Recommended October Reads

This month I want to share some new books I’ve read and enjoyed along with an old favorite. Since the weather is cooler a lot earlier this year I’m already longing to cozy up under a blanket with a good book. I don’t know about you, but I value book recommendations. Reading reviews is how I avoid making bad book choices. It’s not a guarantee, but often works. Time is too important to waste on unenjoyable books. Since October is a great month for creepy thriller reads which I love, so I am recommending books in this category. Thrillers are my personal favorite category of books because of the suspense and surprise elements. I also enjoy trying to figure a good mystery out. Additionally, I’ve also included one of my favorite Victorian thriller books as well.

Recommended October Reads

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. This 2019 instant best-seller is well-worth picking up. A happily married woman shoots her husband five times one night and has not spoken since. Determined to discover what happened, her therapist dives into her personal past to solve this mystery. Unsettling discoveries keep him pursuing the matter; however, time is not on his side as the program is under the threat of shut down. If ever a thriller book deserves to be a movie this is it.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. Leonora has spent the last 10 years escaping her old life when she is suddenly invited to her childhood best friend’s prenuptial “hen” event. The hen takes place in a remote house in a dark, dark wood. Reluctantly she goes, but all is not well. The people invited don’t know each other and don’t exactly hit it off. Other things are clearly off as well when little moments that don’t seem quite right begin to add up. And then Leonora discovers the footprints in the snow and realizes someone else is in the woods. Apparently, Reese Witherspoon is working on developing this book into a movie.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Published in 1938 this gothic book reminds me a lot of the Bronte sisters’ works. The much younger new wife from humble circumstances is overwhelmed by her new life and struggles to live up to the gold standard of her husband’s perfect first wife, Rebecca. To make matters worse, a creepy housekeeper who was very devoted to Rebecca, is constantly undermining the new wife and comparing her with her former mistress. This novel flows like a typical gothic novel before it takes a big surprise turn, making it a highly entertaining read. I took one reviewer’s advice and skipped the first 2 chapters and read them last. This was a good choice and resulted in a surprise ending. So, if you like being surprised then read the first 2 chapters last- it works. Trust me.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. A Victorian gem, this book was published in 1859 and considered among the first mystery novels as well as one of the first sensation novel. This page turner does not fail to deliver with a damsel in distress, her lover, an evil Count, a mysterious woman in white, an unfair legal system for women, and a very un-Victorian sister, Marian, who steals the whole show and saves the day. This book on a lot of “best of Victorian” literature lists. I had a hard time putting it down and it is one of my favorite books.

Reading is my favorite!