What I’ve been up to in October 👻 SPOOKY Reading & the start of a new semester

Hello fellow bookworms 👻 I cannot believe October is already over again, I’m not ready to let go of the spooky season 🥺 I had such a good time getting a bit spooky with my reading and watching this month, plus some good old-fashioned autumn activities like pumpkin carving and baking 🎃 (If you want to get a deeper insight in what autumnal activities I did and how my reading went, I have a spooky Reading Diary coming out next week 🥰) I’m happy that we still have another month of autumn ahead of us before it’s time to get festive again! I have been loving the colder weather recently, taking a walk and feeling the leaves crunch under my feet always puts me in a good mood. We also get some nice, spooky fog around here 🌫

Me enjoying the fall weather 🍂

Important Resources

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• Anti-Asian Violence Resources Carrd
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• HelpAfghanistan Carrd

🔄 = Reread 💌 = Library Books 🌈 = #QueerBookFun2021

 😊 = Readalong/Buddy Read 📚 = #TackleYourTBR2021 ⌛ = Digital Arc

I read 24 books in October which is a lot more than I usually read 😂 This was mostly due to being in the mood to read all the spooky books and still having some leftover time from my semester break! For the first time in ages, I had a long (20+ Books) TBR full with all the scary books that I was interested in reading this year and I had such a good time making my way through it 🎃 Generally, many of the books were either graphic novels, rereads or on the shorter side (under 200/300 pages) which is why I could read so many of them. Towards the end of the month, when my new semester began, my reading drastically slowed down which was to be expected 😅 Nevertheless, I managed to read many amazing books this month (SO many 4-star reads, but sadly no 5-star that isn’t a reread) and only had one disappointment (oh Jake Livingston, why? 😭)

I read 12 books out of my comfort zone this month, which is the most I have read since I started this challenge last year 😱 The fact that I was reading so many spooky books – mostly mystery, thriller of horror – really boosted my reading. In terms of genres and age groups I read: YA Horror (The Taking of Jake Livingston, Something Is Killing the Children, The Woods Are Always Watching, Girl of Nightmares, The Girls Are Never Gone), MG Horror (Thirteens, Hide and Don’t Seek, Bridge of Souls), YA Mystery (Goosebumps, Good Girl, Bad Blood) and MG Mystery (Warren the 13th) 👀

Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye (Tania Del Rio) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚

The Girls Are Never Gone (Sarah Glenn Marsh) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌🌈

Girl of Nightmares (Kendare Blake) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚

Thirteens (Kate Alice Marshall) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚

Good Girl, Bad Blood (Holly Jackson) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌 🎧

Bridge of Souls (Victoria Schwab) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌

Goosebumps: Secrets of the Swamp (Marieke Nijkamp & Yasmin Florez Montanez) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌

Something Is Killing the Children Vol 1. & 2. (Tynion IV, Dell’Edera & Muerto) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌🌈

Hide and Don’t Seek (Anica Mrose Rissi) ⭐⭐⭐.5 💌

The Woods Are Always Watching (Stephanie Perkins) ⭐⭐⭐ 💌 🎧

The Taking of Jake Livingston (Ryan Douglass) ⭐⭐.5 💌🌈

1. Jackaby (William Ritter) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🔄

2. A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🔄

3. Pumpkinheads (Rowell & Erin Ricks) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🔄 🌈

4. Small Spaces (Katherine Arden) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 🔄

5. Dead Voices (Katherine Arden) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 🔄

6. Anna Dressed in Blood (Kendare Blake) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 🔄

7. Girl of Nightmares (Kendare Blake) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚 ➽ Review

8. Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye (Tania Del Rio) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚 ➽ Review

9. The Girls Are Never Gone (Sarah Glenn Marsh) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌 🌈 ➽ Review

 

10. Thirteens (Kate Alice Marshall) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚 ➽ Review

11. Bridge of Souls (Victoria Schwab) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌 ➽ Review

12. Good Girl, Bad Blood (Holly Jackson) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌 🎧 ➽ Review

13. The Witch Boy (Molly Ostertag) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌 ➽ Review

14. Goosebumps: Secrets of the Swamp (Nijkamp & Florez Montanez) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌 ➽ Review

15. Mooncakes (Xu & Walker) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🔄 🌈

  

16. Something Is Killing the Children Vol 1. (Tynion IV, Dell’Edera & Muerto) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌🌈 ➽ Review

17. Something Is Killing the Children Vol 2. (Tynion IV, Dell’Edera & Muerto) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌🌈 ➽ Review

18. The Little Kitten (Nicola Killen) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌 ➽ Review

19. Fangs (Sarah Andersen) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💌 

20. Hide and Don’t Seek (Anica Mrose Rissi) ⭐⭐⭐.5 💌 ➽ Review

21. The Woods Are Always Watching (Stephanie Perkins) ⭐⭐⭐ 💌 🎧 ➽ Review

22. Grimoire Noir (Greentea & Bogatch) ⭐⭐⭐ 💌 ➽ Review

23. Monster Friends (Kaeti Vandorn) ⭐⭐⭐ 💌 ➽ Review

24. The Taking of Jake Livingston (Ryan Douglass) ⭐⭐.5 💌🌈 ➽ Review

👻 Spoopathon Board 👻

Favorite Books 💕

What I’ve been up to in September 🍂 Start of Fall & Magical Readathon ~ Reading Diary: #magicalreadathon ~ The Novice Path ✨

My Autumn Bucket List 🍂🎃👻 Spooky Content, Getting Cozy & Lots of Food ~ Recommending 8 Perfect Halloween Reads 🎃 

What goes bump in the night? 😱 The Spooky Scary Book Tag ~ What Spooky Creatures are hiding on my TBR? 📚 feat. Witches, Vampires, Ghosts & Monsters 

Discussion: How have my Bookish Habits changed over the years? 📚

For this section of my wrapup I’m linking up with the Favorite Blog Posts of the Month Meme that has been created by Kristin @ kristinkravesbooks to showcase our favorite blogs of the month! 💗

• A Complete Guide to Fall: Book, Movie, and Show Recommendations (Aarushi @ aarushireads)
• October Fright: The Spine-Tingling TBR & October Fright: Recs to Keep You Up All Night (Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense)
• 14 Horror & Spooky Book Recs For All Your Scary Needs (Cait @ PaperFury)
• October TBR: ALL the spooky reads for the best spooky month 🎃 & September Recap & Haul Time! (Destiny @ howlinglibraries)
• Spooky Books That Didn’t Give Me Nightmares! (Kat @ lifeandotherdisasters)
• Gothtober readathon TBR! (round 2) & 21 of my favorite books of all times in honor of turning 21 (Lais @ thebookishskies)
• October TBR List feat. Spoopathon (Leesha @ Leesha’s Elysian World)
• Emoji Book Recs: Fantasy Edition! (part 2) (Mackenzie @ colourmeread)
• How to Get Out of a Reading Slump + 30 Book Recommendations (Maria @ thecharacterstudy)
• 10 Spooky And Atmospheric YA Books To Read For The Halloween Season & My Most Anticipated YA Books Of 2022 & How To Take Better Care of Your Mental Health As A Content Creator / Blogger (Marie @ drizzleandhurricanebooks)
• 10 Books I Want to Read Before the End of the Year (May @ foreverandeverly)
• Magical Read-a-thon: Orilium – My character and tbr & Nonfiction November 2021 tbr & Top Ten Tuesday: Book recommendations for Halloween (Morgan @ morganisreadingagain)
• Everything I read in September 2021: Magical readathon and Becca’s Bookoplathon wrap-up ✨ (Pauliina @ thebookaholicdreamer)
• SEPTEMBER RECAP // a month of adult romance, book mail, tv shows, essays & finally listening to evermore!! (Ruby @ rubyraereads)
• Books to read this scary season & Books that terrified me (Saima @ storieswithsaima)
• Five Bookish Halloween Costume Ideas & Recommending Books Similar To Popular Horror Films & LGBTQ+ Horror Book and Film Recommendations (Guest Post by Destiny) & Matching 20 Books To 20 Spooky Songs & Four Horror and Thriller Mini Reviews & Chatting About Halloweentown! & Books With Morally Gray and Villainous Female Leads (Sabrina & Veronika @ wordyandwhimsical)
• Spooky Season Post #1 | 31 Young Adult Horror Books to Keep You Up at Night 🕯️ & Spooky Season Post #2 | Middle-Grade Spooky Books! 20 Scary Titles, plus: 2021 New Releases 🎃 & Spooky Season Post #3 | Adult Horror Books! The Creepiest Books to Read With the Lights Off, plus: 2021 New Releases 💀  & Spooky Season Post #4 | Mystery/Thriller Book List: My Favorites, On My TBR & 2021 New Releases! 🧐  & Spooky Season Post #5 | 25+ Young Adult Horror: 2021 Book Releases 🌙 (Sofii @ abookathought)
• Baby, it’s a love story *emphasis on the story* | Using My Favourite Tropes to Create a Romance TBR (37 books !!) (Sophie @ meandink)
• Spooktober 2021: Recommending Atmospheric Books I Didn’t Like (Tasya @ theliteraryhuntress)
• A Letter to You, My Bookish Friends // why i’ve been gone + what’s happening now (Xandra @ starryskybooks)

I finished my last exam & started a new semester of my Master Course! It was a relief to finally write that last exam. I passed (yay 🎉) but the grade wasn’t as good as I had hoped for, which I partly blame on the poorly managed lecture and some tricky questions . I’m moving on though as my focus is on the new semester now. I luckily got all the courses that I wanted, but I’m struggling a bit to get adjusted. We’re having more classes at campus again, which varies depending on what focus you’ve chosen. For mine there are a lot of in-person classes, that are however also streamed over Zoom. The prof is really trying hard to teach well for everyone, but I wish some of the pandemic regulations for in-person classes were a bit stricter … I feel like some people seem to think everything is back to normal. However, after such a long time with only online classes it’s super draining to have something in-person again and my anxiety is also not happy about this 😅 Due to the situation, I don’t know nearly enough people in my course and some groups have already formed. Most of the people I had closer contact with aren’t in my specific classes, so I’m trying to get used to seeing different people. It’s very different from last semester, so I’d appreciate all the good vibes ❤

✨ Highlights ✨

➽ What I Watched in October ❤  When it comes to non-spooky things my friend and I watched the third Season of Sex Education, which was good! As for spooky things, we watched Halloweentown, The Nightmare Before Christmas (a rewatch) and There’s Someone Inside Your House. We also started the second season of Locke & Key! On my own, I watched Monster House (not really my thing) and started The Haunting of Bly Manor (really good, but I haven’t finished yet) 👻

➽ Playing Hyrule Warriors to escape my problems. I have been playing Hyrule Warriors (on my Nintendo DS, I wish I owned a Switch) since the beginning of my semester break and I’m still obsessed  😂This game has been so much fun and I have enjoyed playing it, especially towards the end of the month, to unwind after a stressful day 🥰

➽ Doing a Guest Post for Spooky October! I’m so grateful that I got to be a part of Sabrina and Vera’s spooky post series as I had so much fun participating in it and reading all the content! I talked about Eight Spooky Books With Fantastic Covers if you’d like to check it out 🧡 Definitely make sure to check out all the other posts as well, there are so many good ones 🎃

It’s already time for November 🍂  I cannot believe that we’re in the second to last month of 2021 already, where has the time gone??? 😱 With the new semester starting – full of deadlines and a block seminar – I will sadly be a lot busier 😭 However, I still have some books I want to read before the end of the year approaches and a lot of my library holds have already come in, so I’m hyped to get to them! My reading has been much slower due to feeling a bit stressed by Uni, but I’m hoping to finally make use of audiobooks again, as I love listening to them while doing chores. Also, I’m wishing anyone doing NaNoWriMo the best of luck with their projects 🥰

My End of the Year Reading Plans coming to you SOON 👀

What were you up to in October? What was your favorite book? Any books you want to finish before the end of the year? I hope you’re staying safe! ❤

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