Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Month in Review: October 2026

 

Not to sound like a broken record, but I can't believe it's November! I hope you all had a great October and, for those who celebrate Halloween, a great Halloween as well! I always love seeing everyone's costumes, and this year I feel like I saw some really fantastic ones. October was a crazy month, but not a bad one, and I've enjoyed putting this post together this month to remember what I actually read and posted. 

In personal news, it's been a very busy month! The biggest thing that happened is probably that I performed in my first aerial silks performance for my local aerial studio's showcase in October! I've only done two previous aerial performances, but those were both group pieces that I didn't choreograph and they were on different apparatuses, so this was a very different experience creating my own piece and performing solo. I worked on the piece for about twelve weeks from about late July until October and it was a huge rollercoaster of an experience, but I'm so glad I made it through and had a (generally) successful performance! The theme for my studio's showcase was movies, so I chose to use Mad Max: Fury Road as the inspiration, which in hindsight was definitely a huge challenge of a piece to tackle, but you know, who among us doesn't accidentally add extra stress to their lives regularly? 🤣 Outside of that, I've been mainly trying to enjoy the spooky season, read a lot, and survive busy season at my job (the stress at work is also real, but you know, such is life). The saddest news of the month is that the library closest to me is closed from now until February for repainting (four months!?), so I am quite sad. There are other libraries I can visit, but they won't be quite as convenient to get to, unfortunately. 

In reading news, October was a great reading month! I read more than I anticipated and still managed to not read half of the books I wanted to, but I really think that's more of an "I have too many books I want to read" than an "I didn't read enough" problem, haha, a problem which I'm sure most of us share. Some of my top reads from the past month were House Haunters, The Nudge, Subcutanean, and Solace House, though I really enjoyed most of my spooky October reads! November will continue to be a spooky reading month, though, because there are still more I want to get to. I also managed to actually have a solid number of reviews up in October as well, which I'm feeling pretty good about for once, since I've been woefully behind most of the year. 

How was your October and what books have you been reading? Any reading-related goals?  Let me know how your month was below and what you've been reading!
   

# books read: 15


Solace House by Will Maclean
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC
Thoughts: I really enjoyed exploring this story and all of the ideas Maclean played with in it. It was definitely one I found easy to get lost in and follow along with all the weird things that happened to the characters. My review is already up (the link is listed below)!

Quaint Folk by Bitter Karella
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: This was a very solid follow-up to the previous book from Bitter Karella that I loved, and it was absolutely the perfect blend of weird, creepy, and just a little disturbing. 

Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC
Thoughts: This was a very long, very mind-bend-y traverse into the world within the static of television, and I'm not sure what else to say about that! My review is also already up, and I recommend this one as well!

House Haunters by KC Jones
Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: House Haunters was such a delight to read. It read it in the couple days leading up to Halloween and finished it Halloween night, and I truly couldn't have picked a better read. It's perfectly spooky with lots of ghostly intrigue and also had a very endearing cast that made it so enjoyable to read. Can't wait to read even more KC Jones, since I've really liked everything I've read from them so far!



This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: This was a little odd and the ending got a little much for me, but overall I was definitely intrigued by this one and I really appreciated how it tackled grief. 

The House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious Places by William Hope Hodgson
Source: Library | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: A fantastic tale of classic cosmic horror to start, and many other fun stories to follow! I am absolutely going to be checking out more from William Hope Hodgson

The Nudge by Joseph Fink
Source: Library | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: I read this in one sitting and had a blast. I highly recommend it for a quick bite of some unsettling horror. 

Subcutanean by Aaron A. Reed
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: This is perfect for fans of backrooms/liminal spaces, and especially those love the idea of alternate/parallel dimensions and also interesting characters. The concept behind the making of this novel is also super neat, so be sure to look it up or check out my review to find out more about it!



I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson
Source: Library | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: I finally read the classic I Am Legend and I'm glad I did because it was a surprisingly captivating read for me as someone who isn't huge on vampires. 

Root Rot by Saskia Nislow
Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: This was odd and had a very unsettling atmosphere, but something about it didn't fully grab me. Still, it's a short enough read that I think it's worth checking out!

The Devil Knows Her Name by C.N. Vair
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This was not at all what I was expected, but because of that I enjoyed it more than I expected to. It's a quieter read than I expected as well, but plays with some compelling ideas. 

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: Carmilla is apparently a vampire story that inspired Dracula, and it was a very compelling read. It's absolutely worth a read for any Dracula or classic vampire fans! 


Molka by Monika Kim
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: I have mixed thoughts on this one, and I'd ultimately say it was an okay read, but not one I particularly enjoyed. Some of the scariest part of this book were definitely the real-life horror aspects of what "molka" refers to. It wasn't quite as compelling as The Eyes Are the Best Part, but still an intriguing and thought-provoking read.

My Death by Lisa Tuttle
Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: This was a very short novella that I stumbled upon after hearing it randomly mentioned somewhere that I can't quite remember, and while it's not as directly "scary" as I'd anticipated, it's certainly just a bit concerning. The ending was mildly predictable to me, but I enjoyed the journey to get there and thought the author built up to it very well. I'd be curious to read more from Lisa Tuttle.

Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: This was a very fun middle grade horror! For me, it was exceptionally light on the "scare" aspect, but the setting and atmosphere was very haunting, and it hit on some pretty heavy topics at times. Worth the read for middle grade readers/fans, but definitely not as scary as ones like The Thickety (which is one of my favorites and I highly recommend), so no worries there if you want something a bit lighter. 

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