Wrap-Up
October saw me reaching for cozy reads which I find mostly in mystery, suspense, and humor. I was lucky to have come across some quality reads, three of these were real page turners and 1 was an audiobook. I’m now interested in reading more books by Lisa Unger, Cyna Blog, and Anna-Marie McLemore. Personally, I love when I come across new or under the radar authors in my TBR’s that truly surprise me. October was a slow blogging month for me & I’m only now crawling out of my blog slump but I never stop reading. As a matter of fact, the rest of the year is going to demand that I organize my reading schedule & tackle some arcs. The month of October was pretty AMAZING for me with bookish experiences. I attended my very 1st Comiccon/Bookcon (event post here) with my husband & bookish twin Gretchen @Chicnerdreads where I met some AMAZING authors & scored some epic arcs. I attended 3 days out of 4 and learned some valuable tips & tricks all while having a blast surrounded by the book community. I loved my October & I’m looking forward to Bookcon 2017 since at the moment BEA is up in the air due to all of the changes taking place with the event (Publishers Weekly article). November is here & with it comes Thanksgiving & basically the start of all of the end of the year festivities. I’m hoping to take advantage of some of my days off to read on the go since mostly, I spend it with family. Next week on the 17th, I have a Crooked Kingdom Buddy read & i’m hyped up for that ๐
When The Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore 5 Stars
Gemina by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman 5 Stars
The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer (audiobook) 3.5 Stars
Ink And Bone by Lisa Unger 4.75 Stars
Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog 5 Stars
Book Haul
My October Book Haul was humble…at least I think it is compared to previous months LOL. A major reason for this was that as I mentioned above, I attended Bookcon & came home with a good stash to keep me far away from the bookshop. Two of the books listed below were gifts from my hubby (Harry Potter & Vassa) and the others were either Bookoutlet, B&N, and Book Of The Month. I did purchase 1 Kindle book, I jumped when I saw The Underground Girls OF Kabul for $1.99 since this is a book that i’ve been itching to read since last year smh *covers eyes* Overall though, my book shopping is going to see a MAJOR slow down for the rest of the year. I won’t call Book Ban LOL cuz that would be setting myself up for failure haha! BTW I had to cancel Book Of The Month, they changed their plans after I subscribed for the very 1st time. Switching me from my preferred month-to-month plan to a 3 month plan at $48…yea no, as much as I love BOTM I am simply not rollin in the dough to give them all my $$$ so instead I’ll check out their monthly picks & continue buying books from their selections sans a subscription. If they ever bring back the month-to-month plan I would gladly sign right back up but until then, i’ll admire from afar ๐
A Study In Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro (Bookoutlet)
Every Heart A Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuire (Bookoutlet)
Vassa In The Night by Sarah Porter (Owlcrate-recurring VDay gift from Lรฉ Hubby)
The Mothers by Brit Bennett (Book Of The Month $5 for their 1st box)
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris (B&N Coupons & Sale =$5.99)
Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (full price cuz it’s worthy LOL)
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (gift from Lรฉ Hubby)
The Underground Girls Of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg (Kindle $1.99)
In Other News…
October saw me become OBSESSED with Luke Cage!!! every night I came home & after settling our 2 tiny humans in for the night, hubby & I would watch 1 episode a night. Netflix has been putting out some quality series & this one is no exception. Luke Cage touched on relevant current day issues taking place within black communities, thought provoking with it’s subtleties. I couldn’t stop watching this man who is bullet proof…a man of color…bullet proof…let that sink in my fellow bookies. Hands down, this show was one of the best i’ve watched in 2016 & I’m looking forward to any news of a 2nd season. Also, the soundtrack…I am truly old school with my music & when I say old school I mean old school hip hop. The series has WuTang on it’s soundtrack which was a perfect fit & gave it more character. If you’re into that old school feel with a mix of politics and kick a** scenes then Luke Cage is for you. It does have a bit of a slow beginning but the pay off is HUGE! This is the 3rd series after Daredevil & Jessica Jones (to be followed by Iron Fist last) that will tie into Marvel’s The Defenders (Youtube trailer here).
โHope you’re all having a great November, I’m a bit late with my October wrap-up & haul โbut if you’d like to share a link to yours, i’d love to take a gander ๐
LairOfBooks 
You had a great and fun reading month in October! And I hope you have a better November my twin =) I really want to read The Underground Girls of Kabul, I’m going to check if it’s still $1.99. I’ve seen that one around here in the blogosphere. I need to watch Luke Cage, maybe I’ll do that after I finish Sons of Anarchy!
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Thank you my fren’! November will be the calm before ARC Storm December smh LOL! The Underground Girls of Kabul is one of those book I KNOW I will find interesting but haven’t actually had the time to sit down in read in physical format. When I saw the Kindle deal I stopped what I was doing & hit CLICK lol, now I can read it on my desktop at work so YAY for that. After reading When The Moon Was Ours, this is a great to learn more about bacha posh. Wish it was available to loan ๐ฆ next time I find a deal I’ll mention it to you & you’ll just let me know if it’s a yay or nay LOL!
Luke Cage is worth it! especially since you’ve already watched the other 2 Marvel series, don’t wanna have any missing links going into Iron Fist which looks AMAZING!
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Lol thanks darling!
I cannot wait for Iron Fist and the other seasons of Daredevil and Jessica Jones because it’s just all going to tie in nicely.
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Agreed! I sure do miss Jessica Jones (season 2 of Daredevil bored me a bit). Next year is going to be big for Netflix & Marvel in general, I’m excited ๐
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You had a good reading month for October! Have you flipped through Chamber Illustrated yet, the illustrations are stunning! Some people have been making a big deal out of the fact that there aren’t as many illustrations as Sorcerer’s Stone.
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Thanks Ashley! I have flipped through it found it to be just as stunning as the first, boy you just can’t please everybody smh lol. I’m looking forward to re-reading these to my two tiny humans when they can understand them ๐
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I re-read them every year in December, this is the first year that I’ll be reading the Illustrated editions of the first two! And I don’t think the amount of illustrations should really matter to people, especially when they are as gorgeous as they are!
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I agree, enjoy your re-read. When I do re-read them it will be my first time going back into that world & I am so excited for that because it will be like reading them for the very 1st time since I read them so many years ago ๐
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Fantastic minth for you โค๐ I want to read Unnatural Deeds but keep telling myself no more requests haha. But I see those 5 stars and the struggle is so real..
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Haha! The struggle is real & i’m staying as far away as possible from that request button til I work my way out of the ArC pile lol. Unnatural Deeds is a quick read ๐
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Do not tempt me with promises of quick reads! ๐๐
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Bahahaha! ๐
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Every book you read in October is one I want to read! Badly! Your Instagram photos are gorgeous by the way!
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There were some good ones in October, hoping for an equally enjoyable November. Thank you Megan, this gal tries ๐๐
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Great recap Lilly, it seems like you got through some great books last month and for the most part it seems like you really enjoyed them all too! Gemina and When the Moon Was Ours were both favourites of mine, and if you pick up Anna Marie McLemore’s other book I hope you really enjoy it. I didn’t think it was as good as When the Moon Was Ours but it was still amazing.
Also I really need to get around to watching Luke cage at some point, I have a huge list of TV shows I need to watch and this is one of them. I loved both Daredevil and Jessica Jones so I’m sure this one will be just as amazing, and I’ve heard great things about it too! ๐
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Thank you Beth! It was good month for quality for sure. I may pick up Anna Marie’s previous book when I feel the itch for some magical realism. She’s one of those authors I’m going to have to be in the mood for lol. Luke Cage is def worth checking out, it has a completely different feel than Jessica Jones & Daredevil but can see how the crossover will work. Hope you enjoy it when you get around to it ๐๐
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That’s all right. Months like that are always amazing, and it’s always nice when you read more books you enjoy than those you don’t.
I think both Jessica Jones and Daredevil were quite different from each other so I have no clue what to expect from Luke Cage. Still it’s Marvel so I know it will be brilliant. ๐
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Here’s to a great October *cheers!*. Even with a bit of a blogging slump! ๐ I love the graphic you made with the blossom branch and the books. Totally gorgeous! .<.
Omg, we did the same here with Luke Cage! Hubby came home and first thing he wanted to do was watch another episode. Absolutely fantastic!! And you're right about the soundtrack, SO good! I loved when Method Man showed up all of a sudden <3. Quality stuff!
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Awww thanks Anne *blushes* between Picmonkey & a variety of phone apps, I eventually spit something out lol. Oh Yay! another Luke Cage fan! OMG yes, Method Man making an appearance really made us happy. I can’t wait to see if they’re going to make a season 2, haven’t heard anything but crossing my fingers ๐
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I think it looks pwetty <3. I sure hope so!! My second favourite Marvel series was probably Agent Carter and they canceled that one as well ๐ฅ
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Wow, October was full for you! ๐ Yeah, better not say the words “book buying ban” or you’ll never stick with it xD I received two new books today despite the fact I’m on a ban, haha! You had a great reading month, no DNF or low ratings, congrats!
I was thinking about watching Luke Cage but I’m on a Gilmore Girls binge-watching in honor of the last season later this month. I just can’t wait!
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Lol it didn’t seem like it but now that I look back maybe just a bit. I’m not gonna call book ban cuz I ALWAYS fail miserably whenever I do ๐๐๐ it was a quality reading month so yay for that haha! Hoping to keep up the good luck in November. Luke Cage is binge worthy but it’s a much darker mood setter, I have to get to watch any Gilmore Girls but one day I’ll see what the hype is about ๐๐
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You’re a WuTang fan, too? I love them! They’re my favorite rap group ever. And they’re from NY so that’s even more fitting. ๐ I watched a few episodes of Luke Cage and loved it until I got so distracted I stopped watching TV. I plan to finish the series when my life calms down to a normal pace. I loved Jessica Jones and Luke’s character development in that show as well. I can’t wait for you to read Behind Closed Doors. *waiting with bated breath* That book is crazy good, emphasis on the crazy. You will be like wow this book is insane and won’t be able to put it down. You’ll be hiding in the bathroom to sneak a few pages in it’s that good. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for our buddy read. I’m really looking forward to it. There’s 4 of us so that should be really cool to have all of us fangirling like crazy at the same time. Prepare for mass amounts of heart emojis for Kaz. ๐
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Ha! Of course! I’m very old school with my hip hop, loved every time Luke puts his headphone on to tune out the noise and listen to some Wu ๐ also top favorite for me๐๐ผ you should def finish Luke Cage, you won’t regret it ๐ I’m trying to get some normalcy back slowly but surely I’ll get there. Surprisingly I’ve been getting a ton of reading done. So I guess when I’m back in the right head space, I’ll be blogging up a storm lol. I can’t wait for our buddy read either. Happy that I can read while at work from my desktop thanks to Gretchen who got me a Kindle copy. This will help me keep up with you ladies cuz my evenings are insane. My nights can either see me exhausted OR I’ll have tons of energy. Just started to gym to boost up my metabolism so we’ll see. So I have a question. I’ve only ever done buddy reads with Gretchen & we text/voice note all throughout (some are pretty funny lol)…are we all using Twitter? Or did you ladies have something else in mind?
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I am so impressed that you’re able to read that much!! These days I only read using audiobooks during my commute.
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Thank you, I like to mix it up btw physical, ebook, and audiobook because it helps me read faster ๐
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Glad you enjoyed When The Moon Was Ours. I really need to read that. I’m super excited to see Every Heart A Doorway in your haul. I absolutely loved that book. I really hope you do too ๐ And I need to watch Luke Cage!
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Yay for a fantastic October! You hauled so many great books that I’ve had my eye on, so I can’t wait to see what you think of them. Every Heart A Doorway definitly caught my eye with that stunning cover! I haven’t seen many reviews for it though…
I will have to suggest Luke Cage to my husband! I’m not much of a TV watcher, but my hubby is always looking for a new show to pick up.
Cheers to a great November!
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Thank you Amanda! ๐๐ I may be sneaking in Every Heart A Doorway into December since it’s so short. I’m also on ARC duty for the rest of the year & into March so I can use a cpl shorter books that I already own. The cover is stunning! & I didn’t even know that this is book one in a series since it was first announced as a stand alone but appears now on Goodreads as book 1 ๐ค๐ญ either way, the premise hooked me so I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes. Luke Cage is relevant & overall kicka**! He won’t regret it ๐ Happy November! ๐๐๐
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You had a very reasonable and respectable book haul. My October haul was ridiculous and I don’t plan on buying that many books in a long time! haha. I’ve sworn off books for the next two months at least. Well, I may buy one here or there, I won’t be THAT mean to myself, but I don’t want to go over 2-3 books a month until at least January 2017.
Looks like you had a great reading month! 3 5-star books and one 4.75 must have kept you a happy bookworm all month. ๐ I hope you’re November reading is also filled with excellent books!
Oh, and I also love Luke Cage! I’m so happy with Netflix programming. I really don’t think I need any cable! My roommate pays for Hulu and HBO Now, so we have all bases covered. ๐
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Ha! It’s respectable only because I opted to leave out my Bookcon haul from the first week of a October, I mentioned it in the haul but left out photos. Bookcon saw me hauling quite a few books & even though I said I wouldn’t wanna buy ANYTHING else for the remainder of the month…the test determined THAT WAS A LIE! ๐๐๐ so in a turn of events on Edelweiss (LOL) I finally received my 1st approval for an arc which was then followed by an inundation of approvals soooOo yea…I’ll be digging my way out til March ๐๐๐ There truly is no need for tv anymore if you have Hulu, Netflix & HBONow (all eyes on GOT) lol. I can’t wait for the 2017 lineup of Netflix shows. Thank you, I hope you have a fab November! ๐
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In the first pic, did you print out those book covers? Cause they look fantastic!
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