Welcome to Quick Lit, where we share short and sweet reviews of what we’ve been reading lately on the 15th of the month. (Or, when the 15th falls on a weekend, near the 15th of the month.)
My print reading time has been diminished lately, perhaps because the fall breaks of our four kids all happen at different times, and we’ve been taking a lot of time for college visits and family movie nights. But I’m continuing to enjoy abundant audiobook listening time, thanks to driving those kids all over and a regular morning walking routine (in addition to the regular dishes and laundry, of course).
All of this has added up to a pretty great reading month, especially considering the weekend I spent sick on the couch and finished four novels! Now that our Fall Book Preview is firmly in the rearview, I’ve been reading a nice mix of new, old, and forthcoming titles (because Spring Book Preview feels like it’s right around the corner, and would you believe I’m already eying Summer Reading Guide possibilities?). In today’s round-up you’ll see fiction and nonfiction, serious and breezy, literary and decidedly not, moody fall vibes and anytime reads, even a middle grade novel.
As always, I’m tracking my reading in the My Reading Life book journal, which makes it easy to see and share what I’ve been reading lately.
I hope you find something that looks intriguing for your TBR on this list (and in these comments!), and I look forward to browsing your recent reads below. Thanks in advance for sharing your short and sweet book reviews with us here!
Welcome to October Quick Lit
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing
I've heard good things about this book since it came out, but it was Shannan's One Great Book-style bonus episode over in our WSIRN Patreon community that pushed me to pick it up asap. This is therapist KC Davis's gentle instruction manual on how to maintain your home even when you're overwhelmed, depressed, or just living life with a neurodivergent brain that doesn't respond well to the advice that seems to work for everyone else. I loved this book, and found Davis's two-pronged approach extremely effective. First, a paradigm shift is in order: you are a person deserving of care; your home needs maintenance (not care) for the purpose of serving you well. Second, she provides specific instruction on momentum, motivation, and cleaning rhythms that make it easier to get done what needs to get done. This short little book packs a big punch: if you follow Davis's express path through the book you can finish it in an hour and start benefiting immediately. More info →
Florence Adler Swims Forever
I've had Beanland's historical debut novel waiting for me in Libro.fm since its 2020 release; I bumped it to the top of my queue after enjoying her April 2023 release The House Is on Fire. This book is NOT what I expected: it's no spoiler to say that on page 14 the vivacious 20-year-old swimmer Florence drowns on a training swim in the Atlantic Ocean, and the book is truly about her Jewish family's elaborate attempt to conceal the truth from Florence's hospitalized sister, who they fear will go into premature labor if she learns of the tragedy. Beanland explains in her author's note that much of the story is based on her own Jewish family's history in 1930s Atlantic City, and teases out what is fact and what is fiction for her readers. I loved this on audio, narrated by a full cast including Jesse Vilinsky and Gabra Zackman. More info →
The Cloisters
Our recent team and MMD Book Club discussions about Dark Academia inspired me to listen to this 2022 novel about a recent college graduate with a tragic past who travels from Washington state to New York City to take a summer job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When she arrives, she finds she is no longer needed—but is rescued by a curator at The Cloisters who has an opening. This outsider quickly falls in with the enigmatic group of curators and support staff at the museum, and becomes absorbed in their dangerous extracurricular pursuits involving rare artifacts and tarot cards. When those pursuits turn deadly, they all face terrible decisions in the aftermath. If you need characters you can root for this isn't the book for you, but I loved it for its intriguing setting, strong sense of place, and moody fall vibes. Emily Tremaine's narration was serviceable and perfectly listenable, but I wouldn't say it enhanced the reading experience. (If this sounds good, don't miss Ginger's post featuring 20 Dark Academia novels for moody fall reading.) More info →
North Woods
I love the conceit of this novel of interlocking short stories: the book tells of the inhabitants of one specific house in Western Massachusetts, from the Puritan era and then over the course of many centuries. We meet a pair of Puritan lovers, a soldier-turned-farmer determined to grow the best apples of the world, spinster sisters whose ghosts come to haunt the property, a pair of doomed lovers, a participant in a prison pen pal program, a panther. This didn't have the emotional resonance I find in my favorite novels, but there is much to admire in what I can only call a very good book: the ingenious looping and overlapping of some of the stories, the strong epistolary components throughout, the emotional pull of some of the threads. More info →
The Rachel Incident
This is the book I can't stop recommending this month! I picked this up on a whim and am so glad I did: the novel reads like a warmer, wittier Sally Rooney, perfect for fans of introspective first-person literary fiction. When the novel begins, Rachel is living in London, happily married and pregnant, when she hears the news that one of her old long-ago college professors is in a coma. (This beginning reminds me of one of my favorite novels, This Must Be the Place.) This discovery prompts her to recall a pivotal year in her early twenties, when she met her best friend James working at the bookstore and their lives soon became enmeshed with those of the professor and his wife. A provocative novel with an enticing plot that thoughtfully interrogates themes of power, class, art, and the queer experience; I adored the Irish accents in Tara Flynn's excellent narration. More info →
Chemistry
I loved listening to Joan Is Okay in August and wanted to dig deeper into Weike Wang’s backlist. In her 2017 debut novel our narrator is a chemistry PhD student who, feeling crushed by her demanding program and exacting Chinese parents, takes a leave of absence. She hopes to use this time to figure out what she really wants to do with her life, and to examine why she can’t just say “yes” when her committed boyfriend keeps pushing the idea of marriage. This literary novel is smartly written, with tight prose and a fascinating structure that serves the story well and makes it feel memoir-esque. I thought the ending was one part abrupt and one part pure brilliance, and would LOVE to unpack it in a book club setting. (I do want to flag a quick comment about gun violence for the sensitive reader: it caught me off guard, and made me wonder if now, six years later, that topic would have been handled differently.) More info →
The Cheat Sheet
Talk about perfect timing! The Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce news had just broken. I was in the mood for a good popcorn read—one that’s highly entertaining and not terribly demanding. And then I got the Libby alert that my long-awaited hold for the zippy sports romance The Cheat Sheet had come in! I couldn’t download it fast enough. Bree and Nathan have been best friends since high school. Now, nearly a decade after graduation, he’s star quarterback for the L.A. Sharks and she’s pouring her heart and soul into her ballet studio. When a viral video thrusts Bree into the spotlight, his agent pitches a fake relationship that paves the way for this pining pair to finally share their very real feelings with each other. Adams says in the Q&A at book’s end that she was inspired by Ted Lasso, and wanted to write a closed-door romance “so cozy and sweet, it gave me cavities.” I loved it and would read the sequel TODAY if I could, but alas, The Rule Book won’t be out until April 2024! More info →
Remember Us
I haven’t read much middle grade fiction this year, but I picked up this brand new novel (just out October 10) from Jacqueline Woodson the minute I heard about it, because of my love for her 2020 MG release Before the Ever After. The story takes place the summer before Sage enters seventh grade, in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, called "The Matchbox" because buildings keep going up in flames. Her mother wants to move them to a safer neighborhood—especially because Sage's father died fighting one of those fires—but she's reluctant to leave the place that holds so many family memories. Woodson drew heavily on her own experience growing up in Bushwick in the 70s and 80s to pen this novel, and beautifully captures the dreams and pain of the tween years and the particular poignancy of Sage's struggles. This lyrical story of grief, change, and healing is especially good on audio, narrated by the author. More info →
What have YOU been reading lately? Tell us about your recent reads—or share the link to a blog or instagram post about them—in comments.
54 comments
I’m next up at my library for The Rachel Incident and can’t wait to read, especially with your comparison to This Must Be the Place (it’s one of my all-time favorites as well). I also read Chemistry this month and loved it, and agree it’s a perfect book club book!
Over all, my reading this month was a mixed bag. I enjoyed some quirky literary fiction, insightful middle grade, and short fiction with a bookish setting. I’m also continuing to work through Anne Tyler’s backlist and adored A Spool of Blue Thread. I had less success with a feel-good novel others are loving that wasn’t for me, and with a middle grade fantasy series that didn’t hold the same appeal for my kids as it has for others.
https://kendranicole.net/quick-lit-october-2023/
Don’t miss out on these mini reviews of a variety of novels, including a few holiday New releases and a popular romance I didn’t love!
https://neverenoughnovels.com/2023/10/15/october-2023-mini-book-reviews/
Books 56-66 of this year.
https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2023/10/reading-update.html
The Cheat Sheet looks right up my alley! I’m in my sweet rom-com era and I’m not sad 😊
Here’s what I’ve been reading:
https://readeatrepeat.net/2023/10/15/what-ive-been-reading-october-2023/
In my October BOOKBAG!
+ An update on the Little Log Cabin Road Library
+ Revisiting literary friends
* a novel by John Grisham
* a memoir by Lori Gottlieb
* a faith-builder by Chuck Swindoll
+ Ramping up my devotional life with these two simple practices
http://www.lindastoll.net/2023/10/revisiting-old-friends-on-my-shelves.html
The book How to Clean House while Drowning keeps coming up for me. I guess that means I need to read it. My month was consumed with one book . Check out what I read this month https://myviewofthehoneypot.blogspot.com/2023/10/what-i-read-october.html
I LOVED Florence Adler Swims Forever, it may have been my favorite book of 2020.
Adding Cheat Sheet to my list!
September was my most prolific reading month of the year! Got through a few chapter books with my kids as well!
September Reading Recap
Ditto! Florence Adler was a breath of fresh air.
Among other things, I went on a reading spree of one really amazing writer!
https://cocoonofbooks.blogspot.com/2023/10/what-ive-been-reading-lately-quick-lit.html
I enjoyed reading about your reading spree!
I’ve been listening to more audiobooks this year myself. But I did I read some important nonfiction books this month on climate change, Native Americans, etc., and a fascinating novel, The Golden Couple!
Here are 6 books I recommend from what I recently finished reading:
https://lisanotes.com/books-i-recommend-september-2023/
In October, so far I’ve read:
The Abyss: Nuclear Crisis 1962, Max Hastings, nonfiction
Forty Rooms, Olga Grushin, novel
Back Channel, Stephen Carter, historical fiction (re-reading)
We Have Always Been Here, Lena Nguyen, science fiction
The Kind Worth Saving, Peter Swanson, novel
The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Chros McDougall, nonfiction
And I’ve started three novels:
Children of God, Mary Doria Russell (sequel to The Sparrow)
The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles
Kidnapped, Ludmila Petrushevskaya (Russian comic novel)
Sounds like a great month!
My main focus has been nonfiction recently, but I threw in some fun fiction genres outside my comfort zone as well. It was a great month of very diverse reading for me.
https://avikinginla.com/2023/10/what-ive-been-reading-lately-september-2023/
One of my book friends said The North Woods was her favorite of the year so far. I really want to read it soon.
My September reads feel like a million years ago mostly because it was 100 degrees when I read them and now a month later it’s 40. Good reads though.
http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/blog-1/2023/10/15/show-us-your-books-october-2023
Just finished The Other Black Girl and Into the Drowning Deep and now am kind of feeling pulled toward classics; never read Fall of the House of Usher and am going to do that instead of watch the show. On deck: Cloud Cuckoo Land (!) and Stefan Zweig’s novella Burning Secret. Recently I was gifted: Windswept (walking the paths of trailblazing women) and my friend Teri’s innovative personal development book Write Yourself Into Your Dreams.
I loved Chemistry and How to Keep House While Drowning. I’m glad to see a review of Florence Adler after randomly grabbing it at a library book sale—I may have to bump it up in the queue.
This past month’s reading included a lot of variety and a number of 4 and 5-star books. Here’s what I read: https://www.mindjoggle.com/september-2023-book-reviews/
I’m glad the timing was right for the Florence Adler review!
Currently reading: Lessons in Chemistry and The Maid by Nita Prose. Recently finished: When Breath Becomes Air and The House in the Cerulean Sea. Up next on my bedside table stack: Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs, and I Must Betray You by Rita Sepetys.
I recently listened to Matilda narrated by Kate Winslet because I got a free 30 day trial for Audible. Her voices were spectacular, and I really enjoyed the book. Since I’ve got a few weeks left in the trial, I’m listening to as many of the Audible exclusives that are included for free. Right now, I’m listening to Anne of Green Gables. I never read it as a kid, and I am absolutely LOVING it. What other childhood classics do I make sure I don’t miss?!
Kate Winslet is a RAD audiobook narrator! I loved listening to her read Matilda. Anne of Green Gables is one of my go-to comfort reads. Don’t miss The Secret Garden, The Chronicles of Narnia, or Charlotte’s Web.
One children’s classic that I didn’t read until I was an adult is The Wind in the Willows. It’s kind of slow and meandering, but the writing is gorgeous. Also, as an adult, I’ve loved reading anything by Kate DiCamillo. Her stories are always elegant and emotional. Another author I didn’t read till adulthood is Elizabeth George Speare.
I didn’t read The Wind in the Willows until I was an adult, either!
I have put ‘Florence…’ on my Libby list. I have been tearing through two series 1.) Ronald H Balson (legal/ex CIA couple) and 2.) Patrick Taylor (wholesome mid 20th century northern Irish doctors). I am listening to Project Hail Mary and I am pleasantly surprised how much I love the book.
I read Project Hail Mary in print, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about the audio version. So glad you’re enjoying it!
How to Clean House While Drowning is great on audio. Her philosophy and methods are so simple – works for everyone. I am teaching my teen boys her 5 step plan and they get!
Currently I am reading an indie sci-fi novel that has been hard to put down! A young woman (set in a domed city in future) is caught up in gov’t intrigue and finds herself along the way. Quite surprised that I love it, plan to read more indie books now. Ariya Kai: The Secret of Colony Life by F. Z. Zach (find it on Amazon).
Just finished: Stoker’s Dracula. Read it!!
Next up: The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff. Beckoning me from my coffee table.
Am I the only one who thought the advice in How to Keep House While Drowning went a little too far in the direction of giving up on keeping a reasonably clean, organized home and trying to do your small part for the environment? Example: hundreds of disposable pre-pasted toothbrushes because the effort of squeezing toothpaste onto your brush each day may just be too much? The philosophy that your home should serve you and not the other way around is a good one. I just thought some of the examples were extreme.
I saw her speak at the Iowa Library Conference last week and she addressed the paper plate thing. She acknowledged that many people wouldn’t like that, but if you are in a position to be depressed or overwhelmed by your circumstances and using a paper plate helps you, that is okay. No depressed person is going to be able to save the rain forest by using a washable plate – so take care of yourself.
Florence Adler looks so interesting! My recent reads are:
* If You Only Knew by Jamie Ivey – 4 stars. I found her story to be so compelling and authentic.
* Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu – 5 stars. Fascinating story about a young Chinese mother and her son, who escape to Taiwan in the midst of the rise of the Communist Party in China. The story spans generations, and is a fantastic debut in historical fiction.
* The It Girl (audiobook) by Ruth Ware – 5 stars. I think this is my favorite of her novels, and the narration by Imogen Church was fantastic.
Currently reading Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner, and Tom Lake by Anne Patchett (audiobook)
Happy Reading!
Sounds like a great month!
I attended the Iowa Library Association conference last week and one of the keynote speakers was KC Davis. She talked about her book How to Keep House While Drowning and how it came about. She was a good speaker – although she said she doesn’t accept a lot of speaking engagements. I am sure some people in the audience cringed at some of the advice, but it really resonated with others. I haven’t read the book yet but I will take a look at it.
Loved The Unsettled by Anya Mathis (blurbed by Marilynne & Oprah); Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed – nonfiction, must read for everyone – lots of food for thought discussion questions relevant to all ages; and This Land is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery. by Sarah Augustine – not just for people of faith.
Thanks to you, I am working my way through Home Comforts. Interestingly I had picked it up before and felt overwhelmed, as a chronically messy person. This time I’m reading it about a year after reading how to keep house while drowning (I’m more of *that* person). I think the author’s ideas about letting go of the shoulds and morality around keeping a clean house paradoxically have led me to now be a person who has found other reasons for wanting to be cleaner and tidier (including getting more steps and having cover for hovering around my teenage son. 🙂 )
“The author’s ideas” = Davis
Liz, that’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing your insights.
I immediately checked to see if my Libby had Florence Adler on audio and it does! I am looking forward to listening to that one.
This month’s reads include Anne’s recommended book from a mini-personalized book-matching on Patreon, HELLO, BEAUTIFUL. I also loved another character-driven novel, PINEAPPLE STREET. Then I read 2 historical fiction including the classic OUR TOWN and THE SAINTS OF SWALLOW HILL.
https://www.sincerelystacie.com/2023/10/quick-lit-october-2023-edition/
Uhmmm, excuse me, but I think telling us that Florence drowns was a bit of a spoiler. Really?? So, I am recovering from that still. I will read these posts with caution from now on. I had done the same; picked up the book after reading The House Is On Fire, but had not gotten around to reading it. Now I probably will not.
Currently reading a backlist book by Houston native, Attica Locke: Bluebird Bluebird, Highway 59 #1. There will be a third book in the series, expected publication September 5, 2024.
Back in July, I picked up her book The Cutting Season after a trip to St. Francisville, Louisiana and their haunted Myrtles plantation and the River Road. I’d read it long ago, but enjoyed rereading it so much. I had meant to read Bluebird Bluebird forever.
Need to belatedly read Crying In H Mart for book club.
The best thing I have read this year is Dennis Lehane’s Small Mercies.
Did anyone else find Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women to be confusing?
I ended up posting a few questions on Goodreads. Very helpful and cleared things up for me.
In case some of you are not familiar, the feature is way down the title page on Goodreads. Other readers will answer your questions promptly. Authors can answer as well, but when I looked Jessica was not taking questions at this time.
The book was good, but it told in past and present and by two different characters.
The Cheat Sheet is the definition of light, cute romance. It felt like a movie in my head.
This month, I re-read Northanger Abbey because it had been too long. It’s not my favorite Austen novel, but I’d forgotten how FUNNY it is! I also gulped down a 96-page book by Mystie Winkler about using a planner as a busy mom (super niche, I know). It was so refreshing to read something short, inspiring, and actionable. I’ve already implemented a lot of the strategies with good results.
https://bookdevotions.com/book-reviews-september-2023/
I know, isn’t Northanger Abbey hysterical??
Yay! I’m so glad you picked up the Rachael incident! Such a good book. Here’s what I’ve been reading lately: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyOyb_USIo-/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
The first time (I think!) my list is only audiobooks (and very different ones at that).
https://carolinestarrrose.com/quick-lit-what-ive-been-reading-lately-29/
Florence drowns at the beginning of the book, and the drowning is a catalyst for the story. It really isn’t a spoiler since the bulk of the book deals with the aftermath and how it affects other characters. This is a fantastic book, one of my all-time favorites.
Thanks, I may need to pick it back up. I had been unaware of Florence drowning. I’ve just remembered I have a copy of Liliana’s Invincible Summer by Cristina Rivera Garza. A non fiction, also relating to a drowning.
I have found myself reaching for older titles lately. The above id new though.
Some of the new releases have just not worked for me.
Wellness was one of those. I did not not like it, but it is a long one.
I am excited to read the new William Kent Krueger. I’ve never read him before and this is a stand alone.
I see lots of people on here reading older titles. Going for the new ones is a hard habit to break though!
If you want to stay on the kick of reading older titles, I definitely recommend that you read William Kent Krueger’s older novel, Ordinary Grace, first! Oh, it’s soooo excellent!
I just picked up The Rachel Incident on e-book same yesterday and I’m so excited to get to it. Just 100 pages left of The Many Lives of Mama Love which is a memoir I can’t recommend enough!
Just finished The Bee Sting. 650 pages read like 350. I did not want it to end.
Hope it wins the Booker.
Margaret – I have not heard anything about this book! Reading the description, it sounds similar in concept to Wrong Place Wrong Time. Thanks for recommending it here!
Happy Reading!
Whoa, 650 pages feeling like 350 is high praise indeed!
Just started The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner. Good read so far.
September reading wrap up
https://readingladies.com/2023/09/29/september-2023-reading-wrap-up-septemberreadingwrapup-booktwitter-bookworm-amreading-bookblogger/
In Sept and Oct, I meant to read SO mindfully, books I had looked forward to, authors I liked, etc, but what ended up happening was all about convenience! I needed books I could read digitally in the dark so as not to disturb my husband at night. I took what came up on my library holds. So, let’s see:
I’m still listening to (and loving) Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver! Not much time in the car, so it’s slow, but I’m savoring every minute of it.
When Will There Be Good News? Jackson Brodie #3–not sure where Brodie comes into it, but Kate Atkinson is so funny and delightful! I enjoyed it very much, and went on to read the first one, Case Histories. Brodie is still a minor character. Rather grisly crimes.
The Soulmate, by Sally Hepworth. Not the BEST best thriller, but still a good read. Kept me going.
Foreign Affairs, by Alison Lurie, a 1985 Pulitzer Prize winner. Not what I expected, and yes, the writing was good, but the story was not my thing. Foreign Affairs meant having affairs in a foreign country, not politics or spying!
The Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn, translated from German. It was good, but a bit choppy, though heartwarming.
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Zhang. Again, not for me. Based on a true story about an orphan Chinese girl kidnapped and brought to America, and I guess I didn’t like how real life went! Nor the writing.
Finally, Paris Was the Place, by Susan Conley. I have read 2 others by Conley, and liked them, and I liked this, too—but it read like a memoir (and she has one of those about living in China) instead of the novel it professed to be. ??
I won Someone Else’s Bucket List by Amy Matthews, from Goodreads, so I’m reading that now—good, but too wordy and slow….and I’m listening to The Secret Book of Flora Lea, by Patti Callahan Henry, which is very good.
Recent reading highlights:
How to Keep House While Drowning – such a helpful book for anyone dealing with ongoing health or emotional challenges, or just someone dealing with a hard season of life.
How the Light Gets In -Louise Penney blends plot, well-developed characters, and atmosphere for a great read
Nothing But Miracles is a middle-grade novel by Kate Albus, featuring siblings whose widowed father is fighting in WWII, as they struggle to stay together with help from neighbors, set in Manhattan’s lower east side
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn was a lovely book about an elderly bookseller who is befriended by spunky young girl.
Watch Us Shine by Marisa de Los Santos is another related book to Love Walked In, but can easily be read on its own. Past and present are woven together in lovely story of family.
I am currently reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.
On a reading roll lately — I listened to Tom Lake by Ann Prachett narrated by Meryl Streep and greatly enjoyed it. I think it was your mention that you hadn’t read Our Town (the play) by Thorton Wilder but other than the first chapter or two when there are try outs for the parts, it isn’t all that relevant to the story… I absolutely hated and stoped at 200 pages The Last Chair Lift by John Irving which was a super disappointment for me having loved Cider House Rules and The World According to Garp and was annoyed I had used an audible credit to purchase it. I read in hardback A Happy Place and liked it, and I don’t usually read romance. I also finished The Book Spy a Historical Fiction book about librarians who were recruited during WW2 and sent to neutral countries to collect and microfilm Axis documents. Not a Kate Quinn but a decent read.
Amazing YA- murder mystery, spooky vibes and lots of charm too… Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson- it’s everything I wanted for the perfect October read!!