or you'll learn something and be enlightened.

 

  From the book cover:

A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Let's Do It Again

 I haven't done this for two years in a row since 2002-2003. This year, I'm going to see if I can do it again.

Fingers crossed. Uh, no. It would be very hard to type that way.

To-Read Pile

 No promises, but I'm going to try to get back to this blog. Pictured is part of my to-read/in progress pile, so I'll have plenty of material, eventually.

"The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store" by James McBride isn't in the picture because I was reading it in another room. Also, I'm reading Dan Barry's "This Land, America Lost and Found." Also, in another room.

I Haven't Forgotten About This Blog

I'm working on some changes.

I'll be keeping the author interviews as well as my reviews, and local book/author news. But I'm going to throw in some news related to other forms of art, too.

Although reading is my first love and writing my second, I've come to realize that music (all genres), painting, fiber arts, acting ... Well, you get the idea ... are all important to me, too. So, I'm going to try to incorporate as much as I can into this blog.

I'd like to come up with a format before I start posting again regularly. I am getting there. Stay tuned.