My Month Is Booked: October 2024

Welcome to  October’s My Month is Booked linkup! :] I didn’t read as many books this month, but come on by to see what I did end up reading! :]

I <3 bookstores — this/libraries were my daycare when I was younger, haha. One of my favorite authors has a book in this spread! :]

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Lonely Castle in the Mirror, by Mizuki Tsujimura – Seven students who’ve been avoiding going to school discover a portal into another world that gives them a temporary escape from their lives. They are tasked with finding a key hidden in a castle that will grant one wish. If they fail to leave the castle by 5pm, they will be eaten by the keeper of the castle.

This tackles a lot of more difficult topics well, including the struggles of adolescence, bullying, assault, and mental health quite well. I enjoy how well everything fit together in the end.

The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen – I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator did a really great job! This delves into a tangled love triangle where what you see/hear may not be what’s really going on. You may end up making a lot of different assumptions (I for sure did even with the warning…). It was a suspenseful mystery/thriller that kept me engaged during my commute!

Rock, Paper, Scissors, by Alice Feeney – Adam and Amelia have been having problems with their marriage for quite some time, so when they win a weekend away to the Scottish highlands, they think this might just be what their marriage needs.

Each year, Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never gives to him, but she’s decided this year to let him read them all. But as the weekend progresses, they each start to realize that there are many secrets being kept, and they may not both be able to leave this place.

I also listened to this one as an audiobook! I was able to guess one of the twists, but there are a few more twist-twists that I definitely did not see coming. 😅

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Behold, the only non-audiobook I read this month!

This was my book club’s pick! I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading this, but even with the first chapter, there was so much I could relate to. As I kept reading, it was hard not to feel for the characters, and as strong a personality as Vera has (which anyone with an Asian mother could probably relate to 😅), you can’t help but love her. It’s hard not to want a Vera in your life (and those home cooked meals sound amazing…).

There were numerous parts where I couldn’t help bursting out laughing, and it makes me wish this was a real tea shop so I could visit it. (As it is, I actually have a lot of the ingredients mentioned, so I’ll probably be experimenting shortly!) I’m so glad this is just book #1, because I’d very much love to know what other adventures Vera and everyone else get into!

In summary, a hilarious and heartwarming cozy “found family” mystery. ❤️ I’ll definitely be reading more of this author’s novels + am looking forward to the sequel! (In honor of this book, I’m looking into organizing a “field trip” of sorts with my book club to go get dim sum in San Francisco + check out a tea shop!)

Got any book reviews from this month? Link em’ up below and make sure you visit others in the linkup too for reading inspiration! :]

• Any new favorites you’ve found?
• Got anything on your list for this upcoming month?