To quote one of my favorite books (and characters) of all time “I’m so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers.” Though the start of fall has been chaotic to say the least I managed to squeeze another ten stack in sooner than I thought. It could be the fact that these are largely rom-com reads (with a few others sprinkled in for good measure) but most of these ten were really enjoyable. I wanted to read some light-hearted books before diving into Spooky Season reads for the month of October, a palate cleanser if you will. I’m looking forward to all of the holiday reads to come! Until then give these 10 a chance.

“Love on the Brain” by Ali Hazelwood

WWMCD? Bee’s mantra in life. What would Marie Curie do? Being a woman in STEM is always a fight to be seen but Levi Ward has made Bee’s life unbearable since grad school. So when her dream job at NASA lands in her lap she is crushed to find out that she has to co-lead the team with her nemesis. When she arrives none of the equipment she requested for the project has arrived, her office is locked and no one will even hear her ideas out. Bee begins to suspect that Levi still has it in for her. Never one to back down to a challenge Bee decides to dig her heels in and rise above just like Marie but when the narrative begins to shift and Levi’s true intentions are revealed Bee must figure out WWBD? “Love on the Brain” is a quick, quirky and fun read that I took down in one day. Ali Hazelwood has written a rom-com for those that hate the fluff side story and want a little more. I really enjoyed Bee & Levi, though some supporting characters I could have done without. I was hesitant to check this one out after seeing Hazelwood’s first book all over Bookstagram but I’m really glad I gave this a try.

“Part of Your World” by Abby Jimenez

Alexis is stuck in the middle of nowhere thanks to a chance encounter with a raccoon. While waiting for a tow truck to arrive she is approached by Daniel who offers to help. Realizing she has nowhere else to go Daniel offers to make her dinner and one thing turns into the next morning. Vowing never to see him again after she discovers he’s almost a decade younger than her, Ali is mortified she stepped so far out of who she is – someone who does not have one night stands with handsome carpenters from small towns in the middle of nowhere. But once she is back to her day to day life of being the heir to a medical dynasty she can’t stop thinking of Daniel. They couldn’t be from more different worlds, there is no way this could turn into anything but Alexis finds herself drawn back to his small town and falling more in love with the people there. Though a long term commitment isn’t in the cards, the two can have fun while it lasts though, right? “Part of Your World” is not your average rom-com. Yes, it has adorable characters, a quaint little town, steamy scenes and lots of smile worthy moments but it also has more to it than that. Abby Jimenez covers the subject of mental health, emotional/physical abuse as well as domestic violence in a clear, well written way that doesn’t feel like the topics are just sprinkled for effect. I really enjoyed “Part of Your World” and would recommend this for lovers of this genre.

“The Nineties” by Chuck Klosterman

1990-1999 saw the ending of my childhood as well as my teens. Being born in 1980 I solidly remember this decade’s pop culture, its newsworthy events and wore all of its glorious fashions. What teetering Gen X/Elder Millennial didn’t go from tight rolling their jeans in middle school to wide leg by high school? Who didn’t watch the Bronco chase or rush home after school to watch TRL or have a moment the first time you heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit”? We know the pain of missing our favorite TV shows if we weren’t home when they aired, we know the pain of researching papers without the internet, we had the skills to recall anyone’s phone number from memory and would sit by the radio for hours waiting for our favorite song to air to push play/record at the same time just to make that perfect mix tape. The 90s were wild. We are the last generation to be raised with and without the internet, to remember pre-9/11 and to remember what life was like before we carried ours around in our pockets. Author Chuck Klosterman has collected the best of this decade in his book “The Nineties”. I really enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Klosterman himself and found myself remembering things I had forgotten or learning about things I was just that little bit too young to have experienced in the early 90s. “The Nineties” is a great listen/read for those of us who lived it (…and maybe should be required reading for the Gen Z teens who are insisting on bringing back our fashions but have no idea we wore it first {please for the love of all things holy leave the low rise in the past}) Give this one a TBR add for a nostalgia wave.

“Finding Gene Kelly” by Torie Jean

Thousands of miles away from her home in Massachusetts Evie O’Shea has made a life for herself in Paris though lately she isn’t sure where that life is headed. At twenty-six, a chronic illness now forcing her dreams to the sidelines, Evie feels the weight of her parent’s disappointment more now than ever. With her brother’s impending wedding inching closer, Evie finds herself desperate enough to ask for help from the one person she would rather never cross paths with again, Liam Kelly. The actual boy next door from her childhood, the boy she married at five who grew into the bane of her existence is here in Paris, on her turf and now Evie must tolerate Liam long enough to convince her family that they are in love, long enough to survive her brother’s wedding and get safely back to Paris where she belongs. Liam agrees to go along with her plan but with conditions of his own – Evie must agree to an elaborate backstory and practice date him all over Paris before the two return home but what Evie doesn’t expect to learn is the hard exterior her illness has helped build up over the last ten years is costing her more than she realized. I have so many emotions about “Finding Gene Kelly”. First, as a former dancer who had hearteyes for Gene Kelly I loved all of the references to his movies sprinkled into this book. Second, the music pun chapter titles, amazing. Third, highlighting a disease that 1/10 women are diagnosed with but doesn’t get enough attention, author Torie Jean puts a spotlight on what living with endometriosis looks like. Fourth, Paris, pastries, Portsmouth…I don’t need to say anything more. If you are a rom-com reader I highly recommend picking up “Finding Gene Kelly”. You won’t be disappointed.

“The Last Thing He Told Me” by Laura Dave

On a seemingly normal weekday afternoon Hannah’s life implodes. It starts with a delivery of a note by a stranger from her husband, “Protect her” the only message inscribed. Then Owen wouldn’t answer her calls, he didn’t return home from work and then the news broke, Owen’s office was raided and the FBI arrested his boss. When there is still no word from Owen the next day Hannah’s worry increases as a US Marshall and the FBI separately pay her a visit. What has Owen done? Now it’s up to Hannah and her sixteen year old step-daughter to unravel the tangled web Owen has left behind to figure out where he is and just how big of a mess he has left behind. The more they pull at strings they begin to realize that neither of them truly knew Owen and Hannah must risk it all to keep Bailey safe. I’m mad at myself for how long I let “The Last Thing He Told Me” sit on my TBR shelf. I couldn’t put this one down. It’s a page-turning thriller but lacks all of the shock and gore you usually get with that genre. It was very refreshing to be hooked in a book from this genre without that piece. (I can’t wait to see the TV series that just wrapped up filming this spring with Jennifer Garner cast as Hannah.) Don’t miss out on this book.

“The Littlest Library” by Poppy Alexander

It is time for Jess to make a change, some big changes actually. Having just lost her only caretaker in life, her Mimi and her job, Jess decides its time to start fresh putting her home up for sale. Not wanting to be amongst the potential buyers and possibly hear them pass judgment on the place she and Mimi loved so dearly Jess decides to hit the road and see where the day takes her and stumbles upon the most charming cottage. As it happens Ivy Cottage and the red phone booth outside is for sale. Seeing this as a sign Jess packs her belongings and all of Mimi’s beloved books and finds herself joining in village life. Soon a plan emerges for the phone box and a new life is breathed into Mimi’s collection of stories bringing together a little community that didn’t know that Jess was just what they needed. I really wanted to love “The Littlest Library”. It had all the ingredients for a super lovey rom-com but just never quite made it there. Even what was meant to leave the reader feeling satisfied at the end made me question if a sequel was written if we would find Jess actually happy. If you enjoy rom-com’s without any steam and don’t mind things being left slightly unsatisfied then give this one a try.

“The Radium Girls” by Kate Moore

Radium swept the globe with what many believed to be the new wonder drug and hot new addition to the beauty world. It was added to lotions, tonics and products for consumers to snatch up to bring some brightness to life post World War I. One watch dial factory used radium to make the faces of their watches glow leaving hundreds of their workers iridescent post shift stirring up jealousy among other women who coveted the dial painter’s jobs. Everyone wanted to be a Radium Dial girl…until they all started falling mysteriously ill. Vehemently denying any wrongdoing the company fought with every weapon they had at their disposal to cut ties with the women, ignore their cries for help and all out lie to the public on the harmless use of radium. The brave women who united to hold Radium Dial and its management accountable undertook one of America’s biggest lawsuits that forever changed the rights given to workers, laws that still echo today. I found “The Radium Girls” so difficult to listen to for two reasons. First, what happened to these women was gruesome and absolutely heartbreaking. The effects of the poison that not only was slow but absolute torture was so difficult to imagine. Second, the audiobook version of this story was so overly narrated it was painful to listen to at times. This story is such an important one to hear about. I would just recommend the physical book over the audio one if you have yet to discover the tale of the Radium Girls.

“Witch Please” by Ann Aguirre

Danica Waterhouse is the co-owner of the “Fix-It Witches” with her cousin Clem. The two witches use their modern magic to repair everything for their small town. When the owner of the town’s popular bakery walks into their shop in search of a handywoman, Danica’s magic goes on the fritz. Titus Winnaker lived up to the hype that the women have spread around town and now Danica can’t get him out of her head. Only problem is Danica is forbidden to fall for a mundane, a non-magic, and if her Gram found out there would be dangerous consequences. Trying every solution she can to forget about Titus, Danica is stuck juggling the world she was born into and the life she has always dreamed of and for Titus he is just hoping he has found the one to finally break his curse. I really wanted to like “Witch Please” and at times I was entertained but there were a lot of moments that felt incredibly random and thrown in for either shock value, steam points or what felt like an inauthentic attempt at representation. There was also a character that just never fully developed that felt thrown in for good measure. However, I did see that this is intended to be a series down the line so maybe this is a future character yet to be explored? His storyline in this book felt random and the threat he posed just disappears almost all together. With so many cute Halloween rom-coms out there, this wouldn’t be my first recommendation for your spooky season TBR list.

“The Winter Guest” by W.C. Ryan

On a cold January night an IRA ambush goes terribly wrong when Lord Kilcolgan’s daughter is murdered. Though the column admits to being involved with the attack they steadfastly insist that they aren’t responsible for Maud’s death. She was alive when they left. Dispatched to investigate her death, Captain Tom Harkin is all too familiar with the Prendeville family having served with their sons in the Great War and at one time being engaged to Maud. Now it’s up to Tom to uncover the truth about the night Maud was killed, having to navigate all of the secrets being kept and the ghosts from his past coming back to haunt him. I was so eager to read “The Winter Guest” having absolutely loved another of this author’s books. The promise of another spooky read based on the blurb was shut down a bit when that element of the story largely took a backseat to politics of the era. Though the story was well written and I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoys Historical Fiction/Crime genre I still place Ryan’s “A House of Ghosts” at the top of my list of his work. A good read but not really one for spooky season.

“Unsolved Supernatural: 101 Tales of Hauntings, Demons and the Paranormal” by Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej

Full disclosure I had no idea who Ryan and Shane were before purchasing this book nor have I ever seen an episode of their show so my review of this book (audiobook) is solely based on the book alone. While scrolling through trying to decide on a new audiobook to listen to I was psyched to find “Unsolved Supernatural”, the perfect Spooky Season listen I thought. Though the chapters are organized well and there are a lot of cases covered I learned next to nothing. The narrator briefly introduces each case and gives a surface overview but is interrupted by Ryan and Shane every other sentence. These interruptions would be welcome if they were filled with commentary that added to the story but instead are mostly filled with jokes and humor that isn’t actually all that funny. They comment that they have visited some of these sights on their shows but fail to bring any of their experiences into this book. I’m assuming if you want real content or want to learn anything more about these cases then it’s the show you want to watch instead of reading/listening to the companion book. Disappointing experience with a book that had a lot of potential to be really entertaining.

‘Til next time,

The Booked Mama

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