Happy October! In September, I started school again and we’re doing a hybrid schedule (in one day, online the next), so with getting used to that and school work in general, I’ve had a bit of a slower reading month, but I did read five books and I really enjoyed most of them. Also, since I started school, I’m going to add another statistic of required reading, so I can mark any books that I was assigned to read. So, here’s the wrap up!
Reading Stats
Books Read: Five
Pages Read: 1,326 (average of roughly 265 pages per book)
Longest Book: Great Expectations (505 pages)
Shortest Book: The Deep (166 pages)
Required Reading: Great Expectations
Great Expectations by Charles Dickins
I talked about this a little in my post on required reading (you can find that here if you’re interested) and while I did like it, a lot of it felt very repetitive. So I gave it 3/5 stars originally, but looking back on it, I think I might bump it up to 3.5/5 since I have thought about it a lot in a positive way.
Poems in Prose by Charles Baudelaire
I love poetry collections and this was no exception. I had read Les Fleurs du Mal before this and I liked it so much that I had to read more by him. His writing is beautifully imaginative, its so descriptive and emotionally tinged. Overall, I gave it 4.25/5 stars though because I felt that some poems were definitely stronger than others.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Wow! I absolutely loved this book, 5/5 stars. It had such an incredible mix of beauty and darkness and the writing was phenomenal. This is obviously a great read for the fall, around Halloween-time, so I would highly recommend this if you’re looking to get in the spooky spirit.
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
Can I go a month without reading something by Oscar Wilde? I’m not sure. Anyways, this is a short comedy about a haunted house (also great for the season) and while I did like it, it’s definitely not my favorite work by Wilde. I gave it around a 3.75/5 stars.
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
This is a story about mermaids who were born from African slaves that were thrown into the ocean. I thought the concept was very intriguing but I feel that not much happened in the story overall. I gave it 3/5 stars and if you’re planning to read this I would recommend the audiobook because its read by Daveed Diggs and he did a great job.
I’m not really sure what I’m going to want to read this month, but I have a few books that I know I will, and some I’m considering, but I’m not great at following TBRs. But anyway, here are some books that I might read in October.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
This I know I’m reading in October since it’s my current read, and I’m almost done with it. I’m really enjoying it so far, but honestly, I never read the description so I still don’t have much of an idea what the overall story is, it’s definitely very character-driven though. (I also didn’t know the main character’s name until halfway through it, so I should probably read the back of a book before staring it lol)
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
This is another book I’m currently reading (for school), so I know for sure that I’m reading it in October. I’ve already read it though, but I do think I’m liking it more this time then the last.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
I’m looking to read some more Halloween/seasonal books this year, so I thought this would be perfect for that. It’s also pretty short, so I figured it would be good for reading to balance my schoolwork with.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
For the same reason as the last.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
This is another gothic work, so once again I thought it would be good for the season. I’ve also been really in the mood to read it lately, so I’m hoping to get around to this one.
And that is all for this month! How was your reading in September? Any new favorites? And are there any books you’re hoping to read in October? I’d love to hear your thoughts!