October was a really good reading month. I read more than I thought I would get to, and the overall quality of the things that I read was really great. I enjoyed reading some spooky things for October. It felt very seasonally appropriate. It was also an exciting month for book buying because I ended up doing a Book Outlet order and treated myself a little bit.
Here are the books I hauled in October:
- Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
- A Twist of Fate by Kelley Armstrong
- When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
- Lore Olympus Volume 3 by Rachel Smythe
- It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
- Built to Last by Erin Hahn
- Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater
- Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall
- The Curses by Laure Eve
- Tiny Pretty Things by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra
- Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
- All the Rage by Courtney Summers
- If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemond-Broka
- Soul of Cinder by Bree Barton
- Tears of Frost by Bree Barton
- The Ravens by Kass Morgan
- For Better or Cursed by Kate Williams
- Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyers
- Violent Ends by Shaun David Hutchinson
- The Unleashed by Danielle Vega
- Illusionary by Zoraida Cordova
- Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price
- Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegsegar
- Burden Falls by Kat Ellis
- Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis
- The Giver – Graphic Novel
- Iron Heart by Ashley Poston
- Shiny Broken Pieces by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra
- Gallant by V.E. Schwab
- Voices by David Elliott
- Bone Crier’s Dawn by Kathryn Purdie
- Devil in the Device by Lora Beth Johnson
- Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake
- Time of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Here are the books that I read in October:
1. The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, and it had a rather unique premise that I quite liked. I kept trying to guess what would happen, and why someone was manipulating the game they were playing. Ultimately, I found myself rather wrong in all of the guesses I was making. I don’t think I made any accurate predictions, and I’m not mad about it. The main character was really interesting, and I enjoyed reading about her facing her trauma by participating in The Mary Shelley Club. I was definitely shocked by the big twist.
2. Greetings from Sunny Los Angeles by Courtney Summers
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I liked this little novella bridge between Sadie and I’m the Girl. It was interesting to revisit Wes as a character and to see what his life was like after the events of Sadie. Things were definitely not going so well for him, but it was still an interesting read. I liked seeing how the scummy producer guy from I’m the Girl acquired the movie and also how that it didn’t make him any less scummy.
3. None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really loved the premise of this story. I liked how it was essentially a mash up of Criminal Minds and Silence of the Lambs.. I didn’t super love Silence of the Lambs, but I love Criminal Minds, so it worked for me anyways. I also really enjoyed reading the different perspectives because they added a greater depth to the story and made it more full and robust. I was on the edge of my seat as I tried to guess the ending. There were points where this book made me literally exclaim out loud because of the various descriptions that were used. It was very well written, and I can’t wait for the next one.
4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: Since I read the Crescent City series earlier this year, I decided that I really wanted to re-read the Throne of Glass series as I have only read it once through, and I’m really glad that I did. The characters were just as interesting to me the second time around, and I was just as compelled by the storyline. It’s really interesting how much the series changed over the course of the books. I forgot how hard SJM pushed a Celaena/Dorian ship in the first one and how I was totally on board the first time I read it. I also really enjoyed the assassins competition and getting snippets of all the different points of view. The story is a fun one for me.
5. The Block by Ben Oliver
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book did something I hate, and ultimately that knocked it down in ratings for me. I loved the first book, but this one was disappointing. It was just as action packed in its own way, but it lacked in some of the things I loved from the first. Additionally, I had a hard time with some of the dialogue. The world building was still interesting and well done, but other elements let me down. I like Luka as a character, but he’s kind of dumb at times. It did keep me guessing with all of the twists and turns. I enjoyed the science fiction elements.
6. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This book kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing. The world building is really interesting, and I liked the exploration of different worlds and the beings from them. I really enjoy the characters, and the dynamics between them. There is a lot of good angst in this series and that is absolutely something that I enjoy reading about. It’s interesting to get to read all of the different points of view in order to get a deeper perspective of the conflicts happening. I really did not see the place it ended up in coming.
7. BRZRKR Volume 2 by Keanu Reeves
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I like the idea of this series, and I think that I liked this second volume even more than I liked the first. I want a bit more development of the story, however. I liked the art style, though it does tend to err on the more graphic side of things. The cliffhanger at the end makes me want the next volume immediately, but I shall have to wait patiently. I just really want to know how the story plays out.
8. Bright World by Stan Stanley
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: The premise of this story was really interesting to me. The whole ‘Bright World’ concept was really weird and freaky but in a I want to know more and keep on reading kind of way. I found the main character really interesting as a protagonist, and I liked how they interacted with the unfamiliar environment they found themselves in. There were lots of interesting twists and turns. The art was gorgeous, and so vibrant.
9. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I continue to really enjoy reading Hamlet with students.
10. Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I liked the suburban nature of this mystery. I found it really interesting to see the structure of the neighbourhood and how all these neighbours interacted. It was also really interesting to see how the overturned sentence and the sudden return of the protagonist’s roommate affected everything. I found the story well written, and I liked the twists and turns. It definitely kept me guessing all the way until the end of the story.
11. A Turn of the Tide by Kelley Armstrong
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this up on the blog here.
12. Taproot by Keezy Young
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I enjoyed the plot of this story. It had a very cosy vibe despite the darker overlays of the story. The characters were really interesting to me, and I liked the premise of an unregistered necromancey. I would have liked a bit more development in some places. The art was nice and really suited the story.
13. Kiss Number 8 by Colleen A.F. Venable
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book definitely hit me straight in the feels. I deeply felt for the main character as she struggled with discovering her sexuality and learned about her family secrets. I wanted her to succeed and come out okay at the other end of the story. The art was really well done, and I loved the colour palette. It made me cry.
14. Enemies by Svetlana Chmakova
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoy exploring the world of this middle school through the various stories in the series. This was a great addition. The characters were sweet, and exploring crushes and awkward enemy dynamics was really interesting. I also liked how this one explored sibling dynamics. The art is always on point, and totally cute.
15. Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really liked the artistic art style of this one with the certain unrealistic touches, such as the pig. I really enjoyed watching the protagonist feel out his future and discover what he really wanted to do with his life. It was really well written in his dealing with parental pressure. I love the pig so much as well. It was a great addition.
16. Whistle by E. Lockhart
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I enjoyed the main character in Whistle. It was interesting to read about her trying to do her best for her mom. The story was well written and it made for an interesting hero origin story. She walked an interesting line between the ‘good’ and the ‘bad.’ It made for a compelling read.
17. Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I love the art that accompanied this graphic novel. It was absolutely beautiful and had lovely colours. The story was well adapted to this format, and I really enjoyed revisiting it. I liked the way that the characters were drawn. It’s fun to read about the Darkling’s origins.
18. Another Kind by Trevor Bream
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I loved this story so much. It was very creative and I really liked getting to see all the characters and figuring out what their precise ‘cryptid’ was. I really enjoyed the found family dynamic. The art was well done and I really enjoyed the design of each of the characters.
19. Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I am obsessed with this book. It was very well written and detailed. I had to really pay attention to the things that were happening and it truly kept me guessing. I loved the moments where we got to compare between the written testimony and also the video footage. It was so well done. The characters were really interesting to me, and I was rooting for them. This was our first book club book of the year at the school, and I’m just so glad we read it.
20. Defending Jacob by William Landay
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I have been wanting to read this book for a while so I’m glad that I finally did. This was a fascinating story . It was really twisted and really kept me guessing. I wasn’t sure whose story I believed, but I had a good time thinking about it as the stroy progressed. I definitely recommend it.
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