Monthly Wrap-Up: October 2023

October was an excellent reading month. I managed to read all of the books on my October TBR plus many more, seventeen in total. For the most part they were all really excellent, only a couple that didn’t really work for me. I also managed to write reviews for 10 of them, which is really good for me.

The books are in the order that I read them. Titles with asterisks (*) are linked to my reviews. All the rest are linked to their Goodread pages .

*The Olympian Affair was a great book and such a fun way to start off the month. I really have enjoyed both of the books in this series so far and I’m really hoping that we don’t have to wait another 8 years for the next one.

The Man With No Face was also excellent and really held up well over time. It was originally published in 1981 but was still a really great mystery with solid characters and some really nice twists.

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon was a bit of a disappointment. I liked it, but the romance didn’t really work for me. Also Mariel got on my nerves quite a lot by the end.

*The Chalice of the Gods was excellent and a really quick read. It was so fun spending time with Percy, Annabeth and Grover. Their quest was very amusing as well.

*The Darcy Myth was a very interesting nonfiction book about how Pride and Prejudice has influenced our conceptions of romance. I didn’t totally agree with the author’s conclusions but it was an entertaining read.

*The Other Passenger is going to be one of my favorites of the year. It was so good, and I really didn’t see the twist coming. And that ending was perfect.

Broken Souls was a really good urban fantasy. This is the second book in the Eric Carter series, and it is beginning to grow on me a bit. I am hoping to pick up the third book soon.

*Going Zero was also good up to a point. It takes a really strange turn in the narrative about 2/3rds of the way in, and I didn’t like the way it ended.

*System Collapse is the second full length novel of the Murderbot Diaries but the seventh one overall. I really enjoyed this one and hope we get more of them in the future.

Remarkably Bright Creatures was good, especially the chapters written from the octopus’s point of view. I just wanted a little bit more closure on Tova’s son’s death. It felt incomplete and sort of ruined the ending for me.

A Blight of Blackwings is the middle book in a trilogy that is a very complex epic fantasy. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and lots of politics and storylines as well. But well worth it. The final book comes out next week.

*Calamity was a bit disappointing. I liked the overall plot of the story, but the romance didn’t work for me.

A Symphony of Echoes was so much fun. I just love this group of characters and all of their shenanigans in time travel. I so want to do a team building exercise involving catching dodo birds!

The Lies of Locke Lamora was also a really good book. It deserves all of the hype it has been getting. I have already started book 2 and I am really enjoying it as well.

*Her Dark Wings is a very different take on the Persephone myth, but I think a really good one. This one focused on grief and self awareness more than the romance.

Rumors of Her Death was good, but did get a bit weird in the middle. I certainly didn’t see the final twist either.

*The Blonde Identity was hilarious! I loved the romance, the road trip and the chemistry between the two characters was perfect! This is probably my favorite of the month!

*Rook was another fun read that was like spending time with old friends. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this series. I might have to go back and reread the first four books again.

I am actually looking forward to the end of the year. I have almost finished my challenges and I still have lots of good books lined up to read these last two months. I am also looking forward to next year. There are lots of good books coming out and I can’t wait to get my hands on them. I hope you all had a great reading month as well. Until next time….

Happy Reading!