Monthly Wrap-Up: October 2023

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃 I hope you had a great Spooky Season! Mine could've been better tbh. I had all these plans and all these spooky books I wanted to read, but then the dreaded slump decided it wanted to make an appearance during my favorite time of year 😭 I only ended up reading 3 books... and they were all sci-fi 😂 Although to be fair, 2 of them were horror sci-fi, so... 😆 And with only 800 pages read this month, this is the least amount I have read so far this year by like 200 pages 😩 Anyway, here are some more stats:

• 2 were novels and 1 novella
• 1 was part of a series and 2 were standalones
• All 3 were ebooks
• 2 were 4-star reads and 1 was 3 stars
• 1 book was by a new-to-me author, and 2 I've previously read
• 1 was indie-published, and 2 traditionally published
• All 3 were adult books
• All 3 were sci-fi, though 2 of them were horror sci-fi

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #340: It was Nice While it Lasted

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #373: Spaghetti Babies and Spooky Tales

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review: Neutral Mask (I Hunt Killers #0.4) by Barry Lyga

Title: Neutral Mask

Series: I Hunt Killers #0.4

Other novellas/books in this series: Down Time (#0.1) | Lucky Day (#0.2) | Career Day (#0.3) | I Hunt Killers (#1)

Author: Barry Lyga

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: August 2013

Published by: B & Z Books

Source: Purchased ebook with Amazon gift card

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: Connie is the new girl in town, but she already has friends...and maybe even a boyfriend. Her father isn't happy that Connie is dating a white boy like Jasper Dent, and things get even worse when she realizes that Jasper is the son of Billy Dent, one of the world's most notorious serial killers! This is the story of how Connie and Jazz overcame their early troubles and fell in love.

My rating: ★★★★☆

This novella is told in Connie’s POV, Jasper’s girlfriend, and it was very interesting. This takes place before the first book in the series, back when they first start dating, and when Connie first discovered who Jasper’s father is: an infamous serial killer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #339: My Mood, I Swear...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #372: I'm Not Ready For Spooky Season To Be Over

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review: As Good As Dead (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #3) by Holly Jackson

Title: As Good As Dead

Series: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #3

Previous books in this series: Kill Joy (#0.5) | A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (#1) | Good Girl, Bad Blood (#2)

Author: Holly Jackson

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 2021

Published by: Delacorte Press

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Outlet | Thrift Books

Synopsis: The finale to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series. By the end of this mystery series, you'll never think of good girls the same way again...

Pip is about to head to college, but she is still haunted by the way her last investigation ended. She’s used to online death threats in the wake of her viral true-crime podcast, but she can’t help noticing an anonymous person who keeps asking her: Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?

Soon the threats escalate and Pip realizes that someone is following her in real life. When she starts to find connections between her stalker and a local serial killer caught six years ago, she wonders if maybe the wrong man is behind bars.

Police refuse to act, so Pip has only one choice: find the suspect herself—or be the next victim. As the deadly game plays out, Pip discovers that everything in her small town is coming full circle... and if she doesn’t find the answers, this time she will be the one who disappears...

My rating: ★★★★☆

When I first picked up this book two years ago I heard that it was a very dark book. I was like, “Cool! I like dark books!” But no, guys, our girl Pip herself is in a dark place. And after everything she went through, especially in the last book, I can see why.

Review: Kill Joy (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #0.5) by Holly Jackson

Title: Kill Joy

Series: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #0.5

Author: Holly Jackson

Genre: YA, mystery

Publication date: February 2023 (US edition)

Published by: Delacorte Press

Source: eARC for review from publisher via Netgalley

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Welcome to the murder mystery party of the year! Fans of the hit series A Good Girl's Guide to Murder will love Pip's final detective case in this mystery novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Jackson.

Six suspects. Three hours. One murder...

Pip is not in the mood for her friend's murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920's fancy dress and pretending that their town is an island called Joy. But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder.

But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn't the only case on her mind ...

My rating: ★★★★☆

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, so I’ve been looking forward to reading this prequel!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #338: In the Middle of Spooky Season and My Mood is Acting Up

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #371: Friends with Death

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Friday the 13th Book Tag

Ah! I'm so excited about this tag! I love horror movies, and this one is all about the Friday the 13th franchise!

I found this tag over at and it was created by Matt Wall Poetry & Publishing on YouTube.

Review: Career Day (I Hunt Killers #0.3) by Barry Lyga

Title: Career Day

Series: I Hunt Killers #0.3

Other novellas/books in this series: Down Time (#0.1) | Lucky Day (#0.2) | I Hunt Killers (#1)

Author: Barry Lyga

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: March 2012

Published by: B & Z Books

Source: Purchased ebook with gift card

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: A prequel short story set one year before the events in the New York Times bestselling I HUNT KILLERS!

Jasper has a problem, and everyone knows it: His father is Billy Dent, world-famous serial killer. Even though Dear Old Dad is in jail, Jasper still feels like everyone is watching him, like everyone thinks he's dangerous.

Even he thinks he's dangerous. Sometimes.

His best—and only—friend Howie is always ready with a joke or a goofy nickname, but Jasper needs more. Maybe that new girl in town, Connie, is what he's been looking for...

My rating: ★★★★★

So, it’s career day at school, which is awkward for a kid like Jazz, his dad being an infamous serial killer and all...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #337: Spookiness in Space

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #370: Embracing the Spooky a Little Too Literally

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Spooky Book Recommendations

This October I have yet another list of spooky book recommendations. These are all books I read in the last year or so, but you can check out more spooky recs here: Part 1 and Part 2.

Cozy Autumn Book Tag

I love Fall, so of course I had to throw in at least one Fall book tag this year 😆 I found this one over at BookswithEmilyFox.

Review: Life is Short and Then You Die by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Life is Short and Then You Die

Authors: Kelley Armstrong, R.L. Stine, Y.S. Lee, Melissa Marr, Amanda Witt, Rachel Vincent, Jeff Somers, Eileen Rendahl, David Bart, Jeff Soloway, Julie Tollefson, Joseph S. Walker, Anthony Franze, Barry Lancet, Emmy Laybourne, Jonathan Maberry, Stepehn Ross, Caleb Roehrig, Barry Lyga

Genre: YA, horror, mystery

Publication date: September 2019

Published by: Imprint

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Adolescence is a time of “firsts.” First kiss. First love. First loss. First job. The first taste of adult responsibilities, and the first look at an independent life away from both the restrictions and the security of home.

And in this case, a very different type of “first”: murder.

This short story collection of murder mysteries adds a sinister spin to the joy and pain of firsts that have always been a major part of life, whether it be high school cliques who take the term “backstabbing” too seriously, stumbling upon a body on the way home from school, or receiving a Snapchat message that promises something deadly.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Even though I haven’t read anything by her in a while, I love Kelley Armstrong and was very excited to read this anthology edited by her! In fact, the first story in the book was actually written by her!

But not only that, there are plenty of other authors I’m familiar with and love that also contributed to this anthology! So exciting!

October Howl-o-ween Giveaway Hop

Happy spooky season! This month I'm giving away a YA duology about a necromancer! Very appropriate for the season. Lol. (Please note that the second book is an old ARC).

2023 Spooky TBR!

Spooky season is here and I am so excited! I read spooky things year-round, but I put together a TBR for the season. You'll notice a big trend in the books I picked... I'm in a very serial killer sort of mood apparently 😅 Lol. I'm obviously not going to read all of these, but I'm a mood reader and I need options. Lol.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #336: Serial Killers Everywhere

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #369: Happy October!

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!