October started off as a slow reading month, but I picked up some really great books in the middle and definitely ended on a high note. Lots of thrillers and mysteries, which seemed appropriate for October. 

Five Stars

The Push by Ashley Audrain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book definitely lived up to the hype. It was a page-turning thriller where the whole time you have to figure out what is going on with the relationship between a mother and her first-born child. Is the child really as nefarious as the mother perceives her to be? Or is it all in the mom's head like her husband seems to think? This is the central question of the book as mysterious things keep happening and as the reader, you don't know if the narrator is reliable. Super fast and good read.

Four Stars

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't love scary books, but I love Tiffany D. Jackson, so I picked this one up anyway. And yea, it was scary. I couldn't read it night in bed in the dark because every time I heard a noise, I jumped a bit. The book follows a family that moves to the middle of nowhere when the mom is awarded an art fellowship. But there are some weird things going on in the neighborhood and depending who you talk to you get a different story about why things are so desolate in town. This book is good. It's worth reading even if scary things aren't your thing.

The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that you finish and ask yourself how in the world can this be a true story. Elizabeth Packard was sent to an insane asylum by her husband in the 1860s. He had no real proof that she had any sort of mental illness, but at the time all a husband needed to do was claim a wife was "insane" and she could be sent away. But Elizabeth didn't go quietly. She stirred up trouble in the asylum, continuously pleading her case for her release, and when it was finally granted after three years, she worked tirelessly to advocate for the women still locked up. It's a result of her lobbying that led to several laws that protected women from this kind of treatment by the men in their lives. The story was really good though I felt at times there were parts that were a bit slow. But still a great read to understand just how nonexistent women's rights used to be.

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love a good celebrity memoir audiobook and McConaughey's didn't disappoint. Before listening to this book, I didn't know much about his life before acting, so I enjoyed listening to him talk about his rough upbringing, how he eventually made his way into show biz, and the ups and downs of his career.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun suspenseful mystery. Nora receives an invite to Clare's bachelorette party -- even though Nora hasn't seen or spoken to Claire in 10 years. But out of morbid curiosity, Nora and another friend decide to go. It's a strange cast of characters that arrive at the house deep in the woods, and when someone winds up dead, basically anyone could be guilty. I had a strong suspicion about who had committed the crime, and I couldn't wait to finish the book to see if I was right.

Two Stars

Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The description of this book is super deceptive. I went in thinking I was going to be reading a fast-paced thriller about a husband who goes missing. But instead, I suffered through a slog of a story that didn't get much into trying to find the husband, but focused on the family dynamic without him. It was slow, the characters were largely meh and it was way too long. Only finished it because it was a book club book. Wouldn't recommend.

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