It is no exaggeration to say that it is a Unique Study month. One of the best months for books in a while. I read three A+ books in a row: The Secret History, Hart the Lover, Workhorse – When will it happen? Meanwhile, on audio, I was joined by strong women (Bobbi Brown and Diane Keaton). It doesn’t get any better than that. I liked but didn’t love the two thrillers I read, but everything else was so good I didn’t care.
I read in October 2025
Tell me what you read and liked in the comments section: I always buy your posts. For more books, see Library: A list of every book I’ve read in the last ten years; You can filter by category and sort by best/worst.
PS – Last month’s list! Also, check out my list Good books for fall! The Turtle neck The one I’m wearing in the photo above is by Jenny Cain.
Contemporary fiction
Heart Beloved, By Lily King
This might be one of the best books I read in 2025. It’s beautiful. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s wonderful. It’s also a quick read. It’s the fall of our narrator’s senior year of college when he meets two brilliant boys named Sam and Yash. They are star students who live off-campus in a professor’s beautiful house on sabbatical. They give her the nickname Jordan, and she finds herself drawn into a world of witty banter and cryptic language. By the end of her senior year, she finds herself in a love triangle. Once she graduates from college, each makes difficult decisions that will shape the rest of their lives. I’m being vague so you’ll get all the cute surprises I’ve got. Then we meet Jordan decades later, now a successful author. The glory days of her youth seem far behind her, except they aren’t. I will say more than this, but read this book. It’s beautifully written, and while it’s very sad, it also moved me – a wholeheartedly A+ book. Overall score A+ // Order on Bookstore Or Amazon
Work horseBy Carolyn Palmer
I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book. It’s quite long (I think about 550 pages?) but I couldn’t put it down, so I read it in one weekend. Our protagonist, Chloe, starts off very relatable. (A thin veil Vogue) magazine she works for, she’s a “workhorse”. One of those girls who is not a rich, beautiful, good socialite. Those girls are show horses. Chloe may not be a showhorse but she is can Work her way up. The book changes over the years as Chloe works her way up the magazine. We meet her office friend Davis Lawrence (privileged daughter of famous actress Barbara Lawrence). We meet Davis’ bestie Harry, who recognizes the qualities Chloe has in herself (and the ruthless ambition to make it in this glossy cutthroat media world). The book is quite dark at times. Chloe makes terrible decisions. “No! Don’t do that!!!!” But I liked her and related to her in many ways. The book is immortal. If you work in media/beauty/fashion (early 2000s), you’ll be talking about this. But even if you don’t, I think you’ll really enjoy it. One of my favorites this year. Total Score // Order On Bookstore Or Amazon
Literary fiction
secret history, By Donna Dart
It came out in 1992, but it’s been on my TBR list for years, just like I wanted Goldfinch Very much. Donna Dart is an incredible writer; I still can’t believe this is her introduction! I love that she gets ten years between books – can you imagine!? I decided to tackle it this month because it felt like the perfect fall read: dark and educational, cozy in all the right ways. Richard Papen transfers to an elite liberal arts college in Vermont. It’s the eighties, and Richard comes from a poor background. He is on scholarship. When he decides to major in Greek he is drawn into a small group of five students and their enigmatic professor. Other students came from secular and privileged backgrounds. First, he wants to be a friend. But as he gets closer to the other students, dark secrets emerge. Others have committed a violent crime and feel compelled to murder their fifth-grade classmate and friend, and he becomes an accomplice. (This is not a spoiler; the book begins with a murder.) The book deals with the lead-up to and aftermath of the murder. It’s dark and propulsive and I couldn’t put it down (but wanted to savor the writing, which is incredibly good!). Overall score A+ // Order on Bookstore Or Amazon.
Thriller
El Dorado DriveBy Megan Abbott
The three Bishop sisters grew up privileged in a wealthy suburb outside Detroit. But as the automobile industry declined, so did their routes. These days, the sisters are middle-aged, struggling to provide for their families and barely making ends meet. Harper, the youngest daughter, struggles when her glamorous and popular (middle) sister Pam invites her to join an exclusive club: The Wheel. Pam is in the middle of a contentious divorce with her ex, and swears The Wheel has changed everything for her. It costs $5,000. Harper joins in, pays his debts, and leaves. right? Does anyone ever leave? Things are going well for the three sisters, and a terrible crime threatens to take the whole thing down. I won’t tell you anymore! It was only a medium for me. I ate in a couple of sittings, but “that’s it!” I left reading a kind of like. With the end? Don’t get me wrong, it was interesting (and I love reading anything with MLM-y vibes, but I think some parts fell a bit flat for me. That being said, I loved the dynamic of Sisterhood. It had great characters.Total score B // Order on Bookstore Or Amazon
Gone before saying goodbyeBy Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coban
This book was funny In the world of thrillers, I learn that my favorites are the domestic variety, usually about a marriage gone wrong or someone going missing from the neighborhood. Are these types of thrillers too realistic and scary for me? It was action packed. . . Like reading a James Bond movie! Maggie McCabe is a disgraced doctor. After a series of disastrous events, she misbehaves and loses her license. When an old colleague (an elite plastic surgeon with anonymous clients) approaches her with a tempting offer, she finds herself in Russia, working for a billionaire oligarch. But when the oligarch is reported missing, Maggie’s life is on the line, and she’s on the run as she races to find out what happened. It’s a total pageturner and completely unreduced, but I will say that several parts felt pretty unbelievable to me, which is why it only gets a B+. Well worth a read, be warned about it! Total score B+ // Order on Bookstore Or Amazon
Non-fiction
More BobbyBy Bobby Brown
I absolutely loved this. It’s part personal memoir, part business book, and an absolute joy to read. It’s very quick, less than six hours. I learned a lot from both. What I love about it is how normal she is. She shares the story of her life and career with the same underlying authenticity that defines her beauty philosophy. From her childhood and early years in New York, to launching her eponymous brand with ten lipsticks, selling it to Estee Lauder, and then founding Jones Road, Brown takes an inside look at how intuition, perseverance and being true to herself shaped her success. It’s a fascinating business journey that feels like a fairy tale at times, but it’s also about the personal values that guided her: family first, learning by doing and embracing simplicity with flash. Brown’s refusal to chase trends or abandon her instincts has made her an icon, yet she steps down refreshingly. Through events of creativity, business lessons and home knowledge, More Bobby What emerges is an inspiring entrepreneurial story and a reminder that success doesn’t require compromise – it comes from believing in your “self.” Overall score A // Order on Bookstore Or Amazon
And then againBy Diane Keaton
When I learned of Diane Keaton’s passing, one of the first things I did was download Diane Keaton’s memoir from 2011. It’s a bit dated, but an absolute joy to listen to. It’s Diane Keaton’s memoir about her mother and herself. To be completely honest, some of the parts about her mother were a bit dull for me (I didn’t really care, I liked Diane more!) but I loved the book. He talks candidly about the beginnings of his career, his struggles with bulimia in his youth, his many loves (Woody! Warren! Al!), and of course the stories of his different film projects. She’s open and honest, but also very funny and cute (in true Diane Keaton fashion). I especially liked the part about filming Something has to give It’s one of my all-time favorite movies with Jack Nicholson (and how he gave her a percentage point on a backstage). . . But the whole thing was very interesting. It’s a quick listen and I totally recommend it! Overall score A // Order on Bookstore Or Amazon
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