“He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can’t make up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace.”

― Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes

The Irish-American novelist Frank McCourt's 1996 book, Angela's Ashes: a memoir, contains a number of anecdotes and tales from his early years.  Although the book mostly concentrates on his youth in Limerick, Ireland, it also describes his early years in Brooklyn, New York.  It also covers his father's alcoholism and his battles with poverty.

Synopsis from Amazon...

So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank’s mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank’s father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy—exasperating, irresponsible, and beguiling—does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father’s tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies.

Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank’s survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig’s head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors—yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness.

My reaction to this novel...

When I first picked up Angela’s Ashes, I honestly thought the title meant Angela (Frank’s mother) was going to die. But as I kept reading, I realized the title was more symbolic. It wasn’t about her actual death, but about the ashes of her life. The hardships, the poverty, and the deep sense of loss she had to carry. And wow, this book hit me in so many ways.

This memoir is Frank McCourt’s story of growing up in absolute poverty in Ireland, and it doesn’t hold back. The writing style is simple and straightforward, almost like you’re listening to someone tell you their life story. That’s what made it powerful for me. It wasn’t overly fancy, but it carried so much weight.

What stood out to me the most was how brutally honest this book is. It doesn’t sugarcoat what it feels like to live in hunger, to lose siblings one after another, or to deal with a father who would rather drink away the little money they had instead of buying food for the kids. It’s raw, and at times, it’s painful to read.

Angela, the mother, became the center of it all for me. I could feel her struggles through every page. She was constantly trying to keep the family together, even when life gave her nothing but ashes. It’s heartbreaking because you can sense her exhaustion, her broken spirit, but also her resilience. She lost so much children, dignity, peace of mind and yet she kept going because she had to.

Another thing I appreciated is that even though the subject matter is dark, Frank McCourt tells his story with bits of humor. There are moments when I found myself smiling or laughing despite the sadness, and that balance made the book easier to get through.

But let me be honest here, this book isn’t for everyone. It’s heavy, it’s sad, and sometimes it feels like the pain never ends. There were chapters where I had to pause because the suffering was just too much to take in one sitting. Still, I think that’s the point. McCourt didn’t write this to entertain; he wrote it to show the reality of growing up in desperate circumstances.

It’s moving, unforgettable, and worth reading, but it’s not the kind of book you just fly through casually. It demands emotional energy, and at times it can feel draining.

In the end, Angela’s Ashes left me with a lot of reflection. It made me grateful for what I have, and it reminded me how powerful storytelling can be when it comes from a place of truth. If you’re someone who appreciates raw, honest memoirs and you’re ready for a book that will tug at your emotions, this is definitely one you should pick up.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)

 "Youth is the season of courage, where love feels like a leap into the unknow, fearless, hopeful and beautifully brave."

--Unknown

In If I Fall, every step feels like walking over broken glass which is uncertain, trembling, but necessary. With raw emotion and haunting honesty, this story pulls you into a world where love and fear collide, and the only way forward is to risk losing yourself.

Synopsis...

If I Fall is a heartfelt story that dives into the complicated emotions of love, trust, and the courage to face heartbreak. It follows the journey of two people whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways, reminding us that love is not always a fairytale—it can be messy, painful, and filled with uncertainty. The characters struggle with choices that test their strength, showing how hard it can be to hold on when life keeps pulling them apart. At its core, the novel paints a raw and emotional picture of how fragile yet powerful love can be.

But beyond the heartbreak and the tears, this book also offers hope. It shows how falling—whether in love or in life—doesn’t always mean failure. Sometimes falling is part of learning, of finding yourself, and of growing stronger than before. Through its emotional highs and lows, If I Fall reminds readers that even in the darkest moments, there is light waiting at the end of the journey. It’s a story for anyone who has loved deeply, lost painfully, and still found the courage to believe in love again.

My reaction to this novel...

I recently finished reading If I Fall by ShirlengTearJerky, and I have to admit, this was a very different reading experience for me. I don’t usually read Tagalog romance books. In fact, it’s a genre I tend to avoid because I often find them too cheesy or cringey for my taste. That’s why when I started this book, I wasn’t sure if I would even make it to the end.

True enough, there were moments where I felt exactly what I expected: a little cringey, overly sweet, and dramatic in ways that I’m not really used to. But to my surprise, there were also several parts that made me smile without even realizing it. That, for me, was unexpected. The playful banter between characters, the little acts of love, and even the more emotional scenes managed to draw me in, even though this isn’t usually my kind of story.

The plot itself follows some of the familiar tropes that we often see in romance: misunderstandings, tension, reconciliations, and of course, the “kilig” factor that Filipino romance novels are so well known for. On paper, it may not sound unique, but the way the author told the story had a certain sincerity. It was written in a way that clearly aimed to touch the hearts of readers, and in that regard, it succeeded.

One thing I really appreciated was that the book didn’t try to be anything else, it was a straightforward love story that embraced everything people enjoy about the genre. It had the right mix of lightheartedness, drama, and those sweet little moments that make you root for the characters. Even when I felt that familiar sense of awkwardness with some overly romantic exchanges, I still found myself turning the pages, curious to see what would happen next.

As someone who isn’t a fan of Tagalog romance, this book felt new to me. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. There were times I thought about how different it was compared to the kinds of stories I normally enjoy, but I also realized that sometimes it’s good to read something you wouldn’t usually pick up. The cringe was there, yes, but so was the charm. And it’s the charm that ultimately made me keep reading.

In terms of rating, I honestly don’t know where to place it. On one hand, it’s not a book I would rave about because it’s not my preferred genre. On the other hand, I can’t deny that it entertained me and even made me smile, which means it did exactly what a romance novel is supposed to do. For that reason alone, I’d say it deserves some recognition.

Would I recommend it? If you’re someone who loves Tagalog romance, then absolutely! You’ll probably fall in love with it even more than I did. If you’re like me, someone who doesn’t usually go for this type of story, then I’d still say give it a try. You might be surprised by how a simple, sweet story can make you feel something, even when you least expect it.

Overall, If I Fall is a surprisingly cute and heartfelt read. It may not have completely changed my mind about the genre, but it gave me a fresh experience, and that’s something I value as a reader. Sometimes, stepping outside your usual reading preferences can give you small, unexpected joys and that’s exactly what this book did for me.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨(3.5/5)

October always feels like the perfect month for books that make your heart beat fast. The weather starts cooling, nights get longer, and everything feels a bit more mysterious like there’s a secret just around the corner. I don’t know about you, but I love that tension. The thrill of turning each page, wondering who to trust, or what’s really going on behind closed doors. That’s what makes a great thriller for me.

This year, there are a few novels dropping in October 2025 that caught my eye hard. Not because they’re just scary or dark, but because they have tension, secrets, weird strangers, storms, cabins, legal mysteries, all of those ingredients that, when done right, mean I’m up reading when I should be sleeping. I want to share 5 that seem solid picks. Some are pure psychological suspense, others legal twists, some weird creepy-stranger-at-your-door vibes. If you like thrillers, these are books I’ll be looking forward for.

1. The Intruder by Freida McFadden 

Freida McFadden’s next one, coming this October 7, The Intruder, really leans into the creepy, isolated-cabin feeling. Casey is in a cabin during a storm, and then a strange girl shows up: alone, bloody, holding a knife, and won’t explain anything. The roof shakes, lights flicker, and something in the night makes Casey’s world feel unsafe in a way you can almost see. This promises to be a suspenseful read, one where fear isn’t just about what’s outside, but what might be hiding close by. The reaction of Casey, how she handles the unknown, and the secret the girl holds which she’ll kill to protect are the big pulls. 

2. All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles 

Another one here is coming this October 7, this one is a bit different. It’s gothic mystery crossed with family tensions. The setting is a remote goth-style house, Lackaday House, and Zeb is dragged in by relatives, secrets, and even his ex-lover. There’s a wealthy ward, a family fortune up for grabs, locked rooms, mists, suspicion everywhere. It feels like “who can you trust” is the big question, and the house itself becomes a character, shadows, locked gates, jealousy, family lies. If you like psychological tension + closed settings with oppressive atmospheres, this looks like it could grip you.

3. The Widow by John Grisham

John Grisham is known for legal thrillers, but this one says it’s his first real whodunit coming this October 21. The protagonist, Simon Latch, is a small-town lawyer in rural Virginia, struggling, married life falling apart. Then comes Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow, needing a new will. She claims her late husband left her a fortune nobody else knows about. Simon thinks this might be his lucky break, but events spiral. A car accident, cracked stories, suspicious people, and then Simon ends up being accused of murder for a crime he’s sure he didn’t commit. Now he needs to uncover what’s real, who’s lying, and find the truth to clear his name. Classic Grisham tension + mystery, so should be good if you like courtroom or legal suspense mixed with “is she telling the full story?” vibes.

4. The Water Lies by Amy Meyerson

Coming this October 28, a pregnant woman, weird noises or things happening, her toddler screaming a name she doesn’t know (“Gigi”), and someone drowns overnight. So much of the tension comes from not knowing what’s real, what’s danger, and what is possibly something more uncanny. It feels like mysterious events piling up, creating unease. If you're a fan of psychological dread rather than overt horror, this seems like a good bet.

5. Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben

This one’s more of a “mystery meets betrayal” kind of thriller and will be released on October 14. The setup: a surgeon, her career in trouble, taking a job caring for someone, patient disappears, she becomes suspect. All the “trust me? maybe not” tension, with personal stakes. I expect twists and reveals—who said what, who’s involved behind the scenes, and how much she can uncover while people are looking at her like she’s guilty. If you like that kind of suspense where your heart is racing because you know someone’s lying, this should hit.

If you ask me, each of these has something different: some are psychological, some are legal, some are gothic. So depending on your mood (creepy, courtroom, or family secrets), there’s something here.