We’ve made it to my October 2024 Wrap-Up!
Welcome to November! I hope you had a good Halloween last night! I didn’t do anything special for Halloween, but it was a good day, regardless!
Throughout the rest of the month, I partook in a few other activities that made October truly stand out:
- I went to Disneyland! I loved seeing Disneyland all decorated for Halloween, and spending a day in the park is always such a good time. Although it’s always WAY crowded during this time of year, I had an excellent time going on rides and enjoying the delectable food.
- I gardened a bit. Here in the Los Angeles area, “growing season” is kind of year-round, and my plants have been thriving. A month or two ago, I planted some chamomile and lavender in hopes of brewing my own home-grown tea someday. My plants are getting bigger every day, and caring for them has brought so much joy into my daily routine this month.
- I went for loads of walks. Now that the weather is cooling off to below-scorching temperatures, it’s actually pretty nice to be outside in the early mornings and evenings. Walking is my favorite form of exercise, and it’s been so refreshing to get outside more and put my body to work.
Anyway, let’s get into what you’re really here to see: all the books and other media that I enjoyed during October!
October 2024 Wrap-Up
On The Blog in October 2024:
I launched this blog in October 2024! My first post went live on Tuesday, October 15, and I’ve published two more after that one. All three of my first posts were book reviews, and I’m quite proud of them. If you’d like to read them, here are links to all my posts from October:
Other Blogs:
Since I’m new to the book blogging sphere, I would love to connect with others in this community. In future monthly wrap-up posts, I plan to share some of my favorite articles from other bloggers.
Before I can do that, though, I would love to get to know some of you a bit more! If you’re a book blogger, whether you’re also new to the space or a seasoned blogger, please leave a comment so I can check out your site! Also, feel free to let me know who some of your favorite book bloggers are, and I’ll check them out, too.
Books I Read in October 2024:
Wow, I read a lot of books in October 2024! I’m currently enjoying the end of my post-grad/pre-job era, and I’ve been using a lot of my time for reading and blogging. I ended up reading 8 books this month, which is more than I’ve read in a LONG time! Here’s a quick overview and rating for each one, in chronological order of when I finished reading them:
Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
★★★★☆ 4 stars | Young Adult Fiction | Series Review Coming Soon(ish)
This is the 3rd book in the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series, and it was my 2nd time reading it. While it’s not quite as jaw-droppingly incredible as the first two in the series, this book is still AMAZING. I adore this series with all of my heart.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
★★★★★ 5 stars | Middle Grade Fiction | Read My Review
Oh my gosh I LOVED this book! I laughed, I cried, I ached, I rejoiced. What a beautiful story that L.M. Montgomery has crafted for us! What an absolute blessing to the world that this exists! I cannot gush enough about this masterpiece of a book.
Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson
★★★✬☆ 3.5 stars | Middle Grade Paranormal | Read My Review
Ravenfall is such an adorable read for the Halloween season! This book is super cute, and the atmosphere is impeccable, but I found myself wanting quite a bit more depth from the characters and plot. That being said, there’s a revelation at the end of the book that creates the potential for an amazing sequel, so I might continue the series at some point.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
★★★★☆ 4 stars | Adult Romance | Review Coming in November
Listen, I’m not a huge fan of romance books. I only read this one because I have a fun blog post in the works… but I was impressed! Honestly, my biggest gripe with this book was that it was too heavy on the romance and too light on some other sub-plots, but that’s an issue of personal preference, not the book’s fault. I look forward to reading another Emily Henry book soon.
A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs
★★★★✬ 4.5 stars | Young Adult Fiction | Series Review Coming Soon(ish)
Continuing the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series with the fourth installment, this book is SO good! I adored this new expansion into the world of peculiardom. The story takes a mildly weird turn toward the end, but the book overall is fantastic. I look forward to getting my hands on the next one.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
★★★★✬ 4.5 stars | Adult Fiction | Review Coming in November
Wow, I understand the hype around this one! Kuang provides a thorough commentary on publishing, racism, and online discourse, with an unexpected thriller-esque development throughout. I’m still gathering my thoughts to write a full review, so for now I’ll just say that I’m impressed.
Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman
★★★★★ 5 stars | YA LGBTQ+ Graphic Novel | Series Review Eventually?
Ok, I’ve heard people say that this graphic novel is cute. But OH MY GOODNESS it is CUTE!!! Like, I was squealing at how cute it is. I read it in under an hour, and all I can think about is how I need to get my hands on Volume Two because AHHHH!
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
★★☆☆☆ | Adult Fiction | Review Coming Soon Because I’m Furious
After hearing so many rave reviews of this book, I went into it with fairly high hopes. And it was SUCH a let-down! The plot is interesting enough, but it is unbearably pretentious and preachy. I kept reading, hoping it would have a fantastic ending to live up to the hype, but the ending is honestly the worst part. The way this book deals with depression is both horrific and harmful, and I’m disappointed that it has gotten such high praise.
Other Media I Enjoyed in October 2024:
Gilmore Girls (TV Series)
This month, I finally finished watching Gilmore Girls for the first time EVER! I’m usually not a huge TV-enjoyer, but I really liked this show. I will say, the last few seasons are a bit weaker, and ALL of Rory’s love interests are the absolute worst? I know there are a lot of Jess apologists out there, but I’m sorry, I just don’t agree.
Anyway, what they did to Lane’s storyline is an utter crime! She was my favorite character up until seasons 5-6 or so, but then it all went off the rails for her…
Overall, though, I loved Gilmore Girls. I could definitely see myself rewatching some episodes here and there for the impeccable vibes.
GOLD by ITZY (Mini Album)
ITZY is, by far, my favorite K-pop group. This month, they released a new mini album called GOLD, and I absolutely LOVE it.
Lia, ITZY’s main vocalist and my favorite member of the group, has been on a year-long hiatus, and she makes her comeback in GOLD. As a massive Lia fan, it’s so nice to hear her voice again, especially in the Final Versions of the music ITZY originally released without her. The group just feels complete again now that she’s back.
I’ve been loving all the live performances of GOLD, and so far Supernatural and VAY (Feat. Changbin of Stray Kids) are my favorite B-sides.
Coming in November:
A Non-Commital TBR Pool:
I’m not one to have a super strict To-Be-Read list; I guess I’m more of a mood reader in that sense. Instead of choosing exactly which books I will read at the start of each month, I like to share a list of books that I might get around to.
- The Conference of the Birds and The Desolations of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs
- Heartstopper: Volume Two (and Volume 3, 4, etc.) by Alice Oseman
- Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
- Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry
- The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, Jesse Kirkwood (Translator)
On the Blog:
November is going to be the first full month of Shelf of Pages. In addition to this wrap-up, I have 6 posts planned for the rest of the month, and I could not be more excited to share them with you!
I will be posting a few book reviews covering books I read this month, and I already have a couple of them written and ready to go! I’m quite proud of how they turned out, and I think the next one I right has the potential to be my best one yet.
I also have a couple of posts planned that are more in the list/recommendation style. It’ll be fun to share some of my personal favorite books with you, as I’ve been having a great time compiling the lists.
If you want to be notified when I publish a new post, I encourage you to subscribe to Shelf of Pages by entering your email above. I post a new article every Tuesday and every second Friday (as well as my monthly wrap-ups on the 1st of every month).
Anyway, that concludes my October 2024 Wrap-Up! Let me know in the comments if you have any favorite books or other media from this month.
As always, my next monthly wrap-up post will be in exactly one month, on December 1. Until then, I will continue posting my usual content on Tuesdays and every other Friday. I hope you have a wonderful November!
With love,
Corinne <3
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