I’m in a bit of a reading slump. Since it’s getting colder and the darkness starts earlier in the evening I’m getting some seasonal depression and I don’t want to do anything (even read – which is shocking!). I’ve been listening to audiobooks more and more. It’s a great way to get more books in but it takes me forever to finish a book this way. I’m a much faster reading on my Kindle. Below you’ll find my four book reviews for this month and I think I would recommend them all!

The Bestseller

The beginning of The Bestseller I did not enjoy. It starts with a lot of characters with numerous storylines taking place simultaneously. Most of the characters are jerks and the reader isn’t invested in any particular person.

Eventually, there are a few characters you grow to like well enough. In the story, everyone is trying to get their books published. From the famous has-been novelist to a professor stealing a manuscript from his wife. All of the writers are from different walks of life. In this story, you’ll learn how cutthroat and complicated the publishing industry is.

I’m glad I finished the book. I definitely enjoyed the book more and more as it went on. The ending certainly made up for the chaotic beginning.

The Wreckage of My Presence

This is one book I highly recommend getting the audiobook for. Hearing Casey Wilson read her own essays in The Wreckage of My Presence makes the book even more enjoyable.

Now please keep in mind, I knew of Casey Wilson before listening to her essays which definitely helps you appreciate parts of the book even more. If you haven’t watched the show Happy Endings, you should! After listening to this book I very much want to listen to her podcast as well.

Casey touches on getting her start in the entertainment business, meeting her husband, and the projects she’s been a part of. Interspersed are tons of hilarious anecdotes about her life. Casey is kooky, lovely, and mostly laugh-out-loud funny.

Circe

To be honest, I haven’t read any Greek mythology since high school. I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed reading Circe. It took me a minute to get into the book so if you read it please give it the chance it deserves.

Circe is the daughter of Helios and always feels very different from her family. Others make fun of her and she just feels lost. Eventually, she discovers she is a witch and gets banished to a secluded island where she makes a life for herself.

Numerous popular Greek figures make their appearance in this book throughout the story. The reader ends up caring for Circe and what happens to her. I very much enjoyed learning more about Circe in an easy-to-understand Greek mythology book.

I think I’ll be reading more by this author soon.

Apples Never Fall

It took me a while to get through this one (but I was only listening to the audio version). I would say that Apples Never Fall is better than Nine Perfect Strangers but not as good as Big Little Lies.

The mother of four adult children is missing. Their mom had sent a cryptic text saying she was “going off-grid” and no one has heard from her since. Their father starts to become a suspect in her disappearance.

The story jumps between the present and the past. The main thread is that the family grew up surrounded by tennis because they owned a tennis facility, coached, and played. Could resentments from the past be the reason the mother is missing?

Check out my book reviews from October for more reading recommendations!