This month was full of adventures, both internally and externally. There were ocean side road trips to small bookstores and thrift shops, a weekend lost in a random book I picked up on the whim, as well as some self-discoveries.
I’m a sucker for anything self-improvement or inspirational so imagine my surprise when I discovered the concept of “the second act” as Brene Brown so kindly put it. It had me reassessing this downhill rut I keep digging myself into and how to address it. I ended up picking up her book, “Rising Strong” and am planning to read it in November as part of non-fiction November.
I also spent most of this month rebranding my site. I added a “Book Reviews” page and went ahead and made a collection of all my Monthly Wrap Up’s which can be featured in the top of my site.
I’ve got a ton of plans ready for the future and series I want to post. I usually batch create posts at a time and unfortunately, I’m losing my swing with that a bit right now because I’ve got a lot going on and all the time I have left for myself is being put towards making sure I don’t mentally crumble from burnout and stress.
I read a total of four books this month and my oh my, what a month in reading it was.
My absolute favorite read this month has to be the “The Ice Swan” by J’nell Ciesielski. This is a historical fiction romance that follows a princes and her family who are on the run after the Bolshevik’s raid her house. They go from living a life full of luxury and riches to one full of underground basements, illnesses, gambling, and lucrative businesses that turn one’s dreams and passions into something far more sinister. We also follow the story of a Scottish surgeon who has a past of his own he’s voluntarily running from, unlike his counterpart who has been forced out of the past she loves and cherishes. This book was so atmospheric and historically gripping. This does eventually follow the romance of these two characters but don’t go into this book expecting romance because it’s slow and secondary in nature to the plot. Go into this book expecting a cozy read full of history and a plot that’ll leave you wanting to watch an Audrey Hepburn movie.
My least favorite read was “The Duke and I: Bridgerton Book 1” by Julia Quinn. I had such high expectations for this book because of how popular the show was. As a book enthusiast, I of course wanted to pick up the book first and honestly, I’m hoping the show’s far better than this. I loved the family aspect and everything non-romance related in the book. I don’t even understand how this book is categorized as a romance because I felt zero chemistry and major trigger warnings for a non-consensual sex scene that was not addressed properly at all.
As always, I’m going to have reviews up for both of these books that will go far more into detail.
I also watched a ton of new shows this month.
This was the perfect autumn TV show to watch in the late Autumn and early Winter months. This is a short one season Danish crime tv series with around six episodes. It’s got the perfect crisp, atmospheric, haunting feel to it that’ll leave you a bit creeped out but also hooked.
I needed a quick tv show to watch during the week and this show delivered in all fronts of wholesome, small town, ridiculous antics of a family of outrageously ex-rich people. I made it two seasons in so I’m still making my way through it but I highly recommend if you’re looking for an easy laugh.
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