I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that it is November already, and that in less than 60 days this year will be officially over. Where did the time go?! That said, I’m happy that the Spring season is finally here, and I’ve been busy in the garden as well as working on cleaning our new plot in the countryside… I forgot to share a photo last month, but you can see it below! The thorny trees have been cut down since this photo, but there is still a lot of work to be done… I’m surprised I didn’t bake much during October, although I did make some alfajores for our buddy read of We Begin At The End with Nicki. Something sweet was definitely needed after such a heartbreaking story!

Next: the bookish numbers.

  • Number of books read in October: 25
  • Total number of books read in 2020: 208
  • Total number of pages read in October: 8.640
  • Total number of pages read in 2020: 70.803

My reading mojo is most definitely back in action, as I managed to read a LOT during October. The blogging slump seems to be getting only worse, but at least the reading slump seems to be beaten completely so that’s something I guess. And while I did get a new DNF as well as a couple of less impressive stories, I also found a new favorite as well as multiple other fantastic reads, so overall I can’t complain.

OCTOBER 2020 READS

5 STARS: Absolutely and entirely mind blowing! I suggest you to pick up a copy now.

The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue – by V.E. Schwab

4.5 STARS: This one was almost perfect. Surely fantastic!

The Bear And The Nightingale – by Katherine Arden // The Waiting Rooms – by Eve Smith // Shadow Sands – by Robert Bryndza // We Begin At The End – by Chris Whitaker // Maria In The Moon – by Louise Beech

4 STARS: Wow, this was really good. Close to amazing!

Betrayal – by Lilja Sigurdardottir // The Nesting – by C.J. Cooke // Kiss My Cupcake – by Helena Hunting // Tender Is The Flesh – by Agustina Bazterrica // Art & Soul – by Claire Huston // The Chalet – by Catherine Cooper // Mexican Gothic – by Silvia Moreno-Garcia // Black Coral – by Andrew Mayne // The Girl In The Tower – by Katherine Arden

3.5 STARS: Great read. Really entertaining!

Dead Perfect – by Noelle Holten // The Boy On The Bridge – by M.R. Carey // The Bird Tribunal – by Agnes Ravatn // Furia – by Yamile Saied Méndez

3 STARS: It was a nice read, but not fantastic.

Reviving The Hawthorn Sisters – by Emily Carpenter

2.5 STARS: I give this one the benefit of the doubt. Nothing too exciting.

Across The Green Grass Fields – by Seanan McGuire // We Were The Salt Of The Sea – by Roxanne Bouchard // The Last Resort – by Susi Holliday

2 STARS: It was ok. But mostly ‘meh’. 

The Book Of Two Ways – by Jodi Picoult

0 STARS (DNF): I didn’t even bother to finish this one. Either horrible or definitely not for me!

The Silent Daughter – by Kirsty Ferguson

I’ve decided to only join a limited amount of 2020 to focus more on the joy of reading without obligations again… And I have now officially completed all challenges as I’ve reached my updated Goodreads goal of 200 books!!

# CHALLENGES #

As for my other goals… My ARC/backlist ratio stayed about the same, but I’m hoping to finally bring down the number in November as I’m planning on reading mostly my own books… I really need to start focusing on getting those finished series and TBR jar picks in though. And I have to start thinking about what my 800+ pages book will be…

# OTHER READING/BLOGGING GOALS #

  • Read at least 3 (modern) classics (rereads don’t count) DONE!! 3/3 (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang // A Study In Scarlet // The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)
  • Complete at least 10 series (rereads don’t count) 7/10 (Feverwake // Lacey Flint // If I Stay // The Bird And The Sword Chronicles // The Hundred-Year-Old Man // Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell // The Girl With All The Gifts)
  • Reread at least 2 books DONE!! 2/2 (Deep Blue Trouble // Pippi Longstocking)
  • Bring my physical TBR pile below 600 books and keep it that way. 765/600
  • Read at least one book over 800 pages 0/1 (highest page count 774 pages; She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be)
  • Keep ARC/backlist title ratio below 40% 50,5%
  • Read at least 2 books in Spanish DONE!! 2/2 (Harry Potter Y Las Reliquias De La Muerte // Entre Senderos De Lavanda)
  • Read at least 1 book in Dutch DONE!! 1/1 (Moederkruid)
  • Read at least 15 international authors and/or translations DONE!! 15/15 (Dark Mother Earth (Croatia DNF) // My Sister, The Serial Killer (Nigeria) // Perfume (Germany) // Death Deserved (Norway) // Blue Night (Germany) // Pippi Longstocking (Sweden) // Sister (Norway) // The Girl In The Tree (Turkey) // The Creak On The Stairs (Iceland) // The Guest Cat (Japan) // Moederkruid (The Netherlands) // The Accidental Further Adventures Of The Hundred-Year-Old Man (Sweden) // The Child (Germany) // Entre Senderos De Lavanda (Argentina) // Fruit Of The Drunken Tree (Colombia))
  • Read at least 10 TBR jar picks 5/10 (Like This For Ever // What We Saw // The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry // Evil At Heart // Broken Hearts, Fences And Other Things To Mend)
  • Join at least 5 challenges during the year DONE!! 5/5
  • Keep my Netgalley ratio above the 80% 98%

Stay safe and happy reading!

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