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You guuuuuuys, I’ve kept this up for 8 straight months! Whether anyone is reading or not, it feels like a big personal accomplishment, ha! This was a great reading month – I read the same number of books as last month, but I really loved almost all of them (which will make picking my top four pretty difficult). I wanted to explore some titles for a Fall Reading blog post that I was inspired to do half-way through the month, so that added to my reading list.

I’m jumping on the Armchair Expert bandwagon and starting a *ding, ding, ding* element to my posts. I love finding common threads across books I’m reading, so these will now be labeled with a *ding, ding, ding*

Pocketful of Posies, by Thomas Reed: Two Mugs (ARC – pub date: 09.19.23)

This was a sweet read, following an extended family along while they spread the ashes of their parents/grandparents. I really enjoyed seeing the family dynamics mature and change throughout the book. I loved that the ashes were spread, literally, throughout the world, but I felt like this was glossed over somehow. I can’t put my finger on it, but it seemed like there wasn’t enough…time? provided to each destination. Someone please read this book and tell me what I’m not describing correctly here, because I can also vividly remember the stories narrated from each location, so maybe I’m just nuts.

*ding ding ding*: very much like Liz’s Road Trip that I read last month: spreading family ashes!

Today, Tonight, Forever, by Madeline Kay Sneed: Two Mugs (ARC – pub date: 11.07.23)

This story follows different people along two days leading up to a wedding. I really enjoyed the different points of view and how each story over lapped just a little, so you could understand what happened from two different points of view. I really appreciated having LGBTQ characters that were not necessarily labeled as such. I hope that as a society we’re moving towards a place of inclusion where the description of a character isn’t having to be overly explained: it’s just who they are.

Memory has no rhyme or reason. There is no logic in ghosts. They all visit on their own time. They don’t need an invitation. They own all the keys.

*ding ding ding*: Similar to All the Ways We Lied (and another recent read that I can’t put my finger on), the father had passed away fairly recently and was the person that held the family together. In both stories, the family members struggled to be a family without the father figure: “Jason had stitched them together so tightly with his unwavering devotion that they never needed more family.” I’m honestly a little torn by these theme: I fall in love with those characters and the love they provided their family to keep them unified, but also a little sad that so much of who a family is can depend on one integral member.

Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yaros: Three Mugs + Jalapeno (Libby loan)

Oh. Em. Gee. I’d been seeing this book around the book socials for a while and decided to listen to the hype and added it to my Libby wait list. And boy oh boy am I glad I did. I’m not typically a fantasy reader, but I’m all in now. I’ve even pre-ordered the next book in the series and can’t wait to see what’s next! There were some VERY spicy scenes in this one.

What Happens on Vacation, by Jo Watson: Three Mugs (ARC – pub date 10.24.23)

I loved the unique body image-approach this book had: it repeatedly pointed out how the main female character was curvy and not your typical model character. Although I loved that the character wasn’t embarrassed or tooooo self-conscious about her body, she definitely felt like the hot male character would never be interested in her because of it. I felt like that was a missed chance for a female character owning all of it and never doubting herself. She also was…not very nice sometimes, but she grew on me and definitely warmed up as the book went on.

There was a passage in the book about the character’s dad and his admiration for the pin-tailed Wydah that visited his home and this just really tickled me. Here’s why: the characters are from South Africa, and this bird is native to South Africa, but it has very recently been spotted in part of Orange County, and we have our very own resident Wydah that I say hello to almost every morning, and greats me when I get home. I went on a deep search of the internet and know more about this bird than I’m comfortable admitting, and it made me so happy to read and relate about it in this book.

This book also gave me both the lough out loud giggles, and the teary eyed moment, which is such a great thing to be able to pull off!

*ding, ding, ding*: This was the other book about losing a dad and dealing with that kind of grief (why are all the dad’s dying??), and also a moment about spreading her fathers ashes (and they’re all getting cremated!).

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes, by Alexa Martin: Three Mugs (Libby loan)

I got to add a couple other library cards to my Libby account thanks to my sisters, and two books that ere not available through my library were instantly available. Cue obsessive reading!

This book was such a delight! I loved all the millennial references, the frequent cussing (so refreshing), and the shout out to a local playground that I’ve taken my kids to multiple times. I’ve also been wanting to start a podcast with Jeff for a couple years now (literally), and this book just made that itch a little more. I also truly loved the relatability of millennial mothering.

*ding ding ding* This may sound very older-millennial, but social influencer characters are a thing! Today, Tonight and Forever also had characters that were social influences. This was also the third book in a row where a female character explicitly stated they never wanted to have kids. Again, as an older-millennial, I think I JUST missed this in my age and with our friends, so it’s so fascinating to see this play out in literature. Also: another dead dad!!

They’ve done nothing but humblebrag about their little angels since we arrived. Like, I get it, Karen, your kid’s a genius and can paint like Picasso. Nobody gives a fuck.

Cicada Summer, by Maureen Leurck/Kilmer: Three Mugs (Libby loan)

This was a small town setting book and I LOVED it. This book was all about second chances, and I loved reading about a major home renovation project to restore a historical home. It also solidified my desire for a lake house. I NEED a lake house.

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, by Heather Webber: Three Mugs (Libby loan)

Another small town read and YES PLEASE. Sweet tea, porch sitting, fried chicken, outdoor movie nights, small town gossip, sprinkled with a little magical realism. Also some family drama and MULTIPLE romantic story lines. I’m here for all of it. And now I’m also in serious search of a Blackbird Café t-shirt and possibly commissioning Jeff to design one for me.

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living, by Louise Miller: Three Mugs (Libby loan)

The opening lines of this one threw me a little, but so glad I stuck with it. Another small town read (1000% intentional – I was looking for fall-based books to read) that had all the apple pie talk you could hope for in a fall-inspired read, although this book takes place in the span of a year, ha! Another super enjoyable read and I hope the cabin the main character lived in is actually an AirBnB I can stay in some day. One can dream, right?

I LOVED the banjo, fiddle and contra dances and the main role they played in this book (oh did I mention the dad had passed away?) – I really want to go to one!

The end of the book had an apple pie recipe that I will definitely try, but just taking screenshots of all the pages of instructions reminded me why i bake an apple crisp instead.

*ding ding ding*: there was a line where a character says “what does permanent mean, really?” And let me tell you, I couldn’t highlight that fast enough. Midnight at the Blackbird Café had the same bit: “what is friendship, really?”

We do our best as parents while we can. But after we’re gone, we expect that our children will go on. That they’ll keep becoming who we raised them to be.

Pumpkin Everything, by Beth Labonte: One Mug (Libby audio loan)

I had really high hopes for this one, but it wasn’t as great as I’d hoped. It DID have all the fall things: Fall in New Hampshire, pumpkin everything, apple cider and hot chocolate. I listened to this on audio through Libby and I have to say, my dislike for the book could be mostly based on this. The narration was cringe worthy. But the book was also heavy on the cheese. And opposite to Mom Jeans, the language and romance were SUPER clean – which might be your thing, but I’ve realized it’s not mine, ha! The main character lived too munch in a stage of regret over something that obviously wasn’t really her fault, and was super stubborn about stuff that every other character (and reader) could tell was BS.

*ding ding ding*: cheating spouses. This was a big one for my reads this month, including Mom Jeans, What Happens on Vacation, Cicada Summer, and Today, Tonight, Forever. So – almost all of them? Also: Harry Potter references! They were everywhere this month. Again with the older millennial thing, but maybe I’m just now realizing how important Harry Potter was for the younger millennial crowd.

What have been your favorite reads lately?

If you’re looking for your next read, here are some of my TBR lists:

You can also follow me along on Instagram for regular posts on what I’m reading (@alexs.reading.nook)

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