October 2025 Wrap Up

I feel like I read and read and read in October, but I only finished 4 books. Excuse me? Harumph. Let's discuss.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - This was a re-read. Again. I enjoyed it. I recognize that there are gaping plot holes, and the writing is mid, but it's still a good time. In case you are unfamiliar with this cultural phenomenon, we are following Bella Swan who is a 17 year old beauty who thinks she is plain and clumsy. Her mother has re-married so she moves with her dad in Forks, Washington where it rains all the time. Bella is moving from Phoenix, so it is a big change. On her first day of school, she notices a group of superhumanly beautiful kids in the cafeteria. In her next class, she is assigned a seat next to one of those kids and he reacts to her with pure hatred. She has no idea what she's done. He disappears for a few days and then he comes back to class and is suddenly much friendlier. I don't think it's a spoiler to say he (Edward) and his family are vampires. And Bella is particularly yummy-smelling to Edward. There's a lot of brooding and angst and a cross-country chase to the death.

Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You! by Sasha Hamdani, MD - As I was reading this, I realized that a lot of the ways I think are typical ADHD thought processes. I had no idea! That was revelatory. I saw a lot of things in here that my kids do, so I bought a copy to have at home.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Just. Ugh. I would think this was written by a Russian except for the science fiction genre. The story just gets worse and worse. There is no redemption. It's terrible. Every character is awful. Just. No.

Faithful Place by Tana French - Being a Tana French book, this is set in Ireland and is written in the Irish vernacular. Before too long, I was thinking with an Irish accent. The story was great. I knew who the killer was about half way through, but it was fun watching the detective figure it out. The characters were real people and they grew through the events of the book. Frank Mackey is an undercover officer who hasn't spoken to his family in 22 years, even though they all live in Dublin. 22 years ago, he was planning to run away with his girlfriend, but on the night of their getaway, she never showed up. He waited all night, and then he just walked away and never came back. He became a police detective, got married, had a daughter, and got a divorce. Then, his sister calls and said he had to come home right now. His girlfriend's suitcase had been found stuffed up the chimney of an abandoned house on their street. She hadn't left without him, but what happened to her? Long story short, he finds a body in the basement of the same house and it turns out to be her. Now everything is in an uproar. His family is sick and twisted. Very dysfunctional and it makes perfect sense why he disappeared. The murder cop in charge of the case doesn't want him involved so he has to pull strings on the down low to find out what happened.

So there we are. The four books I finished in October. 75% of them were winners. I don't know. Brave New World really harshed the vibe. Ew.

What did you finish in October?