Since it is the start of November, today, I am going to talk about the books I read in October. With eleven books read, there is plenty for me to talk about, so without further ado let’s take a look at the books!
In October, I continued my read through of the Rivers of London series by reading through five books/novellas/graphic novels. They were as follows: Foxglove Summer, What Abigail Did That Summer, Night Witch, Black Mould and The Furthest Station. So far, Foxglove Summer has been the Rivers of London book that I’ve enjoyed the most. I liked the fact that Peter left London for this entry in the series and we have seen the introduction of the Fey, which could be interesting to explore in future entries. The other four books were great side stories that allowed the supporting characters to shine and added further lore to the Rivers of London universe. I am hoping to continue with the series in November, with The Hanging Tree.
I also revisited two novels that I had read in my childhood. The first was Survival by Chris Ryan, which is the first book in the ALPHA Force series, which is all about a group of teenagers undertaking missions around the world and taking on various criminals. Survival was a very quick but enjoyable read and I do want to read some more books in the series. The second childhood book was Watership Down by Richard Adams. This book about a group of rabbits trying to find a safe haven in a world filled with danger is brilliant and I highly recommend people read it at least once. It was also one of the books I needed to read for the Sword and Laser challenge which was an added bonus.
Speaking of Sword and Laser, I managed to read another two Sword and Laser book picks. The first was the October pick, The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy novel, especially the magic systems and world lore. I did feel like the pacing was a little bit chaotic towards the end but overall I thought this was a promising start to the trilogy, so much so I’ve actually bought the second novel, The Oleander Sword. The other Sword and Laser book a sci-fi classic, Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Childhood’s End– I think it was the mystery of the Overlords that intrigued me, as well as the twists and turns in the story. It is definitely a sci-fi classic I would recommend.
Finally, as October is the spooky month, I decided to read a couple of spooky books. The first was The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. This was a re-read for me, which I enjoyed as much as the first time I read this novel. I personally prefer the musical to the novel as I don’t find Raoul as the most engaging character to focus on, especially as most of the story is about the Phantom and Christine. Still, I enjoyed the atmosphere that Leroux created and enjoyed my time with the book. The other horror book I read was A Headful of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay. Again, this is a re-read for me but also one I enjoyed. A Headful of Ghosts tells the story of the Barretts, a family who decides to solve its financial difficulties by allowing their daughter’s mental health issues to become the focus of a reality TV show called The Possession. Although the ending felt a little rushed, I enjoyed the elements of an unreliable narrator, as well as the question of Majory’s mental health and how the adults in her life try to profit from it, making it a disturbing read in some places. At the very end of October, I began a re-red of Dracula by Bram Stoker. This is one of my favourite classics and so far I’m loving it. I will continue with it into November.
November TBR.
And those were the books I read in October! With only two months left in the year, I need to read seventeen books in order to beat my reading challenge goal on Goodreads. So, I am going to aim to read nine books in November, which will include:
- Dracula by Bram Stoker. I expect I will finish this quite early in November, as it is a fairly quick and easy read.
- Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty. This sci-fi mystery is the November pick for Sword and Laser.
- The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch. I am still loving my time with the Rivers of London series and wish to continue with it in November.
- A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes. This is a retelling of the Trojan war from the perspective of the female characters. I enjoyed Natalie Haynes’ other retelling, The Children of Jocasta and I would love to see what she does with the Trojan war setting.
- The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri. The second book in The Burning Kingdoms trilogy. I am looking forward to exploring more of the world that Tasha Suri has created.
- Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman. I’ve been meaning to try the Dragonlance novels for some time and I am hoping to start with the first novel in November.
Those are books I plan to read but I hope to also be able to read a few more as well, in order to get back on track with my reading challenge goal. So, those were the books I read and plan to read; I would love to hear about the books you have been reading, so let me know in the comments below and I’ll talk to you soon!
A Reluctant Hero 