october – The Bibliophile Chronicles

This is, as is traditional with Nicole and book hauls, a very late post. So I’m just going to dive right in and talk about the books I picked up/was sent in October!

From Publishers

1. The Conviction of Cora Burns – Carolyn Kirby
This was a piece of surprise book mail that arrived from No Exit Press. It’s a piece of historical fiction about a young woman born in prison, who fears she might inherit her mother’s violent tendencies. It’s for fans of Sarah Schmidt and Laura Purcell so I am definitely intrigued to read this one!

2. Odd One Out – Nic Stone
Another piece of surprise post was Odd One Out by Nic Stone. I’m yet to read Dear Martin though I do have it on my wishlist. I’m excited to read this one and it looks like it will be quite a quick read so hopefully I get to it before the end of the month.

3. The Haunting of Drearcliff School – Kim Newman
I love Kim Newman’s books so when Titan offered to send me a copy of his newest Drearcliff School novel, I jumped at the chance. Newman’s books are always fast paced with such fascinating spooky plots that I’m sure I’m going to love this one as much as the other Kim Newman books I’ve read.

4. Girl Squads – Sam Maggs
This is a non-fiction book about ’20 female friendships that changed the world.’ I started reading this today and honestly it’s completely fascinating. The stories range in time and location, covering athletes, artists and everything in between.

5. The Dark Vault – V. E. Schwab
My new found love affair with books by V. E. Schwab continues with this bind up of The Archived books. I am yet to pick this up because it’s absolutely massive but I’m going to try and binge read it at the start of December.

6. A Remedy For All Things – Jan Fortune
I participated in the blog tour for this fascinating book – you can read my guest post from the author here – and Jan kindly sent me a copy of the book to review as well. I haven’t had the chance to pick it up yet but I’m really looking forward to giving it a go.

7. The Silver Queen – Josie Jaffrey
Josie kindly sent me a copy of The Gilded King a few months ago and I loved it. (Review for that is here). She also very kindly sent me a copy of the next book in the series, The Silver Queen. I’m honestly dying to know what happens next so I am for sure picking this up as soon as possible.

Books I Bought

8. I’ll Be Gone In the Dark – Michelle McNamara
I’ve heard really fascinating things about this book and I’m trying to read more non-fiction instead of just fantasy and science fiction all the time so I thought this might be a really interesting read.

9. Mythos – Stephen Fry
I’ve never read anything from Stephen Fry but I’ve always wanted to read more about the Greek myths. I saw the paperback copy of this for sale online and thought I may as well pick up a copy.

10. The Missing Girl – Shirley Jackson
I’ve been wanting to read more Shirley Jackson since I read We Have Always Lived In the Castle earlier in the year so this short little book of short stories was a perfect chance to read more of her work. I read it earlier in the month and gave it 3/5 stars.

11. The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson
Along with The Missing Girl I also bought a copy of The Haunting of Hill House. This has definitely been my favourite of her work so far. It was creepy and odd and I really enjoyed it. I gave this one 4/5 stars.

12. Sea – Sara Driver
This was in all honesty a cover buy. I picked it up in a second hand book shop because I love pirate-y/sea type books and I’m basically looking for something to fill the void that The Wicked Deep left. It sounds like a fun and quick fantasy read and I’ve heard pretty good things about it already!

13. The Shining – Stephen King
I also bought this in a second hand book shop because I’ve never read The Shining. I saw the movie a long time ago but I don’t really remember the story so I’m excited to go into it with a blank slate and I’m hoping I really enjoy it. I was hoping to read this at Halloween but that obviously didn’t happen so hopefully soon!

14. Small Spaces – Katherine Arden
Katherine Arden’s middle grade novel was everything I hoped it would be and more. It was dark, spooky and very entertaining. I (unsurprisingly) gave this 5/5 stars and I’ll have a review up for it very soon.

15. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein – Kiersten White
I ordered this as soon as it came out because I was really intrigued with this fresh perspective on the Frankenstein tale. I read it really fast and I loved Kiersten’s writing style and take on this classic story. This was another 5/5 star read and one of my favourites of the month.

October is one of my favourite reading months. So many spooky books come out and it’s dark and cold outside and all I want to do is huddle under a blanket with my cat and a good book. Somehow in the month of October I managed to read sixteen books and one short story – I’m not even sure how that happened. I participated in a readathon which I think really helped and also quite a few of theses were on the shorter side. I’m going to keep it brief about each book because quite a few of them have featured in readathon wrap up posts or have full review posts up already.

1. A Blade So Black – L. L. McKinney
This Alice in Wonderland retelling was quick paced, action packed and so much fun. I raced through it and it’s definitely one of my favourite Alice retellings that I’ve ever encountered. I participated in the blog tour for this and you can check out my extract from the book here. (Rating: 4/5 stars)

2. The Woods Vol 1 – James Tynion IV
This is the first instalment in a graphic novel series about a school that disappears into another realm. Full of strange monsters and dark and creepy sequences I thought this was an interesting start, although it didn’t grip me as much as I hoped that it would. (Rating: 3.5/5 stars)

3. The Wicked Deep – Shea Earnshaw
This was the biggest surprise of my October reading. I adored this book. Dark and creepy, this story was so atmospheric and unfolded in such a clever way. It was the perfect Halloween read and it is definitely going on my favourites list. (Rating: 5/5 stars)

4. Vicious – Victoria Schwab
I finally read Vicious and it was so amazing. Victoria Schwab is pretty much the Queen of books, everything I’ve read by her is magnificent and it just makes me want to read everything that she’s ever written. (Rating: 5/5 stars)

5. Warm Up – Victoria Schwab
In the back of my edition of Vicious there was a short story entitled Warm Up, which shows another EO and his encounter with Eli. It was pretty short but I enjoyed the chance to see Eli from another perspective and of course to read more of Victoria’s writing. (Rating: 4/5 stars)

6. Daughter of the Siren Queen – Tricia Levenseller
I absolutely loved the first book in this duology and was really excited to dive back in. This one is a bit darker than the previous book and definitely felt a lot more intense and high stakes. It was a brilliant read and I highly recommend these books. (Rating: 4/5 stars)

7. One Of Us Is Lying – Karen McManus
This YA thriller is incredibly popular so I was looking forward to picking it up and seeing what all the fuss is about. The story is quick paced and enjoyable and there were more than a few twists that I didn’t see coming. I fell the ending was a little unbelievable but it was still a really fun read. (Rating: 3.75/5 stars)

8. Small Spaces – Katherine Arden
Katherine Arden is one of my favourite authors so I was really excited to see how she writes a Middle Grade novel. Honestly I absolutely loved this. Ollie is a brilliant protagonist. The story is dark and creepy with plenty of adventure. It’s a perfect autumn read and I’m so glad I picked it up. (Rating: 5/5 stars)

9. The Price Guide to the Occult – Leslye Walton
I haven’t read The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender but I know lots of people adore that book. This is the authors newest release and honestly I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting a very atmospheric magical read but I didn’t really connect with the characters and the story fell a bit flat for me. (Rating: 3/5 stars)

10. The Murders in the Rue Morgue – Edgar Allan Poe
It wouldn’t be Halloween without reading some Edgar Allan Poe! This is a set of three stories featuring Dupin, one of the earliest detectives who uses logic and reasoning to discover who did the crime. The stories were interesting and I enjoyed the big reveal of how the crime was committed but I definitely prefer his more Gothic and creepy tales. (Rating: 3/5 stars)

11. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein – Kiersten White
This is my first book by Kiersten White and certainly not my last. I love Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein so to read this reimagining from the point of view of Elizabeth was just a dream. I loved the characters and I think White did a brilliant job. (Rating: 5/5 stars)

12. Strange Ink – Gary Kemble
This has got to be one of the most original concepts I’ve ever read. The story follows a man who wakes up one morning with a tattoo he has no memory of getting. He chalks it up to too much alcohol but as more and more tattoos keep appearing and he becomes wrapped up in their mystery, he discovers he’s actually part of a much bigger plot. This book was so fascinating and I couldn’t put it down. (Rating: 4/5 stars)

13. The Missing Girl – Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson is relatively new to me, I read We Have Always Lived in the Castle earlier in the year. I thought I would try my hand at some of her short stories. This little Penguin Modern Classic features three of her tales full of eeriness and that unsettling feeling. This is another one that is definitely perfect for Halloween. (Rating: 3/5 stars)

14. Spellbound – Cate Tiernan
This is the sixth instalment of the Sweep series by Cate Tiernan. I loved these books as a teenager and so I am revisiting them slowly. I love the blend of magic in these books and the sense of nostalgia reading them again. These books are pretty short and really quick so they’re perfect for reading in a single sitting. (Rating: 5/5 stars)

15. The Last Namsara – Kirsten Ciccarelli
This is the first book in a YA fantasy featuring a whole host of magic, folklore and DRAGONS. It’s a really exciting book and I loved the blend of action and romance that this story has. (Rating: 4/5 stars)

16. The Caged Queen – Kirsten Ciccarelli
The Caged Queen is the second book in the Iskari series. This book follows a different character – one we meet briefly in The Last Namsara. This book was much more focused on politics and intrigue and I ended up loving it even more than the first book in the series. You can see my stop on the blog tour here! (Rating: 5/5 stars)

17. Sleeper: The Red Storm – J. D. Fennell
Sleeper: The Red Storm is the second in the series that features Sleeper agent Will Starling. I loved the first book in the series so I was so excited to dive back into this mixture of historical fiction and spy thriller. Bursting to the seams with action, explosions and fighting, The Red Storm is a fantastic new instalment to the series and I’m already dying to find out what happens next. You can take a look at my full review here! (Rating: 4/5 stars)

So that’s all the books I read in October! What did you read in October? And if you read any of these let me know what you thought!

The Bibliophile Chronicles

Tag: october

October Book Haul!

From Publishers

Books I Bought

October Wrap Up!