Welcome to my October 2024 Favorite Books post! This monthly post is where I share the 5 star books I’ve read so far each month. I had quite a few 5 star reads this month that I am excited to share. You can see the first half of my October reading here and I will share the rest next week. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.
Title: The Glass Girl
Author: Kathleen Glasgow
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Delacorte, 10/1/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
The Glass Girl is about Bella, who begins to rely on alcohol to numb her emotions when dealing with the loss of her grandmother, a bad breakup, and her tendency to take on her parents’ problems. Bella’s journey takes her to rehab and while I haven’t been there myself, I found her struggles realistic.
“Everyone in fifteen-year-old Bella’s life needs something from her. Her mom needs her to help around the house, her dad needs her to not make waves, her ex needs her to not be so much. The only person who never needed anything from her was her grandmother—and now she’s dead. There’s only one thing that dulls the pressure: alcohol. Vodka, beer, peppermint schnapps—alcohol smooths the sharp edges of Bella’s life. And what’s the big deal? Everyone drinks. Besides, Bella can stop whenever she wants. But after she gets blackout drunk at a Thanksgiving party and wakes up in the hospital, it’s time to face reality. And for Bella, reality means rehab.”
I really love the author’s writing and hope to read one of her previous books, Girl in Pieces, soon as well.
Title: The Judgment of Yoyo Gold
Author: Isaac Blum
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Philomel Books, 10/15/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I love that Blum writes about Orthodox Jewish teens and I loved reading about Yoyo. This book is about expectations versus choices while living in an insular community. Yoyo is the oldest daughter of a rabbi and she is expected to take care of her younger siblings, the house, and more. When her best friend leaves town, things become harder for Yoyo. She begins to realize that some of the people who act one way in public are actually not doing what they say in private. Meanwhile, they are judging others as well. She becomes friends with a less religious girl and realizes she is attracted to another friend’s brother. She downloads TikTok. And she begins to figure out who she is without all the expectations.
“Yoyo Gold has always played the role of the perfect Jewish daughter. She keeps kosher, looks after her siblings, and volunteers at the local food bank. She respects the decisions of her rabbi father and encourages her friends to observe the rules of their Orthodox faith. But when she sees her best friend cast out of the community over a seemingly innocent transgression, Yoyo’s eyes are opened to the truth of her neighbors’ hypocrisies for the first time. And what she sees leaves her shocked and unmoored. As Yoyo’s frustration builds, so does the pressure to speak out, even if she can only do so anonymously on TikTok, an app that’s always been forbidden to her. But when one of her videos goes viral—and her decisions wind up impacting not only her own life but also her relationship with the boy she’s falling for—Yoyo’s world is thrown into chaos. She is forced to choose which path to take, for her community, for her family, and most importantly, for herself.”
I found some of the book to be funny and almost satirical in its commentary. I loved this coming of age novel.
Title: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
Author: Lynda Cohen Loigman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, 10/8/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
“To ease the pain of those who suffer
To repair the bodies of those who are ill
To restore the minds of those in need…”
This prayer was taught to Augusta by her great aunt Esther who came to stay with Augusta’s family after her mother died. In 1920s Brooklyn, Augusta grows up with her pharmacist father and while she wants to follow in his footsteps, she is also inspired by her apothecary and healer aunt. In 1987, Augusta retires and moves to a community in Florida where she reunites with her first love, Irving. In both timelines, we learn what went wrong between the two in the past and whether they have a second chance.
“On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs―an active senior community in southern Florida―she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy―and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier. As a teenager growing up in 1920’s Brooklyn, Augusta’s role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augusta’s mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in, Augusta can’t help but be drawn to Esther’s curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomon’s customers her own advice―unconventional remedies ranging from homemade chicken soup to a mysterious array of powders and potions. As Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, she is torn between loyalty to her father and fascination with her great aunt, all while navigating a budding but complicated relationship with Irving. Desperate for clarity, she impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esther’s enchantments forever. Sixty years later, confronted with Irving, Augusta is still haunted by the mistakes of her past. What happened all those years ago and how did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part? And can Augusta reclaim the magic of her youth before it’s too late?”
I loved this book so much. I felt personally connected to the characters – my dad was a pharmacist, I love the Jewish 1920s, my parents live in a similar community in Florida, and I read this while my mom was having some health issues and whenever I read the above lines, I thought of her healing.
Title: What Does It Feel Like?
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: The Dial Press, 10/8/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I felt sorry for not knowing that Sophie Kinsella is dealing with brain cancer, but this very short autobiographical novel brought me up to speed. Although fictionalized, the author writes her own story through her main character Eve, sharing her experiences having surgery and knowing that her cancer is ultimately incurable. This book includes snippets and pieces of conversations, emails, and thoughts that are both relatable and heart breaking. Eve (and the author herself) has 5 kids who are obviously affected by her diagnosis. Her husband is an important support person too. The bits of humor that are shared make the story even more real.
“Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain. As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it. Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.”
I read this in a few hours and recommend it highly. I received an extra copy that I am gifting to a friend.
Title: The Time Keepers
Author: Alyson Richman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Union Square & Co, 10/15/24
Source: PR for Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This historical fiction book is set during and after the Vietnam War and deals with its repercussions, something I had not previously given a lot of thought to.
“Two women from different worlds, Grace and Anh, are indelibly changed when a runaway boy is found on a street in their small Long Island town. Brought together by the love of this child displaced by war, the women find friendship and healing from their own painful pasts when their lives intersect with a mysterious wounded Vietnam vet. The vet, Jack, works at the Golden Hours, a watch store that mends timepieces—and might even mend damaged souls.”
I loved this book and its variety of characters from Grace, who finds a Vietnamese boy, Bao, to his aunt and caretaker Anh, to the injured veteran Jack and Grace’s husband Tom, who employs Jack at his watch repair store. The back stories of the characters were each moving and well written and I knew that the various stories would all lead up to their collision as each affects the others. I loved the backdrop of the watch store as the story shows the passage of time and the measure of love.
Title: The Slowest Burn
Author: Sarah Chamberlain
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Griffin, 9/24/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I was surprised how much I loved this cookbook ghost writer and chef enemies to lovers romance. This sweet book had it all – forced proximity, fake dating, opposites attract, and Jewish representation, plus Muppets references!
“Ellie Wasserman’s life is neat and tidy, and that’s exactly how she wants it. Really. A top ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks, she was widowed three years ago and has no interest in taking chances―not on writing her own cookbook, not on telling her still-grieving in-laws she wants to move out, and certainly not on dating, which is about as intimidating as a recipe with fifty steps. Kieran O’Neill isn’t known for being organized. An up-and-coming chef who scored big on a reality television competition, he’s been the guy who cracks jokes and makes messes―something his chilly family has never let him forget. The only place he feels truly capable is at the stove. But when he’s paired with an uptight ghostwriter with cool blue eyes and distracting curves to write his debut cookbook, she shreds his class clown act like a paring knife cuts an orange peel. As Ellie and Kieran are forced to work closely together in a hot kitchen for weeks on end, their sharp edges and harsh judgments slowly soften and sweeten into a wildly delicious attraction. Long, steamy days turn into even steamier nights, but they have to face their painful pasts to know if this tender new love can transform into something lasting.”
Ellie is the ghost writer for Kieran’s cookbook, which I would definitely want if it was real. Ellie’s previous husband passed away and she is still tied to his parents. I was concerned about them causing her trouble with moving on, but they came through. This book also has adhd and dyslexia representation.
Title: The Third Gilmore Girl
Author: Kelly Bishop
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Gallery Books, 9/17/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I’m known to a friend as a person who doesn’t like memoirs but this one was actually a 5 star read for me! Who am I?!
“Kelly Bishop’s long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey’s mother in Dirty Dancing. But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy. Now, Bishop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl. She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she’s learned on her journey. From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced—among them marching for women’s rights and losing her second husband to cancer—Bishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life. Full of witty insights and featuring a special collection of personal and professional photographs, The Third Gilmore Girl is a warm, unapologetic, and spirited memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades and has no plans on slowing down.”
Most of us know Kelly Bishop for her role as Emily Gilmore, Rory’s grandmother and Lorelei’s mom on Gilmore Girls (not THE Gilmore Girls). Kelly’s memoir is a candid journey from her start as a dancer, to dancing on Broadway including in a role that she originated in A Chorus Line, to playing Baby’s mom in Dirty Dancing, to being cast as Emily. She also shares about her love life and aging, detailing a well lived life that continues to inspire – not just for fellow actors but to anyone with a dream.
Title: Songs For The Brokenhearted
Author: Ayelet Tsabari
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Random House, 9/10/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This beautiful book follows a Yemeni family from their arrival in Israel in 1950 to the hope and fear that filled the country in the 1990s. Zohara is living in NYC when her mother passes away and she returns to their family home. There, she uncovers pieces of her mother’s life and their family history that she hadn’t known about previously.
“1950. Thousands of Yemeni Jews have immigrated to the newly founded Israel in search of a better life. In an overcrowded immigrant camp in Rosh Ha’ayin, Yaqub, a shy young man, happens upon Saida, a beautiful girl singing by the river. In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, they fall in love. But they weren’t supposed to; Saida is married and has a child, and a married woman has no place befriending another man. 1995. Thirty-something Zohara, Saida’s daughter, has been living in New York City—a city that feels much less complicated than Israel, where she grew up wishing that her skin was lighter, that her illiterate mother’s Yemeni music was quieter, and that the father who always favored her was alive. She hasn’t looked back since leaving home, rarely in touch with her mother or sister, Lizzie, and missing out on her nephew Yoni’s childhood. But when Lizzie calls to tell her their mother has died, she gets on a plane to Israel with no return ticket. Soon Zohara finds herself on an unexpected path that leads to shocking truths about her family—including dangers that lurk for impressionable young men and secrets that force her to question everything she thought she knew about her parents, her heritage, and her own future.”
This book was so interesting, with Israeli history that isn’t as widely known, as well as surprises about the characters along the way. One of the topics covered is the tradition of women’s songs in Yemeni culture, as well as the sad history of missing children who were removed from their families. In the 1995 timeline, I was riveted, knowing what was coming, and seeing how Zohara’s nephew Yoni was brought into government protests at the time. I loved the writing in this book as well as the setting and the characters.
Title: Here One Moment
Author: Liane Moriarty
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Crown, 9/10/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
When a woman predicts the ages and causes of deaths for a plane full of passengers, their reactions show how people react differently when faced with the possibility of illness, accident, living to old age, etc. We meet a selection of the passengers and follow their lives following the flight, as well as learning their histories, plus get to know the woman who changed their lives with her predictions.
“The plane is jam-packed. Every seat is taken. So of course the flight is delayed! Flight attendant Allegra Patel likes her job—she’s generally happy with her life, even if she can’t figure out why she hooks up with a man she barely speaks to—but today is her twenty-eighth birthday. She can think of plenty of things she’d rather be doing than placating a bunch of grumpy passengers. There’s the well-dressed man in seat 4C who is compulsively checking his watch, desperate not to miss his eleven-year-old daughter’s musical. Further back, a mother of two is frantically trying to keep her toddler entertained and her infant son quiet. How did she ever think being a stay-at-home mom would be easier than being a lawyer? Ethan is lost in thought; he’s flying back from his first funeral. A young couple has just gotten married; she’s still wearing her wedding dress. An emergency room nurse is looking forward to traveling the world once she retires in a few years, it’s going to be so much fun! If they ever get off the tarmac. . . .Suddenly a woman none of them know stands up. She makes predictions about how and when everyone on board will die. Some dismiss her. Others will do everything they can to make sure her prophecies do not come to pass. All of them will be forever changed. How would you live your life if you thought you knew how it would end? Would you love who you love or try to love someone else? Would you stay married? Would you stop drinking? Would you call up your ex-best friend you haven’t spoken to in years? Would you quit your job?”
Like The Measure, a book I loved, this one brings up many questions about what you might do when you either accept or deny what may or may not be your fate. I loved how everything was connected and the little details that the author included to give hints, make the reader think, and make things thought provoking along the way.
Title: On Being Jewish Now
Author: Zibby Owens (editior)
Genre: Non Fiction – Essays
Publisher: Crown, 11/1/24
Source: Purchased
Why I Read It: It’s a book I needed
My Rating: 5 Stars
75 authors and advocates wrote essays about what it’s like to be Jewish now – after 10/7, but the essays are not only about that day. The sections include topics such as pride and joy, laughter, friendships, activism, mom life, bling, being a “good enough” Jew, memories, holidays, representation, etc. Most of the writers stressed that they are not religious, but they write about their connection with Judaism through the lens of these topics.
“On October 7th, 2023, Jews in Israel were attacked in the largest pogrom since the Holocaust. It was a day felt by Jews everywhere who came together to process and speak out in ways some never had before. In this collection, 75 contributors speak to Jewish joy, celebration, laughter, food, trauma, loss, love, and family, and the common threads that course through the Jewish people: resilience and humor. Contributors include Mark Feuerstein, Jill Zarin, Steve Leder, Joanna Rakoff, Amy Ephron, Lisa Barr, Annabelle Gurwitch, Daphne Merkin, Bradley Tusk, Sharon Brous, Jenny Mollen, Nicola Kraus, Caroline Leavitt, and many others. On Being Jewish Now is edited by Zibby Owens, bestselling author, podcaster, bookstore owner, and CEO of Zibby Media.”
Some of my favorite essays were from Dara Levan, Harper Kincaid, Alison Hammer, Lisa Barr, Lili Lapid, Anna Ephron Harari, and Steve Leder. There was much said about experiencing joy along with pain, feeling the need to hide being Jewish – or the instinct to be more obvious about it, and the antisemitism that has followed 10/7. The essays give me chills, inspired me, and made me feel connected with these writers, as they write about what so many Jewish people are feeling now.
Title: All The Best Dogs
Author: Emily Jenkins, Illustrator Manuel Preitano
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 11/5/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
All The Best Dogs by Emily Jenkins was the sweetest book about a group of kids (and a few adults) and their dogs. It mainly follows 4 6th graders – Ezra, who is full of anxiety, his best friend Kaleb, who has a hard time helping Ezra feel less anxious, May-Alice, who acts confident but may not be, and Jilly, who comes to stay with her aunt Valeria and her two super grumpy terrriers, Grover and Lottie.
“Welcome to the dog park! It’s a playground for dogs in the big city. Here, four sixth graders (and their dogs!) overlap on one hilarious and important June weekend.
Ezra needs to find his lost dog.
Cup-Cup needs a friend. (She also needs to learn to walk on a leash.)
May-Alice wonders if anyone will ever understand her.
Panda wonders what will happen if she breaks the rules.
Kaleb is covering up a terrible mistake.
Grover and Lottie are making lots of terrible mistakes. (Some of them are disgusting.)
And Jilly needs to make a new life in a new place.
On this almost-summer weekend, a series of surprises, mishaps, and misunderstandings will end up changing all of their lives.”
While dealing with the normal human types of problems, the characters also face common dog issues such as what to do when your puppy eats chocolate and how to find your lost dog. I felt so sad for Grover, who felt displaced when Jilly came to stay. Luckily, his growly antics didn’t get him removed from his family, like happens to some animals! I loved that the dogs could talk to each other and reading their thoughts was such a fun part of this book.
Come back next week for the rest of my October reads!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?
