Hello and happy Sunday! I just realized we are officially a week into October, so I thought it was time for me to do my September wrap-up. September was a bit of a slower month for me, blogging and reading wise, because school was kicking my booty. Luckily, I’m more into the swing of things now, and I’ve started to have a bit more time to read and blog again!
So, overall, I read three books in September.
BOOKS READ
– Sweet Dreams by Nadette Rae Rodgers \\ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
– The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord \\ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
– The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton \\ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
STANDOUT BOOK OF THE MONTH
Sweet Dreams was such a great ending to such a great series! I really adored this book!!
BOOKS REVIEWED
The Summer of Cotton Candy by Debbie Viguié \\ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sweet Dreams by Nadette Rae Rodgers \\ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purple Kisses by Priya Prithviraj \\ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
BOOK HAUL
I only bought one book in September, and it is one that I am super excited to read later this month. That book is Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel by A. W. Jantha!
MISCELLANEOUS
Here are the September TTT’s that I participated in:
I shared one of my highly anticipated books to be released:
I was given the opportunity to be a part of the Purple Kisses blog tour.
I also shared with you all how I reached my summer reading goals.
And lastly, I shared with you all my intentions to participate in Blogtober and Blogoween for the month of October!
And that wraps up my September! It was a quieter month, but hopefully, October will be a party on here and I’ll get lots of books read, too!
I hope you all have a wonderful October and stick around for the rest of Blogtober and Blogoween!
Thanks for reading!
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Title: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Pages: 400
Genres: Mystery, Magical Realism
Published by: Ecco Press (Aug. 26th, 2014)
Summary
Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam–a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion–a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant.
“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . .”
On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office–leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.
But Nella’s world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist–an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .
Johannes’ gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand–and fear–the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?
Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.
The Miniaturist is a book that I had been meaning to read for so long. I’ve had this book for a couple years now, but just kept putting it off for one reason or another. Well, thanks to the new mini-series, I finally decided to pick it up!
Going into this book, I didn’t know what to expect. After finishing this book, I can say that it is unlike anything I’ve ever read before!
Hello! Today for Blogtober/Blogween, I’m going to be sharing my answers for the Halloween Creatures 2.0 book tag. I was tagged by Jessica @ Reading with Jessica and Mandy @ Devouring Books. So, a huge thank you to the both of them for thinking of me! 🤗🎃
Alright, let’s get started!
Rules:
- Answer all prompts.
- Answer honestly.
- Tag 1-13 people.
- Link back to this post.
- Remember to credit the creator. (Anthony @ Keep Reading Forward)
- Have fun!
Also, just to be clear, all the graphics in today’s post are from Anthony, too!
Witch
A Magical Character or Book.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is such a magical and enchanting book. It’s so mysterious with so many unique and magical characters.
Werewolf
The Perfect Book to Read at Night.
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding is such a fun book to read for Halloween. It’s spooky and mysterious, but not too spooky, which makes it a perfect book to read at night, because I’m a scaredy cat and don’t want to read something super scary before bed!
Frankenstein
A Book that Truly Shocked You.
This book was so twisty! Genuine Fraud really took me by surprise and didn’t go at all how I expected.
The Devil
A Dark, Evil Character.
The villain in Black really encompasses the whole “dark, evil character” for this one!
Grim Reaper
A Character that Should Never Have Died.
If you’ve read this book, I’m sure you’ll agree. That’s all I’m going to say.
Zombie
A Book that Made You “Hungry” for More.
Pretty much every single Meg Cabot book leaves me “hungry” for more. She is one of my favorite authors, and all her books are just so enjoyable and utterly readable!
Gargoyle
A Character that You Would Protect at All Cost.
I love Anne Shirley with my entire bookish heart and soul. She is my favorite and I would root for her and protect her always.
Vampire
A Book that Sucked the Life Out of You.
I just did not care for Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The writing style was not for me, and I felt so disconnected the entire time I read it.
Ghost
A Book that Still Haunts You.
On Pointe is a book that definitely haunts me, but in the best way possible. This book really touched me. Even though it’s been quite a few years since I’ve read it, it’s still one that I think about often.
Demon
A Book that Really Scared You.
I know I’ve shared my story about hearing whistling in the night while reading The Diviners, but y’all, that freaked me out so much!! Hearing some random person whistling down the street at almost midnight, while the bad guy is in the book is doing the same does not make a good combo. Not only that, but this book is just overall so creepy.
Skeleton
A Character You Have a Bone to Pick With.
I don’t even know why, but the main character, Janelle, just rubbed me the wrong way. Plus, the whole time I read this book, all I could think about was Jenelle from Teen Mom 2. 😂
Mummy
A Book You Would Preserve Throughout Time.
Nancy Drew is my original favorite. This series was the first one that I actually really fangirled with, and it will forever be my favorite. So really, I would preserve any of the classic Nancy Drew books for all time so she would always be remembered!
Creepy Doll
A Cover too Scary to Look At.
Okay, yes, this cover isn’t too scary to look at, but as a kid I sure thought it was! Plus, who wasn’t afraid of The Green Ribbon story in this book?! Talk about traumatizing!
The Monster Mash
It’s Fun to Be with Friends on Halloween!
Tag Your Friends!
I tag:
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books
Shalini @ Shalini’s Books & Reviews
And, of course, anyone who wants to do this!
I hope you all enjoyed reading this fun tag, because I had so much fun sharing my answers!
Thanks so much for reading!
It is Day 4 of Blogtober and my first official post for Blogoween! Today’s post is all about witches! This blog prompt was created by Kaleena at Reader Voracious in honor of Blogoween, so be sure to check out her favorite books about witches, too! 🧙🏼♀️
The original prompt was supposed to be about sharing five of your favorite books about witches. Well, when I went to write this post, I realized I had a lot more books about witches that I wanted to read than what I already had. So, I decided to switch things up and share five books about witches that are on my TBR!
Waiting on Wednesday/Can’t Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature, started by Breaking the Spine and continued by Wishful Endings, that puts the spotlight on upcoming releases!
This week’s pick is:
Every Breath
RELEASING OCTOBER 16th, 2018
In the romantic tradition of The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with a story about a chance encounter that becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals — transcending decades, continents, and the bittersweet workings of fate.
Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.
Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.
Illuminating life’s heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, Every Breath explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties — and asks the question, How long can a dream survive?
I am such a sucker for a good love story, and Nicholas Sparks’ new one sounds so good! It sounds like it is going to have a vibe similar to more of his classic books, and that makes me quite excited. I can already tell this book is going to make me cry, but I still cannot wait!
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Hey everyone! In honor of Blogtober and Blogoween, I’ve decided to do a little feature on my blog that I’m calling Blogtober Book Quotes. It’s very similar to what I did during Blogmas except, instead of Christmas quotes (obviously, lol), I’ll be sharing quotes that remind me of autumn and Halloween.
Today, I’m starting things off with such a classic, October quote from one of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables!
October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths.
Anne reveled in the world of color about her.
“Oh, Marilla,” she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills? I’m going to decorate my room with them.”
~ LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Don’t you just love the beauty of October?
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Hey everyone, and welcome to the first day of Blogtober! In case you missed my announcement, I’m participating in Blogtober and Blogoween, which means you can expect a new post from me every single day during the month of October.
To start things off, today I’m going to be sharing some of the books I hope to get through this month. I don’t typically have set, monthly TBR’s, but because it is October, and Halloween is just around the corner, I have several, festive books I really want to get through this month.
So, without further ado, here’s my October TBR:
And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich
I recently picked this book up from my library’s book sale, and was instantly intrigued by the synopsis. I hadn’t heard of this book before, but it sounds so spooky and mysterious – perfect for the month of October!
Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel by A. W. Jantha
Like many of you, I feel like Hocus Pocus is such a classic Halloween movie. When I found out about this book, I was so excited. This is going to be such a fun and festive book to read!
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
I discovered this book while watching Mel to the Any’s Instagram stories. She ended up loving this book, and hearing her talk about how good it was really made me want to read it! Small Spaces looks like it’s going to be such a fun and quick, spooky read!
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
I’ve totally been meaning to read this book for the past two Octobers, and I just end up never getting to it. My fingers are crossed that this will be the year I actually read this book! Also, how cool is the cover for this one?!
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie
Hallowe’en Party is another book I keep meaning to read and then never get to. I love a good mystery, and I’ve actually really been in the mood for a mystery, so I’m hopeful this is the year I actually read this one!
And there you have it! I actually have hopes to read other books, too, especially during the Sbooktober Readathon, but these are the books I really hope to get to the most. So, please wish me good luck, and hopefully, I’ll be able to get to all of these and more! 🤞🏼
What are some of the books on YOUR October TBR? I’d love to know!
Thanks for reading!
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Hey everyone! Today, I’m so excited to officially announce that I’ll be participating in both Blogtober AND Blogoween this October. I admit, I feel a bit intimidated by all of this, but I really think this will be so fun, and I cannot wait for October to begin now!
Now, you may be wondering, What is Blogtober and Blogoween? Basically, both events are all about celebrating blogging, autumn, and Halloween the whole month of October.
For Blogtober, the goal is to post on your blog every single day during the month of October. There are no rules with what you’re supposed to post, and the posts don’t have to be autumnal or Halloween themed, however, they often are.
Blogoween is a new event hosted by Clo from Book Dragons 247 as well as several other lovely co-hosts. The goal for this event is to specifically post Halloween or autumnal themed, bookish posts in October. You can get the full details here. There are three levels to choose from:
Level 1 is when you post any 13 days in October.
Level 2 is consecutively posting Halloween/fall themed posts from October 24th – 31st.
Level 3 is posting every day!
I have been constantly going back and forth between level 1 and 3 for about a week now. I don’t know why y’all, but this decision has been weighing on me. 😂 That being said, I’ve decided to go with Level 1. Honestly, I know I will probably post more than just 13 days of Halloween/fall themed content, but for my first time doing Blogtober and Blogoween, I just felt a little intimidated to commit to only seasonally themed posts.
So, what can you expect from The Calico Books this October? Lots of fun and festive content! Since Blogtober and Blogoween pretty much have the same, basic idea, I won’t be writing two separate posts each day. I’ll just consider each Halloween/fall post for both of them. That being said, I will have a few non-festive posts as well (such as Top Ten Tuesday and Waiting on Wednesday).
I’m really looking forward to this, and I hope you are all looking forward to reading it, and you won’t just get sick of me posting so much, haha! 😉
Please wish me luck for Blogtober/Blogoween, because I am going to need it! Also, let me know if you plan on participating.
Thanks for reading!
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Waiting on Wednesday/Can’t Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature, started by Breaking the Spine and continued by Wishful Endings, that puts the spotlight on upcoming releases!
This week’s pick is:
A MAP OF DAYS
RELEASING OCTOBER 2nd, 2018
The #1 bestselling series returns with a thrilling new story arc set in America!
Vintage photographs reveal the never-before-seen world of peculiar America with a stunning addition—full-color images.
Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery—a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.
Clues to Abe’s double-life as a peculiar operative start to emerge, secrets long hidden in plain sight. And Jacob begins to learn about the dangerous legacy he has inherited—truths that were part of him long before he walked into Miss Peregrine’s time loop.
Now, the stakes are higher than ever as Jacob and his friends are thrust into the untamed landscape of American peculiardom—a world with few ymbrynes, or rules—that none of them understand. New wonders, and dangers, await in this brilliant next chapter for Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children. Their story is again illustrated throughout by haunting vintage photographs, but with a striking addition for this all-new, multi-era American adventure—full color.
Y’all, I am so excited for this book!! The Miss Peregrine series is one of my absolute favorites. I think this series is just so unique and well-written. So, when I found out about A Map of Days, I was so thrilled. I can’t wait to see where Ransom Riggs takes this series and it’s characters next!
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Hey everyone! Today on the blog, I’m going to be sharing with you all my thoughts about the poetry book Purple Kisses, as well as share how you can enter to win an e-copy! This is in celebration of the re-release of Purple Kisses, in honor of its new cover!
Title: Purple Kisses by Priya Prithviraj, illustrated by Niveditha Warrier
Pages: 23
Genre: Poetry, Art
Publisher: Linnet’s Wings Press (Dec. 31st, 2017)
Summary
Purple Kisses’ is a one-of-a-kind book of poetry written by Priya Prithviraj and illustrated by Niveditha Warrier.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. A big thanks to Priya Prithviraj!*
Purple Kisses is probably the most unique book I’ve read all year! I don’t typically read a lot of poetry, but I have been getting into it more recently. So, when I was asked if I was interested in being a part of this tour, I just had to say yes. That being said, I didn’t know what to expect. With this book, it was about more than just reading it; it was an entire experience.
I do want to start by saying that there is only one poem in this book. Purple Kisses is not a poetry collection, it is simply a poem. At first, this surprised me a bit, because typically, poetry comes in a collection. However, the more I read (and reread) this poem, the more I decided that I liked the idea of it being one, individual poem. It allows the reader to fully immerse themselves in the words, passion, and art that is found in this book without being distracted by what’s to come or what was already read.
The poem is short, but sweet. I could really feel the passion behind every single word. It is clear that the author put so much heart and soul into this book.
Another thing I loved, that I think really helped this book to stand out, was the art work. It is so gorgeous! The mixture of the colors and shapes perfectly capture the essence of Purple Kisses. Just like everything about this book, the artwork is so unique, and honestly I just loved looking at it.
Speaking about the new cover, I feel like it really shows readers what Purple Kisses is about. I love how minimalist the cover is, too. The simplicity, with the pop of color, was such a great choice for this book.
Overall, I really enjoyed Purple Kisses. My only complaint would be that I wish there was more! This book was over far too soon. That being said, I think that is a good problem to have. It shows just how well the author and illustrator did at capturing the excitement and wonder of love. I would recommend Purple Kisses to poetry fans as well as anyone who is looking for a short and unique read.
Purchase Purple Kisses here!
Add to Goodreads!
Enter to win an e-copy of Purple Kisses by clicking on the link below!
Purple Kisses Giveaway!
Priya Prithviraj writes poems which appear in journals such as Eastlit and the New Plains Review. She also writes about books, writing and publishing on her blog at priyaslitblog.com. Her book of illustrated poetry, ‘Purple Kisses’ is out now.
Follow Priya on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter!
Niveditha Warrier is a fine art photographer whose work has been published in international magazines like the International Contemporary Artists Magazine, Toer Magazine and White Crow Art Daily. Learn more about her at
nivedithawarrier.com.
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the calico books 