October 2022 TBR

The moment you've all been waiting for. The moment I have been preparing for for weeks. The moment I have planned and re-planned. It is here. The October TBR, in which I put way too many books on my list. This will be fun.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict - This is the book club book for October. We thought a mystery would be a good choice. Not too scary, since we all know she lived through the experience.

The Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff - I have previously read half of this, but I'll probably start over just so I can remember the finer points of the plot. This book is on my 50 by 50 list.

To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters - This is a romance set in the Regency and is a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers tale. That is catnip for me. This couple fell in love and got married. A year later, they have a massive fight and do not speak to each other for 4 years. Then she hears that he has been thrown from his horse and is fighting for his life. She rushes to him, only to find he is fine and a bit drunk. She decides to fake her own illness, only he sees through her ruse and ups the ante. He fake cares for her as her "illness" worsens. I hope it's as hilarious as it sounds. Also, it's on my 50 by 50 list.

Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia - This is kind of a haunted house story. It's definitely a creepy house story. It's set in the 20th century in Mexico. I'm not really sure which decade. I think the 50s. This one meets the Read Harder challenge prompt to read a horror book by a BIPOC author.

The Missouri Review - No, I still haven't read it. I need to get it read to meet the challenge prompt to read a new-to-me literary review magazine. I will probably read it alongside the other books on the list. Maybe a story every couple of days. It depends on how many stories I have left in the issue.

Here is where things get real interesting. My TBR bookcases are arranged by genre. In order to get books read that are taking up space on the shelves, I have decided to choose one book from each category to read each month. It's going to make for a lot of books, and I will have to decide at the end of the month what I will do with the books I don't get to. I am sure there will be books I don't get to. The books above all fit into one of the categories, so there are four already done.

FICTION - To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

HISTORICAL FICTION - The History of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

FANTASY - The Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

BOOK OF THE MONTH - Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

Now for the other categories and their books:

NONFICTION

Deliberate Cruelty: Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century by Roseanne Montillo - This comes out November 1 and I have an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGelley. I'm pretty stoked. I love this whole era. And a book about a murder seemed fit for October reading.

BOOKS AND READING

Literature: Why It Matters by Robert Eaglestone - Firstly, it has the Brontes on the cover. Secondly, it has 123 pages. I am definitely loading this TBR with the easy ones first. Thirdly, Eaglestone is preaching to the choir.

YOUNG ADULT

Five Survive by Holy Jackson - This is a YA thriller about six kids who go on a road trip and you will be shocked to hear that only five survive. My copy is a digital ebook I nabbed from NetGalley for review. It comes out at the end of November.

MYSTERY

Friends in High Places by Donna Leon - This is not the next book in the series, but it is the next book that I own. Since I am attempting to read down my TBR, I will go ahead and read the ones I have first. I have found that it is not required to read them in order.

JANE AUSTEN BOOKS

Jane Austen by Peter J. Leithart - This book is part of a series called Christian Encounters. It originally came out in 2010, but is being republished for whatever reason. I have a copy from NetGalley, and I'll read it soon and give my review.

ARC

The Modiste Mishap by Erica Ridley - I realize I have several other ARCs on this list, but this is the last one I need to read quite soon. It's a novella, so it should be quite a quick read.

Ok. That is ten books and a magazine. It would have been entirely doable in August when I wasn't working. October when I'm heading back to full time? We'll see. A bunch of them are quite short. Fingers crossed. Either way it will be a fun experiment.