October 2018 Wrap-Up!

Well well well, another wrap up has arrived! This month was such a good reading month for me. I read so many books and completed my monthly TBR for the first time in a long time. I read 14 books, a startling 8 more than last month. I also was able to post a lot more this month on my blog as well as watch some TV shows and movies. It was a pretty productive month, which surprised me considering I had midterms going on. Hopefully I can read as many in November, but with National Novel Writing Month and a few term papers coming up, I'm not quite sure I'll be able to do it. So, without further ado, let's go ahead and jump right on in! 

---

BOOKS READ
1.

Title: Heir of Fire

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review

Rereading this book was such a journey. From the first time I read this series, this was the book that really kicked everything into motion. I definitely got that feeling again. Rereading the previous three books has been amazing and so fun and nostalgic, but rereading Heir of Fire was a completely different experience. It was so heart wrenching at times and so full of foreshadowing that you don't even notice until you finish Empire of Storms and then reread this book. Just...Sarah really is quite amazing and this series is something else. I can't wait to continue my reread of the series.

2.
Title: The Oresteia
Author: Aeschylus
Rating: N/A-read for class

We read this trilogy of plays in my Ancient and Medieval Literature class. I wouldn't go as far to say I loved them, because at times I was so bored and wanted to be doing anything other than reading, but I mostly attribute that to the fact that I was being told to read these instead of given the choice myself.

3.
Title: Oedipus Rex
Author: Sophocles
Rating: N/A-read for class

T'was pretty boring and I didn't really like it. However, I found Oedipus to be quite honorable and I'm glad to finally fully understand where the psychology term "Oedipus Complex" comes from. Overall, though, I'm just glad to be done with the end of this.

4.
Title: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Barduog
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review

I ended up liking my reread of this book a lot more than the first time I read it, but I still didn't 100% love it. I think for me, the pacing was still a bit slow but the characters more than made up for it. I am very excited to see where this duology goes with the next book! 

5.

Title: Introductions

Author: C.L. Stone

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Rereading this was so fun and cute. My friend recently binged the entire 11 books that are currently out, plus the novellas, and hearing her gush about how much she loves these characters made me miss them a lot. I loved revisiting this world as it's so nostalgic for me to read these books since I started reading them 5 years ago or so. I can't wait to reread the next one.

6.
Title: Lysistrata 
Author: Aristophanes
Rating: 4/5 stars

I must have to say, this is probably my favorite of all the plays and epics we've read so far in my literature class. This was just such a funny play and I was laughing out loud for most of it. The translation that I read was so perfectly done and I know I'll be laughing over the amount of sexual jokes in this play for a long time.

7.
Title: Queen of Shadows
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 5/5 amazing stars

Well this was a whirlwind of emotion and I am a bit broken right now because of how amazing this book is. I mean, I knew it was amazing since I'd read it before but I swear to god rereading this book was a holy experience in itself. I was blessed by Mala Lightbringer herself when reading this book. If I can ever write a story as good as this one I can die happy.

8.
Title: First Days
Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Rereading this was so fun. I absolutely love this series and rereading this book definitely sucked me into this series. I can't wait to continue reading this series.

9.
Title: Friends vs Family
Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 5/5 stars

I forgot how many of my favorite scenes of this series happened in this book. Like, we'd get one and I'd be so fulfilled and then two chapters later we were getting another scene that I think about when someone says "Ghost Bird" and I was living for it. I hadn't initially planned on rereading this one so soon, but lo and behold, I finished it! It sucked me in and left me gasping for more. I think I'll be able to last out until after I read Kingdom of Ash in a week and a half, though.

10.
Title: Four Dead Queens 
Author: Astrid Scholte
Rating: 3.9/5 stars
Review

11.
Title: Empire of Storms
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 5/5 freaking stars
Review

Honestly rereading this was such an emotional rollercoaster. The entire time I was just noticing all of these foreshadowing moments that I hadn't noticed before. I loved every second of it, well, until I was crying and watching my characters go through terrible pain. I'm very excited for the next book. 

12.
Title: Tower of Dawn
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 5/5 stars
Review

Rereading this book was so fun, and a bit exhausting. Exhausting because I was way behind on my series reread and had to read this entire 660 page book in less than a day, but super fun because I forgot how much I loved these characters. This book was epic and I definitely loved rereading it to remember all the things I had forgotten about. But now my sights are on the next, and final, one!

13.
Title: Kingdom of Ash
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 5/5 stars
Review TK

14. 

Title: Forgiveness and Permission
Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I loved my reread of this book. It was the perfect book to read after binging the last three ToG books. I love love love the characters' relationships and revisiting this story was amazing. I cannot wait to continue my reread of this series and continue on to the books I have yet to get to.

---

BLOG POSTS

September 2018 Wrap-Up!

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Magic Systems
September 2018 Book Haul!
Let's Talk: "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo *Updated Review*
Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Villains
Let's Talk: "Four Dead Queens" by Astrid Scholte
Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Creatures
Unboxing: Owlcrate's "Lost in a Bookstore"
How "Throne of Glass" Changed My Life
Sarah J. Maas's "Kingdom of Ash" World Tour Experience
Unboxing: The Bookish Box's "Kingdom of Ash" One-Time Box
Unboxing: Fairyloot's "Beautiful Deceptions"
Halloween Book Tag: 2018 Edition!

---

TV/MOVIES

I finished off Bones this month with seasons 11 and 12. For blog readers who have been with me for a while, you'll know that I started binging this show back at the beginning of June and I have finally finished all 12 seasons. It was such a fun and wild ride. I'm kind of at a loss for what to binge next, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. If not, there's always plenty of books to read!

I also finally saw Hocus Pocus for the first time. It was so quirky and hilarious and I can definitely see why so many people love it. It also definitely got me in the Halloween mood, even if I went straight back to rereading the ToG series after watching it.

My friend and I also watched season one of Big Time Rush. This is a show that I would occasionally watch when I was younger but I never watched it in order or all the way through, so rewatching it now was so nostalgic and funny.

And, lastly, I watched season one of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This is a spooky remake of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which is a show that I love. Overall, I liked this adaption. It was definitely spooky but at times I thought it was a little boring or the characters frustrated me. I still prefer the original but I will definitely be watching the next season, whenever that may come!

---

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

---

Follow my bookstagram here. New giveaway will be posted very soon!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

---