Sometimes, life only lets you do a little bit of something you love. Years ago I shrugged off the bulk of my perfectionism and realized that being able to just participate a little is fine. Doing something is better than doing nothing. I mean, as a perfectionist knows, it doesn’t feel “fine” but you just keep trying.
Which is why I knew that I wanted to at least recognize that it was spooky month even if I wasn’t going to be able to participate to the level I would like. Ryan @ Muse With Me, is a great resource for truly scary tales. For me, I needed to focus on the cozy, slightly spooky books this year.
MY FRIGHTENINGLY GOOD READS 2023
MY THOUGHTS
My absolute favorite read of this month was Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer. Happily, it is the first in a series!
Actually, all the books I read this month were excellent with the exception of Wolfpack which did not grab me.
The Witches Guide to Fake Dating a Demon was exactly what a romcom should be – a sweet distraction.
Finch House is a good reminder that middle grade books will mess with you! This book was suspenseful both in action and emotion.
I cannot stop thinking about Will Storr vs the Supernatural. If you have ever wondered if ghosts were real, or if you have an interest in ghost hunting, this book is for you. Storr does what he can to try and get to the bottom of the question but allows the reader to make their own decisions.
Maria Bamford’s open and honest book, Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult about her life and mental health was less about actual cults (although there was at lease one legitimate one in there!) and more about trying to find something to follow when she was lost. The audiobook is hilarious.
The Lost Library was precisely what my month needed. A cozy story about ghosts, the reason they stay, the people that love them….I could go on and on.
All in all, it was probably my best reading month so far in 2023. Onward to NonFiction November!
Tell me, please!
How was your October reading?
Silver Button Books 
I spent most of October panicking about nonfiction November. Haha. But there’s some amazing Irish writing about at the moment. I read Claire Keegan ‘Small Things Like These’ and Sebastian Barry ‘Old God’s Time’.
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Oh no to panicking! I don’t blame you though. It is a lot to put together. I hope all the hosts know how much the participants appreciate your work.
I have to check out the Irish writing! I have always wanted to visit Ireland, maybe this is the armchair version.
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I managed to finish most of the books I wanted to get to; I forgot to mention that Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman was one of my horror reads for this season too, I just read it at the end of September as a warm-up.
Along with that, I read The Haar by David Sodergren, Alien 3 by Pat Cadigan, and Tombs by Junji Ito. The Haar was definitely my favourite; it was also 100% more of a “my monster boyfriend” type of book than I was expecting, but it was suitably deranged yet oddly romantic in its approach.
I hope you had a great Halloween 🎃
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Holy moly! That is a ton of reading. I love your description of The Haar – “suitably deranged” hah!
I did have a great Halloween. Thanks for reading again this year!
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