October Wrap Up

Before I say anything, Happy Halloween! It is so convenient that the last day of the month fell on the day I normally post.

Anyway.

Guys.

October went… October went very poorly for me. I ended up burnt out and heartbroken by the end of the month. I’ve put twenty-plus hours into Hogwarts: A Legacy over the last three days. I don’t normally play video games. I only play them when I need a distraction and when reading takes too much concentration.

So, I’ve spent most of this month shaking from anxiety and a lack of sleep. I spent the end of the month trembling, unable to eat, chest aching, but at least I’m sleeping better.

I’m in a healing era.

I know a lot of people typically read more when they’re overwhelmed or stressed, but it really fell off of my list of priorities. My priority this month was keeping myself alive.

That being said, this post is about to be very short.

Here are all of the books I read in October.

The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson

The Sunlit Man is about Nomad, who finds himself on a planet where the sun can melt you. The residents of this planet spend their lives trying to outrun the sun so they can survive. Naturally, a tyrant has arisen and gained a monopoly on the sole energy source on the planet. A group of rebels is fighting back, but it seems hopeless. Nomad finds himself in the middle of all of this.

I was very confused for a lot of this book. This may be because of the previously mentioned burn out (Ha! So ironic when I’m talking about a planet where the sun melts people.) but I believe it was due to the sheer number of Cosmere references that went over my head. I haven’t read all of Brandon Sanderson’s books, despite how many I’ve reviewed recently. The only references I understood were a select few from the Stormlight Archives and Mistborn.

You can find my full review here.

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

Kel is an orphan who is chosen to serve Prince Conor in a way no one else can. He functions as a double, putting himself in dangerous positions so the prince doesn’t have to. Lin is Ashkar, a healer, normally bound inside the walls of the city. However, she is permitted leave to treat her patients. Miriam, her childhood best friend, is incredibly sick. Both Lin and Kel end up entangled with the Ragpicker King, the ruler of the underground, trying to save the people they love.

Time to be honest.

I haven’t even finished this book yet. I finished Sunlit Man the first week of October. I’ve been reading Sword Catcher ever since.

That doesn’t mean it’s bad. I actually really enjoy the characters. I think there may be pacing issues, but once again, that may just be my mental health getting in the way of me enjoying this book.

— — — — —

That was my October wrap-up. I told you it would be short.

I’m hoping to have a review for Sword Catcher up in November. I’m hoping to finish it before this post comes out. I’m not making any promises at the moment.

I’ve been writing more poetry recently. A lot more. I write poetry to process loss, grief, and heartache. I’m thinking of turning it into a series, cataloguing the healing process. What do you think?

Thank you for taking the time to read my tiny wrap-up! You can read what I was planning on reading here.

I wish I could have gotten to a Grady Hendrix book, or other spooky reads, but sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to. And that’s okay.

How was your reading this month?