Monthly Rundown: October 2016

Book Read = 15

October was all about the horror (and an impromptu Harry Potter re-read). I had a plan for the month and while it wasn’t a 100% success, I’m still pleased with the books I was able to find the time to read. Although I was mega-slacking when it came to actually posting reviews. Oh well, it is what it is.

Posted Reviews

• [8 Oct] Dead Souls by J. Lincoln Fenn ★★★★
• [22 Oct] The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics ★★
• [28 Oct] The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud ★★★★
• [31 Oct] Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror by Ellen Datlow

Unreviewed Reads

• The Stand by Stephen King ★★★★
• Reflections (Indexing #2) by Seanan McGuire ★★★★
• The Nest by Kenneth Oppel ★★★★
• Icebound by Dean Koontz ★★★
• When the Wind Blows (When the Wind Blows #1) by James Patterson ★★★
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling ★★★★★

• MARY: Unleashed (Bloody Mary #2) by Hillary Monahan ★★★
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) by J.K. Rowling ★★★★★
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3) by J.K. Rowling ★★★★★
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4) by J.K. Rowling ★★★★★
• The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker ★★★★½

Best of the Month: The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker ★★★★½
I read The Thief of Always earlier this year and loved it, knowing I wanted to read more of his works. This one popped up on sale yesterday for Kindle and I ended up reading it on Halloween (ending Ominous October with a bang) and WOW. Intense, gruesome, and definitely terrifying.

Least Favorite: Icebound by Dean Koontz ★★★
This one wasn’t terrible, but considering this one my first Dean Koontz I was expecting something far better. Maybe it just wasn’t the best one to read first.. I’ll still be giving him another shot sometime in the future.

Biggest Surprise(s): The Nest by Kenneth Oppel ★★★★ and Dead Souls by J. Lincoln Fenn ★★★★
Both of these were titles I knew little to nothing about going into them. Both left me extremely impressed (and massively creeped out) and seeking out the authors other works.

Biggest Disappointment: The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics ★★
I have some hang-ups when it comes to YA horror but I decided to still give this one a shot. Suffice it to say it just didn’t pan out well for me and wasn’t nearly as creepy as I had hoped.