How has your week been? What have you been reading lately? I finished Such Sharp Teeth, Rachel Harrison, which I really enjoyed, and The Eyes are the Best Part, Monika Kim which grossed me out in the best way. Now, on to the 10+ things I bookmarked recently.
one+ Well well well, it’s still October but Barnes & Noble Best Books of the Year 2024 list is out already. There’s a lot of categories like Best Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Best Smart Thinking Books, etc. For Best Fiction, it’s no surprise to see James, Percival Everett and The God of the Woods, Liz Moore – which was a buzzy book of the summer.
two+ Have you purchased a weirdly low-quality paperback book lately? Lit Hub breaks down why. Looks like Amazon and the book wholesaler Ingram are delivering more low quality print-on-demand copies to customers and bookstores.
three+ With Halloween coming up in the next few days, check out 8 of the Best Horror Books About Halloween and The Best Halloween Reads For Teens & Readers Of YA In 2024. If you’re still looking for a costume – here’s the Top 25 Literary Costumes: Bookish Halloween Ideas for Adults.
four+ Did you get to read some #WickedGoodReads this month? Earlier this week, Kim shared 3 #WickedGoodReads with Practical Magic Vibes. I’m on my last dark read of the month, which is the final book left on 4 Books on My RIP XIX Challenge Reading List. I also couldn’t resist saving this list of 25 Horror Books to Read in 2025. I’ve read more horror books this year than in the recent past, and I plan to continue in 2025. But it’s not about new releases, there’s lots of good previously published works and awesome Backlist Suggestions from Emily Hughes (Jump Scares) and the Bram Stoker Awards Website.
five+ How are you doing on your annual reading challenges? I’m in pretty good shape, but just in case, I bookmarked 100 Short New Books to Supercharge Your 2024 Reading Challenge.
six+ The Artsy Reader Girl looked back at how her Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time. How have yours? Like her, I read less Young Adult novels and I don’t read as much as I used to, but I still read a lot. I also now don’t focus on the number of books I read a year – which used to make me de-prioritize big books. I still though have a hard time giving up on books I’m not loving.
seven+ November is #SciFiMonth y’all! SciFiMonth is an annual celebration of all things science fictional, exploring unknown futures and parallel timelines as the crew read, watch, listen, and play their way through one of our favourite genres. I’m not a big science fiction reader but I do like the dystopian and apocalyptic sub-genres. I might check out something on What Next?: Recent Post-Apocalyptic Fiction.
eight+ Next month is also Novellas in November! I’m super excited and will be sharing the novellas I plan on reading soon. We won’t have any official themes or prompts, but you might want to start off the month with a My Year in Novellas retrospective looking at any novellas you have read since last NovNov, and finish it with a New to My TBR list based on what novellas others have tempted you to try in the future. Already many readers have been Making Plans for Novellas in November and sharing on the link up.
nine+ Also up next month is Nonfiction November. Each Monday, a weekly host will post our topic prompt and include a linkup where you can link your posts, connect with other bloggers and dive deeper by reading and sharing nonfiction book reviews. There’s also another Nonfiction November challenge hosted by abookolive on YouTube. Read at least one nonfiction book during November and you’re officially a participant! But if you want an added challenge or need some direction in choosing your books, we do have four one-word prompts that are totally optional and can be interpreted however you choose. You can join the challenge on StoryGraph.
ten+ Here Are the 2024 World Fantasy Award Winners. I love The Reformatory, Tananarive Due which won for Best Novel. I’ve been pushing it all year. And if you haven’t read anything by Tananarive Due yet, please go get something stat! I recommend Ghost Summer (short story collection) and The Good House.
—- Cheers to the weekend and week ahead!
