October Reading Wrap-Up

Welcome back ghosts and ghouls,
I think it’s about time I posted another wrap up, it’s been a while! Being October you’ll find my TBR was mostly Halloween themed last month.
I’ve shied away from long novels recently, (my re-read of IT was abandoned before it even began) so I managed to finish a good amount of books this month. Take a look;

The Grace Year – Kim Liggett
Full review HERE
The Butterfly Garden – Dot Hutchinson
Kidnapping and sexual violence aside, there was real beauty in the way the women of this title supported eachother. A heart-rending, brutal tale that kept my head spinning on how to feel about the characters.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism – Grady Hendrix
I love 80s horror and this is a fantastic nod to that era. I devoured this unsettling, at times gruesome, book in one evening. Grady does a brilliant job of building the emotion whilst we watch a girl struggle to save her best friend from possession.
Someone Like Me – M.R.Carey
Pegged as a female Jekyll & Hyde. I picked this up after loving Fellside and enjoyed the familiarity of theme, kind of supernatural-thriller imo. I found the book a little bloated but definitely rate it’s originality. Parallel universes, psychic battles and imaginary foxes made for a fun quirky read.

Craven Manor – Darcy Coates
Having loved ‘Hunted’ by the same author I went into this haunted house story with high hopes. I shouldn’t have, for the most part it was generic and boring. I did enjoy the secret history of the Craven family but otherwise a pretty uninspiring tale.
The Forgotten Island- David Sodergren
BRILLIANT. A terrifying and disgusting monster story, I started reading and didn’t put it down til I’d finished! Filled with body horror and betrayal, this horrifying tale of a holiday gone extremely wrong will make your skin crawl.
The Hellbound Heart- Clive Barker
So this was my first ever Barker, and I hadn’t actually seen the Hellraiser movie beforehand so – pin-head visuals aside- I went in blind. It was enjoyable but over hyped, however I can now say with conviction the book far surpasses the film.
The Devouring Gray – Christine Lynn Herman
It took me a beat to work out what I was reading here but once I got into it The Devouring Gray was a fun read. It’s not often I find a YA horror, which is definitely how I would describe this title. A whimsical, inclusive read with magic and monsters.
Daughter Of The Zel
I read this YA low fantasy with kindle unlimited after talking with the lovely author Phoebe. Full review HERE

Night Shoot – David Sodergren
I purchased this immediately on finishing The Forgotten Island. A group of university students fall afoul of the evil residing in Crawford Manor whilst filming their final project. Just as gruesome and pulse pounding as his debut, Sodergren packs an emotional punch with Night Shoot’s perfect ending.
In The Tall Grass – Stephen King and Joe Hill
Rarely do I say this -especially about the King- but I actually preferred the Netflix adaptation to the book. It had a better ending. I say watch it don’t read it.
The Halloween Tree- Ray Bradbury
I finally got around to reading this tale of 8 young boys trick or treating on Halloween. I thought of it as a Halloween version of a Christmas Carol. Short and festive.
The Unadjusteds- Marisa Noelle
I was thrilled to receive this ARC from Marisa. A dystopian style YA fantasy story based in a time where humans take ‘nanite’ pills for enhanced genetic effects.
Full review HERE
Coral- Sara Ella
A beautiful re-telling of The Little Mermaid centred around mental health topics. Due for release next week, check back in for my full review.

114 books read this year!

I’m debating whether or not to up my GoodReads target but this is the first year I’ve actually completed my goal! Perhaps I’ll keep it at 100. What would you do?
Have any thoughts on this month’s reads? Perhaps you’ve got some recommendations for me based on this reading list? I’m all ears…

Author: Roxanne Michelle

Wannabe writer from a nowhere town in Somerset. Stop-starter of all projects great and small. Here to talk books and screens. View all posts by Roxanne Michelle