October 2024 Book Haul
Every month it’s my tradition to embark on some fun book shopping. So, for this October 2024 book haul, I wanted to share a few books I purchased from Barnes and Noble this past weekend and the two books I ordered from Amazon.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt – Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Dark Academia
Kindle | Amazon | Kobo | Bookshop | Audible | Nook | Barnes & Noble
I’ve never read anything from the dark academia subgenre and thought that November would be the perfect time to dip my to into this intriguing world. And, I would be remiss if I didn’t add this cult classic to my TBR. This book is highly rated and beloved by those who enjoy this subgenre. So, into my cart, it went. I’m excited to dive into it next month.
Synopsis
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last—inexorably—into evil.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio – Mystery, Thriller, Dark Academia
Kindle Unlimited | Amazon | Kobo | Bookshop | Audible | Nook | Barnes & Noble
The next book I chose for my dark academia TBR is If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. This is another highly rated book that has been extremely popular by those who love the dark academia subgenre. I’ll admit that I’m a little intimidated by this one since it features a lot of Shakespearean references and I’m not the most well-read when it comes to Shakespeare. But, I’m more than willing to immerse myself into something new on the chance that I’ll have a stellar experience and broaden my reading horizons.
Synopsis
Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail – for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he’s released, he’s greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.
As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak – Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Horror
Kindle | Amazon | Kobo | Bookshop | Audible | Nook | Barnes & Noble
So, with this book, I’m taking a big leap of faith that this author will become an instant favorite. His previous book Hidden Pictures is on my October TBR and as of writing this I haven’t read it yet. But based on reviews and recommendations I’ve heard nothing but good things about his work and I’m excited to give a new author a try. I have nothing but good feelings about these books.
Synopsis
Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.
He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.
An edge-of-your-seat thriller that delves deep into the heart of one family, The Last One at the Wedding is a work of brilliant suspense from a true modern master.
Nothing Like The Movies by Lynn Painter – Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Kindle | Amazon | Kobo | Bookshop | Audible | Nook | Barnes & Noble
As soon as I learned there was going to be a part two to Better Than The Movies I knew that I had to have it. Wes and Liz are one of my all-time favorite fictional couples. I have to know what happens that causes them to drift apart and I’ll be an anxious mess until everything is resolved and they’re back together happily ever after.
Synopsis
For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: the strong-willed girl next door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off for college to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.
Flash forward months later, and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.
Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with rom-com-worthy grand gestures she loves. Only . . . Liz will have none of it! Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend . . . a guy friend.
Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones – Contemporary, Literary Fiction
Kindle | Amazon | Kobo | Bookshop | Audible | Nook | Barnes & Noble
I believe it’s important to diversify your reading and prioritize supporting and reading from BIPOC authors as much as possible. It’s challenging for BIPOC authors to get the same marketing and promotion from publishing companies as their white counterparts so using our dollars to support them goes a long way. Hence why, I wanted to own this book. I wasn’t able to find it at my local Barnes so I had to order it online from Amazon instead. I can’t wait to unfold the pages of this story.
Synopsis
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty by Valerie Bauerlein – Nonfiction, True Crime
Kindle | Amazon | Kobo | Bookshop | Audible | Nook | Barnes & Noble
Finally, the last book that I hauled this month is a true crime nonfiction about the Alex Murdaugh case. Listen, I’m a true crime junkie. I know it’s slightly morbid but I can’t help that I’m fascinated by the darker nature of the human condition. I enjoy trying to unravel the psychology and motives behind what drives people to do the unthinkable. And I’m highly interested in learning more about the complexities of this case.
Synopsis
Power, privilege, and blood—this is the definitive and thrilling true story of Alex Murdaugh’s violent downfall, from a veteran Wall Street Journal reporter who has become an authority on the case. Alex Murdaugh was a benevolent dictator—the president of the South Carolina trial lawyers’ association, a political boss, a part-time prosecutor, and a partner in his family’s law firm. He was always ready with a favor, a drink, and an invitation to Moselle, his family’s 1,700-acre hunting estate. The Murdaugh name ignited respect—and fear—for a hundred miles in any direction. When he murdered his wife, Maggie, and son Paul at Moselle on a dark summer night, the fragile façade of Alex’s world could no longer hold. His forefathers had covered up a midnight suicide at a remote railroad crossing, a bootlegging ring run from a courthouse, and the attempted murder of a pregnant lover. Alex, too, almost walked away from his unspeakable crimes with his reputation intact, but his downfall was secured by a twist of fate, some stray mistakes, and a fateful decision by an old friend who’d finally seen enough. Why would a man who had everything kill his wife and grown son? To unwind the roots of Alex’s ruin, award-winning journalist Valerie Bauerlein reported not just from the courthouse every day but also along the backroads and through the tidal marshes of South Carolina’s Lowcountry. When the jurors made their pilgrimage to the crime scene, trying to envision Maggie and Paul’s last moments, she walked right behind them, sensing the ghosts that haunt the Murdaughs’ now-shattered legacy. Through masterful research and cinematic writing, The Devil at His Elbow is a transporting journey through Alex’s life, the night of the murders, and the investigation that culminated in a trial that held tens of millions spellbound. With her stunning insights and fearless instinct for the truth, Bauerlein uncovers layers of the Murdaugh murder case that have not been told.
These are all the books that I hauled from this book-shopping trip. However, I do intend on purchasing another new release that’s scheduled to release later in the month on the twenty-ninth. But, overall I’m excited with the new acquisitions for my personal library and I’m looking forward to adding them to a TBR soon. What new books have you picked up this month?
