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October 26, 2021

October 2021 Books Reviews

This post may include Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Considering I read an 800+ page book this month, I’m feeling pretty good about the number of books I manage to read. I guess that’s retirement for you! I have to admit that I’m loving every single morning when I wake up and think, “Oh, I don’t have to go to work today.” I’m sure it will wear off, eventually, but for now it’s a daily gift. It’s also nice that I’ve been free to help out and spend more time with my three local grandkids. That and more reading time have been exactly what I was hoping for from retirement. Now if we could just get to the point where I felt good about doing some serious traveling, then it would be everything I wanted.

October 2021 Book Reviews

Today I’m sharing five books I read this month, all but one released in October. On Thursday, I’ll be back with the three audiobooks I listened to this month.

The Book of Mother vt Violaine HuismanThe Book of Mother by Violaine Huisman (debut)
Publisher: Scribner
Release Date: October 19, 2021
Length: 224 pages
Amazon

My Thoughts:ย ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐๐Ž๐Ž๐Š ๐Ž๐… ๐Œ๐Ž๐“๐‡๐„๐‘ by debut author Violaine Huisman is a book in translation (originally in French) that is actually an โ€œautobiographical novel.โ€ Itโ€™s the true story of Huismanโ€™s life with, and deep love for her mentally unstable mother, Catherine. Itโ€™s considered a novel because it includes Catherineโ€™s thoughts and actions at times when the author was not there, thus the fiction element. โฃ
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I found the story something of a roller coaster, which might be appropriate for a book about a woman who lived her life in extremes. The first third of the book was more of a general overview from the authorโ€™s perspective and there I had trouble staying engaged. However, that changed in the second part where we really got to know Catherine from her childhood through her three marriages, including breakdowns and hospitalizations along the way. She was not an easy mother for the author or her sister, but they loved her fiercely no matter what state she was in. The third part of the book really focuses on that deep love of a daughter for her mother. It was touching.โฃ
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Iโ€™d say that ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜‰๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜”๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ is a book thatโ€™s ideal for when you have time to really dig in and peel back the layers of a complex woman and the daughters who adore her despite the havoc of their own lives. Grade: B-

Note:ย My thanks toย Scribnerย for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

No One Will Miss Her by Kat RosenfieldNo One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfieldย 
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: October 12, 2021
Length: 304 pages
Amazon

My Thoughts:ย A lot of people like to delve into thrillerโ€™s in the dreary days of fall, and if thatโ€™s the case for you Iโ€™ve got the perfect book: ๐๐Ž ๐Ž๐๐„ ๐—ช๐ˆ๐‹๐‹ ๐Œ๐ˆ๐’๐’ ๐‡๐„๐‘ by Kat Rosenfield. From the very beginning, the book is a little creepy since its opening narrator is speaking directly to the reader…from beyond the grave. Lizzie Oullette is dead and she wants to make sure you know exactly how and why sheโ€™s been killed. โฃ
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Then thereโ€™s Adrienne Richards, a wealthy woman who often rented Lizzieโ€™s Maine lake house. Sheโ€™s got something to hide, but doesnโ€™t want to let us know what it is. Add to that one missing husband, another who needs to be handled with kid gloves, a detective trying to put all the pieces together, a really great twist and youโ€™ve got one fine thriller. Settle in with this book, a glass of wine, a cozy blanket, and get comfortable. You wonโ€™t be going anywhere soon! Grade: B+

Note:ย My thanks toย William Morrowย (via NetGalley) for an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride & Jo PiazzaWe Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride & Jo Piazzaย 
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: October 5, 2021
Length: 336 pages
Amazon

My Thoughts:ย WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM had to be a difficult one to write and itโ€™s definitely a weighty book to read. In it, co-authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza tackle tender, fragile topics surrounding race and unconscious biases that need to be talked about much more, but that many want to shy away from. โฃ
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This is the story of best friends Jen and Riley who have known each other since preschool. Jen is white, Riley is Black. Jen spent much of her youth with Rileyโ€™s family because her own home life was unstable. Though adulthood took them in different directions, they always counted on their friendship as a touchstone to who they were. Everything about their lives looks different when Jenโ€™s husband, a police officer, is involved in the shooting of a teenage Black boy. Jenโ€™s world is turned upside-down, but so too is Rileyโ€™s. Sheโ€™s dealing with her own feelings about yet another police shooting of a Black youth, while also reporting on the story for the television station where she works. โฃ
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From this set up, Pride and Piazza are able to generate many important conversations around race, particularly shining a light on white people who โ€œdonโ€™t see color.โ€ I appreciated the realities the story brought to light and that it was done in a story that was also compelling to read. The authors had to walk a delicate balance between hard lessons and delivering a story that many would want to read. I was engrossed from beginning to end, so obviously they did an excellent job. I initially felt the book should have gone deeper into the epidemic of police shootings and police reform, but honestly there is only so much one story can cover and in the end the authors truly got it just right. Grade: A-

Note:ย My thanks toย Atriaย for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Love Songs of W.E.B. du Bois by Honoree Fannone JeffersThe Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorรฉe Fanonne Jeffersย (debut)
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: August 24, 2021
Length: 816 pages
Amazon

My Thoughts:ย Itโ€™s a daunting task to write a review of an 800 page book. Iโ€™ll start with letting you know I was awed by ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐‹๐Ž๐•๐„ ๐’๐Ž๐๐†๐’ ๐Ž๐… ๐—ช.๐„.๐. ๐ƒ๐” ๐๐Ž๐ˆ๐’ by Honorรฉe Fanonne Jeffers. This novel is quite simply gorgeous. The author takes two storylines and interlaces them together into a cohesive story that brings together the many complicated generations of a Black family in Georgia. One of the storyโ€™s narrative strands follows Ailey Pearl Garfield from the time sheโ€™s a small child all the way through adulthood. Along the way, we get to know the many members of her extended family, especially the women who hold many secrets, and her great-great-uncle, Root, a history professor with a wealth of knowledge. The other strand, the โ€œSongs,โ€ tells the sad history of Ailey’s ancestors, from the Indigenous people who first occupied the land her family still lives on, through generations of slaves forced to call that land home.โฃ
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It feels not quite right to say I loved a book that was filled with so much brutality, so much inhumanity, but I did love it. In the beginning, I struggled a little as I got to know the characters and understand the way the storylines connected, but before long, I really couldnโ€™t let go. Jeffers focused much of her story on the women of the family, both the wretchedness they were forced to endure and the strength they found to do so. In many ways the โ€œSongsโ€ reminded me of ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ by Yaa Gyasi, one of my all time favorite debuts. ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜“๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜š๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ž.๐˜Œ.๐˜‰ ๐˜‹๐˜ถ ๐˜‰๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ด isnโ€™t easy, but educative, heartbreaking, horrifying and oh so powerful. Itโ€™s one that takes time to absorb, but that will stay with me for a very long time. The book has definitely given me a hangover! Grade: A

โ€œ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜บ ๐˜ต๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ, ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ธ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ง ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ. ๐˜š๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ, ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต.โ€โฃ

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye WatkinsI Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Release Date: October 5, 2021
Length: 304 pages
Amazon

My Thoughts:ย ๐ˆ ๐‹๐Ž๐•๐„ ๐˜๐Ž๐” ๐๐”๐“ ๐ˆโ€™๐•๐„ ๐‚๐‡๐Ž๐’๐„๐ ๐ƒ๐€๐‘๐Š๐๐„๐’๐’ by Claire Vaye Watkins was one bizarre book! A work of autofiction, Watkinsโ€™ novel constantly had me wondering what was real to her life and what was not. In looking into her biographical information, I found many of my favorite parts of this book to be true to life. The book’s most interesting chapter told of her dadโ€™s young life when he was a member of the Manson Family…really! I also liked that much of the book was set in the Mojave Desert and Reno, Nevada, both areas familiar to me.โฃโฃ
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Told in first person, the book opens as Claire is struggling with postpartum depression and at the same time questioning if her marriage is still viable. She goes to Reno for a few days to promote her latest novel, only she canโ€™t get back on the plane to come home. Instead, the writer embarks on a journey through her past, trying to reconnect with memories of her parents and reconcile the impact of the life she grew up in. While I liked much of the book, I also felt parts dragged. This was particularly true of a series of letters written by her mother as a teenager. Even now, Iโ€™m not sure what they added to the story. If youโ€™re in the mood for something really different give ๐˜ ๐˜“๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜โ€™๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜Š๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜‹๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด a try. I guarantee youโ€™ll have a unique reading experience!โฃ Grade: C+

Note:ย My thanks toย Riverhead Booksย for a finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

What were your favorite reads in October?

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October 2021 Book Reviews

Filed Under: By Title, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Multi-Book Posts, Mystery-Suspense Tagged With: 2021, 2021 Books, Book Review, Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, Monthly Reviews, October 2021




Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Diane says

    October 26, 2021 at 4:44 am

    I read The Book of Mother and quite a shocking read at times but I do like those darker mother/daughter stories. I also have an audio of We Are not Like Them but, I haven’t read them yet.

    Reply

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Welcome to Novel Visits! Iโ€™m Susie and reading is my passion. Join me for new novel reviews, musing on all things books, and much more.

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