This was a solid month of reading. To be totally honest, I really struggled through Taipei Story. I love R.F. Kuang, so I kept going, but I kind of wish I didn’t now. The plot just wasn’t interesting to me (to be clear, I think it would be for many people!). That book put me in a little bit of a rut, and I must have DNF’d at least five books before finding something I liked.
Once I got out of my rut, I found some real gems this month. Bad Words was the book that pulled me out of my reading slump. It was a joy to read (it took the “enemies to lovers” trope to extremes!), and Fallow was satirical and totally unputdownable. If you’re in a book club, make this your next book pick and thank me afterward. Plus a couple of Freida McFadden novels to soothe my soul when I was feeling stressed. For me, the combination of straightforward writing and an ultra-twisty plot is a home run when I just want to disassociate from work for a little bit!
PS – last month’s list!
Everything i read in October 2026
Lastly, I would really love to hear what you’re reading in the comments! And if you are new here, check out The Library. I have kept this page meticulously updated for the past twelve+ years. It has every book I’ve read, and you can search, filter by genre, and rank from best to worst.
Contemporary Fiction
Taipei Story, by R.F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang is an autobuy author for me; I wanted to love this but only liked it. The writing is fabulous; the way that she gets into the head of a young girl traveling abroad is incredible… I just didn’t find the subject matter all that interesting. Lily is a Chinese-American freshman spending the summer in Taipei at an intensive academic program focused on improving her Chinese. But everything goes wrong: boy drama, a grueling workload, her grandfather’s passing, and a falling out with her roommate. It was totally transportive and felt like reading a college student’s diary; I just didn’t find it all that interesting. (Truthfully, I don’t tend to like books with young, messy protagonists — that just is what it is!). I really related to the parts about trying to learn your family history, and wanting to fit in/belong . . . and I loved how beautifully Kuang wrote about what it’s like to be so far away from home and the feeling of going somewhere you think you’ll belong only to feel like a total outsider. It’s a great book, and I feel bad saying that I only liked it, but I think I was probably just not the target audience. Liked It!
Read this if you loved: Real Americans. Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Fallow, by Sarah Anderson
This one was a love for me, a corporate satire you’ll devour in a couple of sittings and think about for days after! We meet Natalie, young (just 23) and unambitious (but not an idiot!), with no marketable job skills. She works a dead-end job at a call center and is up to her eyeballs in student debt. Her social life is pretty much non-existent, and she feels totally without purpose. When she learns of a mysterious new job, she’s intrigued. She’ll serve as a surrogate for “The Company”’s busy C-suite, letting them bypass maternity leave and keep working (barf). Over her ten-year contract, she’ll deliver seven babies . . . with “fallow” periods in between. Meanwhile, The Company will tend to her every need, from personal training to doctor visits to pre-made meals, in a luxury condo beyond Natalie’s wildest dreams. She’s finally found a job she is good at. But when a personnel issue goes very wrong, Natalie must make some tough decisions. It’s part coming-of-age novel, part dystopian fantasy (that feels like it could come true). Would be the perfect book club pick; there’s so much to discuss! Loved It!
Read this if you loved: Yesteryear, but there’s an element of Little One, too. Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Romance
Bad Words, by Ríoghnach Robinson
I was in a bit of a reading slump this month (the TV was just so good), but this book brought me back. I absolutely loved it. I want a sequel! Four years ago, Parker Navarro received a giant advance for his debut novel, only to have feared/legendary book critic Selina Chan destroy it. The review really stalls his career, and four years later he publishes his second book, with a paltry advance. When Chan’s review of book two sparks a public feud, they are both thrust into the spotlight—learning things about each other they hadn’t expected. I don’t want to give spoilers, but it’s not your typical romance. It also tackles some heavier issues: racism, the decline of the publishing industry, and the importance of supporting local bookstores. I could go on and on about this book and these characters, but I truly loved it so much. It surprised me! Loved It!
Read this if you loved: I’ve never read anything like this, but if you liked Book Lovers, you will like this a lot. Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Thrillers
The Worst Wife, by Amy Tintera (Out 3/2/27)
I was so excited when my friend Jamie sent me an early copy of this — I absolutely loved Listen for the Lie. This one might be even better; I found it to be unputdownable — and hilarious at times! Charlotte is George’s third wife. He’s twice her age, a perennial cheater, but Charlotte knows what she’s signed up for. When he goes missing, she’s not worried at first, assuming he’s off with another woman. But then she realizes that something more serious might have happened, and (given her shady past), she might be the main suspect. Suddenly, she has no choice but to race to figure out what’s happened to George, with help from his second wife. As she digs in, she realizes that George was investigating the murder of his first wife, Diana . . And that whoever killed Diana might be after George as well. This was a very fun read and kept me on my toes (and laughing) the whole time. I really enjoyed Charlotte as a character; she reminded me a lot of Georgia in Ginny & Georgia on Netflix. Highly recommend. Really Liked It!
Read this if you loved: Listen for the Lie, The Social Climber . . . I also got Ginny & Georgia (The Netflix TV show!) vibes. Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Never Lie, by Freida McFadden
Sometimes a girl just needs a Freida book. They are easy to read, twisty, and almost always surprise me, which is hard to do! And there’s always a new one to read: she churns them out! I ordered quite a few to read over the next couple of weeks while work is stressful. #busyseason. This is fun. Tricia and Ethan are newlyweds, out house hunting. They find an incredible home beyond their wildest dreams, but it has a dark history: it once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a psychiatrist who disappeared and is presumed dead. When they visit the home and get snowed in, Tricia stumbles across a hidden room that houses Hale’s client session recordings. Bored, she finds herself listening to the tapes, which seem to lead her to clues about the woman’s disappearance. Soon, she finds herself untangling a web of lies and racing to figure out the truth before it’s too late. I couldn’t put it down. Really Liked It!
Read this if you loved: Any of McFadden’s other books — she’s a genius for twists and has a formula! Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Brain Damage, by Freida McFadden
I was especially excited to read this one, knowing that Freida McFadden is actually a brain surgeon in real life! This is about a young woman with a seemingly perfect life (she’s a wealthy doctor with a handsome husband, she owns a beautiful apartment overlooking Central Park), only to wake up knowing that she’s been shot in the head and has serious brain damage. As she recovers, pieces slowly begin coming back to her as she tries to figure out who would want her dead. Is it her client’s violent and jealous ex-husband? Is it her own husband, who stood to receive her $2 mm life insurance policy? She struggles to understand the details of her life and who she was before her near-fatal injury… and to solve the crime. I couldn’t put it down, and McFadden’s knowledge about brain injuries is definitely very apparent. This is a page-turner! It’s also got a little bit of a love story woven in. It’s one of my favorite books of hers to date. Really Liked It!
Read this if you loved: Same note as above, any of McFadden’s other books — she’s a genius for twists and has a formula! Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Non-Fiction
The Story of Your Life, by Kathryn Jezer-Morton
The longer title: How Social Media Shapes the Way We Experience Everything! I will read anything and everything about social media (especially how it affects the brain), and I really enjoyed this. It examines how our behaviors shape social media, but even more so, how social media can shape the content — and how we live our lives, sometimes for content itself. I found it fascinating and found myself nodding along many times. I like how she takes an anthropological look at how we tell stories, how we’ve told them in the past… and what the future could bring. It’s really well researched, and a fun, fast listen. If you use social media for work or for life (so, basically everyone!), I think you’ll take a lot away. I also like that it isn’t necessarily anti-social media — besides the cautionary bits and worries about the future, it talks about the good stuff too. Really Liked It!
Read this if you loved: This fits in nicely with some of my other favorites about the topic. The Siren’s Call, Momfluenced, Stolen Focus, and Filterworld all come to mind. Order on Bookshop or Amazon
What Could Possibly Go Right, by Danny Meyer
I am a massive fan of Danny Meyer and his restaurants, and as a “restaurant kid,” I gobble up everything about the industry. I devoured his first book, Setting the Table; I did the same with his protégé Will Giudara’s Unreasonable Hospitality, so this was an automatic preorder, and of course I loved it. I love Meyer’s storytelling, his vulnerability about past mistakes, and of course, his relentless pursuit of great hospitality. I’d recommend it to anyone running their own business, especially someone trying to scale and grow. The book covers his transition from restaurateur to CEO, which I found inspiring! I found his leadership advice equally inspiring, and I loved hearing all of the stories. It was particularly interesting to learn about how they built and scaled Shake Shack into over 700 businesses! I chose to listen to this one, and I’m glad I did. Danny felt like an ultra-successful uncle, passing down years of wisdom and teaching me valuable business lessons along the way. If you haven’t read his first book, start there. Really Liked It!
Read this if you loved: Setting the Table, Unreasonable Hospitality. Order on Bookshop or Amazon
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