Happy November! I hope you had a spooktacular Halloween this year, no matter how you were celebrating!

I had a wonderful time passing out candy in my Queen Anna costume (lots of kids called me Elsa and that was depressing but whatever lol) and it was nice to have a socially distanced holiday for the neighborhood kiddos! We had a ton of kids come by, gave out roughly 600 pieces of candy, and got to see my neighbor dress up as Michael Myers and scare everyone! Another great Halloween in my books!

October was a great reading month for me, as well! I read five books and ended up DNF’ing one, but I had some great reads for spooky season!

I definitely didn’t finish my October TBR which was sucky, but I’m hoping I can get to some of the books I missed this month! More on my November TBR coming later in the week, so check back!

1) The Diviners

My first read of the month and probably my favorite, The Diviners is the first in a YA fantasy series set in 1920’s NYC! I absolutely love love loved this one and I’ve been recommending it to everyone! This was a perfect start to October; it’s romantic, it’s SO well written, and it’s spooky as hell. This was like a YA 20’s version of The Alienist and it was just as good on the mystery aspect. This series has four books and it actually just wrapped at the beginning of this year, so if you’re in the mood to binge read then have to fear, this series is complete! I’m working through the second book right now (she’s thick) so check my Goodreads for updates!

2) A Death Long Overdue

Definitely one of my favorites of the year, A Death Long Overdue is the latest release for my favorite cozy mystery series, the Lighthouse Library Mysteries from Eva Gates. I got this as an ARC late last year and saved it for October and release day (it was hard, though!) and it was well worth the wait! This series is perfect for those looking to dip their toe into the cozy world or if you’re just looking for a sweet, slightly spooky mystery! I already have an ARC of the next in the series, Deadly Ever After, and I’m so looking forward to picking it up closer to release in May of 2021!

3) Behind Every Lie

I’m actually sad to say I ended up DNF’ing this one. I had this as an older ARC and in an attempt to get my ARCs down I started this as an audiobook. I made it about 30% before I put it aside and I can say that while I loved her first book The Night Olivia Fell, this one fell short of the emotion I felt in her debut. I did get and ARC of her next novel for 2021, Do No Harm, and I’m excited to try that one out! I was not a fan of this for a few reasons but I’m looking forward to her next novel!

4) The First Horror

The perfect spooky season read, I read The First Horror when I was in like middle school and it was so fun to revisit this series! This is the first in a trilogy that takes place in Stine’s Fear Street and are the typical 90’s teen story with some spooky shit thrown in! I can’t wait to read more of these later in the year. I haven’t written a review for this yet, but check back!

5) Clown in a Cornfield

My only finished audiobook for the month was the recent teen slasher story, Clown in a Cornfield. I had fun listening to this; it was literally as if they took Halloween and Friday the 13th and made them into a 2020 teen thriller. This was super gory and super creepy and all around fun, but it ultimately fell short of what I was hoping for. The narrator for this was great, though! Check my full review for my full thoughts!

6) Ruins of the Empire: Part 3

My last read of the month was the final installment in the Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire comics! I absolutely loved the Korra TV show (I rewatch it all the time) and the comics are just as good, if not better! They really expand on the show, deal with important and grown-up topics, and are just really well written and illustrated. I loved these and can’t wait to see what else they do with this world.

And that’s my full October wrap! Five books read and one DNF, I’d say that was a good month for me!

I had planned to read Home Before Dark and Stalking Jack the Ripper but I didn’t get around to it, so that was a bummer. I’m thinking I’ll probably read Home Before Dark this month, but we’ll have to see!

What did you read and love in October? Tell me your hits and misses for the month!