It’s a new month, which means it’s time for a new monthly TBR. Whereas I did fairly well on this monthly TBR in August, I struggled a bit in September. Out of the five books I’ve set to read, I finished three. I’m currently reading one from my possibility pile, but that one is a chonker which obviously couldn’t be finished before the end of this month. But what other books will I be reading in October? I’m not a fan of horror and spooky season (or seasonal reading in general), so you won’t be finding any of these here. Let’s take a look on what else I am hoping to read this month, a.k.a. what is in my “up next” queue on The Storygraph! If you click on the cover, you will be directed to the book page on Goodreads.
In the queue
I have heard nothing but great things about Arcana Academy by Elise Kova. I was hoping to pick up this book in September, especially since it was the book of the month in a bookish Discord server I’m in. Unfortunately, my mood dictated something else, so let’s wait and see if I might feel like picking this up in October.
The same actually applies to The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson. Again, I heard nothing but good things about it but didn’t feel like picking it up. This is on my TBR even longer than the aforementioned book.
I’ve heard many people talking about and praising books by T. Kingfisher, but I haven’t read any so far. That’s about to change, as A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking caught my eye. This, unfortunately for the book, happened in Spring. Definitely not the time for books with cozy vibes, or at least, not for me. I therefore left it untouched and suppose October will be the right time to finally read it.
Another book that definitely gives of fall vibes is Blue Lily, Lily Blue. This is the third instalment in the very well-known “The Raven Cycle” by Maggie Stiefvater. I read the first book in fall 2024, but the second one in spring 2025. I figured out that that’s not the right season for this series, so I will give this book a try in fall again. I hope I will enjoy this one a bit more and finally be able to understand the hype surrounding this series.
I never expected Out On a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young to be on my TBR for as long as it is. I was really keen on reading this book as soon as it became available to me (late January as I have the Dutch edition), but it got pushed back for no good reason. Will this be the month I finally pick it up? I need something other than fantasy after finishing my current read though, so who knows!
The pile of possibilities
As always, I have three books I might pick up for whatever reason. I call this pile the pile of possibilities. There is no pressure at all, it’s super casual. Do I feel like picking them up, great! If not, so be it.
The first book on this pile is Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa. This actually should have been on my actual TBR, but I forgot about it. I might pick this up to escape my very long current read, or quite soon after as a genre change. This novel discusses a heavy topic, so I have to be ready for it.
James’ geheim by Marijke Vos is a Dutch book that has been on my TBR since 2023. It’s a historical fiction novel with a dual timeline narrative and works really well when I need a palate cleanser or when there is a reading slump getting closer. The latter often is the case in October, so this book will be just there whenever it’s necessary.
Finally, I want to pick up another book I thought I already would have read by now, The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic. It’s an older novel but finally got translated to Dutch this year. I have to admit I never heard about it before the announcement, although this book got first published in 2012 or 2013. It definitely sounds like something I would enjoy, so time to find out, I guess!
Have you read any of these books? What books are you hoping to read in Ocotber?
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