My Month Is Booked: October Reads

I totally forgot to post September's read, so you get two months worth this time, though I definitely didn't read as much as I did in summer! And I'm having a hard time picking my next read (though I did read 2 books already this month). I'm hoping to get some inspiration from reading all your recent reviews in Lauren's linkup! Anyway, Here's what I read since the last time I joined:

Opium and Absinthe - Lydia Kang: 4 Stars
library paperback

Trigger warnings: drug abuse/addiction, rape

I was a little wary about reading this one as it's not something I normally would have picked up because it's set in 1899 (I'm not a big fan of historical fiction) and vampires (also not a fan of paranormal). It was a book club pick, but perfect for "spooky" season! I was reeled in hard though! Basically our MC, Tillie, gets into a horse-riding accident, breaking her collarbone and hurting her shoulder, and is given opium for the pain. The same day, her sister goes missing and then is found dead in Central Park with what appear to be vampire bites on her neck and a bottle of absinthe next to her. When she finds this out, she makes it her mission to find out more about vampires and who or what killed her sister, but she's heavily drugged the entire story. (It should be noted that "Dracula" was also just released around this time.) 

I felt bad for Tillie. First of all, she got hooked on opiates (as many young people do) due to an injury. It was actually a bit baffling since this is still such a raging issue today. Second, her family was awful (they had been keeping secrets of their own, which they continued not to discuss because it also kept them wealthy and "in good name"). Third, I was reminded how women were rated as second class citizens even when they were rich. She wants to WORK? Why, when she could be a "kept" woman?! Oh, Tillie is angry, reacting, and speaking up about it? She must be hysterical! Let's take her to the doctor for a dose of morphine immediately! Also, (almost) everyone was so willing to keep her drugged up so she would keep subdued, quiet, and just "let it go"! 

There was a lot going on in this story, and characters kept popping in, it seemed ad-hoc, to throw the reader (and Tillie) for a loop with a possible new killer candidate, which worked but was also a bit confusing. Our narrator is very unreliable so it's hard to figure out "whodunit" as she researches other vampiric-appearing deaths and more about the creatures themselves. Did Tillie truly know her older sister at all? As the pieces come together through the drug-induced haze, we begin to see a bigger picture of who her sister, and the people in her life, all played a part in her ultimate death... one that Tillie nearly meets herself.

The Golden Couple - Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen: 4 Stars

Own

Overall I really enjoyed this book. However the ending left me wanting to know one more thing - ___was acting really weird, and I want to know her full story. 

People We Meet On Vacation - Emily Henry: 3 Stars

Own

I liked this, but didn't love it. First of all, it was overly predictable. Second, I didn't really like either of the main characters. Third, I don't like it in general when a story goes back and forth in time, and this was no exception. It got so confusing! Fourth, I was irked that the title had absolutely nothing to do with the book. Or maybe I didn't love it  because I adored Beach Read so much?! 

I Choose Darkness - Jenny Lawson: 5 Stars

Kindle Unlimited

It's had to rate this because it wasn't a book... it wasn't even a novella. It was like a longer essay? But I love her reasoning for why she loves Halloween so much, the stories from growing up, her "conversations" with her editor sprinkled throughout, and of course the pictures. I was literally laughing out loud for most of it! 

Book Stats (recounted this month)
Total number read: 34
Owned: 22

Library: 12

E-book: 18

Physical book: 16
Non-Fiction: 5
BIPOC Author: 5

Given Away/Paperback Swap: 14

What are you reading?

Linking up with Lauren!