Month in Review: October 2023

October has been a crazy month. It had a rough start, there have been a lot of ups and downs, and to be honest I was a little bummed that one of my favorite months was going so poorly, haha. I won't bore you all with the detail, but fortunately things have improved a bit in the last couple weeks so I'm hoping I can hold onto that. This has just been a weird year, so I'm always grateful to have books and the book community to keep me company and feeling better.

Despite a rough month, I actually read a pretty surprising and unexpected number of books! I didn't read a lot that I meant to, and I definitely didn't get to as many of the horror books I wanted to, but I'm absolutely not complaining. Some highlights from this past month include: Never Whistle at Night, Assassin's Quest, Labyrinth's Heart, and The Bell in the Fog!

How was everyone's October? Are you someone that enjoys all things spooky, or do you lay low during this month? Let me know how your month was and what you've been reading!

# books read: 15
   

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Source: Owned | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: This was an amazing collection of dark fiction stories! I really loved that there were so many different cultures and I'm excited that I have a list of awesome indigenous authors to check out. I was glad to see some stories from Cherie Dimaline, Waubgeshig Rice, David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an introduction from Stephen Graham Jones, and so many more. 

Anoka by Shane Hawk
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: This was a collection of dark fiction I'd been saving for October and it was great. I liked that there was a nice variety and length of stories, as well. 

Assassin's Quest (Farseer Trilogy #3) by Robin Hobb
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I still think the highlight of the trilogy is the second book, but this was a really strong conclusion and I am so eager to continue on with Hobb's work. 

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

Source: | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: I'd had this on my TBR for what seems like years now and I'm glad I finally got to it because it was a fascinating collection of interconnected stories. 

The Blade Itself (The First Law #1) by Joe Abercrombie
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: This is my second time reading The Blade Itself because I've been wanting to continue the trilogy, and honestly, I'm not sure it's for me? Everything about this book seems like something I should enjoy, but for some reason I can never really get into it?

Head Like a Hole: A Novel of Horror by Andrew Van Wey
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was a pretty trippy horror that I hadn't heard of until pretty much right before I started reading it. I'd recommend it if you like some weird horror!

Red River Seven by A.J. Ryan
Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: This was very promising, but wasn't executed quite as well as I'd hoped it might be. I loved all the different ideas this played with and thought the concept was really fun. 

These Burning Stars (The Kingdom Trilogy #1) by Bethany Jacobs
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I'd hoped, unfortunately, but I'd love to still give the series a shot once the next book is out. 

Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson 

Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: This was such a complex and surprising horror read, I really had a great time with it. 

Labyrinth's Heart (Rook & Ruin #3) by M.A. Carrick
Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: This was a wonderful conclusion to a trilogy that I've really loved and that I think is very underrated!

You've Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca

Source: Owner | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: I didn't care for this one as much as I've liked some of LaRocca's other work, but still enjoyed the general journey we went on with it. 

The Bell in the Fog (Andy Mills #2) by Lev A.C. Rosen
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I've been really loving this Andy Mills series and this was a fantastic sequel. I can't wait for more books in this series!

The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles #1) by Tony DiTerlizzi
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: I never read this series as a kid, but I feel like I would've loved it. My husband had told me how much he enjoyed this series as a kid, so I decided to try it out and it was so fun! It definitely skews a little younger middle grade than I tend to read, but I would read the rest for fun, and I think there's an adaptation coming out soon that could be fun to check out as well.

The Bellwoods Games by Celia Krampien
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was a pretty spooky middle grade that I had a really fun time with. 

Falling Out of Time (Running Out of Time #2) by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Source: Publisher | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: I recently read the first book after it and this book were sent to me by the publisher and I have to say that this definitely didn't live up to the first. It was a fun concept, but pretty much ran way too close to the plot of the first book, so it just felt like a bit of a rehash. 

DNF/To-Be-Finished:

None that I can recall!

 

Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling
The Bell in the Fog (Andy Mills #2) by Lev AC Rosen
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King #2) by Rachel Gillig
These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs
Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson
Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James

 Posts:

(other than reviews)

Month in Review: September 2023
Anticipated November 2023 Releases

Blog Memes:

Top Ten Tuesday:
Atmospheric Books

Can't-Wait Wednesday:
10/4: The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper & Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park
10/11: The Darkness Before Them by Matthew Ward & The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor
10/18: The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss & The Liberators by E.J. Koh
10/25: The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen & Swarm by Jennifer D. Lyle

The Friday Face-Off:

Current Read #16–Horror

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, Knock Knock Open Wide by Neil Sharpson, & Lilith by Nikki Marmery

    

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are:

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Publication: October 3rd, 2023
Tor Books
Hardcover. 320 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland--and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it."

I've already finished an ARC of this and I loved it! I'm really looking forward to seeing the final edition of this, plus I think there may be a couple special editions coming out that I'm excited to see.

Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson
Publication: October 3rd, 2023
Tor Nightfire
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Knock Knock, Open Wide weaves horror and Celtic myth into a terrifying, heartbreaking supernatural tale of fractured family bonds, the secrets we carry, and the veiled forces that guide Irish life.

Driving home late one night, Etain Larkin finds a corpse on a pitch-black country road deep in the Irish countryside. She takes the corpse to a remote farmhouse. So begins a night of unspeakable horror that will take her to the very brink of sanity.

She will never speak of it again.

Two decades later, Betty Fitzpatrick, newly arrived at college in Dublin, has already fallen in love with the drama society, and the beautiful but troubled Ashling Mallen. As their relationship blossoms, Ashling goes to great lengths to keep Betty away from her family, especially her alcoholic mother, Etain.

As their relationship blossoms, Betty learns her lover's terrifying family history, and Ashling's secret obsession. Ashling has become convinced that the horrors inflicted on her family are connected to a seemingly innocent children's TV show. Everyone in Ireland watched this show in their youth, but Ash soon discovers that no one remembers it quite the same way. And only Ashling seems to remember its a small black goat puppet who lives in a box and only comes out if you don’t behave. They say he’s never come out.

Almost never.

When the door between the known and unknown opens, it can never close again."

This sounds delightfully creepy, and I'm particularly intrigued by the incorporation of Celtic myth elements. Tor Nightfire always brings the wildest horror, so I'm excited to give it a read!

Lilith by Nikki Marmery
Publication: October 17th, 2023
Alcove Press
Paperback. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Before Eve, there was Lilith.

Lilith and Adam are equal and happy in the Garden of Eden. Until Adam decides Lilith should submit to his will and lie beneath him. She refuses—and is banished forever from Paradise.

Demonized and sidelined, Lilith watches in fury as God creates Eve, the woman who accepts her submission. But Lilith has a she has already tasted the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Endowed with Wisdom, she knows why Asherah—God’s wife and equal, the Queen of Heaven—is missing. Lilith has a she will rescue Eve, find Asherah, restore balance to the world, and regain her rightful place in Paradise.

Lilith’s quest for justice drives her throughout history, from the ziggurats of Ancient Sumer, to the court of Israel’s Queen Jezebel, and to the side of a radical preacher in Roman Judea. Noah’s wife, Norea, Jezebel and Mary Magdalene all play their part in Lilith’s enlightenment. In the modern age, as she observes the catastrophic consequences of a world built on inequality, Lilith finally understands what must be done to correct the wrong done to women—and all humankind—at the beginning of time.

Inspired by ancient myths and suppressed scriptures, Lilith is a thought-provoking and ambitious novel with an evocative literary voice and a triumphantly engaging heroine."

I've read a lot of myth-inspired stories, but rarely (if ever?) have I come across something Adam and Eve related or really set during this time period, so I'm super curious about this one!