Read With Keri: Books I Read in October

GUYS.

I read 8 (!!) books in October.

I know, I know. To some of you, that’s nothing. You could read eight books in one weekend. And that’s great for you. But I cannot, so eight books is a personal win!

You may be wondering, Why, Keri, did you read so much in October?!

Well, for one…it hit me just how close we are to the end of the year and I’m not necessarily behind in my reading goal, but it was minorly stressing me out how many books I have left to read before I reach 75 books. As of today, I’ve completed 65 books so I have only 10 more to go!

And secondly… several of the library books I requested back in the summer decided to arrive at once. That always seems to happen but I’m okay with it.

October was a really great book month. Pretty much every single book I read was amazing (well, except for one or two but we’ll get to that). Here are the books I read in October.

Singletasking: Get More Done — One Thing at a Time — Devora Zack (4.5/5 stars)

I picked this up at the library because it looked interesting. It was a short read, but educational. The author basically makes the case for why “single tasking” (instead of multitasking) is the key to increased productivity/efficiency and shares practical ways to implement it into daily life.

Educated: A Memoir — Tara Westover (5/5 stars)

Oh my goodness. THIS BOOK. Wow. I don’t know why it took me so long to finally check it out but I’m so glad I did. Educated is a true story. Tara Westover grew up in a family that did not believe in formal education so she never went to school. She decided to go to college but had to teach herself everything (and I mean everything). Educated details her struggles with abuse, family trauma, and highlights her determination to learn despite the odds.

Hillbilly Elegy — J.D. Vance (4/5 stars)

Hillbilly Elegy is a memoir by J.D. Vance about his experience growing up poor, in social isolation, and with little to no family support. Vance explains what his childhood was like and how he was determined to break away from it all. J.D. goes on to Ohio State and Yale Law School, but struggles with balancing his childhood trauma with the man he wants to be.

The Royals Next Door — Karina Halle (3.5/5 stars)

A light romantic comedy about Poppy (the main character) and her experience with royals moving in next door. Despite the fun cover and elementary writing, this book turned out to be a bit more adult than I was expecting.

People We Meet on Vacation — Emily Henry (5/5 stars)

I loved loved this book! Emily Henry does it again. She wrote Beach Read, which I read earlier this year, and everybody and their mother read People We Meet on Vacation this summer. However, this book was unavailable at the library until this month so I’m a bit late to the party. This is romance but has a little bit of everything - friendship, drama, comedy, travel. If you choose just one book from this list, read this one!

Murder on the Orient Express — Agatha Christie (4.75/5 stars)

My first Agatha Christie novel, can you believe it?! I know, I know. She’s a classic, but I never took the time to check her out and now I want to read more! A murder occurs on a train and detective Hercule Poirot interviews each passenger to figure out who did it. I did not expect the ending and now I can’t wait to watch the movie. (It came out a few years ago but I haven’t watched it yet.)

Do Less — Kate Northrup (1.5/5 stars)

Guys, I’ve got to be honest with you. I did not like this book. Several people recommended I check it out so I did and it was just… not for me. I found it to be shallow, full of humble bragging, in dire need of editing, and just not worth the time. I gave it a 1.5 before there were a few ideas that were intriguing (like creating a weekly to-do list instead of a daily to-do list) but overall, skip this.

Braving the Wilderness — Brene Brown (3/5 stars)

Brene Brown narrates this, which was fun. This book is basically a giant research paper on why it’s important, and necessary, to be truly vulnerable and our real, authentic selves in order to connect with others and find genuine community.