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What I Read in October + My November TBR

Olivia Scherzer

Whew, what a month! At the halfway mark of this past month, I got the feeling that I wasn’t reading enough. I feel like if you have any sort of presence on bookstagram or booktok, then you get that feeling. You see many creators reading 20+ books a month and wonder that could be you. But I’m here to tell you the thing that everyone reiterates: if you read one book this month, then you are still a reader! (I know, it’s cheesy.)

I read five books this month! I’m honestly proud of the books I read this month because I read a few books that were on my TBR! I also read Fourth Wing (finally) and LOVED it.

And I have an exciting November TBR! This next month, I am really trying to read through my TBR and buy less books. The only book I have coming is Iron Flame, the sequel to Fourth Wing and that’s because I immediately pre-ordered it after finishing Fourth Wing.

Okay, here are my reviews for what I read in October.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

I read the next book in the series, and honestly, it did not disappoint!! I would have to say that it’s one of my favorites (I only read four of them so far). It moved a little slow, but the slowness of it didn’t hinder my positive review. I think we (the readers) had to really stop and learn along with Celeana (iykyk) as she navigates and learns new things about herself and her past. We are introduced to Rowan, whom I’ve heard MANY things about on bookstagram and booktok. We are introduced to a new continent in this world. And of course, there’s so much magic. This book had multiple POVs, and one POV I was pleasantly intrigued by was Manon. She’s a new character that was completely introduced and we got her POV throughout several chapters! I’m excited to continue reading about her, although the witches’ covens threw me a loop sometimes. Of course, I think I really love Chaol. Underneath his tough exterior, I think he’s a really sweet person who cares for Celeana and the people he loves. I think we get more of his POV in a future book, and I’m excited. Overall, I loved this book.

Rating: 4/5

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Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Y’all. This book is EVERYTHING and so worth the hype. This book got a lot of hype this past summer and for good reason. It’s this fantasy (but almost dystopian?) and reminds me a lot like Divergent. Violet, the female main character is one of many young adults who has to choose their “quadrant.” There are four quadrants, and Violet, being the daughter of the General in this world/continent, wants to pursue the Scribe quadrant, but her mother (the General) orders her to go to the Rider Quadrant, or the most dangerous quadrant of all. The Riders are known to ride dragons and “mate” with their dragons (not what you think). Violet isn’t the strong Rider that Riders are expected to be; but if you know and love Divergent, you probably root for the underdog strong female main character. Also, Xaden is totally hot.

Rating: 4.5/5

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Intercepted by Alexa Martin (Playbook #1)

What a change from Fourth Wing. But I thought I needed a cleanse from the fantasy books I was reading, and with all the news with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (ahhh!!!! I’m in love!), I needed a good sports romance. And y’all, this was it. The female main character, Marlee, is a longtime girlfriend of a professional football player, Chris. But when that relationship ends, she plans to swear off dating football players for good. But then Gavin Pope, an old fling of hers (one night stand) joins the very same team that her ex-boyfriend, Chris, is on, she can’t ignore the attraction between her and Gavin. I really liked this one; it was a cute romance book. It wasn’t that steamy, but I would give it 2 on the 1-5 steamy scale.

Rating: 4/5

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Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

I haven’t read historical fiction in a minute, y’all. And I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was a quick read for me, but I felt like the story moved slowly. But that really wasn’t an issue for me. The story didn’t pick up until the last 150 pages (which you typically find in fantasy novels!) but I enjoyed reading about the characters and even some notable characters in literary history (Ellen Doubleday). I didn’t know this was a sequel to The Jane Austen Society, but you totally don’t need to read that to read this one. (Although it would help you understand a couple of the characters and their backstories!) Overall, I really liked it.

Rating: 3.5/5

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Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

I listened to this book on audio and it was really good! I wanted to read more historical fiction. I really loved the premise and the primary point of this book: to tell Kitty’s story. I loved Kitty’s chapters—it was very much like Evelyn Hugo. We start with Kitty’s birth (actually before that) and her growing up in the deep South. When Kitty turns 18, she moves to Los Angeles. She passes as white, because of a complexion, to make a “better” life for herself, according to her mother, Hazel, who is a maid on a Southern plantation in North Carolina. Kitty passes as white as she works through her career throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. I think people who love The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo would love this story—it had everything but the romance. (There was still a little bit of romance, but still.) However, that all being said, I think the slower parts, for me, were Elise’s chapters. They are set in present day—although “present day” is 2017. The author introduced a lot of characters in the first couple chapters narrated by Elise, and I found that some of those characters didn’t get fleshed out or weren’t useful to the story. They didn’t need to be main characters or main supporting characters, but it was a bit confusing to keep track of those new characters, especially if they didn’t really reappear throughout the book. Still, the main part of the book was Kitty’s POV, and I really loved that. Overall, I’d recommend!

Rating: 3.5/5

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My November TBR:

Will I get to all of these books? Probably not, but that’s what my December TBR is for!