What I Read in October of 2024

Happy November, friends! Now that we’re officially entering the holiday season (which starts November 1st in my books), everything feels exciting and cozy. I’ve been reading every morning before I start work which is probably my favorite time of the day. Here’s everything I read in October:

THE PERFECTIONIST’S GUIDE TO LOSING CONTROL by Katherine Morgan Schafler

At some point my in my 20s, I started identifying as a (partial?) perfectionist. It was a weird and not the healthiest way in which I coped with things. In the last couple of years, I have been getting better about expecting perfect performance from myself (and others to be quite frank!) but I felt like I could use professional advice which is where The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control comes in! The book (and author’s website) has a quiz to help you identify what type of perfectionist you are, and even just learning what type of perfectionist I am (a mix of Classic and Parisian) was enlightening. I really appreciated the author’s way of looking at perfectionism as a strength rather than something to “recover” from.

THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS by Ruth Ozeki

You know I’ve been prioritizing books that I physically own this year, so it was finally time to read The Book of Form and Emptiness, which I was gifted a few years back when I used to be active on Bookstagram. The Book of Form and Emptiness is an interesting take on grief. Following the death of the musician father, Benny and his mom Annabelle both struggle with the loss they feel and the family dynamic between the two seems to have changed irreversibly. Benny starts hearing voices from objects, which becomes an incessant torture. Annabelle becomes a hoarder as she can’t seem to let go of things. Goodreads reviews are a bit polarizing but it worked for me. The narrator supposedly is great so perhaps try this on audiobook!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ABED SALAMA: ANATOMY OF A JERUSALEM TRAGEDY by Nathan Thrall

This Pulitzer Prize Winner was a bit different than I expected. Based on the title of the book and the Goodreads blurb, I was expecting a very focused narrative surrounding the deadly accident where a school bus full of Palestinian children was set on fire due to an accident and help did not arrive in a timely manner. While it does tell the story of that tragedy, a lot more is covered in this short book. There are several characters introduced, both Palestinians and Israelis, and some of them come with quite a bit of backstories. I wish I had read a physical copy instead because I think it would have been easier for me to follow. Nonetheless, it’s a poignant story that illustrates the challenges Palestinians have to face daily living in an apartheid state.

PARABLE OF THE TALENTS by Octavia E. Butler

After reading Parable of the Sower, I could not get enough of it. Its sequel, Parable of the Talents, is a continuation of Lauren Olamina’s story and her life’s work in establishing and spreading Earthseed. We do get to, however, hear from more than Olamina, primarily from her daughter Larkin/Asha Vere. While Butler’s story fascinated me the same, I felt like it ended a bit abruptly towards the end where there was a relatively quick and not-so-satisfying resolution. Some people think Butler intentioned to write a third book though it is possible that the ending was intentionally written so.

BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS by Ina Garten

Though I didn’t grow up watching Barefoot Contessa on Food Network, I know who Ina Garten is, of course, partially thanks to Tom Hearn on TikTok. When I tell you I am now obsessed with Ina Garten, I really mean it!! I even dressed up as Ina for Halloween this year (though I only put on a blue button-down and pearls with a side of fake cosmopolitan haha)! In this memoir, she chronicles her childhood with her cold and often cruel parents, her love story with Jeffrey which started in her teenage years, the big pivot she made in her career around the age of 30 which launched her Barefoot Contessa empire–everything. While she didn’t live the hardest life, she is candid and vulnerable with the challenges she’s overcome, and she is just lovely to listen to. This book has inspired me more than one way, though of course I’ll be attempting some of her recipes soon.

P.S. I’m currently reading Last Boat Out of Shanghai and listening to Local Woman Missing.