Okay, so if you listened to our latest episode of Pen & Page Gals at all then you’ll know … I basically didn’t read at all for the month of September. It was terrible! I just wasn’t feeling it, though – you know?

But I was able to get the book itch going again due to the fact that I HAD to read for our Midnight Sun podcast book club discussion and now I’m ready to tackle the big stack of library books I have in my possession.

So without further ado, here’s my list of What To Read for the month of October!

(All book blurbs are sourced from the internet, ok guys?)

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person’s decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.

Sounds super intriguing, doesn’t it? This one is getting a LOT of hype from other book bloggers that I follow so I’m excited to see if it lives up expectations or not.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

Umm .. so I actually really don’t want to put the blurb to this book on here because it’s the sequel to The Friend Zone and there’s a major plot spoiler for the first book in the blurb for the second. So, (a) if you’re planning to read The Friend Zone, I’d just do that first before even looking this book up because otherwise you’ll know a major major major detail from the first book and (b) if you’re not planning to read The Friend Zone, just click the image above to read the blurb for this book because I’m not about to spoil one of the best reads I’ve had this year for anyone.

ALSO, if you listened to our podcast you would know that this book is our October pick for PPG Book Club so make sure to read along before the 25th of the month so you can chime in on our book club conversation!

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca “Bex” Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile. The public is angry. The Queen is even angrier. And the press is salivating. Cutting themselves off from friends and family, and escaping the world’s judgmental eyes, feels like the best way to protect their fragile, all-consuming romance. But when a crisis forces the new Duke and Duchess back to London, the Band-Aid they’d placed over their problems starts to peel at the edges. Now, as old family secrets and new ones threaten to derail her new royal life, Bex has to face the emotional wreckage she and Nick left behind: with the Queen, with the world, and with Nick’s brother Freddie, whose sins may not be so easily forgotten — nor forgiven.

You may or may not remember the much loved book The Royal We that came out a few years ago that was loosely based on Prince William & Duchess Kate’s love story. This is the sequel to that book and is another title that is getting a lot of buzz. I’ll be honest, I actually don’t remember much about the first book but I’m still looking forward to reading this … I’ll report back and let you know if it’s read-able without having the first book fresh in your memory.

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

London, 1887. After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

TEEHEE, ok so this is the first of a series and if this first book is good then I am going to be so giddy because there’s a whole series of books available to read after. It’s historical fiction, if you can’t tell from the blurb, but it’s also a mystery series so you’re really combining two of my favorite genres with this book. I won’t lie – the anticipation is high and I realllllly hope I’m not disappointed.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive. One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her. A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.

This book probably doesn’t need any further introduction by me as it’s a book that’s been at the top of both the New York Times Bestseller and International Bestseller lists for awhile. I think it’s loosely based on true stories or real people and of course, since there’s so much acclaim around it, I already know it’s going to be a beautiful read. I just need to make sure my head space is ready for what I’m sure will be a heavy topic to read about.

Firefly Lane & Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable. So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

On the topic of heavier reading material, this book is not the usual fun fiction/chick lit/YA that I gravitate towards but after reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah a few years ago, I can’t help be but drawn to her titles. This story is told across two installments and I have both books in my possession. I’ve found that I either LOVE Kristin Hannah books or are completely heartbroken to the point of being disinterested by them .. we’ll see where I land with these two titles!

I can’t believe that we’re in the month of October! I feel like October is the beginning of when life starts to feel cozy and I don’t know about you but there’s nothing cozier than snuggling up on the couch with a tasty treat and a good book, am I right?!