Happy Monday and Happy Halloween! I am adding a new feature here on the blog, a monthly reading wrap up. Since I read lots of books throughout the year it's sometimes hard to review every single book/audio book that I read/listen to. One of the things that many of the BookTubers I follow do that I really enjoy are monthly wrap ups. I love the concept because it seems to take the pressure off of getting a review written and posted immediately after finishing a book. I figured that monthly wrap ups would work just as well here on my blog. I will be giving short reviews for each book that I read within these wrap up posts or link to full length reviews if I was able to write one. October was a pretty good reading month for me. I read ten books, 3 comic books, and listened to two audio books. I'm on a roll and will hopefully make my Goodreads challenge number by the end of the year! I hope you enjoy this new addition to my postings.
Happy Reading!
Monica
This is one of my favorite IR romance series, but I didn't like this installment as much as I had hoped. You can read my full review here.
I wanted to get this one read before I saw the movie. These three women were as annoying as all get out! But, Paula Hawkins made them believably annoying. The writing was pretty good, there is a nice twist, but overall it was just an average read.
I enjoyed parts of this story. I enjoyed the way some of the characters were presented. I enjoyed Shou Shou, Marlowe's no nonsense grandmother. I liked the premise of the book and the way that Marlowe's talents (voodoo/magic/witchcraft) were represented as something to be careful of and not to be trifled with by anyone, including herself. The initial creepiness of Plato was really well done because his presence even freaked me the frack out. However, the parts didn't add up to a great whole for me. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what didn't resonate with me. I enjoyed it enough that I will look at Mason's backlist and try another of her stories.
I can't believe how much I enjoyed this one. This was my first Due book, so I wasn't sure what I was going to get, but I enjoyed what she gave. Unique characters, a story that takes you there emotionally, and a steady slow building story all kept me engaged. What kept me from giving this five stars is the slow parts of the story. There are a few sluggish moments, but they were well worth the overall experience. I can see myself reading this one again at some point and I will be getting the rest of this series. It's a shame that I am so late to Due's work, but it's lucky for me that there are many more books for me to experience.
Again, this is one of my favorite IR romance series and La Dolce Vita was a very enjoyable read for me. You can read my full review here.
Although I enjoyed Horns, I found the writing style very different than what I am used to reading. It felt as though the story was told in a circle. You begin in the present, look back to their teen years, back to the present, and then we get to see what happens from both Ig's and Lee's perspectives that loops back to the fallout of the major event. The twists to the story were nice and I will try another Joe Hill book. It may be a case of me being unused to Hill's writing style. I'm glad that I gave this one a try, it wasn't a scary read but it was creepy.
I really enjoyed The Cutting Season and added it to my favorite reads list. You can read my review here.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a very good read for me. It was a little too simple and predictable. But, I was interested enough in the secondary characters that I will give book two a try eventually. You can read my review here.
I was a little disappointed in this one and had high hopes for it. The story is pretty good, but I didn't get a sense of good character development. I felt that I was too far outside of the story and didn't have any investment in the characters. I don't see myself reading the second book.
I listened to this one as an audio book and the narrator was really good. However, it took me quite some time to get through this one. It was a pretty good story, but I don't think that this one is going to be one that I revisit. I am a big KA fan, and she is a go to author for me, this one just didn't blow me away. But I am most definitely going to continue with the series, and I will probably do book three as audio books as well.
This was a revisit for me and I listened to the audio version, which is really well done. I love this series and it's one that I can see myself continuing to enjoy every so often for years to come. It really is pure paranormal romance entertainment. I'm not doing a full review on this one; but if you enjoy paranormal romance with a smart female heroine that kicks ass, a hero that's awesome and dedicated to the woman he loves, a cast of characters that are just as developed and engaging as the main couple, and a well laid out and executed story arc that spans several books, I highly recommend the Night Huntress series.
Last, but not least, I read volumes 1-3 of the Black Panther comics written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze. I am enjoying the storyline and the illustrations are stunning. I am not a comic reader, but these will keep me going back for more. I just will probably only get the bundled graphic novels from now on since I like to read further than what you get in the individual comics.
Glad you popped your Tananarive cherry! :D I'm so behind on the BP series! After NaNo I'm totally playing catch up.
ReplyDeleteMe too, lol! I will be reading more for sure.
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