October 2026
Welcome to The Book List!
I wish that I could tell you that September was a spectacular month for reading. I can say with confidence that it was not. I mean, a couple of total winners, but for the most part, it was a bit of a shoulder shrug. I didn't realize this, though, until I made this list of books and was like, "Wow, this is a lot of procedural murders, Kendra."
Turns out, a girl needs more than procedural murders.
One of the perks of writing The Book List the second week of the month is that I've already had a little time to apply what I learned the previous month. I knew that I had gotten into the rut of "easy reads" because I started assuming my brain couldn't take anything challenging. It's like only watching CSI and no other TV shows. I mean, it's fun, but after a while, you're like, "Yeah, okay, let's give East of Eden a try now." That's how I felt about my reading when September came to a close.
I decided to diversify my genres a little more, take a break from murder-y audio, and pick up intriguing books even if I don't think I have the capacity right now. It doesn't hurt to give something a try.
You guys, we are not halfway through October, and I have already finished eight books, four of which are five-star reads. I am on a tear and feel like I'm riding the wave of the best reading month in years, maybe ever. And all because I noticed what was happening, adjusted my priorities, and planned my reading a little better. It's been the best. Can't wait to share those titles with you in a month!
For now, we'll get into September's books, which, again, had some winners. Nothing bad. Just mostly cereal when I needed a steak and a salad.
This Month’s Books
Book Reviews
So You Married a Human by Jackie Kelley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Most marriage books (or relationship books in general) feel weighty and important. I mean, they are. Relationships matter. But what a breath of fresh air to read a funny marriage book that's also helpful!
I sped through this book of 30 marriage rules and loved the heart behind every single one. In fact, Kaz and I already do a number of these even though we didn't have a name for them, and I can attest that Jackie's advice is solid.
My biggest takeaway from this book, though, is the simple reminder that marriage is supposed to be fun. You're supposed to laugh and like each other and keep a sense of humor through life's ups and downs. It's easy to forget that in the grueling nature of everyday life, but Jackie created an excellent reminder of just how fun marriage can be while helping it become even better.
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content warnings: It's a domestic thriller, but the violence, language, abuse, and sexual content are all fairly mild for the genre.
Casting: None
Book words: Fast-paced, cat-and-mouse, morally dubious narrator
The book opens on an idyllic dating relationship where the couple lives together, but it turns out she's a hitman sent to follow her boss's instructions on her boyfriend, i.e., the "mark." But then he turns out to be a different kind of guy, too, and we're not sure who to trust.
It's fun, twisty, and relatively unpredictable while still being pretty daggum predictable. It's a solid, down-the-middle thriller, so if you like the genre, it's worth picking up.
No Exit by Taylor Adams
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content warnings: So violent. Child endangerment.
Casting: None
Book words: Sadistic, horrifying, thrilling, edge-of-your-seat
The only reason I'm giving this as high as four stars is because it kept my attention the whole time. Granted, that's in part to how BONKERS the story is, but it succeeded in keeping me hooked.
Darby is on a road trip to see her mom who's undergoing cancer treatment when she has car trouble in a snowstorm. She makes it to a rest stop with 4% battery life on her phone and decides to wait it out with four other folks stuck at the same rest stop. Then when she goes outside to try and get a signal to call her mom, she sees a kid's face in the back of a van in the parking lot. Turns out somebody kidnapped a kid.
The ridiculous twists and turns that follow, the violence, the simply disgusting choices made by some of these characters boggles the mind. I mean, it's good in a very specific kind of way. I think if you like horror or really dark thrillers that are all about what a deranged person has the capacity to do, you'll enjoy it. I didn't realize it was going to be as dark as it was (expected more of a Blake Crouch situation), and it's not a genre I'd choose again.
The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content warnings: Psychological abuse, child endangerment
Casting: None
Book words: Nuanced thriller, a type of historical fiction, character-driven
Unfortunately for this book, I read its cousin, The Once and Future Me, last year, and it was so good I still think about it. I couldn't help but compare the two, and this one just didn't hit the same mark. I wonder if I would've given Women another half star if I hadn't already read the other.
Told in two timelines, one is set in the 1960s where four women with unusual psychic powers are brought together for a series of experiments performed at an acclaimed university. Turns out, the experiments wreak psychological havoc on the individual women as well as on their relationships. In the current-day timeline, a young woman down on her luck takes a job as a caregiver for an elderly woman living with no modern conveniences and in a home frozen in the 60s. This, of course, is one of the four women who was subject to the experiments and wants answers about her three friends.
It's good. It really is. I just kept waiting for another level, kind of like I was a coach on The Voice waiting to be more impressed before I turned my chair. No real fault to the book itself. I'm just comparing it to something I enjoyed a lot more.
Scion by James Islington
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Content warnings: Violence but, like, the punk rock sci-fi kind
Casting: Forgive me, but I popped Joe Keery, aka Steve from Stranger Things, aka the main character from James Islington's The Will of the Many series, into lead role yet again. He's probably more suited for this Islington character than the Will one anyway. But a brash, funny, hitman in a cyberpunk sci-fi world? With that hair?! All day.
Book words: Fun, lots of action, cinematic
This was the most fun. Practically made for me in a factory. There was absolutely no emotional investment, which is why it isn't five stars, but it was a blast.
Azure is a corporate assassin, the best of his kind, living in a sci-fi world where the most despicable citizens are the kinds with money who use it to live forever. He's hired to kill said people. But when he comes upon an unlikely target, chaos ensues.
It takes a little bit to get into the world but not much. James Islington wrote this, not with the intent to publish it, but for a creative break from the other series he's trying to finish. You can tell but not in a bad way. It's just a good time. Developed and interesting but not as methodically done as his other books. But it's short, action-packed, and a rock-and-roll thrill ride. It was great.
Tell No Lies by Allison Brennan 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrated by Suzanne T. Fortin
Content warnings: Child endangerment, violence, infrequent sort of open door sexual content
Casting: None
Book words: These are the same book words for this whole series - thrilling, procedural and therefore predictable but in a comforting way, gritty, edgy.
I binge-listened to three of these Quinn and Costa thrillers in a row, and while I can definitely tell the difference in plot, there's not much difference in feel. You know what you're getting, you know? Sometimes that's a lovely thing.
This particular case centers around environmental dangers and human trafficking across the border with Mexico. The FBI mobile response team goes undercover in a desert town; Kara is a bartender and Michael is a factory worker, to figure out why a college student investigating environmental hazards was killed. It's very... dusty.
The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Narrated by Suzanne T. Fortin
Content warnings: Child endangerment, violence, infrequent sort of open door sexual content
Casting: None
Book words: These are the same book words for this whole series - thrilling, procedural and therefore predictable but in a comforting way, gritty, edgy.
I liked this one less but not by much. I never love stories that involve boats, and the inciting incident is a tourist yacht that blows up. The team has to figure out if someone blew it up because they were after someone on board or if they're blowing up the boat to attack the company that owns the boats that caused a huge oil spill years before.
It's fine. I like getting to know the members of the team more, but really this is CSI. Good ol' crime procedurals.
The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Narrated by Suzanne T. Fortin
Content warnings: Trafficking, sexual abuse
Casting: None
Book words: These are the same book words for this whole series - thrilling, procedural and therefore predictable but in a comforting way, gritty, edgy.
If the earlier book is dusty, this one is sweaty. I always feel that way about books set in Louisiana. Everybody is always sweating!
One of Michael's friends is a local police officer and needs help connecting the dots between seven missing girls. He thinks that someone in power is to blame, but every time he pokes around, someone else gets hurt. He calls in the FBI for help. It's a pretty dark story because of all the women abused, and again, so sweaty. But it was fine.
Three of these in one month is two too many. I've learned my lesson.
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Narrated by Jean Brassard
I am down to the last two Inspector Gamache books. Another is set to release in a week or two, but I listened to these two back-to-back. The series changed narrators again, this time to reflect a more accurate Quebec accent, and I don't love this guy as much. I really enjoyed the first two narrators, but I have a hard time following this third one.
Also, this story and the number of characters felt unnecessarily complicated. It felt like The Grey Wolf was setting up The Black Wolf, and too much context had to be laid out. I just couldn't get into it or keep up in the same way as the others. Simplicity is better to me. Not sure how much was a function of the narration or the story itself.
But yeah, somebody is threatening to poison Canada's entire water supply. Dire straits indeed.
The Black Wolf by Louise Penny 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrated by Jean Brassard
This felt a little simpler because we're now trying to figure out who was really behind the poisoning plot from the previous book. But still a little too convoluted for me, and I didn't warm up to the narrator any further.
I'll totally buy the next book, but I'll buy the hard copy instead of listening. A wild turn after listening to NINETEEN of these!