Hello again, dear friends! I hope you are all well, and if not, I hope brighter days head your way soon! I'm sorry for the vanishing act, this past month was a tad busy for me and it left me little time to read and blog. Nevertheless, I did manage to squeeze in a bit of fun and entertainment, so let's check out what went down this past October...
what i'm currently reading
I'm still slowly meandering my way through A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft, but so far I'm enjoying the journey. I've made it through about 60% of this luscious dark academia fantasy and I've just come upon a major plot point, so I'm wondering how the last 40% of the novel will go. I'm also really enjoying the s l o w burn of the academic rivals-to-lovers romantic subplot. It's definitely not the focus of the story but it still reads very as very authentic and is also very well paced. The characters are also all very intriguing in their own flawed ways. Saft does a good job of giving each an appropriate amount of depth. The only point I will say might be slightly frustrating to some readers is how slowly the plot moves. Still, I find that while the plot moves slow, each moment is still packed with meaning, so it hasn't bothered me too much.
In October I also began reading A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney about a week before Halloween, which was quite timely considering the novel takes place just before Halloween, haha! This book is a cozy witchy contemporary romantasy, so it fulfils not one but two Autumnathon prompts (those being October's "read a witchy book" prompt and November's "read a cozy fantasy" prompt), so I'll take that as a win! So far, I'm about 25% into the story and I'm really enjoying it. It's got the perfect cozy autumnal vibe that warms the soul on colder autumn days. The only complaint I have is that the reason why the two romantic leads start out as "enemies" is, well, kinda silly. It's more of a miscommunication situation than a true enemies-to-lovers situation, but I think if you go in understanding that you'll have better expectations and a slightly better reading experience.
what i plan on reading
In addition to hopefully finishing up what I was reading in October, I do have a couple of books I'm interested in at least starting to read in November. Those books would be For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga, To Cage A God by Elizabeth May, and Sea Serpent by Maiya Ibrahim, all of which are some of my most anticipated 2024 releases. That said, I doubt I'll be finishing any of them in November, but I suppose only time will tell...
what i watched
After literal YEARS of waiting for and anticipating its release, I finally got to watch Agatha All Along! AT LONG LAST!!! I've been waiting for this series since it was first announced several years ago in the wake of WandaVision's release. I loved WandaVision so much, and Agatha was such a vivid part of that miniseries that I just knew that I'd love her in her own series. And! After watching the first five episodes of Agatha All Along, I think its safe to say that that prediction was correct. I love learning more about Agatha, seeing her go on her own adventure, and witnessing her interactions with new characters outside of the WandaVision-verse. Plus, the series is well-written and well-produced, featuring characters and storylines with plenty of depth. ★★★★★
what i listened to
In addition to listening to my October monthly playlist, I also got back into listening to the Books Unbound podcast, and instantly remembered how much I love it! Listening to the hosts, Ariel and Raeleen, is like gabbing with friends, even though I have a drastically different taste in books from both of them. I've actually been following both Ariel and Raeleen for about ten years, since back when both were popular booktubers. Over the years the two of them have become some of my dearest "comfort creators," so I'm glad to see they're still good friends and that they decided to create the podcast!
what i bookmarked
- Athena discussed the fascinating topic of how fantasy books deal with death
- Cornelia Powers wrote for Lit Hub about OCD and the tyranny of "best of..." book lists
- Sarah explored the world of American Girl's Samantha Parkington (Video)
- Kate did an even longer deep dive into American Girl's Samantha Parkington (Video)
- More American Girl shenanigans went down as Julia Christina vlogged living like Molly McIntire (Video)
what i did in october 2024
October was a weird mix of hectic and chill? A lot happened, I guess, haha! First up, my family had our annual Section 8 home inspection, which was quite stressful. We ended up deep cleaning our entire house and it was so much work! Fortunately, we passed inspection, so we're all set for another year, thank god!
Next up, my good friend and I went to a Turkish festival in D.C., which was a great time! We brought our own lunch and had a mini picnic on The National Mall beforehand too, which was a good idea since food lines were super long at the festival. When we finally made our way to the festival, there was more food, music, dancing, and a bazaar. It was really cool to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of a different culture!
Last, but certainly not least, I performed in my college Choir's concert. I had a really fun time and my solo went great, so I was very satisfied! We performed with the local high school's and middle school's choirs and it was so adorable to see all the kids have a fun time singing. All in all, it was a great night!
what i hope for in november 2024
This November promises to be a tad hectic as this year my 30th birthday falls exactly on Thanksgiving. I don't have any birthday plans yet, but I'm determined to do something special as I enter my "thirty, flirty, and thriving!" era. I do have tentative plans to meet up with friends over our fall break but beyond that and the prospect of yummy Thanksgiving food we shall have to see!
spill the beans, friends!
- How was your October?
- Did you read anything memorable?
- What are you looking forward to this November?
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