This post contains affiliate links that I could make commission off of. All opinions are my own. Learn more.
October was a big month for reading! I finished 7 (!!) books this month, and made a lot of progress on my reading goals for my 101 in 1001 list.
Let’s get to the reviews!
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
The final book in the Percy Jackson & The Olympian series is the culmination of the overarching storyline. It’s heavy on fighting, which is a little bit exhausting, but it was still a fun read!
Rating: 4/5 stars
How to Be Less Stupid About Race by Crystal M. Fleming
I… wanted to like this book more. I really did. I picked it up on a whim at the library when I grabbed The Color of Law, because the title really grabbed my attention. I was hoping for corrections to miseducation and clear steps to be more anti-racist, but it just… wasn’t. Part of it was super gargon-y, academic writing, while other pieces were personal essay style, and they just didn’t jive. She made a lot of strong points, but didn’t bring the reader along with her—she would talk about how she didn’t like something, but not clearly explain why, so it was hard to agree with her without just taking her word for it.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Beard with Me by Penny Reid
I’ve been reading the Winston Brothers series from Penny Reid all year, and I’m so sad that I only have one book left (plus a bonus book, I suppose). Beard with Me takes place years before the first five books in the series. It tells the origin story of two of the characters, Claire and Billy, who clearly don’t get along any more for an unclear reason.
Well, Beard with Me clears it up. And it was heartbreaking on so many levels. Some terrible things happen throughout the book, and you know they’re coming based on what you learn in the first five books, but ugh, they’re still so painful to have to read.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman
This is another book that I wanted to like more. It’s all about how to nurture “big friendships” and keep your friends close. But to be honest, it read more like a combined memoir for Aminatou and Ann; there wasn’t that much actionable content. And in the end, after reading all about how big their combined “friend-web” is, it just made me feel like I don’t have any friends.
Rating: 3/5 stars
The Winter of Red Snow by Kristiana Gregory
It’s on my 101 in 1001 list to read all of the Dear America books, and I started with this one since I already own it! It’s a fictional diary of a young girl, Abigail, who lives in Valley Forge when George Washington and his army rest for the winter of 1777-1778.
It was a super easy read (I read it in less than 3 hours) and there were fun cameos from Alexander Hamilton, Marquis de Lafayette, and even John Laurens! But it bothered me how easily the author glossed over slave ownership, even though it would have been accurate for a girl during that era to not think twice about it.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream by Jenny Han
I love Jenny Han, so as part of my 101 in 1001 list, I want to read all of her books (including the books I’ve already read). I figured the children’s book would be the easiest place to start, and it was available at my library!
It tells the story of Clara Lee, a Korean American girl in third grade who wants to be Little Miss Apple Pie at the local festival. She starts having a bunch of good luck after she talks to her grandfather about a dream she had, but it starts to run out just before the Little Miss Apple Pie pageant.
It was a really charming book that tackles racism, confidence, and more, in a super approachable way for kids. I loved it!
Rating: 5/5 stars
Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile by Kristiana Gregory
Are you sensing a theme with my reading for this month? A lot of my list was based off my 101 in 1001 list! Cleopatra is no exception: I want to read all of the Royal Diaries books in the next few years, too. It’s an off-shoot of Dear America, and I loved both series when I was in grade school.
Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile is the fictional diary of a teenage Cleopatra as she flees from her older sisters and takes refuge in Rome with her father, King Ptolomy XII.
I learned a lot about Cleopatra that I feel like I should have known, and while I wanted to love this book, it was just okay. I think it glossed over a lot of problematic stuff, but still made it approachable for kids.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Leave a Reply