Waaaay back in September, I made an autumn to-be-read list full of spooky stories. Once again demonstrating that I am rubbish at following my to-be-read lists, I’ve only read one of the books on that list. On the other hand, my original list accurately captured the mood of my October reading: I said I was hankering for spooky books, and the books I did read satisfied that intention.
Thanks to my new Scribd subscription, I’ve experienced all as audiobooks and can recommend them in that format. If you’re partial to good old-fashioned paper books, that should work nicely as well.
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
In this meta murder mystery, book editor Susan Ryeland receives a proof of a murder mystery called Magpie Murders by star author Alan Conway. When she realizes several pages are missing, she investigates the mystery behind them and realizes the story inside the book may be as much truth as fiction.
The audio narration is a treat. My house has never been so spotless: I kept inventing new chores to do so as to prolong my listening. I think of the novel as a murder mystery version of If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino.
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
You may have heard this young adult psychological thriller compared to E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, which may or may not be fair enough (I’m not telling). Pessl’s novel follows five friends who gather together a year after the mysterious death of their friend Jim. The narrator is Beatrice, Jim’s girlfriend.
I think it’s best to leave it there. The novel is filled with hairpin turns, and the less you know, the better. Even the jacket copy is too spoiler-y.
The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
I heard this novel billed as a contemporary A Christmas Carol with Scrooge recast as a teen girl and immediately had to consume it. If I had any sort of patience when it comes to books, I’d have waited until December and read it alongside my annual rereading of Dickens’ original. I don’t have patience with books, but since I listened to The Afterlife of Holly Chase on audio (loved the narrator), I might read the paper version alongside Dickens’ classic in December anyway.
Yes, I liked it that much. Full disclosure: I adore A Christmas Carol. I’ve read it at least 15 times and still get weepy every time. Hand’s revision features twists and turns, and she weaves lines from Dickens’ texts (from A Christmas Carol and beyond) throughout. It’s a moving homage to the original and a fun, uplifting read in its own right.
As some of you know, I’m currently immersed in a project to read as many English translations of Homer’s The Odyssey as I can stand. Alongside this project, I’m reading contemporary reception of Homer, specifically novels that riff on Odysseus’ 10 year journey home from Troy. As you may have divined from the title of Mason’s book, it claims to be alternate versions of Odysseus’ journey that did not make it into the text we read today. The conceit cleverly plays on how Odysseus’ travels appear in Homer’s classic: in quotes, as Odysseus’ recitation of his exploits at the court of the Phaeacian king. Odysseus is an admitted liar and trickster, i.e. Western literature’s original unreliable narrator.
Mason’s many and varied versions provide witty, sharply observed, and endlessly intriguing re-imaginings. Even if you don’t particularly like The Odyssey, Mason’s gorgeous prose may just sweep you up in its tide (pun very much intended).
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The first time I experienced this book was in audiobook back in 2016. The narration was excellent, and the story touched my heart. This time, I read the hardcover and loved the book even more. It’s firmly on my “favorite books of all time” list. I’ve heard it described as a post-apocalyptic novel, but that title does not do the story’s richness justice. Also, calling it a post-pandemic novel is more precise. But even if you think you’re not into *that kind of book*, give this one a shot.
The story weaves back and forth between before and after a catastrophic pandemic that kills off 99+ percent of the earth’s population. Experiences and artifacts connect characters who don’t make it to “after” with those who do. The slow reveal of how they’re all tied to together almost makes this feel more like a mystery. It asks, what does it mean to be civilized? It meditates on memory and nostalgia, loss and renewal, art and hope, and the human quest for meaning and wholeness.
What were your favorite reads of October?