It’s already a new month and that means that it’s time to look back on the month prior. October 2023 was a nightmare regarding reading, I was wondering how it would be this year. The month started of pretty good actually. Even though fall already showed some of its true colours, summer wasn’t really sure what to do and decided to stay. It’s very unusual to be outside on the balcony, reading in the sun on the 26th of October. But yes, it happened, and I even got a sunburn. Unfortunately for me, I enjoyed the books much less than I did in the previous months. I nevertheless found some gems. So, let’s take a look, shall we?

My monthly stats

Compared to September, I read less books in October. However, the books were longer and therefore I read more pages and listened to more hours of audiobooks. I’ve read 8 books in October, with a total page count of 2,731 pages and I’ve listened to 24.43 hours of audiobooks. I was wondering how this could be possible, but I’m currently listening to an audiobook I can’t even finish this month, but I’m still tracking it. So, that’s where these hours are coming from. From the 8 books I’ve read this month, there’s 2 books I also hauled this month. Most of the books I have been reading are from my September bookhaul, which is quite an accomplishment as I tend to leave new books unread for a very long while. In total I’ve hauled 9 books in October. I mixed both Dutch and English again this month, as usual. What is different however, is that I’ve read 6 young adult books. That has been a long time ago since I did that. And maybe that’s why my overall rating for this month isn’t that good at all. October has an average rating of 3.06 stars. It took me average 4 days to finish a book. However, some took longer. Oh well, let’s move on to the books, right?

My read books

Links will direct you to the available reviews on my blog.

1. The Right Move by Liz Tomforde – I really enjoyed the previous book in this series a few months ago, so I just wanted to continue. I highly enjoyed it as you can see in my review. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao – It was still sunny when I listened to this audiobook and therefore I choose to listen to it then and there. I tend to fall asleep easily once it’s daylight savings. I didn’t expect to finish this book as quickly as I did. Even though I enjoyed it, I found the worldbuilding a bit lacking. ⭐⭐⭐,5
3. Alleen thuis by Carlie van Tongeren – An originally Dutch YA contemporary novel which is good, but stayed quite on the surface for me. ⭐⭐⭐
4. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – I gave this book another chance after six whole years and it redeemed itself. I’ve read it in my native language and I’m sure that helped a lot. ⭐⭐⭐,5
5. Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé – I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if I would have read it years ago. For now, it fell flat. ⭐⭐
6. When the World Tips Over by Jandy nelson – It has been years since this author published a new book. I enjoyed it but wasn’t really blown away. ⭐⭐⭐,5
7. Kleine gelukjes by Audrey Adelin – Another originally Dutch YA I read as a palate cleanser when struggling with my other books. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore – A cozy fall romance I absolutely did not enjoy. I didn’t care for the characters – who felt like cardboard boxes to me – and it was just so boring. ⭐

My bookhaul

1. When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson
2. Caught Up by Liz Tomforde
3. Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B.B. Alston
4. Heir by Sabaa Tahir
5. Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole
6. Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
7. The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
8. A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber
9. The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Overall, October was quite mixed. Let’s see what November has in store for me. How was your reading month?