October

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
What if the famous Yale secret societies were more than secret? What if they were...other worldly? Deadly? Full of dark magic, evil, and death? Yep, that would be a fascinating story, wouldn't it? In Bardugo's first venture into adult fiction, she takes the infamous "I see dead people" to an entirely new level. Galaxy (aka Alex) is a new freshman at Yale, with her admission aided by the Dean in order to be the new acolyte for Lethe House, the secret society tasked with the job of keeping all the other secret societies in line. Good luck with that, as all those wealthy, privileged, entitled brats like to mess around with magic in order to create opportunities for power and financial gain, regardless of the 'little people' it might harm...including Alex. However, Alex has a secret weapon, her ability to see the ghosts among us. This has created truly horrific experiences in Alex's childhood (warning: instances of violence, drug use, rape are disturbing), and definitely cause unlikely scenarios once she's at college. If you like horror, mystery, ghost stories, and characters who are rather 'complicated,' I cannot recommend this one highly enough. It scared the bejesus out of me at times, but I seriously could not put this book down. Bardugo is a master storyteller, and thanks to the ending, she's got lots more tales to tell about Yale and their creepy societies.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
Remember Olive Kittredge, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of 2009? Well...shes baaaack! And as much as I loved the original, I think I loved this second book even more. Olive is still the curmudgeon that she has always been - passing judgment on the neighbors in her small Maine town, fighting with her son, badgering her second husband. Yet Olive also stops and listens to their stories, shows her former students that she saw something inside of them that was worthwhile, and ultimately details what life is like as we age, how the view narrows as our bodies betray us, and how we must find worth in a small space. Elizabeth Strout is one of my very favorite authors, writing in a clear sparse style, not mucking up the story with unnecessary verbiage, and creating stories of real life and real people. Oh, how I loved this book. If you missed Olive the first time around, I highly recommend going back and revisiting this book before going on to the sequel; you will not regret it.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Woodson is truly an iconic writer. Having been awarded the Newberry for her children's book, Brown Girl Dreaming, as well as winning numerous awards for other books, Woodson now creates a coming-of-age story involving an African-American family in Brooklyn. She follows three generations, focusing mainly on the women: grandmother, a survivor of a horrific race war years ago, still carrying the scars; mother, a young teenage mom who had dreams of her own; and the daughter, abandoned by the mother as she pursues those dreams, living through 9/11 and its aftermath, forging a life for herself in the 21st century. This was one of the best 'listens' I have ever heard (from libro.fm) - incredibly talented narrators reading a gorgeously written book. I wept over this one and was so moved by the story, the themes, the incredible characters.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

If you like wickedly tense dystopia, this book will totally satisfy you. Think Hunger Games where the contestants are Handmaid’s. Then sprinkle in some Mean Girls and a little bit of crazy from The Crucible...and then set it all in the village from The Lottery. Sixteen year old girls (ie. future wives) head out to a remote area in the woods in order to dispel their ‘magic’ that destroys men. Traditions are hard to break, and these young girls face rebellion in their own ranks, power struggles, poison, violence, invaders, and the elements. Yet Tierney is the hero we all cheer for, relentlessly innovative and courageous. Thanks to @libro.fm for this amazingly told story - some of the best narration I have ever heard. I listened every chance I got and was blown away by the ending. Please please please tell me there’s going to be a sequel????

Frankly in Love by David Yoon
I am not usually a YA drama reader, but I had heard great things about this book so I decided to listen to it on libro.fm.  SO glad I did! Delightful narrator telling a delightful, yet also very topical, story. Frank Lee (get it?? the title!!) is a high school senior whose parents have disowned his older sister after she marries an African-American man. She had done everything right - studied constantly, went to Harvard, you name it - but they expected a Korean marriage. This book covers Frank's romantic life, as well as his friends', and his intriguing dynamics within the family. Will Frank live up to all his parent's expectations or will he rebel? So many funny moments, some tragedy and sadness, some racial insensitivity explored in a thoughtful way, I highly recommend this book.

The Whisper Man by Alex North
I had read many scary reviews of this book, so of course I ordered it for my BOTM club choice! Admittedly, the first 20% or so thought about being rather Stephen King-ish, but ultimately it is just a very solid police procedural mystery. Following the accidental death of his wife, Tom and his young son Jake move to a small English town and buy the 'scary' house. Each plot piece is methodically laid out, with skeletons, nosy neighbors, missing children, questionable schooling, and some very dedicated police detectives. Admittedly, I did not really like reading this one at night but I had to as I just could not put it down. If you like very British dark mysteries, this book is a good choice.