I need to start this by saying that October was such a fun reading month for me. I participated in Literary League’s Trick or Treat Readathon and it made the last week of October fly by with some spooky reads. 

If you have been feeling like you are in a little bit of a funk reading-wise, here are my top tips to get out of that funk.

Tips to Get Out of Your Reading Funk

1. Have a reading buddy.
2. Join a book club. I host the SLC Literary League Chapter.
3. If you aren’t in love with the book you are reading, put it down and find something new. 
4. Try reading at a different time like 30 minutes before work instead of at the end of day. 

p.s. if you are trying to find out what to read next, click here. 

Now onto what I read in October

Beautiful World, Where Are You: Sally Rooney does it again with this beautifully written novel. I think this is the perfect book to read if you too are wondering where the beauty went. This book follows four young people just living life and trying to figure out their place in the world. 

56 Days: trigger warning, this thriller is set during the 2020 COVID lockdown. 56 Days jumps back and forth before lockdown, during the lockdown, and after when the body is discovered. It was pretty surreal reading about the events of last year in a fiction book, but overall this was a great thriller with a twist no one could have predicted. 

The Season: I listened to this book on Audible and I think that is the best format for it. The Season is a deep dive into debutante culture. Where it began, the history, how it has developed into modern-day pageantry, the impact on Black people of color, and why it is problematic overall. I found this book absolutely fascinating. 

Paybacks A Witch: this was the Literary League book club pick of the month and it did not disappoint. This is a romantic fantasy and the book follows Emmy Harlow, a witch that has returned home, to participate in a spellcasting tournament for her family, Emmy gets another chance at falling in love with the town she had abandoned long ago. This is a queer romance and it was such a fun read. Definitely save this for next Halloween if you haven’t read it yet and spoiler alert … they are turning this book into a trilogy so there is more to come! 

The Ex Hex: described to me as a horny version of Halloweentown, I knew I had to know what all the hype was about this book. The Ex Hex is a fun lighthearted Halloween book that has everything you could want including witches, curses, a quaint magical town, and romance. This book could even be enjoyed after Halloween.