Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in October 2026. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I read an additional 5 star book after that post, so it is included here! It’s also time for the Share Your Shelf Link Up! I hope you will join Joanne and I to share what you read this month. 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!
You can find these linked directly at my Amazon Storefront.
Title: Murder Bites
Author: Mimi Montgomery
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Bantam, 8/4/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Murder Bites by Mimi Montgomery was about a neighborhood in South Carolina where dog owners exploited their dogs for clout. When a dog walker dies, Margot is accused of killing him. Along with Anne, an older resident of the town, and Sally-Claire, who isn’t like the other town residents, Margot tries to solve the mystery and clear her name.
“Margot Cartwright is not exactly blending in with the residents of Glenville, South Carolina. An unwilling transplant from Washington, D.C., Margot feels like a fish out of water among the Lululemon-wearing, tiny-dog-owning, non-New Yorker-reading locals who are clamoring to have their fur babies star on Pawsh, a reality TV show about couture canines. (Sure, Margot loves her dog, but Sid Vicious is far too cool of a mutt for a show like that!) She even feels like an outcast amongst her family, and after she’s caught channeling her inner ‘Robin Hood’ by stealing her neighbors’ pro-Pawsh signs, further cementing her title as the neighborhood pariah, she thinks things can’t possibly get any worse, right? Wrong. When the local dog walker is killed in a bizarre incident involving an over-the-top Halloween display featuring multiple Home Depot skeletons, all eyes turn to Margot. To clear her name and save her family from falling apart, Margot vows to find the real killer before they strike again—but she can’t do it alone. Enter Anne, a glamorous septuagenarian widow determined to maintain her reign over the HOA, and Sally-Claire, a ‘Mom Life’ sweatshirt-clad member of the ‘Mommy Mafia’ who might not be as perfect as she seems. Together, the unlikely trio (along with their canine companions) dives into the mystery, navigating the quirky and secretive world of Glenville’s residents. Can they solve the case before it’s too late, or will Margot’s reputation be permanently dog-eared?”
This book didn’t hold my attention well and it was pretty over the top! I didn’t like how the residents fed their dogs drugged treats. Margot’s family story was somewhat interesting, but overall this one wasn’t a favorite mystery.
Title: Spare
Author: Prince Harry
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Random House Audio, 1/10/23
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
I listened to this book from my 26 in ’26 list – Spare by Prince Harry, which he also narrates. Harry’s life was shaped by the death of his mother and from then on, his battle with the media who shared incorrect stories and stalked his family. He definitely makes the reader feel for him, but of course, he only tells his side of the story, which is the story as he sees it only.
“It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is that story at last. Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight. At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love. Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.”
If you ever wondered why Harry chose to leave the monarchy, this book tells his reasoning. He talks about his PTSD and his quest to find love and family out of the public eye. With short chapters and expressive narration, this definitely kept me listening.
Title: How To Find a Romance in a Bookshop
Author: Poppy Alexander
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Avon, 8/18/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
How To Find a Romance in a Bookshop was about Petra, a literary agent who gets canceled after tweeting a typo, and Ross, a famous writer with writer’s block. Petra agrees to run a bookstore for characters from the author’s previous book and winds up meeting and becoming friends with Ross.
“Petra doesn’t like books anymore—not since her career as a literary agent imploded after a social media typo went viral. Now she is stuck for six months, babysitting a little bookshop by the sea—surrounded by books that just remind her of her failure. Ross McCloud’s award-winning debut novel blew the minds of the world’s literati, but that was five years ago. Now Ross and his keenly awaited second work have vanished. Something has gone wrong—horribly wrong—and Ross doesn’t want to talk about it. Marooned in Capelthorne’s Bookshop miles from London, Petra can’t stop thinking about all the ways she has let people down. Then she discovers Ross lurking, incognito, in the second-hand books section. Misery loves company it seems, and a kinship tentatively forms. In the meantime, the magic of the bookshop slowly begins to enchant Petra. Soon, her book recommendations assume legendary status; she is chairing the newly formed Beach Reads Book Club; leading a weekly writing group and hosting a series of popular talks and signings by local authors. She is even starting to read again. Petra is also finding time to help her new best friend Jess—owner of a local telephone box library—to launch the inaugural Portneath Literary Festival. What better opportunity to put the Festival on the map—says Ross—than for Petra to unveil his second novel to the world there, before re-launching her career representing him at the Frankfurt book fair? What a comeback! But can Petra find the courage to help the man she loves? Their love of books may be re-ignited, but is that enough to save them both from their own worst enemy—themselves?”
I found this book to be a bit slow in parts. It was apparently a retelling of The Tempest, which is a story that I don’t know, although Ross is writing a Tempest retelling as well, so it somewhat made sense. When it came to the conflict in the story, I thought that Petra already knew about it, so I was surprised that she was upset. Overall this was pretty cute and cozy, although not an overall favorite for me.
Title: Everything We Found
Author: Kerry Lonsdale
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Bookoutre, 8/3/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Years ago, I read the first two books in the Everything series by Kerry Lonsdale. Everything We Found tells the story of Thomas and Nadia, who have to go on the run after they are shot at inside of Tom’s house. It turns out that Nadia knew Tom’s secret from the beginning and she has been keeping that from her best friends, which also kept her away from her attraction to Tom.
“On the outside, Nadia Jacobs is a cool, confident architect at the top of her game. But for the past decade, she’s been quietly building walls to keep the people she loves most at arm’s length. All because of him. Thomas Donato sacrificed everything when he forced Nadia to keep a dangerous secret from everyone they knew. He did it to protect his family. But it cost him the woman he’s secretly loved since they were kids. Now he wants back into Nadia’s life. Nadia’s heart does a familiar skip-and-stumble when met with his hesitant smile, but she sees through his bravado: Thomas is achingly alone. And letting him in risks losing everyone and everything she holds dear. When his past abruptly crashes into their present, they are both suddenly on the run. Not only are they forced to confront the price of a secret they’ve kept for a decade, but a truth even more treacherous: their feelings for each other.”
I wasn’t sure this book was really a necessary addition to the series, although I hadn’t read the third book in it either. There were parts of this that kept me reading and parts that I wasn’t sure about. Romantic suspense isn’t a genre I read often!
Title: The Family Game
Author: Catherine Steadman
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Random House Audio, 10/18/22
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
From my 26 in ’26 list, I listened to The Family Game by Catherine Steadman. This creepy book was about Harriet, a novelist, who is marrying Edward, who comes from a rich and powerful family. Getting to know his family and their strange customs made Harriet wonder what she was getting into, but meeting Edward’s father made her even more confused, as he gives her a tape that seems to be a confession to multiple crimes.
“It’s the holiday season and Harriet Reed, a novelist on the brink of literary stardom, is newly engaged to Edward Holbeck, the heir of an extremely powerful family. And even though Edward has long tried to sever ties with them, news of the couple’s upcoming marital bliss has the Holbecks inching back into their lives with one invite after another. As Harriet is drawn into their lavish world, the family seems perfectly welcoming . . . even if some of their traditions, like a ‘Christmas demon’ called Krampus, seem creepy at best. So when Edward’s father, Robert, hands Harriet a tape of a book he’s been working on, she is desperate to listen. But as she presses play, it’s clear that this isn’t just a novel. It’s a confession. A confession to a grisly crime. A murder. And, suddenly, the game is in motion. Feeling isolated and confused, Harriet must work out if this is part of a plan to test her loyalty or something far darker. What is it that Robert sees in her? Why give her the power to destroy everything?”
The concept of the tape was a little nonsensical and confused me a bit. The reveal of the truth behind the stories almost seemed to come out of nowhere. This audio had some interesting effects in making phone calls and the tape sound different. Also, the audio was narrated by the author. I have loved a few of her books and while this wasn’t a favorite, I will keep reading them!
Title: California or Dust
Author: Mindy Nichols Wendell
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Publisher: Holiday House, 9/8/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
California or Dust by Mindy Nichols Wendell is about Lark, who moves with her family from the devastating dust storms in Oklahoma to California. They are not welcomed well and Lark is treated badly at school, by both the teacher and the other kids. Her ma struggles with the life change and Lark has to help take care of her siblings as well as sometimes work picking cotton. When it is decided that a new school will be built for the children living in the camp, things start getting better.
“California, 1939. It’s hard being the new kid in school. . . but it’s harder for eleven-year-old Lark, after she and her family fled Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl for a not-so-sunny welcome in California. Kids whisper Go back to Oklahoma! Lark would give anything to go back to where she came from, but she can’t: the dust storms destroyed everything. The farm labor camp she, her parents, and her siblings live in is her life now, and even Lark has to get a job. Can California really be ‘the land of milk and honey’ she was promised? More than that. . . can it ever be home?”
This is a middle grade book that covers difficult topics such as poverty and depression. It was nice to read about the people that wanted to help. I liked learning what was based on truth as explained in the author’s note at the end.
Title: Keeping Score
Author: Brittany Kelley
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 8/25/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Keeping Score by Brittany Kelley is about Michelle and Tristan. Tristan is the goalie for the soccer team where Michelle is the director of operations. Michelle loses a bet and Tristan wins the right to teach her to chill out. They become friends who are attracted to each other, and then more.
“Michelle Oxford lives and breathes soccer. After an injury that ended her dreams of going pro, she snagged the next best thing: a position as the director of operations for the LA Aces. And even if it’s not quite what she imagined it would be, it’s still better than cutting out soccer altogether. The only problem? Carefree, wonder boy goalie, Tristan Gold. Tristan has wanted more than just friendship with Michelle since the moment he laid eyes on her, but nothing would kill her career faster. When she loses a bet, the team gleefully insists she has to take lessons on ‘being chill’ from Tristan himself. They couldn’t be more different, but Tristan’s always met her perfectionist tendencies with good-natured goofiness, so she reluctantly agrees. The more time she spends with him, the more she likes what she sees . . . and Michelle starts to think that with him by her side, she could do just about anything—even saying goodbye to the future she thought she always wanted.”
I didn’t love Tristan as a character and thought he was a bit immature. I liked that he helped Michelle determine that she actually didn’t love her job and that there were other things she could do that would fit her better. I wanted this to have a bit more soccer in it!
Title: Absent
Author: Rex Ogle, illustrations by LJ Baptiste
Genre: Middle Grade Mixed Format Contemporary
Publisher: Norton Young Readers, 9/1/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Absent by Rex Ogle was such a unique read. It is about three middle school students who skip school for various reasons. Manny tells his sections in verse and in the form of raps. He doesn’t go to school because he doesn’t see the point. Calvin’s sections are in cartoons and comics. He is late to school because he has to get his younger brothers to school before he can go. Liam tells his sections in prose. He is dealing with a bully and starting to have panic attacks, which leads him to skip class. The three boys meet in detention and form a friendship.
“With a dad in jail and a lack of teachers interested in helping him learn, Manny doesn’t see the point in anything besides skateboarding and writing lyrics. Calvin has so many responsibilities to his father and little brothers that when his bike is stolen, he can’t make it to school on time. And while Liam is studious and wants to become a doctor, he is tormented by bullies and hides out in an unused janitor’s closet instead of going to class. When the boys are thrown together in detention, they realize that they might still have a lot to learn―not just from their teachers, but from each other.”
I loved how the pages were designed to look like the actual notebooks that the kids were drawing in. Even though they didn’t seem alike at first, the friendship the three boys developed was really sweet. I loved the librarian Dana who supported Liam, while Manny’s new teacher showed him he was important and Calvin’s father realized the difficulty Calvin was having in being given too much responsibility at home. There is a lot to like about this one!
This post includes eight of the books I read this month. Six were print books and two were audio. Six of these were adult books and two were middle grade. Genres included mystery, memoir, rom com, romantic suspense, thriller, historical fiction, and contemporary.
If you wrote about books this month, you can link up with us here:
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
