October Reading List

With every month that passes by, I accumulate and read more and more books. It’s sometimes hard to find time to read during the school year, but I’ve tried to make it a habit to read at least one non-school book a month. Here is the list of books I read during October and my honest reviews on them:

➔ Emma by Jane Austen

This has always been a book that I was curious to read and when I saw it at the thrift store I just had to buy it. My only previous knowledge of Emma was that its storyline was borrowed for the movie Clueless, which is one of my favourite movies. I didn’t know anything else about the book, but I figured I would like it if I liked the movie so much.

To be completely honest, reading this book was a struggle. It took me about four months to read and complete, which is a long time for me to read one book. The language used, the number of characters, and the way it was written were just so different from what I’m used to that it took me longer to comprehend. Some paragraphs I would have to reread to understand completely, and I even had to reread the first three chapters twice.

Overall, once I finished it, I loved it. While it was a journey to read, I loved the storyline and I really got into it within the last 200 pages. I couldn’t put it down. I love Emma’s character and how confident, charismatic, and independent she is. I saw a bit of myself in her. She’s a wonderful and relatable character, and my favourite trait of hers is that she never wants to marry.

Knowing that the book is based on Clueless helped me read it and it was fun for me to connect certain scenes and characters back to the movie. I would definitely recommend reading this book if you haven’t, especially if you are a fan of Clueless.

➔ The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Technically, this is a school book (and a book I’ve read before), but I decided to add it to the list anyway since I enjoyed reading it so much. In high school, I read the book, watched the movie, and even acted in the play so I’m well familiar with the story. However, I had to reread The Outsiders this month for a class and I’ve been reminded just how good of a story it is.

If you haven’t read The Outsiders… go read it! It’s such a heartwarming story and extremely relatable to anyone who’s ever been a teenager. It’s about those who feel their voices go unheard and who feel that they are misunderstood and overlooked. It’s beautifully written and it’s a simple, easy read. I read it within 48 hours. The Outsiders is a classic and that’s why it is still relevant 52 years after its publication.

➔ The Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass

Let me just start by saying that The Selection trilogy is one of my all-time favourite book series ever. I first read it about 6 years ago, maybe even more, and I have reread it many times ever since. The storyline and the plot are creative, intriguing, and right up my alley.

The Selection takes place in a dystopian universe where the United States is now ruled under a monarchy with a strict caste system based on social class. The caste you were born in is the caste that you stay in for the rest of your life and you are limited to careers based on your number. The goal for lower castes is to marry up into a richer caste, however, that is not the case for America Singer, caste 5, who is in a secret relationship with Aspen Leger, caste 6.

When she gets thrown into The Selection, a competition held when a prince in the royal family comes of age, she has to leave Aspen behind and compete for Prince Maxon’s love. The thing is, America doesn’t want to be loved by the Prince, yet she finds herself among 33 other girls all vying to become the newest Princess. Will America still want to go back home to her true love after she meets Prince Maxon or will she want to fight to become the new Princess and Maxon’s wife.

This series is like a mix between The Bachelor and The Hunger Games, and it’s amazing. I always read it when I don’t feel like reading anything else because it’s so dramatic that I can’t put it down until I finish it. It is also written extremely well to the point that it makes me emotional.

This book has made me happy, angry, sad, even to the point of actually crying (not even kidding). It is such a great series with such a compelling storyline. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves romance, drama, and royalty.