What I Read in October 2024

I'm running late with this month's reading round-up because the daylight's been abysmal for photos all month (I've given up, and will add photos later), but, when am I not lagging behind? Oh, well, at least I'm here now.

Anyway, October wasn't my strongest reading month. I only finished six books. I came down with a nasty cold, and I felt so fluish, it floored me for a couple of weeks. I kept falling asleep reading after a couple of pages, even after I began to feel better, and there were a few days I only managed a page or two because my eyeballs burned if I focused on anything. (Looking back, I think it might have been Covid). I also found one book, Born of Blood and Ash, really hard to get in to, and took a week to read 120 pages, as it was such a boring start, so that also slowed me down a lot.

I feel really annoyed with myself for not doing better, but I'm trying to remind myself that I was ill, the audiobooks I read were all super long, and that it doesn't matter how much I read, as long as I was reading. I really should listen to myself!

So, what did I read in October?

October Reading Stats:

📖6 books completed, 2 more started.

📖2 hardbacks.

🎧4 audiobooks

📖1107 pages (3316 pages including audiobooks).

🎧86.6 hours listened at 1.1x speed.

📖3⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads.

📖2⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖Average book length: 612 pages.

📖Average rating: 4.33 stars.

📖Average time to finish: 10 days.

📖13 Books acquired. (4 audiobooks, 9 hardbacks). (Although, 2 were for Christmas gifts)

📖7 Books preordered. (7 hardbacks).

I Read:

📖Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling. 3⭐

📖Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 4⭐

🎧Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 4⭐ (Reread).

And I Started:

📖The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. (I reached the last 75 pages on Halloween night, which was so frustrating)!

🎧Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas.

Favourite Reads: 

It's between Born of Blood and Ash, and The Spellshop. Although, I didn't quite finish the latter before the month was up, so can I even count it? You know what, I am, because it was one of the most delightful reading experiences I've ever had, and I make the rules here. It was such a cute and cosy story, and it was one of the most comforting and whimsical books I've read since I was little. It felt like reading a grown-up children's story. There were merhorses and mermaids, winged cats, a sentient spider plant, an ambulatory cactus, magic, jam and pastries, heartwarming friendships, and the sweetest romance with a merhorse-wrangler. I honestly could not recommend it to you more- especially if you loved Legends and Lattes. I hadn't even finished it before I knew it was one of my favourite reads ever!

Born of Blood and Ash, on the other hand, began a little slow, but it ended up being a fantastic conclusion to the Flesh and Fire series, and Sera and Ash's story. I'm not sure what I enjoyed more; Sera and Ash kicking ass and serving justice to some very deserving people; baby Reaver and Jadis being adorable and protective of their liessa (queen); Nektas looking after Sera during her grief; Sera and Attes' friendship; or all the cute, domestic moments between Sera and Ash. I'm really going to miss these characters, but I hope at least some of them will feature in the final Blood and Ash book when it comes out next year. (Flesh and Fire is a spin-off series of Blood and Ash, following Poppy's grandparents a few generations before, and the storylines all link together). I'd recommend them- but only if you're okay with spice, violence, and confronting topics like sexual assault and trauma.

Favourite Listens: I don't think I could choose a favourite audiobook for the month. I was working through a reread of the last five books of one of my favourite fantasy series- Throne of Glass, and they were all fantastic to listen to in their own right. The actually-enemies enemies-to-friends-to-..? storyline in Heir of Fire was so much fun to relive. Queen of Shadows was flawless as an audiobook. Empire of Storms has Lorcan juggling knives. topless. in the circus and cutting up his shirts for period protection- enough said. Tower of Dawn has the most underrated book boyfriend ever (Sartaq), and I forgot how funny, inspiring, and adventurous the story was. And Kingdom of Ash made me an emotional wreck- in all the best and worst ways- all over again. How do I even choose?

Least Favourites: It has to be Fear the Flames. It was my lowest-rated book of the month. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, as it was fun, but it just wasn't the best written book, and it was taxing to push on at times. There wasn't a lot happening beyond a lot of senseless stabbings (seriously, they really needed to slay people to steal their clothes?!) and a lot of flirting between the main characters; the dialogue was too often cringe-worthy, and I couldn't help but notice that a lot of Kaden's lines were clearly reworded quotes from other fantasy MMCs, like Casteel, Cardan, Rowan, and Rhys. Also, the MMC had three nicknames for the FMC, which was just ridiculous and exhausting. Who is she? Aelin Galathynius?! I enjoyed the enemies to lovers relationship, though, and Kaden stole my heart. You'll like him if you love Casteel Da' Neer.

And that is what I read in October.

What about you?

Have you read any good books lately?

Erstwilder Halloween Simplified Brooches and Earrings

Halloween is fast approaching, which means it's the time of year when Erstwilder release their Halloween jewellery collections.

I didn't buy anything from their main Halloween collection this year as my favourite pieces were all recolourings of brooches I already own, but I was powerless to resist their recent simplified Halloween range.

The simplified collection is just what it sounds like- Erstwilder jewellery but simplified. Like their Essentials earrings, they're designed a little smaller than the pieces in the standard collections, with less layers of resin and simpler detailing, making them more affordable, while still retaining the same charm. What's not to love about that?

I was so excited when I saw that they were bringing out Halloween basics, and that so many of them were ridiculously cute. I ended up coming away with three mini brooches, and a pair of earrings, and I'm obsessed. Let me take you down with me by showing you what I got.

First up is the creepy-cute Skull mini brooch. Well, it wouldn't be Halloween without a skull or two, so it just had to join my collection. He's made from white resin sandwiched between two thin layers of textured silver ripple resin, which gives him a scarred appearance while adding a bit of sparkle. And his asymmetrical eye sockets and upside down heart-shaped nose somehow just make him look adorable instead of creepy, so it shouldn't scare off any small children. Which may be good or bad, depending on your thoughts on children.

I didn't have a pumpkin brooch in my collection, so the Jack O' Lantern mini brooch got added to my basket so fast. This gourd-geous mutilated vegetable is crafted from two layers of burnt-orange ripple resin, with a little black stalk, and painted black features. It's perfect for wearing alone, or for pairing with other Halloween brooches for more of a statement.

My favourite piece from the range has to be the Ghost mini brooch. He's the cutest little phantom I've ever seen, and he was a need, not just a want. Like the skull, he's another brooch made from plain white and silver ripple resin with painted details, and I love how the ripple resin adds depth, so he looks like he isn't fully corporeal.

I also bought a matching pair of Ghost Drop Earrings in white because these happy little ghosts are so damn cute that they've stolen my heart. They're just over half the length of my thumb, and like the brooch, they're made of a silver ripple resin layered over plain white. If silver and white isn't your thing or you just want to collect them all, they also come in glow in the dark and iridescent colour ways. I was so tempted by the iridescent pair, but the white are definitely my favourites.

There are lots of other brooches and earrings in the collection, and you can shop them all here or via their stockists around the world.

Which piece is your favourite?

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What I Read In September 2024

I'm a little late with last month's reading round-up as a nasty cold has been holding me hostage, but I can finally hold my head off the pillow again, so let's catch up.

I read a little less in September than in July and August, but I don't think I did too badly. I finished eight books and began two more, and a few of them were pretty chunky. And I loved almost everything that I read, so at least it was a quality reading month.

Here's what I read in September.

September Reading Stats:

📖8 books completed.

📖4 hardbacks.

🎧4 audiobooks

📖 2052 pages (4139 pages including audiobooks).

🎧 85 hours 3 minutes listened at 1.1x speed.

📖 6⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖1⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖14 books acquired. (4 audiobooks, 10 hardbacks).

📖 5 books preordered. (5 hardbacks).

I Read:

📖Glint by Raven Kennedy. 5⭐

📖Gleam by Raven Kennedy. 5⭐

📖Glow by Raven Kennedy. 5⭐

📖Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton. 2.5⭐

🎧Crescent City House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 4⭐ (Reread).

🎧The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 5⭐ (Reread).

And I Started:

📖Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling.

🎧Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. (I was just an hour and a half from the end, but didn't finish before the month was up as I fell asleep while I was trying to finish it)! (Reread).

Favourite Reads: Probably Gleam by Raven Kennedy, with Glow a close second. I'm loving The Plated Prisoner series so much right now, and these books, which see Auren beginning to push back and fight for her freedom after being kept in a gilded cage and abused for her powers for ten years, have been the best yet. I sobbed my eyes out at Gleam, especially during the mutilation scenes, and actually had to put the book down for a while to rock in a corner because it upset me so much... but they're also really funny, and I love how Auren's relationship with Slade evolved. They're not easy reads as they focus on a lot of confronting topics like physical and emotional abuse, rape, imprisonment, and mutilation- and they feature some spicy scenes, too- so please check trigger warnings before reading. 

Favourite Listens: All of the audiobooks I listened to in September were amazing. I loved hearing House of Flame and Shadow brought to life, especially the ACOTAR cross over and Ruhn and Lidia scenes. I also began a Throne of Glass reread (in publishing order this time), and particularly enjoyed reliving Heir of Fire. Violent, long-haired, moody, who-did-this-to-you?, fussing Rowan Whitethorn just hits differently. The Assassin's Blade was also really fun as an audiobook, but Sam's death still killed me. I don't think it will ever get any easier to experience. His is the saddest book death ever.

Least Favourites: It was definitely Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton. I found the story really flat, monotonous, and repetitive from start to finish. While I liked Hayes, the MMC, Saoirse, the FMC, was very hard to love, and I was just so bored. There might have been a siren song singing me to sleep as I dozed off reading it a few times.

Have you read any good books lately?

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What I Read in August 2024

What I Read in July 2024

What I Read in August 2024

I'm a little late to the round-up party, but hey- I'm an introvert; I'm just proud I showed up to the party at all!

This is what I read in August:

August Reading Stats:

📖11 books completed.

📖5 hardbacks.

🎧6 audiobooks

📖1705 pages.

🎧47 hours 15 minutes listened at 1.1x speed. (Plus about another 10 hours of HOFAS).

📖4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖3⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖16 books acquired. (10 audiobooks, 6 hardbacks).

📖9 books preordered. (8 hardbacks, 1 audiobook).

August was a decent reading month for me. I finished 11 books, and started 2 others, completed my audiobook reread of ACOTAR, and smashed my Goodreads reading goal by 7 books, 4 and a half months early! I'm not gonna lie, it felt good.

I Read:

📖Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. 4⭐

📖Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett. 3⭐

📖Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana. 2.5⭐

📖Gild by Raven Kennedy. 4⭐

📖Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan. 3.5⭐

🎧A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas dramatised. 4⭐ (Reread).

🎧A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas dramatised parts 1 and 2. Both 5⭐ (Rereads).

🎧House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas dramatised parts 1 and 2. 4⭐ / 5⭐. (Rereads).

🎧House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas dramatised part 1. 5⭐. (Reread. Also, part 2 isn't out yet, and I didn't realise until after I'd finished part 1. *Cries.*)

And I Started:

📖Glint by Raven Kennedy..

🎧House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas unabridged.

I apparently spent August spirited away in the fae realms- every single books I read was fae fantasy of some description! It was completely unintentional, too- I didn't even notice until I saw my Storygraph infographics! Question: how many fae books is okay to read in a row before I have to admit I have a problem??

Favourite Reads: Probably Gild by Raven Kennedy, and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. Two very different reads, but I loved them both a lot.

Favourite Listens: A Court of Silver Flames, and House of Earth and Blood part two. It was really fun to listen to two of my favourites as audiobooks, and they were even better the second time around. Although, I still found the beginning of HOEAB difficult to get into- apparently, the heavy world-building is still dull when someone else is doing the reading for you, and the party lifestyle at the start just isn't my thing.

Least Favourites: Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana. It started off strong, but the quality of the writing quickly went down hill, and it was ultimately a big hot mess. It's a shame as it had so much potential, but it just didn't deliver.

September's shaping up to be a good reading month, but I'm not sure if I'm going to beat August's tallies; I've been reading some big beasts, so I'll probably finish less books this month. I'm hoping to fit in lots of reading this week and boost my reading goal, but I guess we'll see how I go in a couple of weeks.

Wish me luck!

What was the best book you read in August?

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Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Fairytales Jewellery Haul

Once upon a time, in a kingdom long burned to ash, there was a girl who loved fairytales very much. So, when Australian jewellery wizards, Erstwilder, made a bargain to create a fairytale jewellery collection with the happy art creator, Pete Cromer, she could not resist filling her basket with the wondrous resin jewels as if she were gathering food for the winter. Don't judge her; they were spelled to be irrisistable to all who love stories. And the girl lived happily ever after wearing her favourite fairytales on her heart and earlobes for all to see, while she skipped through the forest, waiting to be spirited away by a fae prince with wings and unresolved trauma... Or possibly the therapist she desperately needed...

Or, in English... I splurged on the recent Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Fairytales collaboration, and I'm here to show you the pretty brooches and earrings I bought.

First up is one of my favourites from the collection- the Snow White brooch, White as Snow. I'll admit, while I've always liked the story, Snow White has never really been at the top of my list of favourite fairytales, but I instantly fell in love with this design. Snow's so striking and really draws in the eye with the mix of cobalt blue, turquoise, cherry red, and black ripple and glitter resins. And how cute are her little ice-blue bluebird friends? Great style and animal sidekicks? Not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous. (Find it in the UK here)

Next up is the sold out Wonderland brooch, and it has to be one of the best non-Disney Alice in Wonderland designs I've ever seen! I love that instead of drawing inspiration from over-used scenes like the Mad Hatter's tea party or Alice falling down the rabbit hole in to Wonderland, Cromer thought outside the box and made art of the croquet scene. It shows Alice facing off with a giant pink flamingo, with a little lilac hedgehog in her hand, and a bed of toadstools and flowers on the grass around them. I love the mix of ripple, plain, and textured resins it's made from, especially the swirling pastel pink sky that adds a dreamlike quality, and the interesting dotted sunshine-yellow resin used to give her hair texture. I'm not sure if it's a new resin for Erstwilder, but I haven't seen it used before. It's pretty cool. 

I've never understood how Little Red Riding Hood could ever mistake a wolf for her grandmother- was Little Red visually-challenged or was her Nana just that hairy?!- but okay, I'll admit, this version of the wolf does a good cosplay. The That's Not Grandma brooch is a very convincing human granny in her raspberry-pink and lilac polka dot, scalloped-trimmed nightie and scarlet cat-eye glasses. I mean, you barely even notice the two-toned ripple and bubble resin lilac fur, snout, or tail, do you? Definitely deserves a few points for effort. He's easily my favourite from the collection, along with Snow. (Find it in the UK here)

I always loved the Disney version of Pinocchio growing up, but parts of it also scared the crap out of me. I don't know what's scarier- kids being turned into donkeys, or every lie you tell showing on your face for all to see? *Shudders.* Thankfully, there's nothing scary about the Boys Don't Lie brooch, just a charming wooden boy taking a stroll beside the sea while a whale breaches the waves in the distance. With the wood-effect resin and the moody teals, and olive greens, it has such a nostalgic feel to it, and it's the perfect piece to wear to keep a little of that childhood magic alive. (Find it in the UK here)

I was also lucky enough to receive one of the gift-with-purchase brooches, for buying multiple pieces from the same stockist. For this collection, Erstwilder produced little fairytale books in red, green, and blue, and I received the green. It's a gorgeous sea-green ripple resin tome, with gold detailing, and as a big old bookworm, it's one of my favourite gifts-with-purchase brooches to date. It's perfect for double-brooching with the fairytale brooches, but great on its own, too. I've got a couple of book print dresses it'll go perfectly with.

Alongside the main collection, Erstwilder also brought out a range of complimenting Essentials earrings, which are affordable studs and drop earrings, usually with less detail and layering than those in the main collections. I love wearing them with most of my outfits, so of course, I picked up a couple of pairs to add to my collection.

I was instantly drawn to the Beauty-and-the-Beast-inspired Eternal Rose drop earrings, as not only are they super pretty, but because they're giving off ACOTAR vibes. The red ripple resin they're made of is probably my favourite resin Erstwilder use, and the gold detailing adds a nice contrast. I need to repierce my ear as one of my old piercings keeps closing up, but when I do, I'm gonna wear them with everything. If you're not a red rose fan, they also come in white, and there are studs in both colours, too. (Find them the UK here)

And the other pair of earrings I chose were the pale pink shell studs, as I thought they'd be ideal for pairing with my sealife brooches and for finishing off cute summer outfits, especially on holidays by the sea. They're little scallop shells, made from the prettiest shimmery coral-pink resin, and they're lovely. The shell studs also come in pearly white, and there are drop earring options, too. (Find them in the UK here)

One last thing that I love about this collection is the packaging. Usually, you'll find that jewellery from Erstwilder come in circular boxes, but for this collection, they redesigned them to look like little books! They even made each one a different colour, allowing those who splurge on multiple pieces to create their own little Fairytale bookshelves. How cute is that?!

Most of the Fairytales collection sold out on release day, as Pete Cromer collections usually do, but there are still a handful of pieces and most of the Essentials earrings available to shop from via Erstwilder, and their stockists. I highly recommend them.

Did you buy anything from the Fairytales collection?

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