October Wrap-up

Hi everyone!

Welcome to another wrap-up and one less month of this infamous year. October was a pretty good month for me. I didn’t do anything special during the month, but I guess I’m getting used to my new routine and slowly enjoying it.

In terms of reading, I managed to complete 5 books in October and start two more books that I’m still reading so you’ll see them in my November wrap-up. Without further ado, here are the books I read:

Vengeful (Villains #2) by V. E. Schwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was phenomenal. I already mentioned a couple of times that I was scared to pick this up after loving Vicious and its ending so much, but I had nothing to worry about.

I loved getting to know a bit more about the characters from the previous book, I loved the new ones and how much they added to the world and the dynamics. As always, Schwab’s writing is to die for and her imagination really has no limits. This was a fantastic continuation to an incredible book and I’m now really looking forward to the next installment.

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

⭐⭐⭐’5

This is the final book in the original Hunger Games trilogy. It was a reread from me but since I read this back in 2013 I didn’t really remember the details of the story, I knew the overall plotline but not much else and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I still think this is the weakest in the trilogy and I will forever be mad at how certain deaths were handled but, overall, I expected to enjoy this less than I did so I’m happy with the conclusion.

Piumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell ⭐⭐⭐

This is a contemporary graphic-novel that I read looking for something quick and entertaining, and that’s exactly what I got. However, this is very predictable, everything unfolded exactly like I thought it would. Still fun, but not a very original story.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This gothic horror story took me completely by surprise and I ended up loving it so much. Horror isn’t a genre I gravitate towards. I’ve only read a few horror books but I’ve ended up loving them all, so I think it’s time I start picking up more books from this genre.

This was a phenomenal place to start. It features an amazing protagonist that finds herself in a creepy, old mansion with creepy, entitled, old, white man, weird dreams, strange visions and the perfect spooky atmosphere. I have a review coming up on Monday where I go in depth on my thoughts on it.

Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is definitely my favorite read of the month and, dare I say it, possibly my favorite book of 2020.

I cannot express how much I adored this story and especially, this world. I would die to go to this university and see the secret societies, investigate the intricacies of the magic system and meet our incredible main character.

Like always with Bardugo’s writing, the beginning of this adult, fantasy story is rather slow because she takes this time to really build on the world and the characters and once you have the perfect foundation, the story takes off and it’s so worth it.

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuvan Noah Harari

This is a non-fiction book and it’s been a minute since I’ve picked a non-fic read so it’s about time. I’m reading this because my family has read it and they keep discussing it and I want to be part of those conversations so here I am. Very interesting so far.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

This adult, fantasy horror is so good so far. We are following different protagonists as they embark on this journey to find out what exactly happened to a ship that went out to find mermaids and came home with nobody on board. It’s a lot more science heavy than what I anticipated but since I adore the ocean, I’m loving all this extra information we are getting on the topic.

Sofia wrote an amazing list of 7 Books Set in Latin America and I was glad to see that I had read some of them, but there were others I hadn’t even heard of before and now I really want to read.

Lashaan wrote a very interesting discussion on How He Blog Hops and different ways to do it.

Aentee wrote an in-depth, spoiler free review on A Deadely Education by Naomi Novik that helped me make up my mind on wether or not picking it up for myself.

Lauren and Bec wrote about some Spooky Recommendations to read during Halloween!

Alex wrote an incredible review on The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow.

Kristin made an incredible blog post about Bookish Pumpkins with pictures of some of the most original pumkin cravings I’ve seen! Loved it.

Charvi made a discussion about How Buying Books Can Make You Happy and she went in depth into the psychology on this topic and it was so wll written.

Kat has been making this incredible blos posts all through October on Book Recommendations based on your Avatar Tribe and let me tell you, they are on a whole other level. I’ve linked back to her Airbender recommendations but on her blog you can see the rest. I cannot recommend them enough.

Fadwa made an in detail post on How She Set Up Her Notion Pages that not only inspired me to get my on Notion but has been really helpful during the process.

Sumedha made a very itneresting discussion on Having A Blogging Niche that I really appreaciated. I got a lot of really helpful tips from this post.

Rebbeca recommended a bunch of Halloween Romances and I read Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert thanks to her and her post and I am obsessed with it!

How was your reading month? Did you find a new favorite book? Let me know!

Until next time,

Leyre