It’s time for my first half of October 2025 book review post! I am sharing what I read in October so far, although I am skipping my 5 star reads to share later in the month (except I haven’t had that many 5 stars yet…). 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. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: Bees In June
Author: Elizabeth Bass Parman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Harper Muse, 9/2/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
In this 1960s historical fiction, the bees speak to Rennie and others in her family. The bees narrate some of the sections as well. Mainly, this is about Rennie leaving her abusive marriage and becoming her own person.
“It’s 1969, and the town of Spark Tennessee, is just as excited about the moon landing as the rest of the country. Rennie Hendricks is grieving and trying to heal from the unimaginable loss of her infant son. She had hoped a child would repair the cracks in her marriage to her husband, Tiny, but the tragedy has only served to illuminate his abusive character. Trying to relieve some of the financial stress that inflames Tiny’s anger, Rennie accepts a position cooking at the local diner. Hidden away in a kitchen making delicious food, she rediscovers the joy she finds in cooking for others, and as she spends more time with her new boss, she realizes there are more options for women than she thought possible. One of the benefits of her new job is that she can bring meals to her beloved Uncle Dixon, the man who practically raised her along with her late Aunt Eugenia, a woman unkindly labeled as a witch by most of the town. What those people didn’t understand is that Eugenia was a healer and connected to power they couldn’t grasp. Rennie thinks her elderly uncle is confused when he talks about communicating with his bees, but then she starts to see them glow, leading her toward safety time and time again. Could it be that these bees, discovered long ago by her Aunt Eugenia, are magical and trying to tell her something? And what about the new neighbor, Ambrose Beckett, who seems to understand the bees too. Is he being truthful about why he has moved to Spark, or is there more to him than meets the eye?”
I thought this was a unique story, but it had a lot of difficult topics, including the loss of a baby and a difficult childhood. The bees were an interesting addition to the story!
Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Listening Library, 9/18/06
Source: Library Audio
Why I Read It: Book Club
My Rating: Reread, gave it 5 Stars 15 years ago
I reread this book on audio for an upcoming book club meeting. Coincidentally, I read it 15 years ago for my first book club that I joined back then! The Book Thief is basically a classic at this point. It takes place during World War 2 in Germany and it is narrated by death. It is about Liesel, a foster child placed with a family who also hides a Jewish man in their basement.
“It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.”
The stories in this book are unique, and readers love Liesel and her pluckiness. I am not sure I would give it 5 stars today, but I’m not changing my previous rating at this point!
Title: The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake
Author: Rachel Linden
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 9/30/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I enjoy the touch of magic that Rachel Linden includes in her books. This is about Jules, who has a YouTube show that is ending due to her co-host’s new job. She returns to her grandmother in Italy with her teenage half sister, revisiting the place where her father died. She needs to move past her grief to recover memories to include in her soon to be published cookbook. Meanwhile, Jules’s grandmother has a cookbook which only shows recipes to the person holding it, but for Jules they are blank. She reunites with her teenage love and together they recover a recipe for orange blossom cake, which is meant to show the person who eats it their happiest moment still to come.
“Rising star Jules Costa loves re-creating vintage recipes for her popular online cooking show. But when personal and professional disaster strikes, her only chance to save her career is to complete her new cookbook before the end of the summer. Panicked, Jules returns to her family’s beloved olive farm on the shores of Italy’s stunning Lake Garda. Seeking culinary inspiration, she’s hoping to convince her spunky eighty-year-old Nonna Bruna to share her precious collection of family recipes. Jules’s plans quickly go awry as she discovers that Nonna’s cookbook has magical and unpredictable powers. It reveals only one recipe at a time, offering a cooking experience guaranteed to satisfy the chef’s palate and bring clarity to their life. Yet the pages remain stubbornly blank for Jules. To make matters worse, the olive farm is in deep financial trouble, and Jules soon uncovers a web of family secrets involving the cookbook and a lost recipe for orange blossom cake that holds the key to everything. Then there’s Nicolo, the boy next door, who broke her young heart years ago. He is now all grown up, even more attractive, and the only person poised to help Jules find answers. In a whirlwind summer beyond her imagination, Jules begins to unravel the mysteries baked into her family’s history and discovers the essential ingredients to create the future of her dreams.”
This was a sweet, family story with magic woven into it, set in a beautiful location. I’m calling it a rom com, although it was also more than that! It was nice to see Jules come into her own and learn to rely on herself.
Title: War Games
Author: Alan Gratz
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 10/7/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Set during the Olympic Games in Berlin, Evie is a gymnast who survived the Dust Bowl and wants to win gold and become famous to bring money to her family. She is recruited to take part in a heist, and there becomes more than one way to bring home gold.
“Evie Harris can’t believe her luck: She’s competing in the Olympics, along with fellow American athletes like Jesse Owens. True, there’s something creepy about Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler, who watches over the games with his Nazi henchmen. But Evie’s just here to win a gold medal in gymnastics. Until she discovers a horrible secret. Behind all the Olympic fanfare, the Nazis have Berlin in an iron grip of terror and violence–and war is brewing. When Evie becomes embroiled in a mysterious plot to help steal Nazi gold, she must navigate the city’s darkest corners and hidden passageways, never knowing who she can trust. With lives on the line and her family’s future at stake, Evie has to choose between following her Olympic dreams and standing up to evil… before it’s too late.”
I liked how this book showed how these Olympic Games were a sham put on by Hitler. It is also quite relevant with interesting points about Hitler being elected after leading an insurrection. I also liked Evie’s friends and the adventure that is a big part of this story.
Title: What You Are Looking For Is In The Library
Author: Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Hanover Square Press, 9/5/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This translated Japanese fiction is made up of tangentially connected short stories about characters who find their way to a community center and library, and receive book recommendations that help them achieve their dreams.
“What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it. A restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother tries to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose. In Komachi’s unique book recommendations they will find just what they need to achieve their dreams. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is about the magic of libraries and the discovery of connection. This inspirational tale shows how, by listening to our hearts, seizing opportunity and reaching out, we too can fulfill our lifelong dreams. Which book will you recommend?”
The dreams that the characters are reaching for mainly revolve around their careers and work situations. I liked the way the librarian was able to connect with each of the characters and provide them with a book that touches them individually.
Title: Love Walked In
Author: Sarah Chamberlain
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin, 9/2/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
After having loved Sarah Chamberlain’s book The Slowest Burn, I was excited to read this one as well. Love Walked In is about Mari, who travels to London to help save a struggling bookstore, run by Leo.
“Mari Cole’s whole life is her dream job: rescuing and revitalizing indie bookstores. Friendship? Love? No thanks. After a hard childhood, she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone. Besides, books have never let Mari down the way people have. Then she gets the offer of a lifetime: rescuing Ross & Co. Once the most prestigious independent booksellers in London, the store is a shadow of its former self and needs an expert outsider to turn things around. But the offer turns out to be a double-edged sword: Leo Ross, the store’s new owner, is as cold and hostile as the British winter. For as long as he can remember, Leo Ross has known his future is becoming the next generation to run Ross and Co. He’s sacrificed almost everything he cares about, but the bookshop is still failing on his watch, and now there’s an obnoxiously cheerful American woman convinced that she’s going to magically make everything better. Leo’s life is difficult and messy enough as it is, and he doesn’t want her help. When Mari and Leo are forced to work closely together to bring the store back to life, Leo’s icy surface thaws to reveal the passionate man underneath. As winter gives way to the possibility of new beginnings, Mari begins to see that true love could be even better in real life than in the pages of a book. Can they put their pasts aside and learn to let love in?”
The grumpy / sunshine romance was sweet but I found some of the later parts of the book to be a lot slower paced. I also didn’t like that with each character speaking in first person, it was confusing whose voice I was reading at times. There was also a strange sort of subplot about Mari’s family that maybe could have been left out. I enjoyed the Jewish representation and I do enjoy the author’s writing!
Title: Pocket Bear
Author: Katherine Applegate
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 9/9/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This cute middle grade read is narrated by a cat, Zephyrina, who belongs to Dasha, who is from Ukraine. Zephyrina and Dasha rescue misplaced stuffed toys and give them a new life. Pocket Bear had belonged to a soldier, sitting in his pocket for comfort. When a new bear with mysterious roots comes to join the toys, a small adventure ensues.
“Thimble-born from tip to toe, Pocket Bear remembers every moment of his becoming: the glimmering needle, the silken thread, the tender hands as each careful stitch brought him closer to himself. Born during the throes of WWI, he was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket, eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that he always gazed upward. That way, glancing at his pocket, a soldier would see an endearing token of love from someone back home, and, hopefully, a good luck charm. Now, over a century later, Pocket serves as unofficial mayor of Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured, where stuffed toy animals are refurbished and given a fresh opportunity to be loved. He and his best feline friend Zephyrina, known far and wide as ‘The Cat Burglar,’ have seen it all, and then some.”
I thought this was a sweet read and the toys having abilities reminded me of Toy Story. I loved the idea of a second chance for old and lost toys as well as for the human characters in this story.
Title: One Killer Night
Author: Trilina Pucci
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Montlake, 10/14/25
Source: PR for author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This genre mash up was slightly out of my comfort zone but I ended up really enjoying One Killer Night by Trilina Pucci. This is about Goldie, who meets Noah on Halloween night. They get to know each other and fall fast, spending almost a whole year together before secrets in both of their pasts threaten to ruin them.
“It’s Halloween night, and out-of-work writer Goldie Monroe’s trip to the drugstore scares up more than the fake blood she’s looking for. It leads to the man of her naughtiest dreams. And in spite of her costume, sparks fly from the moment they meet. Noah Adler, aspiring sneaker designer, is impossibly gorgeous―like a tatted-up version of Goldie’s favorite blue-eyed vampire. He’s there for candy, but it’s Goldie he can’t resist. When she invites him to her sister’s F/X company bash, he’s all in without a second thought. The pair’s flirty connection heats up fast, carrying them to electrifying new heights. But after Goldie discovers Noah is hiding a dark secret, it all starts to crumble. Looking for answers about her own past awakens new dangers, and when Goldie and Noah land at a slasher camp for adults, a deadly tragedy threatens to repeat itself. If they can survive this one killer night, they can definitely slay a happily ever after.”
While the book description makes it sound like the adult slasher camp happens within the same night they met, it does not, and I appreciated the time spent building their relationship before the super suspenseful and twisty part of the book came into play. However, the pacing was a little off for me in some parts! I would definitely continue reading this series, as a follow up featuring side characters Evie and Chase is coming out in February!
Title: Little Alleluias
Author: Mary Oliver
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 9/9/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4 Stars
This book is a compilation of three of Mary Oliver’s previous collections. The first, The Leaf and the Cloud, is actually one long poem. The others contain prose and essays as well as poetry.
“For the many admirers of Mary Oliver’s breathtaking poetry of touch and transcendence, as well as for those coming to her words for the first time, Little Alleluias is a revelation. These works observe, search, pause, astonish, and give thanks to both love and the natural world. In constant conversation with the sublime, (i.e. ‘Are you afraid? / Somewhere a thousand swans are flying / through winter’s worst storm.‘), Oliver has the rare skill of rendering life: her poems and essays bring movement to stillness, and people to the Earth, themselves, and each other. Page by page, she invites us to walk through her minutes, her moments, and revere the light and dark and rainbowed clothes of world alongside her. With three distinct books collected in one volume for the first time, Little Alleluias asks what passes and what persists, and offers readers the peace that every mind deserves.”
I liked the nature related poems but found the essays a bit harder to connect with.
Title: House of Light
Author: Mary Oliver
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Penguin Press, 10/14/25, originally from 1990
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Another poetry book by Mary Oliver, this one is very short and full of nature related poems, including my favorite, The Summer Day.
“Mary Oliver’s words guide us, with solace and empathy, across the rocky terrain of human existence. In House of Light, which was originally published in 1990, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet offers us an opportunity to transcend ordinary life into a realm of natural wonder. Oliver investigates themes on ‘how to love this world’ and to live ‘as though time didn’t exist’ in her poems ‘Spring’ and ‘The Swan,’ and she awakens within us a renewed sense of awe in ‘The Ponds’: ‘Still, what I want in my life / is to be willing / to be dazzled— / to cast aside the weight of facts // and maybe even / to float a little / above this difficult world.’ As her words suspend time and space, Oliver encourages us to attune ourselves to the quiet moments of enlightenment that perforate each day. Meditative and soulful, the forty-six poems in this collection honor our collective threads of humanity and our never-ending quest for grace.”
I am not sure how to review this, but I did enjoy these poems!
This post includes 10 of the books I read this month. Nine were print books and one was audio. Seven of these were adult books, one was YA, and two were middle grade. Genres included historical, rom com, contemporary, romantic suspense, and poetry.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
