In October I read some really good spooky reads along with a few most anticipated reads like “It Starts With Us” By Colleen Hoover. I am overall extremely happy with everything I read last month and I can’t wait to share all my thoughts.
Reading Stats
Number of Books: 8
Total Pages: 2,452
Average Rating: 4.69
Most Common Format: Physical Books
Most Common Genre: Romance
Mood: Mysterious
Physical Books
“Hidden Pictures” By Jason Rekulak
Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job in the affluent suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.
Mallory immediately loves this new job. She lives in the Maxwell’s pool house, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.
As the days pass, Teddy’s artwork becomes more and more sinister, and his stick figures steadily evolve into more detailed, complex, and lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to suspect these are glimpses of an unsolved murder from long ago, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force lingering in the forest behind the Maxwell’s house.
With help from a handsome landscaper and an eccentric neighbor, Mallory sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy—while coming to terms with a tragedy in her own past—before it’s too late.
Synopsis From GoodReads
“Every Heart A Doorway” By Seanan McGuire
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.
Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.
No matter the cost.
Synopsis From GoodReads
“The Sun Down Motel” By Simone St. James
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn’t right at the Sun Down, and before long she’s determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…
Synopsis From GoodReads
Graphic Novels
“PumpkinHeads” By Rainbow Rowell
I really loved this graphic novel. It was extremely cute, both in writing and the art.
Only go into this book if you are prepared to be hungry! It talks so much about some yummy fall themed treats and I just wish I could have ate them along side the characters.
“MoonCakes” By Wendy Xu
I bought this mostly for the cover, if I am being completely honest. It is super cute and Halloween themed so it felt like a great book to pick up for spooky season.
I thought it was a pretty cute read and I can totally see myself picking this up to re read each year. If you like witches and werewolves, then I know you will enjoy this one!
Audio
“The Perfect Child” By Lucinda Berry
Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that’s missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.
But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie’s true nature.
Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah’s attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie’s behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie’s past may be enough to push them all over the edge.
Synopsis From GoodReads
“It Ends With Us” By Colleen Hoover
This was actually a reread for me in preparation for the release of “It Starts With Us”. This was my all time favorite book and now I can say it is my all time favorite series!
I can’t get enough of Atlas and Lily and I will forever be rooting for them.
“It Starts With Us” By Colleen Hoover
Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.
But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.
Synopsis from Goodreads
DNF
“Lord Of The Fly Fest” By Goldy Moldavsky
I don’t DNF Often, so I am quite upset I had to do this. When reading this short review please keep in mind that this is my opinion and I can only speak for myself. Please read this book if you are still interested.
Honestly the cover is so gorgeous that when the writing and characters didn’t live up to that level I had to put it down. I read about 70 pages and just couldn’t read anymore.
Favorite Quotes
“What are you talking about? We can’t just give her back—we’re her parents. Her parents, Hannah. Whether you like it or not, that’s what we signed on for.” His body shook as he tried to control his anger. “You can’t just give your kids away when it’s rough.” “You can if your kid is a monster.”
Lucinda Berry, The Perfect Child
“She crawled up on my lap and whispered in her sweet voice, “I like hurting people. Do you?”
Lucinda Berry, The Perfect Child
“Thank you for being the most comforting part of my life right now. Thank you for always being the beacon I need every time I feel lost. Whether you mean to shine on me or not. I am grateful for you. I’ve missed you. I absolutely should have kissed you.”
Colleen Hoover, It Starts with Us
“My choice helped me realize that sometimes the hardest decisions a person can make will most likely lead to the best outcomes.”
Colleen Hoover, It Starts with Us
“I think it’s instructive to be awake in the middle of the night every once in a while. To really see what you’re missing while you’re usually sleeping.”
Simone St. James, The Sun Down Motel
“She was a story, not an epilogue.”
Seanan McGuire, Every Heart a Doorway
“I’m grateful to the judge who sent me to rehab instead of prison.”
Jason Rekulak, Hidden Pictures
QOTD: What Format do you like to read books in?
World of Bai 