An avid reader whose current interest lies in mysteries and thrillers. Line 'em up!
Also personally love fantasies and any stories to do with magic, and a sucker for the occasional (good) romance.
Another month gone! As we finally enter that busy busy fall season, hopefully we can all make time for some exciting books that are coming out this month. I’ve got my eye on the Garber for sure. As usual, I have linked the goodreads links for your convenience. What fall reads are you all looking forward to? Any Halloween books? Without further ado, let’s look at this month’s line up!
And that’s a wrap! Are we any that we missed? Which ones are you most looking forward to this month during the spooky season? Let us know in the comments below!
Aria @ Book Nook Bits is the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!
September 29: Books That Feel Like Fall
Prompts: It’s officially fall! What books do you want to read this fall? Are there any books or genres that give off autumn vibes to you? Are there any books that you just wouldn’t read during fall?
Welcome to another week of LTB here at DTRH everyone! Today’s (actually, last week’s) topic is about books that feel like fall, now that we’re slowly but surely entering that fall season. I think summer and winter vibes are usually easier to immediately think of, so it’s nice to also take a moment to appreciate my favourite season anyway, autumn!
I read thrillers all year round, but I think the cooling weather in fall definitely hypes up those thrilling novels for me again. I definitely have a list in store, and I will continue to go through them as they come up this season. As the weather cools down, it’s nice to have a matching chilling effect in my novels too. It isn’t always my go-to for a fun summer read, as some thrillers can be quite shocking, but I think fall is the perfect time.
Besides thrillers giving off that autumn vibe, I think fantasies can also have that vibe. I am thinking about this from the perspective of world building, and that long descent into hibernation (i.e., winter) seems perfect for the fantasy world building. If you’re into the summer vibes, fantasy world-building seems like an excellent way to escape the upcoming winter. For me, fantasies definitely are a bit of a commitment, and I think the changing weather really encourages me to escape into the magical realism.
I don’t think there are books I wouldn’t read during any time of the year really, but perhaps practically there are books I wouldn’t read. However, fall to me seems like a very flexible season, and I think if I were to try something new, fall would be a great time to try, while I still have that residual energy from the summer sun.
How do you all feel about fall reading? What are the vibes you get from this season, and how does that affect your own reading habits? Let me know in the comments below!
Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
This is a book also recommended by a friend, who said I would certainly like it—and boy were they correct. Not that it’s a perfect book by any means, but I certainly really enjoyed it and I have an excellent perspective of it coming out the other side. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is at all intrigued by the synopsis.
Remarkably Bright Creatures follows to main characters: an old lady, and a giant pacific octopus. How is this even possible? Read the book to find out! On a more serious note, it does take place mostly in a small town aquarium, with POVs swapping mostly between the two aforementioned characters. It is a truly heartwarming story, and has plenty of character development and intrigue for those who enjoy that. Of course, that little bit of fantasy sprinkled in just for the touch of more-than-realism which makes it just so enjoyable.
The characters were truly, truly excellent in this book. My favourite character was the octopus, which sounds just absurd, but he really was. Although we are all perfectly aware he is just an octopus, the way he is written is truly excellent, and so relatable (?!) and you’ll just have to see what I mean by reading it. The humans were also great though. So many of them were all complex, with their own thoughts and how they see and interact with the world. Their flaws, and how they individually try to overcome or sidestep them. Truly each character was so relatable, or at least understandable, and I felt for them all, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with their viewpoints. If you are into characters, relationships, and development (of adults), this one is definitely for you.
The plot is decent. No it’s not exactly unpredictable, and for the most part it is quite predictable. That being said there were still a couple of twists that I didn’t quite see coming, and truly the characters are so excellent, the plot isn’t really anything too too important, but rather just a device to bring all the characters together into a proper story. Because of the way it’s used in this book, I didn’t dock any marks for this in my rating. However, if there were a way to make it an even more excellent story by being slightly less predictable, or perhaps less obvious about the direction it was going with the hints, that may have been better? I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The writing overall was truly excellent. This ties back mostly to the characters, but I personally enjoyed the tone of the piece a lot. It may not be for everyone, but the way it was so casually written, almost as if I was just a friend floating alongside all the characters really drew me into the story and kept me hooked. This book isn’t the shortest one out there but it certainly felt that way as I flew through its pages trying to read more (about the octopus, of course!). I really liked the different ideas and themes that were explored in this book as well, and it really felt like a heartwarming, cozy, yet totally meaningful story to read. I can’t recommend it enough! I feel like a wide-range of audiences could appreciate this one.
Overall Recommendations
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a book revolving around a mischievous giant pacific octopus in a small town aquarium, attended by a lovely old lady who cleans it. The two unlikely friends navigate their individual isolated lives, as both deal with heartbreak and other tensions that everyone is familiar with. Told through multiple POVs and in a very casual tone, the story really gives an in depth look into all its complex characters and relationships, and the nature of expectations and observations about human nature. This is an excellent book, and I definitely recommend it!
Down the Rabbit Hole 