Book Haul Monthly Wrap-Up TBR by A Book Wanderer

October 2020 Monthly Wrap-Up & Book Haul

Hello Readers! Happy Halloween to those who celebrate! I can’t believe it’s the end of October, and we’re finally closing in on the last few days before our election here in the U.S. We didn’t know if this day would ever come. 😉

If you look back at My October TBR, you’ll see that I only read 3 of the books on my TBR, BUT I ended up shifting some books from November to October. I decided to try to participate in Nanowrimo, so that meant moving some books around. Specifically, my Grishaverse books. I ended up reading a total of 10 books this month for a total of 3,638 pages!

Be sure to check out The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction!

(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)

October Wrap-Up

I started the month off reading Janet Evanovich’s Turbo Twenty-Three. I enjoy returning to this predictable series when I need to be entertained. This one also fulfilled a prompt on my reading challenge. But it wasn’t one of my favorites in the long-running series.

My Rating [usr 3]

Lisa Jewell’s latest thriller Invisible Girl was a definite page-turner. It kept me guessing until the end!

My Rating [usr 4]
My Review

I finally carved out some time to dive into the Grishaverse! I started with Shadow and Bone. I was so relieved the hype was real for this world. All three books in the series also crossed off prompts for my challenge.

My Rating [usr 4.25]
My Random Thoughts While Reading the Shadow and Bone Series

I continued the series with Siege and Storm. This was my least favorite of the series, but I still enjoyed it.

My Rating [usr 3.75]
My Random Thoughts While Reading The Shadow and Bone Series

I wrapped up the series with Ruin and Rising. It was my favorite of the three, and I was satisfied with the ending.

My Rating [usr 4.5]
My Random Thoughts While Reading the Shadow and Bone Series

I was so excited to finally get to the much-anticipated Six of Crows. I loved it! Even though it took me about 100 pages to finally relax into my reading. After that I couldn’t put it down. Love all the characters!

My Rating [usr 5]
My Random Thoughts While Reading the Six of Crows Duology

I immediately continued with Crooked Kingdom, which left me destroyed, but I’m so happy I finally read this duology. And I still have a major book hangover thanks to it.

My Rating [usr 5]
My Random Thoughts While Reading the Six of Crows Duology

While I was binge-reading the books in the Grishaverse, I read She Said— the story of the investigation that led to the downfall of Harvey Weinstein and the birth of the #MeToo Movement–on my kindle at night. While I did get a little lost in the legalese, it’s a monumental book. This one crossed off another reading challenge prompt.

My Rating [usr 4]

I was excited to be approved for an ARC of Maggie Stiefvater’s Swamp Thing: Twin Branches graphic novel. I thought it was very well done!

My Rating [usr 4]
My Review

I did a quick reread of Rainbow Rowell’s Pumpkinheads graphic novel. I read this for the first time last fall, and I think it would be fun to read it on Halloween every year. 🙂 It also crossed off a reading challenge prompt!

My Rating [usr 5]

October Book Haul

I added a few 2021 eARCs to my TBR, as well as a few physical books to my shelves thanks to paperbackswap.com and some books from Sourcebooks Early Reads program.

My eARCs from Netgalley

Synopsis:

“A delicious hybrid of mystery, drama, and elegance.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things

An enthralling, redemptive novel set in Bangkok in 1972 and Washington, DC, in 2019 about an expatriate child who goes missing, whose family is contacted decades later by a man claiming to be the vanished boy.

Washington, DC, 2019: Laura Preston is a reclusive artist at odds with her older sister Bea as their elegant, formidable mother slowly slides into dementia. When a stranger contacts Laura claiming to be her brother who disappeared forty years earlier when the family lived in Bangkok, Laura ignores Bea’s warnings of a scam and flies to Thailand to see if it can be true. But meeting him in person leads to more questions than answers.

Bangkok, 1972: Genevieve and Robert Preston live in a beautiful house behind a high wall, raising their three children with the help of a cadre of servants. In these exotic surroundings, Genevieve strives to create a semblance of the life they would have had at home in the US—ballet and riding classes for the children, impeccable dinner parties, a meticulously kept home. But in truth, Robert works for American intelligence, Genevieve finds herself drawn into a passionate affair with her husband’s boss, and their serene household is vulnerable to unseen dangers of a rapidly changing world and a country they don’t really understand.

Alternating between past and present as all of the secrets are revealed, What Could Be Saved is an unforgettable novel about a family shattered by loss and betrayal, and the beauty and hope that can exist even in the midst of brokenness.

Goodreads
1/12/21

Synopsis:

A brilliant physicist studying the nature of time embarks on a journey to prove that those we love are always connected to us, leading to surprising revelations in this fresh and unique love story. 

Sophie Jones is a physics prodigy on track to unlock the secrets of the universe. But when she meets Jake Kristopher during their first week at Yale they instantly feel a deep connection, as if they’ve known each other before. Quickly, they become a couple. Slowly, their love lures Sophie away from school.

When a shocking development forces Sophie into a new reality, she returns to physics to make sense of her world. She grapples with life’s big questions, including how to cope with unexpected change and loss. Inspired by her connection with Jake, Sophie throws herself into her studies, determined to prove that true loves belong together in all realities.

Spanning decades, The Love Proof is an unusual love story about lasting connection, time, and intuition. It explores the course that perfect love can take between imperfect people, and urges us to listen to our hearts rather than our heads. 

Goodreads
2/9/21

Synopsis:

New York’s last bohemia—the glittering, decadent downtown club scene of the 1980s—is the setting for this brilliantly winning novel about a smart, vulnerable young woman taking a deep dive into her dark side, essential for fans of Sweetbitter, Fleabag, and books by Patti Smith. 

New York, 1984: Twenty-two-year-old Phoebe Hayes is a young woman in search of excitement and adventure. But the recent death of her father has so devastated her that her mother wants her to remain home in Baltimore to recover. Phoebe wants to return to New York, not only to chase the glamorous life she so desperately craves but also to confront Ivan, the older man who painfully wronged her.

With her best friend Carmen, she escapes to the East Village, disappearing into an underworld haunted by artists, It Girls, and lost souls trying to party their pain away. Carmen juggles her junkie-poet boyfriend and a sexy painter while, as Astrid the Star Girl, Phoebe tells fortunes in a nightclub and plots her revenge on Ivan.

When the intoxicating brew of sex, drugs, and self-destruction leads Phoebe to betray her friend, Carmen disappears, and Phoebe begins an unstoppable descent into darkness. She may have a chance to save herself—and Carmen, if she can find her—but to do it she must face what’s hiding in the shadows she’s been running from—within her heart and in the dangerous midnight streets. 

A love letter to gritty 1980s New York City, Astrid Sees All is an irresistible, original novel about female friendship, sex and romance, and what it’s like to be a young woman searching for an identity.

Goodreads
4/6/21

Super excited about this one!!

Synopsis:

A grouchy mountaineer, a Hollywood starlet
And miles of untamed wilderness…
What could possibly go wrong?

Former Hollywood darling River Lane’s acting career is tanking fast. Determined to start fresh behind the camera, she agrees to film a documentary about the picturesque small town of Moose Springs, Alaska. The assignment should have been easy, but the quirky locals want nothing to do with River. Well, too bad: River’s going to make this film and prove herself, no matter what it takes.

Or what (literal) mountain she has to climb.

Easton Lockett may be a gentle giant, but he knows a thing or two about survival. If he can keep everyone in line, he should be able to get River and her crew up and down Mount Veil in one piece. Turns out that’s a big if. The wildlife’s wilder than usual, the camera crew’s determined to wander off a cliff, and the gorgeous actress is fearless. Falling for River only makes Easton’s job tougher, but there’s only so long he can hold out against her brilliant smile. When bad weather strikes, putting everyone at risk, it’ll take all of Easton’s skill to get them back home safely…and convince River she should stay in his arms for good.

Goodreads
1/19/21

My Paperbackswap books

My Sourcebook Early Reads

I received a copy of Calling on Quinn by Blue Saffire from Sourcebooks Early Reads program. I couldn’t resist the glowing reviews!

Synopsis:

“Unputdownable romance…A cliff-hanger ending, thrilling action, and plenty of heat are sure to have readers hooked.”–Publishers Weekly

He’s trouble–of the very best kind

Quinn Blackheart is a private investigator, former cop, and no-nonsense, take-charge kind of guy who adores his sprawling Irish family. He likes to check all the boxes, and his niece’s gorgeous driving instructor just earned a place at the top of his to-do list.

Alicia Rhodes has had a tough, chaotic year, and she’s ready to put the past behind her and find happiness in the present. When handsome Quinn Blackhart shows up at a driving lesson, she can see he’s the very best kind of trouble–but is she game? Now isn’t a great time to get involved with a man–even if he’s the most romantic, supportive, understanding, magnificent man she’s ever met.

So between unfinished business of Alicia’s, and a dangerous case threatening the Blackhart family, Quinn is determined to both woo Alicia and keep her safe–which is going to make for one wild, sexy ride.

2/25/20

I’ve also ended up with an assortment of children’s books through Sourcebooks Early Reads program. They’re all super cute! Especially the Christmas one.

My Purchases

I picked up five books with the Amazon Prime Day deals. I’ve been waiting to pick up a copy of My Calamity Jane for my hard-to-fill Western prompt in my reading challenge. And In A Holidaze was a must-buy! With three holiday purchases, I’m super excited for my month of holiday reading in December!

Amazon First Reads

We were able to pick two books from Amazon this month. I chose Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti, a mystery set in the Catskill mountains, and The Last Correspondent by Soraya M. Lane, a historical fiction book about a female journalist during World War II.

How was your reading month? Have you read any of these books? Did you add any of them to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!

12 thoughts on “October 2020 Monthly Wrap-Up & Book Haul”

  3. Looks like you had a great reading month! I really need to get on with the Grishaverse and SoC re-read if I ever plan to do it, I think! Haha but your thoughts while reading made me want to pick it up again ASAP! I hope you have another wonderful month of reading ahead and good luck with NaNoWriMo! ?

    Reply

    1. I’m anxious to continue the Grishaverse with King of Scars, but I’ve noticed it seems to have more mixed reviews. I hope you have a great November, too, Dini! <3

      Reply

    1. Pumpkinheads is so cute, and I read it in under an hour. 🙂 Yay for another Nanowrimo-er! This is my 6th year, and I love it so much. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself this year. I’m just going to have fun with it. Good luck!

      Reply

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