I am so excited for October: the leaves will have finally changed colour, it will definitely be ankle bootie weather and, of course, it’s Halloween month.
After the difficult month that I had in August, I’m happy to say that September was a bit more gentle to me! I started a new job in Downtown Toronto, and the 2+ hour train ride each way means that I have lots of time to actually read.
Perks of being in the “big city” include far too many concert trips, visiting all the art galleries, and finally going to the Harry Potter themed bar! Their “Betterbeer” (gotta get around copyright infringement somehow, right?) was quite good and I absolutely loved the level of detail that was put into decorating.
Reviews
Thanks to my ridiculously long train commute, I’ve had a lot of time to read – this month, I finished 8 books! Here are some of my favourites:
- To Kill a Kingdom | 4 stars | A wonderfully executed, dark and addictive retelling of The Little Mermaid
- Truly Devious | 4 stars | I love boarding school books and true crime stories (even if they do creep me out), so this was the perfect Erin read
- The Upside of Unrequited | 4 stars | Absolutely adorable and filled with charming characters, as expected from a Becky Albertalli book
- The Weight of Feathers | 4 stars | Beautifully written and filled with subtle magic
Other Reviews
- The Wicked Deep | 3.5 stars | An eerie and atmospheric read that’s perfect for Halloween, even if I didn’t quite like the romance
- Nightingale | 2 stars | The premise was promising, but the execution felt unfocused and led to a confusing and underwhelming read
Book Purchases
I finally broke my book buying ban for Vengeful by V.E. Schwab (because, really, how could I not?) and then somehow my hand slipped and pre-ordered the Shades of Magic paperback boxed set. Strange how that happens.
I also was lucky enough to have my #bookishwish granted for copies of Vicious, The Poppy War, and What If It’s Us — thank you so much, Nikki! <3
From Publishers
I was approved for an e-ARC of Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto and I am so excited to start reading it – thanks so much, Simon & Schuster Canada!
Other Posts
- I listed 5 of the many reasons why I loved To All the Boys I Loved Before (Netflix adaptation)
- I formally challenged myself to read more Canadian books
Favourites from Around the Blogosphere
- Jen made a list of 92 October releases which spans all genres – perfect for indecisive readers, like myself, who want to keep up with new releases
- Kaleena introduced the Flapping Pages International ARC program
- Vox wrote about how authors choose a character’s outfit – the level of thought and research that is put into it is incredible!
- Jenn came up with a list of blog ideas for October, and I fully intend to use some of these Autumnal prompts
Winding Down…
What were some of your favourite books/moments/posts from August? And what do you have planned for September? Let me know in the comments below.
It looks like you had a great month for reading! Also, Vengeful is definitely worth breaking any book buying ban 😉
I’m so excited to give it a read! And definitely glad that you approve of its purchase haha 😉
I have also read truly devious this month, I did not enjoy it as much as I’d hoped 🙁
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t love it, Amalee! I hope you like your next read more.
You had an awesome month! So glad you enjoyed To Kill A Kingdom, I loved it!
It’s easily one of my favourite reads this year!
Looks like you had a great reading month! I also enjoyed Truly Devious. Thanks for linking to Flapping Pages, and I wish you happy reading in October.
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious Blog recently posted…The Toy Thief by D.W. Gillespie
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it, Kaleena! Happy reading! 🙂
Truly Devious is one of my favorite books! I fell in love the first time I read it. I can’t wait for the next one.
Sabrina Fox recently posted…Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
I’m so glad to hear that you loved it! Maureen Johnson’s writing has such an addictive quality (and that cliffhanger!) so I definitely can’t wait until The Vanishing Stair is published.
You’ve had such a fun-filled month! The Harry Potter inspired cafe looks amazing!
Daniella x
It was so much fun to visit! I feel like I’ll have to go back because there were so many tiny nods to the books/movies in the decorations, and I definitely need more time to catch them all.
Glad you had a good month! I’m going to try giving The Wicked Deep a go towards the end of the month because I need some spooky reads!
I hope you enjoy it – it’s a very appropriate read for Halloween time! 🧜♀️
Sounds like you had a good September, glad it was better than August for you. The Harry Potter bar looks amazing, and yay for the silver lining of reading time to make commutes a bit more bearable. Hope October is shaping up to be as good (or better!) as September was.
Faith recently posted…Top Ten longest books I’ve ever read
Thanks, Faith! It’s been busy, but good busy, so I can’t complain. The Harry Potter bar was so much fun – I can’t wait to go back. Hope your October has been lovely so far!