What I read this fall
FINALLY my favorite part of the year has arrived — A U T U M N. Since this year has felt never-ending, I decided to give my brain a break for most of fall. To help set a cozy mood, I reread the first three Harry Potter books (which I didn’t bother including on this list since it’s Harry Potter and you’ve either read them or you have zero intention to do so). I then spent the rest of spooky season with some fast-paced thrillers, because it just feels right for the crisp autumn air… which we finally started getting at the end of November.
This year, I h̶a̶v̶e̶ had a goal to read 40 books, which I surpassed in August (yay). You can see everything I’ve read so far (beyond 2020 too) on Goodreads. Catch up on my 2020 winter reads here, my spring reads here, and my summer reads here.
Since I’m often asked for book recommendations, I thought I would put together more frequent posts about what I’ve recently read. Below is everything I read in September, October and November, along with a quick synopsis and general thoughts.
Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
Caroline Criado Perez
Stats: Nonfiction, 411 pages (9 hours and 26 minutes)
Quick summary
Invisible Women explores how a lack of birth-assigned gender data impacts the daily lives of women. Everything from increased chances of death in car accidents, to improper medical treatment and ill-fitting tools and clothing.
What I thought:
This was my first audio book… and it was infuriating, yet one of the most important books I’ve read this year. Invisible Women gave me the why behind issues I already felt (and highlighted many more that weren’t on my radar). Why are women paid less than men? Why are girl pockets so useless? Why is it so hard for me to take a photo with my phone one-handed? Why do women feel so unsafe in public spaces?
Who should read it:
People who are women. People who love women. People who want equality.
The Silent Patient
Alex Michaelides
Stats: Mystery Thriller, 325 pages
Quick summary
Artist Alicia Berenson loves her husband Gabriel, so it’s quite shocking when they find her standing over his body with five bullet holes in his head. Afterwards, she refuses to speak and is placed at The Grove, a mental hospital. Psychotherapist Theo is determined to get her to speak and find out why she did it.
What I thought:
Holy twist ending! Seriously didn’t see it coming. Thanks to super short chapters (think 3-5 pages), it was incredibly easy to get sucked into this thriller.
Who should read it:
People who love thrillers and murder mysteries.
Ask Again, Yes
Mary Beth Keane
Stats: Fiction, 330 pages
Quick summary
Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope meet as rookie cops in NYC and end up neighbors in the suburbs. Brian’s wife, Anne, is standoffish towards Francis’s wife, Lena, despite their children, Kate and Peter, being best friends. One night everything bubbling under the surface comes to a head, threatening to tear Kate and Peter away for good.
What I thought:
So many feelings. It was a beautiful, gut-wrenching slow burn. Everyone in this story has their issues, but it’s how they grow over the course of four decades that makes it such a great read.
Who should read it:
Fans of Little Fires Everywhere.
The Guest List
Lucy Foley
Stats: Mystery, 330 pages
Quick summary
On a remote island off the coast of Ireland a successful magazine publisher is set to marry a survivalist TV star. While everything seems perfect on the surface, deceit and untold history sends a current of tension through the entire bridal party. And then someone ends up dead.
What I thought:
I loved how this book shifted perspective between the bride, the maid of honor, the best man, the wedding planner and the plus one. The chapters were only a few pages long, which always makes a book so much more readable.
Who should read it:
Same as above. If you like thrillers, you’ll love this one.
Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Hazel Wood
Melissa Albert
Stats: Fantasy, 359 pages
Quick summary
Alice and her mother have spent most of her life running from bad luck that seems to follow them everywhere. One day they receive a letter that Alice’s estranged grandmother, a reclusive fairy tale storyteller living in the mysterious Hazel Wood estate, has passed away. Shortly after, Alice’s mother goes missing. Trying desperately to find her mother, Alice discovers secrets about her past and a dangerous dark world where fairy tales are real.
What I thought:
Picked this up purely because the cover was so beautiful and beckoned to me from the Little Free Library, and I was not disappointed. I love fantasy and magic books and this just felt so right to kick off the fall season.
Who should read it:
People who get lost in fairy tales.
Three Stars ⭐⭐⭐
The Life She Was Given
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Stats: Historical Fiction, 356 pages
Quick summary
A tale told decades apart by Lilly and Julie Blackwood. Lily has lived her life in isolation in the attic of Blackwood Manor, because according to her mother, she is an abomination that would scare people. Then, one night her mother takes her outside for the first time and sells her to the circus. Alternatively, Julie has just received word that her mother has died and she has inherited Blackwood Manor… along with all of its secrets.
What I thought:
My mom gifted this to me after she finished it because she knows I like historical circus fiction with zero warning. Guys, this one is H E A V Y. Abuse, rape, animal cruelty and neglect all make an appearance. It’s not a bad book; I actually enjoyed it, but you need to know what you’re getting into.
Who should read it:
People who like historical fiction (and are in a good headspace).
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
Jenny Lawson
Stats: Memoir, 356 pages (8 hours and 20 minutes)
Quick summary
Honestly the Goodreads summary is best: Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest. Furiously Happy is about depression and mental illness, but deep down it's about joy.
What I thought:
My second audiobook and second book from this author! Lawson is irreverent, quirky and just plain funny. What I loved about this book is that she really digs deep into her battles with mental health and finds the silver-lining. The subtitle sums it up perfectly.
Who should read it:
People who like memoirs with a side of dark humor.
Two Stars ⭐⭐
The Dutch House
Ann Patchett
Stats: Fiction, 352 pages
Quick summary
Siblings Danny and Maeve move into the Dutch House, an architectural behemoth built by the VanHoebeek family in the Philadelphia suburbs in the 1920s. As told by Danny, this is the story of the mother who abandoned them, the stepmother who exiled them and the family they built over five decades.
What I thought:
This was a book club pick by the Happier podcast (which I love) and it bored me to death. I’m capable of enjoying a slow burn (see: Ask Again, Yes), but time crawled with The Dutch House. It felt so long for so little to happen.
Who should read it:
If you read the reviews, I’m in the minority. If slow, generational books are your jam, you may like it.
City of Girls
Elizabeth Gilbert
Stats: Historical Fiction, 480 pages
Quick summary
The book is a letter response from Vivian to a woman named Angela who asks who her father was to the main character. Vivian takes Angela through her life story, getting kicked out of Vassar and sent to live with her aunt who owned a theater in New York City, bringing only her sewing machine with her. Spanning the decades from the 1940s to the present day, City of Girls explores sexuality and unconventional lifestyles for the time period.
What I thought:
This book could have easily been 150 pages shorter. Most of the book felt redundant (we get it, you slept with a ton of people) and I kept waiting for it to pick up. About 50% through, I realized it wasn’t going to, but I had already made it too far to just DNF it. The ending was bittersweet, but I’m not sure the 400 pages leading up to it were worth it.
Who should read it:
I did love how the 40s New York theater scene was depicted, so if you like books about this period, you may like it.