October Reading Thread! 📚🎃

[adelbert]

How was your September? What books are you looking forward to reading this month? Will you be reading spooky books this October? If yes what are you most looking forward to reading? If not are there any other genres you like to read around this time of year?

[angelashly]

September was ok for me

This spells love
Get a life Chloe brown
Here one moment
By any other name
Keep your friend close

October look forwards
The boyfriend
Last one at the wedding

[angelashly]

[cdnfroggy]

September was wayyy better for me than August was, I really enjoyed pretty much all the books I read.

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed - 4 *
Youth Group - 4 * - graphic novel about teen exorcists
The Last Delivery - 1* - very odd graphic novel
Dark Restraint - 4* - book 7 in Dark Olympus
Hopeless - 5* - Chestnut Springs #4
That Night in The Library - 2.5* - locked room mystery
The Husbands - 3*
The Hike - 4* - fun adventure thriller

I am currently reading Dinner on Monster Island, a memoir in essays that ties in pop culture/horror and it is amazing. I have tabbed so many lines - I will be trying to put this in everyones hands. It will be a best of the year for me for sure.

[notblanche]

I read 10 books in September. That's on the high side for me, but after a slumpy summer I'm not mad about it.

It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters #1) and Hook, Line, and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters #2) by Tessa Bailey: I enjoyed them. Cute, fast end of summer reads but idk if I'll read any of her others.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker: So good, rich storytelling. I feel like I need to read it again soon but in print vs audio

Three titles from Katee Robert: Illicit Temptations (Make Me #3, #4), A Worthy Opponent (Wicked Villains #3), The Beast (Wicked Villains #4). I've been reading through a few of her series and some are better than others. I just don't know if I can do the monster smut.

All Fours by Miranda July: This was my book club's pick for September. The MC makes many questionable choices.

My big kid and I finished a book of 500 ocean facts we had been reading.

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington: my first creepy thriller of the season. A finishing school type competition goes wrong

Shady Hollow (A Shady Hollow Mystery #1) by Juneau Black: This is a cozy mystery set in a town full of woodland creatures, and I didn't love it. Which is a bummer bc I wanted to.

[notblanche]

I have ambitious reading goals for October as well. I'm currently reading The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope, which is an historical fantasy set in DC in the 1920s Black Broadway era, and The Nature of Witches, which is witchy climate fiction.

Book club pick for October is The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, which I read earlier this year on audio and loved. I'm going to re-read as much of it as I can in print before we meet in a few weeks. I want to read another cozy mystery or a thriller. And all of these are on my list too: Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, Black Liturgies by Cole Arthur Riley, and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay.

[sudsy]

I’m first in line for We Used To Live Here. I was hoping my hold for The Reformatory would come in but I’ll be dead before that one is available. I need something spooky!

[mathrun]

September was pretty good for me. Favorites were Dark Matter, Muderbot, The Inheritance Games, and The Watergate Girl. For me 4.5 means it sits with me for weeks or months after I read it. 5 has to also be really enjoyable while I’m reading so that I’d consider rereading it in the future.

The Network Effect (MurderBot) 4.5⭐️
The Bright Sword 3⭐️
Dark Matter 5⭐️
Weyward 4⭐️
The Life Impossible 3.5⭐️
A Slow Fire Burning 2.5⭐️
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell 4⭐️
The Lake House 4⭐️
The Stranger 4⭐️
The Inheritance Games 4.5⭐️
Something Wicked This Way Comes 3.5⭐️
The Death of Vivek Oji 4⭐️
Here One Moment 3.5⭐️
The Perfume Artist of Paris 4⭐️
Somewhere Beyond the Sea 3.5⭐️
The Third Gilmore Girl 3.5⭐️
The Night We Lost Him 3⭐️
Dune 3⭐️
The Watergate Girl 4.5⭐️

I do like to read scary stuff this time of year, but I don’t usually plan out what books I’ll read ahead of time. I instead pick what hits my fancy when I’m ready for a new book as I think it’s kinda fun to see what’s available. The only one I’m for sure reading is The Body in the Garden which hits a book challenge topic of “and underrated book from 2023”. I do have the new JD Robb In Death and the new Richard Osman on hold from the library and they should come in this month.

[abs]

I read four books in September and they were all fantastic.

The Best Lies 4.5*
Falling 4*
The Rom-Commers 4*
The God of the Woods 5*

Unfortunately I read those 4 early in the month and then haven’t finished anything since. I’m halfway through Here One Moment and also The Frozen River. They are both okay but not really grabbing me either. Ready to move on to something else.

[DGM]

I came out of my summer reading slump and read four books in September. I DNF Hey, Hun.

Twenty Years Later. 5 stars
The Stand-in. 4 stars
Following the Trail. 4 stars.
The Berlin Letters. 4 stars.

I started Finding Baby Holly over the weekend and hope to finish it by tomorrow. I usually read fall themed romance or cozy mysteries this time of year so I need to see what is available on libby.

[emma]

September was actually a good month for me especially after my summer slump. I finished 8 books, DNFd 1 and am almost halfway through 2 more. There were some ups and downs of the ones I finished:
The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey - ⭐️ ⭐️
The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose - ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gilded Wings by Jaymin Eve - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Apprentice to the Villain by Nicole Maehrer- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
People we Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hillderbrand - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beach Read by Emily Henry - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DNFd When the Moon Hatched. It was 100 pages of slow going and I couldn’t take another tiny feisty girl super assassin with a snarky personality and a big brooding male who smells nice and communicates in grunts. I think I need a break from romantacy.

I’m almost half way through Shogun part 1 on audio, and Swan Song on kindle.

For a fun Halloween read I have Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson lined up.

[adelbert]

Oct 1, 2024 16:58:56 GMT -6 notblanche said:

Shady Hollow (A Shady Hollow Mystery #1) by Juneau Black: This is a cozy mystery set in a town full of woodland creatures, and I didn't love it. Which is a bummer bc I wanted to.

It's so disappointing when a book sounds perfect for your interests on paper and then you read it and it doesn't hold up. The lost opportunity makes it somehow much worse than just reading a bad book.

[adelbert]

I read 4 books in September and really enjoyed discovering a new to me author, Jodi Taylor. For the romance/cozy fans here I think you would enjoy The Nothing Girl.

Yesterday I also read Rejection: Fiction by Tony Tulthiamutte and that was amazing. Hard to read at times and not a light read but somehow also very easy to read, and very timely.

[wedding]

I had a pretty good month reading. My favorites were The Passengers and The Family Experiment by John Marrs and The Last Party by AR Torre. I don’t have anything by specific planned for October since it all depends on library holds. I’m hoping to get The Best Lies by David Ellis this month.

[adelbert]

This month there are quite a few books being published that I want to read.

I think Absolution, Coup de Grâce, The Last Dangerous Visions, and American Rapture will hopefully also hit the horror spot for me this month as well.

[Rusty Red]

I stopped reading for a while, been playing mobile games a lot. Picked it back up toward the end of September and hope to stay with it for a while. I've been a heavy reader for so long, it's like I hit a point I didn't want to see a book. LOL

[bearfootzcontinued]

My September reads were all hits for me, all 4 or 5 star reads.

The Berry Pickers
Swan Song
Ask for Andrea
Just for the Summer
Pretty Girls
The Briar Club

The Briar Club is probably my favorite read of the year. Probably not just because I needed something less disturbing after reading Pretty Girls, but maybe. I just really liked the story telling and the characters.

[bearfootzcontinued]

I started The Discovery of Witches. Will take me a minute to get used to the paranormal stuff but I'm trying.
Thank you Pizzaslut for the tip about the $2.99 All Souls Trilogy, my eyes thank you too & I can return the physical books to my friend without feeling guilty for not reading them.


Want to read this month:
Bride
Starling House
The September House

I signed up for an author event at a local bookshop later this month so want to try to read that book too.

[bearfootzcontinued]

Oct 2, 2024 7:11:08 GMT -6 Rusty Red said:

I stopped reading for a while, been playing mobile games a lot. Picked it back up toward the end of September and hope to stay with it for a while. I've been a heavy reader for so long, it's like I hit a point I didn't want to see a book. LOL

I often find myself scrolling TikTok during time I set aside for reading.  

And then I see TikTok videos calling me out for scrolling instead of reading.  How do they know???

[cakewench]

Here's my September rundown:

The Wilds by Sarah Pearse - 3.5 stars
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (audio) - 3 stars
The Astrology House by Carinn Jade - 4.5 stars
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth - 3.5 stars
Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware - 3 stars
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (audio) - 2.5 stars
The Rags of Time by Peter Grainger (audio) - 3.5 stars
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 3.5 stars
The Treasured One by Hannah Levin - 3.5 stars

I've started Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent, and began Sandwich on audio. I grew up in the town in takes place in so I am very curious and will try not to be too judgey LOL

ETA: I'm trying to make 100 books by December. I'm at 76 with a finish yesterday, so should be able to make it.

[melohdy]

Oct 1, 2024 16:58:56 GMT -6 notblanche said:

Shady Hollow (A Shady Hollow Mystery #1) by Juneau Black: This is a cozy mystery set in a town full of woodland creatures, and I didn't love it. Which is a bummer bc I wanted to.

Darn it! This one just came in on my library holds and I am worried it won't do it for me either. I put it on my TBR really quickly, but now I am seeing not so great reviews. I will still give it a chance, though.

[cdnfroggy]

I finished Dinner on Monster Island and absolutely adored it - top 5 book of the year for sure. I will most definitely return to certain essays in it, and I tabbed a lot of quotes from it. I officially burrowed under my skin and just lives there. I highly recommend it.

Next up is a buddy read of So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison - I have yet to not love a book by her, so I have high hopes for this one.

[melohdy]

I finished 3 in September:

Bookshops & Bonedust - 4*
One Dark Window - 4*
Spookily Yours - 2*

Currently reading:

I've edited this post twice and it won't save. I give up.

[melohdy]

ETA: Duplicate

[DGM]

Oct 2, 2024 8:00:34 GMT -6 bearfootzcontinued said:

Oct 2, 2024 7:11:08 GMT -6 Rusty Red said:

I stopped reading for a while, been playing mobile games a lot. Picked it back up toward the end of September and hope to stay with it for a while. I've been a heavy reader for so long, it's like I hit a point I didn't want to see a book. LOL

I often find myself scrolling TikTok during time I set aside for reading.  

And then I see TikTok videos calling me out for scrolling instead of reading.  How do they know???

That is me and my IG scrolling.

So I tried to request the Jodi Taylor book mentioned upthread. My library didn't have it but suggested Elena Armas. I just requested two of her books LOL.

[cnf]

I didn't think I read much in September, but it appears I'd got through more than I originally thought.

The Book of Azreal (Gods and Monsters #1)
Butcher and Blackbird
Throne of Broken Gods (Gods and Monsters #2)
Worst Case Scenario
Runaway Bride and Prejudice
Rescue Me
Read Me
Resist Me
Spookily Yours

I'm 70% into Dawn Of the Cursed Queen (Gods and Monsters #3). I've been struggling to find time for it. And I have like three other fantasy series sitting in my Kindle waiting to be read and I just don't have all the time in the world to read them all. Sigh. I'm almost done with Wickedly Yours as well. I have a few other Halloweeny themed books sitting to be read too.

I'm at 98 books for the year. My Goodreads goal was 100, so I should blast through that no problem.

[snowyowl]

My Darling Girl, Jennifer McMahon - It wasn't so bad, but by hour six of the audiobook it was so painfully obvious what was happening that I had to skip forward and be done with it.
Bookshops and Bonedust, Travis Baldree - Super cute, if you liked Legends and Lattes can't imagine you won't like this. I kind of want to reread L&L now with the prequel knowledge.
The Drowning House, Cherie Priest - Very inconsistent. Great premise, random execution. Was worth finishing but I wanted more.
The Family Remains, Lisa Jewell - Went into this not realizing it was a sequel. Very weird, very entertaining, very over the top.
The Marquis Who Mustn't, Courtney Milan - Fluffy and sweet, much enjoyed.
The Death of Mrs. Westaway, Ruth Ware - Another one where the twist was painfully obvious. I made it through without just skipping to the end, but it was hard. It is hard to read a book with a main character you like, but is also a complete dumbass a good amount of the time.
The Narrow, Kate Alice - Creative ghost story that wasn't quite like anything I've read before. Again, the twist was obvious, but I'm more forgiving here because it's YA (I generally only read YA by accident, as I did here, because the poor choices natural to teens drive me nuts).

Because I haven't contributed in a couple months, a few I would recommend:
The Dead Romantics - thought this was sweet and well written
My Darling Dreadful Thing - Didn't LOVE love this, but enjoy a gothic horror nonetheless
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - I'm sure if you are interested, you've read it.
A Taste for Poison - I loved this, it's a blend of history and science. The author explains the exact effect of several major poisons through the lens of famous murders.

And a few I hated enough to mention:
A Forgotten Murder, Jude Deveraux - the writing isn't bad, but the premise is ridiculous to the extreme, including treating one horrifically triggering topic in the most cavalier manner I've ever seen.
The Fiction Writer, Jillian Cantor - A terrible Rebecca retelling set in the context of a main character who is a writer who wrote a Rebecca retelling that flopped. Probably should have seen that coming.

[sudsy]

Today I read Ushers by Joe Hill. It was a short story I grabbed off of Amazon First Reads. It was meh. I expect better from him. Heart Shaped Box was pretty good. I read that back in college.

Also, he’s Stephen King’s son with a pen name, if you didn’t know.

[caer]

September was a good month. I enjoyed everything I read (with one exception) - lots of 4 star reads and one 5 star

[caer]

I’m reading Here One Moment now and really enjoying it.

I have a bunch of books I’m looking forward to this month:
- The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz
- Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown
- No One Will Know by Rose Carlyle
- What Does it Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella
- The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni
- The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
- The Book of Witching by CJ Cooke
- The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel
- The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins