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The weather is getting colder, Halloween has passed, and the Christmas countdown is on. But this post is not about any of that; it is instead my monthly reading update.
After a consistent last couple of months edging nearer towards my 30 books for 2026 goal, I assumed October would follow suit, and it did, but I exceeded my expectations and read quite a few books, giving myself a great chance at hitting my goal. I read a total of 5 books for the month, which I think is a personal best for me.
The month started great; I managed to get through Sunrise on the reaping in very little time. The tension and whirlwind of emotions kept me very hooked, and I also had to rush this read to finish it before the highly anticipated movie adaptation releases in just a couple of weeks' time. This was easily my favourite read of the month, and I even put this book up there as my second favourite of the entire Hunger Games series, slightly below Catching Fire
With it being October, I had to dedicate the month towards some spooky reads, and it started with Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds. This had been on my TBR list for almost a year, but I finally got round to reading and finishing it. The book was good and still kept me hooked, although the book has suffered from the later seasons of the TV show, with missing plots and characters. Still a solid read.
Keeping with the spooky times, next up was Batman: The Court of Owls. I had started reading this a couple of months ago but took a break whilst other books caught my attention. I enjoyed this book, and I learnt about a new villain that had been unfamiliar to me in the Batman universe.
A book club I am in online chose Stephen King's The Colorado Kid for October's read. It was a no-brainer that I would join in and read along. I am quite surprised by this read; I haven't read many King books, but it seems his tone changes with each one, and that isn't a bad thing. It isn't a scary read, but it certainly has mystery and conspiracy, and the ending did leave me with many theories.
To wrap up the month, I finished off with a short story. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, although not necessarily following the film, is still a fascinating read and for a book of its age, it reads very well. I was pleased to read this very close to Halloween night before watching Sleepy Hollow on Halloween.
26 out of 30 books read for the year; I am within touching distance of that trophy. I am almost guaranteed to hit that goal now; my confidence has really shot up after this month. I have noticed the colder weather increasing my time spent reading.
With that, I wrap up today's post. Thanks for reading.