Friday, November 4, 2022

Monthly Reading Wrap-up ~ October 2022

This year I thought I would share a little more of all my books and I thought the best way to do that would be if I wrapped up my reads of each month, so I can share mini reviews on all the books I've gone through! 

It could be a big range from 2 to 10 books depending on how much I read, but I figure I can share a little synopsis and quick thoughts on each book. I will still be doing more in depth reviews on books that really capture me! 

Scratching River was received as a review copy - this post contains affiliate links

So, in October I read 8 books - a mix of genres from memoirs to young adult horror. I love most genres, and I really want to keep my reads diversified this year - I think I have been doing a great job of that so far! Also, I've been trying to read a mix of old and new books, which I've done a good job at so far this year. I read 7 audio books, and 1 physical book (with no e-books this month!)

Here's a quick look at all the books I read in the past month: 


Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin ~ ☆☆☆ - 3 stars. This is a huge adult fantasy novel - George R.R. Martin's book are huge and so incredibly detailed! This is a back story of the whole Targaryen history and it's a lot. I picked this up a long time ago but was inspired to read with the House of the Dragon show. I liked this but it was a little long and dry but interesting.

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young☆☆☆ ½ - 3.5 stars. This is an adult magical realism novel with a little mystery and whodunnit sprinkled in there. I enjoyed the storyline, but wanted a little more magic woven in the story. Also, I didn't love the random single chapters from side characters, I felt like there was another way we could get that information. I enjoyed that this was adult and loved the storyline overall, but because they were investigating something from their teens, the overall reveal felt a little younger than I was hoping for (although, I did like that it was different than what I was expecting!)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ~ ☆☆☆☆☆ - 5 stars. This is an adult fantasy and it's my all time favourite book - I've raved about it multiple times on my blog. This is the only book I re-read every single Fall and it is amazing. It's got a magical circus, duelling, love story and every weaved through it all. The writing is so descriptive and magical and the characters are complex and well done. Absolute love! 

Member of the Family by Dianne Lake ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This is a non-fiction memoir about when the author was part of The Family. She was a really young girl when everything happened, and was not part of the murders, but helped testify and put them in jail. This was a difficult read, she was 14-17 when all the events of this book occur and it's pretty tough to read everything happening to her and around her. Reading about her upbringing and family was a difficult part too - there is a lot of difficult scenes and you understand who these men preyed on and why. I struggled at the end with her speaking of god so much, but it was the very end and I understand those who have been through so much look for a higher power to help understand and appreciate everything.

Horrid by Katrina Leno ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This is a young adult horror book - but more of a creepy haunted house book and not super scary (which is great because I don't love scary). I love the author's writing and it was weird and creepy with a little "My Sweet Audrina"-ish  vibes for those who loved VC Andrews back in the day!

Scratching River by Michelle Porter ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This was an adult non-fiction memoir about both the author's brother's history and a past ancestor. This was a very heavy, uncomfortable read, as it was supposed to be. Michelle writes the story of her brother with special needs in 90s care that describes some pretty horrific conditions. Interwoven in the story is also about the family's distant relative crossing the prairies and their history as well. I struggled a little with the past story a little bit and how fast it jumped back and forth, but I loved the author's explanation at the end of why she wrote the story and I liked the use of mixed media. 

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber ~ ☆☆☆☆ ½ - 4.5 stars. This is the second book in the Once Upon A Broken Heart series - I really enjoyed this story! It was so much fun! I liked the first one, but I loved where the story went in here and with the twist in the end, I cannot wait for the third book next year! This one is a super teen angsty read and love the characters (even if they are a little silly) and if you love a bad boy book with a fun storyline, this is it!


The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim☆☆☆ ½ - 3.5 stars. This is the second book in a young adult fantasy, the Six Crimson Cranes duology. I found this book a little hard to rate because I love the way this ended and it really stuck with me. But, prior to that, this book felt a little choppy - I loved the start in the Dragon Realm and it felt a little unfinished, so I was hoping for a little more there. But, then it took a long time with the demons - it started to drag a little in the middle, and I thought it was ending a couple of times, only to see a lot more time left. But, I loved the characters and the ending and did enjoy the story!

I would I would call October a good reading month, I read some good books and lots of decent ones!

Here's a little refresh of my rating system:

5 Stars: Excellent/Fantastic/Amazing Read 
4.5 Stars: Really Great Read
4 Stars: Great Read 
3.5 Stars: Really Good Book
3 Stars: Good Book 
2.5 Stars: Eh, It was Okay Read
2 Stars: Finished it, but Didn't Enjoy It
1.5 Stars: Not Good at All
1 Star: DNF (Did Not Finish)

What was the best book you read this month?! My favourite of all of these was The Night Circus, or if we aren't including re-reads, The Ballad of Never After. 

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