This month’s Unread Shelf Challenge for the Unread Shelf Challenge hosted by Whitney at The Unread Shelf is to read books that scare you – in content or in length. For my list of hopefuls this month, I tried to focus on books that are listed as thriller/horror/sci-fi…it’s not my favorite genre and I’m looking forward to getting some of these off my shelf for good!
To help me whiddle down my books, I have a few categories I’d like to try to hit each month:
- A Backlist Title: Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
- With the release of Emezi’s latest novel, The Death of Vivek Oji, I think it’s time to finally prioritize Freshwater. I’ve heard they’re very different books, and I’ve heard they’re both excellent…now the question is: which do I read first??
- A BOTM Title: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
- I’m nervous about this one because fairy tales can be hit or miss for me, but I couldn’t resist that cover!
- A Nonfiction Title: The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth and Power by Deirdre Mask
- I’ve never given a single thought to how streets get named, but I’ve recently learned more about neighborhoods and the systemic racism that underlies them (redlining), so I think this will be a great book to further delve into that personal research of mine.
- A NetGalley/Edelweiss Title: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
- At first I was confused – is this a memoir? Thriller? Horror? I still don’t know, but it sounds like the perfect October read!
- A Memoir: A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom by Brittany K. Barnett
- Not spooky in the Halloween/October sense, but a scary premise just the same – having your daughter ripped from your arms and serving a life sentence for a first time drug offense. Just Mercy is still on my TBR and this book sounds like it’s along the same lines.
- At least 2 physical ARCs:
- His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie
- I’ve heard great things about this one!
- The Lightness by Emily Temple
- I’m not sure if this one will work for me – the reviews I’ve read are mixed and lean towards not good…so it’s time to give it a shot and either enjoy it or DNF it and get it off my shelves!
- His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie
Other books up for consideration:
- Don’t Look for Me by Wendy Walker
- The Testaments (The Handmaid’s Tale, #2) by Margaret Atwood
- Horrow Lake by Kat Ellis
- Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
- The Current by Tim Johnston
- Akata Witch (Akata Witch, #1) by Nnedi Okorafor
- A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1) by V.E. Schwab
- The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
What books are on your list of hopefuls for October?
Happiest When Reading 
I’m listening to the audiobook of Devolution right now and it is fantastic!!
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I’ve heard the audio is amazing…I’m not great with audio, but this one makes me want to try!
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Oh I love that you picked a book out of each category!! That still leaves you so much wiggle room for other books.
~ Corina | The Brown Eyed Bookworm
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I know I was supposed to vet The Lightness, but I failed! I never reviewed it because I couldn’t decide what I thought. Some aspects of it I liked, but others felt overdone. It’s an odd story!
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I’ll go into it knowing it may be a quick DNF. At least it will get off my shelf…you intrigued me enough to at least give it a try.
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