We keep saying this, but how is the month already over?!? There are only two months left of 2020. While we’re not sad to see this year be over, the fun parts of the year are still to come. Today we want to talk about what we read last month. Did we have a good reading month and enjoy what we picked up? Keep on reading our October wrap up to find out!

Candyce

October was a weird reading month for me. I was struggling at the beginning of the month and realized it was because of all of the deadlines. The past couple of years I’ve been really good at reading books when needed, but lately it just hasn’t been working. So I decided to choose myself and start reading more of what I want when I want. I’ll still continue with some tours, but want to focus more on my mood.

So needless to say, October wasn’t my best reading month, but it wasn’t bad either. I managed to read a total of 19 books and a total of 6,644 pages. I read 5 paperbacks, 6 ARCs, 4 e-books and 4 audiobooks. Now let’s take a look at what I read!

Furyborn – Claire Legrand

Furyborn published quite awhile ago and the third and final book just released. I was curious about it for awhile and finally sat down to read it. This book was such a pleasant surprise and I’m excited about reading the next two books.

Beastly Bones & Ghostly Echoes – William Ritter

I’ve only seen the Jackaby series read by a few readers I know and I honestly don’t understand why it isn’t talked about more. I’ve been buddyreading Jackaby with Ellie and we’re both still shocked about that. This series is definitely a hidden gem. I’m sad I only have one more book to go!

One of Us is Next – Karen M. McManus

After reading One of Us is Lying quite awhile ago, I was a bit hesitant about reading this one. The ending was a bit underwhelming, but One of Us is Next was an interesting story. The last few lines of the book still haven’t left my mind and definitely had me shocked.

The Tigers in the Tower – Julie Golding

I received a physical copy of this middle grade fantasy to read and review for a book tour. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t what I was expecting and not in a good way. The adventure promised in the synopsis is barely part of the story. I guess we can’t like them all.

The Bone Garden – Heather Kassner

As you know, I don’t read much horror, but this middle grade sounded really good. I read The Bone Garden in just about one sitting and it was definitely a spooky Halloween read. I loved the illustrations as well. Even as an adult I still love pictures, haha.

B*Witch – Paige McKenzie & Nancy Ohlin

I actually started reading my e-arc of BWitch back in July, but got distracted. So when I saw the audiobook on Scribd, I decided to start over again. BWitch was a cute story, but also confusing at times. There were a lot of POVs and I’m not really sure why? All in all, not what I was expecting.

Running – Natalia Sylvester

The election is tomorrow (when this comes online) and I’ve been saying some political related books in the bookish community. Running was one of them and it’s really good. The main character is the daughter of a presidential candidate. She goes through a lot for the sake of the campaign and it’s not easy. This was a really interesting glimpse of the life of the family of politicians.

All This Time – Mikki Daughtry & Rachael Lippencott

All This Time is a new release and I was really curious about it. I thought this was an emotional story and even though I kind of guessed the plot twist before it happened, I flew through this book. If you’re a lover of contemporary books, I definitely recommend it!

The Code for Love and Heartbreak – Jillian Cantor

Another new release that made my contemporary loving heart happy. Yes, it was predictable in many ways, but I still really enjoyed it. The Code for Love and Heartbreak is a modern day retelling of Emma. I haven’t read that one, so I don’t know how it fits. I did love seeing our main character loving the STEM side of academics. That’s not something I see often in books.

The Mall – Megan McCafferty

I’ve been wanting to read this one since I heard about it and finally got around to it. The Mall is filled with a lot of 90s pop culture and it was so much fun to read. I wonder if this generation will got all of the references and it’s bit cheesy, but still a lot of fun!

The King’s 100 – Karin Biggs

The King’s 100 was an interesting fantasy, but it did leave me with some questions. I enjoyed the world. A kingdom of logic where emotions are actually frowned upon. The main character definitely doesn’t fit in there (even though she’s a princess) and goes on a mission. I loved her journey and it was fun seeing her discover a whole different world. I still do have some questions about the world. It lacked just a bit of world building.

Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf – Hayley Krischer

As a fan of hard-hitting contemporary, Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf was an interesting, but hard book to read. The author doesn’t back down talking about subjects that are normally only hinted about in books about sexual assault. I do think this is an important book to have around though.

Kingdom of the Wicked – Kerri Maniscalco

Kingdom of the Wicked was an anticipated release of mine. I have to say my expectations were a bit higher than they should’ve been. There were some things I found lacking. My full review will be put online soon. Reading this book did make me hungry though, haha.

I Hope You’re Listening – Tom Ryan

I’ve really started enjoying YA mysteries and I Hope You’re Listening was really good. I couldn’t put it down and loved all the elements. The ending was satisfying and I definitely hope this author gives us more books like this.

Fix Her Up – Tessa Bailey

A friend of mine loves this book and it’s one I’ve been curious about for ages! I loved the characters and it had me laughing at times. It was also pretty steamy. I definitely know I’ll be reading the rest of this series very soon.

In a Holidaze – Christina Lauren

I know it was only October when I read this holiday read, but I couldn’t resist. In a Holidaze was such a fun book and got me even more into a Christmas mood than I already was. I also kind of want to spend Christmas in a cabin now surrounded by snow.

Damaged Desires – LJ Evans

LJ Evans did it again! I loved every minute of Damaged Desires and I’m sad I’m all done. I’ll definitely be rereading this one in the future. I really recommend reading something by this author!

Well Played – Jen DeLuca

Well Played was the Swoonalong read of October. Just like Well Met this was a fun read. I have to say I enjoyed this one a bit more than Well Met. My review will be online soon.

 

Summary
Favorite Book: Damaged Desires – LJ Evans
Least Favorite: The Tigers in the Tower – Julie Golding
Most Surprising: Furyborn – Claire Legrand

Isabelle

I’m still not reading as much as I want to but I’m glad I did finish a couple of books. And I did really enjoy them as well!

I Hope You’re Listening – Tom Ryan

I participated in the blog tour for the YA mystery I Hope You’re Listening and I really enjoyed it! It was a good mystery with a satisfying conclusion and interesting characters. I will definitely pick up more books by this author in the future.

Pumpkinheads – Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks

I got this book somewhere at the start of the year but had it saved for October. And now it was finally time to read it! This is the perfect fall book and I wish I could go to a pumpkin patch. It sounds like so much fun and I really enjoyed this story that took place there.

A Dead Djinn in Caïro & The Haunting of Tram Car 015 – P. Djeli Clark

A Dead Djinn in Caïro is a short story and one of the best I’ve ever read! I enjoyed it so much and immediately started reading the novella that comes after, which is The Haunting of Tram Car 015. There will also be full novel next year and I can’t wait for it. The world in this series is so cool and I want more of it.  I’m so happy I discovered this author.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer vol. 2: Once Bitten – Jordie Bellaire, David López, Sas Milledge & Raúl Angulo

I really liked the first volume of this new Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic series but I had forgotten about it a bit. After getting this second volume I wanted to read it right away. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this as much as I did the first one. I do want to continue with this series but if the next volume isn’t better, I won’t be collecting the volumes physically anymore.

Jughead: the Hunger vol. 1 – Frank Tieri, Matt Herms, Pat Kennedy & Tim Kennedy

I read the first chapter in this story in The Archies & Other Stories and knew I wanted to continue with it right away! So I did buy it a while ago… And didn’t read until more than a year later, oops. Luckily this was the perfect time of year to pick up this comic and I’m happy I read it. Now I just have to get the rest of the series and the rest of the Archie Horror stories!

Summary
Favourite book: A Dead Djinn in Caïro
Least favourite: Buffy the Vampire Slayer vol 2: Once Bitten
 Most surprising: A Dead Djinn in Caïro

So this is what we read in October! If you’ve read anything we have, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Also, let us know what you read in October. What books do we really need to pick up? Let us know in the comments.