October Wrap-Up & November Reading Plans | 2022

I haven’t posted a proper wrap-up since January! I wrote one in February that I never posted because when I realized I had forgotten to post it, it was way too late to do so… 😅

I discussed how my reading has been all over the place this year in this post for many reasons. The first one being, I’m very rarely home these days. I am seeing friends or traveling most week-ends and I’m also doing other things on week days. Which is great but doesn’t leave a lot of free time. I am fine with it but being busy all the time is tiring and now that the weather is getting colder, my desire to stay home wrapped in a blanket with a cup of tea and a book is getting bigger and bigger. So, I’ve read quite a bit in October and I would like to share my thoughts and feelings on the things I’ve read!

Books Read

I have been meaning to start Gladstone’s Craft Sequence series for at least five or six years so, I finally caved and read Three Parts Dead. I have written a review about this book (that I still need to edit but still, it exists!) so I’ll try to be concise but I liked it quite a bit. The worldbuilding was truly great and reminded me a bit of P. Djéli Clark’s Dead Djinn Universe. I could vividly picture the magical city and the world but the characters weren’t as developed as I wished them to be. However, I’m intrigued enough by the world to read the second book in the series! ★★★☆

The Changeling by Victor Lavalle was another book on my list of books to read in 2022 and I loved it! It was the perfect October read, it was atmospheric, the character work was impeccable and it discussed in fascinating ways how parenthood can affect people. It’s without a doubt one of my favorite books of the year. If you love New York city, books and amazing characters, please give this book a try! And don’t read the synopsis, it spoils half of the book, the less you know about it, the more you’ll enjoy it, trust me! ★★★★★

Then, I picked up Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin, a short story published by Forward. It is so short that I really don’t want to say much except that it was great (which is not surprising considering it was written by Queen Jemisin herself). As always with Jemisin’s works, it is sharp and angry. I would definitely recommend this to everyone but especially to people who usually don’t like short stories because it might change your mind!★★★★

Barbarian Alien is my second foray into Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarian series. I don’t read a lot of science fiction romances but they can be a lot of fun and Barbarian Alien didn’t disappoint. Sure, it was over the top, campy and a bit ridiculous but lord did I laugh while reading it. I’ll definitely read the third one at some point! 🙂 ★★★☆

Finally, I read A Song for Quiet by Cassandra Khaw, the last book in their Persons Non Grata duology. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Hammers on Bone which was more powerful but I love Khaw’s writing and it was short and spooky, which was a great for the month of October! ★★★

GOALS CHECK-IN

• Number of books read: 5 (Total read: 46/75)
• Number of books read from my list of 22 Books to Read in 2022: 2 (Total read: 9/22)
• Number of literary fiction books read: 0 (Total read 5/6)
• Number of thrillers read: 0 (Total read 3/4)

November Reading Plans

This year, I have read more fantasy than science fiction books which is a bit unusual for me. I’m still very much in a fantasy/horror mood which is why I would like to read The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow and Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw. However, since November is also SciFiMonth, I’d like to read at least one science fiction book and Planetfall has been on my radar for years! I’m also currently reading for the fifth time Autumn by Ali Smith, one of my favorite books! 🙂

I never thought of myself as a seasonal reader but apparently, I am since I want to read all the spooky and witchy books! Are you also a seasonal reader? I would love to know!