Sydney Reads and Reads: October

Through the good fortune of a podcast rabbit hole I recently discovered the What Should I Read Next podcast.  How have I gone this long and not been a devotee of Anne Bogel? Through binge listening to her show, my reading spark has been re-ignited and I am hungrier than ever for my favorite past time.

As my mom (and anyone else who really knows me) will tell you, I have always been a reader.  I, like many of you, was the kid that ALWAYS had a book when we were in the car, and positively LIVED for the Scholastic Book Fair every year. But lately, I'd gotten lazy about my favorite hobby, only reading a few pages before bed each night and taking months sometimes to finish a book.

Cut to today. My mind is simply swimming with titles, so much so that I can hardly concentrate on anything else.  I've got myself a library card and am scouring the digital apps trying to find audio books to get me through my work day. I am alive with this world again and I couldn't be more pleased.

It's been years since I've posted about what I'm reading so I thought it would be fun to bring back this feature as an excuse to talk to you about the books I'm loving!

I'm not always a seasonal reader, but each October I find myself drawn to spooky novels.  This year was no different. My choices range from the classic gothic, to witchy chick lit, a little something for every taste I think.  Let's dig in!

Lethal White: I'd already been to Downtown Book & Toy once the day I heard Lethal White had hit shelves.  Immediately upon learning so, I grabbed my wallet, stormed across the street, burst through the door and exclaimed, "Katie, how did you let me walk out of here earlier without telling me the new Robert Galbraith was out?!" Dramatic, yes, but accurate. If you like mysteries, or politics, or J.K. Rowling's writing this book is for you.  I picked it up, and before I knew it I'd blown through the first half of this 656-page behemoth. If you've never read any of the Cormoran Strike series, you're in luck, this is the 4th installment!

The Haunting of Hill House: There's nothing I love more this time of year than a classic Gothic thriller and Hill House did not disappoint. I was so gripped by this story I read it in one sitting.  As we meet our lead character Eleanor, I found myself smiling from ear to ear, totally caught up in her romantic fantasy of what Hill House could hold for her.  Then slowly filled with dread as the events of their week there unfold.  If you are a fan of Daphne du Maurier this book is for you. 

Vox: Vox takes place in a fictional future where women are only allotted 100 words a day. If they go over that, they're shocked by the counters on their wrists.  But Dr. Jean McClellan is determined to make her voice heard. As you can imagine, this book made me feel a lot of things, one of which was anger.  But that's kind of the point.  Thought provoking and worth reading. 

Housewitch: I picked up Housewitch at my local library after seeing it on Emma Chapman's Instagram.  Part mystery, part Stepford Wife drama, completely entertaining and on theme for my October to-be-read pile! 

Believe it or not, I've still got a few on that TBR for this month including the newly released, The Woman in the Window coming in my Book of the Month box, and Picnic at Hanging Rock which I just grabbed the ebook for.  

What are you reading right now? Let me know! - xo Sydney