October 31st, 2020
The best part about wrapping up October 2020 with a Weekly Wrap smashed into a Monthly Wrap is that it’s almost like a little Halloween costume for the blog!
Or maybe I’m just a little too worn out from spooky season and seeing it everywhere? 🎃
Life Beyond the Blog
We’re splitting this section into two, in a way! Just this week, there’s been some excitement outside of the blog as I prep for NaNo, and another round of excitement as I received my Addie LaRue box from OwlCrate! I’ll have a full unboxing of that next month, after I review Addie, in case you want to have a peek at what’s inside. There’s nothing quite like exciting book mail to give me a burst of serotonin, you know?
And truthfully, after this month, I’ve needed it. With my rabbit needing surgery, I was pretty well stressed out the bulk of the month. Thankfully, he’s home and healing so well right now, but up until the vet called to tell us all was well, I had a knot in my gut from the anxiety of waiting. I love my pets so much, and not knowing how things are going makes me incredibly nervous. The vet operating under curbside only rules didn’t help either, though I absolutely respect that they’re operating that way. It feels a lot different to pass your pet off into someone else’s care and watch from your car as they go into the building. To tell the truth, it’s even a bit scary.
But like I said, that’s water under the bridge. Dusty’s doing GREAT right now, and his goofy little bald patch around the incision is starting to grow fur back. He’s back to his usual dopey self, and I couldn’t be more relieved!
In other good news, the wasps that infested my ceiling are definitely dead. Between the pest control man dealing with them and the oncoming cold, I think it’s safe to say they’re no longer an immediate threat. That said, we still have to open up my ceiling, remove the nest and dead bugs, and then redo the drywall. It’s a project in the making, and a time-consuming one to boot. I can’t say I’m 100% thrilled, but I’ll also take it over being stung by aggressive insects. 🤷
And finally, it’s the end of spooky season. I feel like I’m one of the only queer people out there who dislikes Halloween, but truth be told, I can’t wait for it to be over. It’s just…not my holiday at all, and the decorations give me the creeps. Not even in a good way, either. Have mercy on me for my unpopular opinion, folks. I’m just trying to get back to the warmer months, when people don’t decorate with cobwebs and spiders and twelve foot tall skeletons and snow.
Posts This Week
T5T Creepy Characters — October Wednesday Pen Writing Recap — A Curse of Ash and Embers Review
The Week Ahead
NaNo begins tomorrow, which means I am entering triple overdrive mode! It’s the only thing I can think about, or even want to think about. Since I already dropped off my ballot at the clerk’s office, I don’t have to go vote in person (and if you’re a US citizen able to vote, I urge you to do so in some shape or form this week!), and I have a string of four days off in a row somehow that I’m clinging to as a kind of mental health lifeboat. I’m gonna need it, for better or for worse.
Beyond that, I can’t say what else I’ll be up to. It’s not so much that I’m being cagey as it is a genuine sense of not knowing! Yay for spontaneity, I guess? Or maybe not, because I guess it’s making me a little nervous now. 😬
Books Read and Reviewed
I managed to get through five books this month. Once again, that’s far below my reading goal, but I’m close to accepting that I won’t reach 75 books total this year, not when I’m only brushing 50 on the cusp of November.
Anyhow, I read The Poppy and the Rose, Storm the Earth, A Golden Fury, Those Who Prey, and A Curse of Ash and Embers in October! You can read reviews for all of them except Those Who Prey, since I’m covering that one on November 2nd. So soon!
Next Month’s Reads
Will I actually read things next month? I mean, I hope to. I have The Camelot Betrayal, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and Warmaidens high on my list. I’ve also got two empty slots for reviews next month that I need to fill, so I’m tempted to pick up Mexican Gothic, which I just received as a gift, and Dark and Deepest Red! We’ll see what actually happens around NaNo, though. That’s definitely the biggest factor in all this, and I’m prioritizing it over my reading schedule, to tell the truth.
My Top 3 Posts
As ever, I’d like to share my favorite posts from this month with you! These are the ones I most enjoyed writing, and I hope you’ll have an excellent time reading them if you haven’t already.
2. Top 5 Tuesday Creepy Characters
Favorites From Around the Blogging World
Let it be known that you all came up with some stellar posts for October! From celebrating spooky season to its fullest, to opening up some great discussions, you’ve been hard at work! And what better way to celebrate some of that work than a list of recommendations for posts you should definitely check out?
Bec @ Happy Indulgence Books shares her tips for blogging and bookstagram on a budget!
Kal @ Reader Voracious spoils us with five fall recs AND a homemade pumpkin cream cold brew recipe!
Vicky @ Vicky Again recommends 101 sci-fi books so you can find something new in the genre!
Happy Halloween, everyone, and I wish you an even happier November! 🍂