October Wrap-Up

Holy moly, guys, I cannot believe October is over. OctOVER if you will. Get it?

October is my favorite month of the whole year, and I think it could be considered my power month given the awesome luck I had in it this year. For starters, I read ten books, which is more books in one month than I can ever remember reading in recent times. I have been loving staying curled up inside with coffee/tea/hot toddy's and reading late into the night while cold wind howls outside.

In fact, October was so great that I decided to start doing monthly wrap-ups of the books I read in the past month, and other life events that I don't always get to talk about on this blog.

October Books:

1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green - See my review HERE. Not my favorite John Green novel, but I still loved the character revelations.

2. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. See my review HERE. Sigh. I freaking loved this book and everything about it. I loved the love, I loved the pain, and I loved the realistic approach Rowell took to teen romance.

3. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen. See my review HERE. Though I thought Jessica's amputation and healing process was a little too perfect, it was a motivating read that had a great lesson in determination!

4. Psycho Killer by Cecily von Ziegesar. See my review HERE. A fun, bloody rewrite of the first book in the Gossip Girl series. Not to be taken very seriously, and with a lot of B-list horror film qualities.

5. The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston. Review coming soon, plus a surprise! Main character Meg makes a lot of risky decisions that could jeopardize her family's place in the Witness Protection Program. Enjoyed this one!

  6. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. Beautiful short story collection that is rich with sensory details and raw human emotions.

7. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. See my review HERE. I enjoyed the look into the father's side of teen pregnancy within this short novel.

8. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. See my review HERE. Bianca became my soul sister after I read this book. Loved her voice and cynicism, even though I thought it was laid on a little too thick in some parts.

9. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. See my review HERE. Another beautiful, wonderful, and eye opening novel by Zusak. I really felt all of the characters and especially loved our perceptive narrator Ed.

10. The Exorcist by William Petter Blatty. I finished this one on the 30th, just in time for Halloween! Some scenes really dragged, but when we with Regan, aka THE POSSESSED, I was riveted and creeped out.

October Sounds:

Songs I can't get enough of this month: 

>>"Royals" by Lorde. 

>>"Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus. 

>>"Don't Worry Baby" by The Beach Boys

>>"Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" by Camera Obscura

Cool October Things!!

>>I was named Employee of the Month at work! 

>>I was then promoted to Store Manager!

>>I was a doughnut for Halloween! 

>>For the first time ever, an author requested me to read and review her novel!

What's Ahead: 

>>The Lit Girl's first birthday! I can't believe this blog is almost a whole year old! 

>>My boyfriend's birthday! 

>>My boyfriend and I's four year anniversary! I also cannot believe we have been dating for a whole four years! 

>>A trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving!

October was such a fab month, and it seems like November is shaping up to be pretty awesome, too! Can't wait for it! 

How was your October? Are you looking forward to anything awesome?