October is usually the best month, right? I love autumn and Halloween. And of course, Kevin's and my 1st anniversary!
Kevin and I did some fun things. We did a haunted Halloween cookie house together while watching Halloween movies. We went to a local pumpkin patch that we have gone to the past few years. It is very cute and has games and things around. Of course we took home a couple of pumpkins.
Last Friday, we had a virtual Halloween party with my friends in Colorado. They set up on Zoom so the couple of us that live out of state could be part of it. It was fun and nice to see everyone. Then on Saturday we went to Boo at the Zoo. It is mostly for kids, but we still had a good time. They had some fun decorations and games and things.
The sad part about this month was that we lost Poseidon. We had an emergency vet visit earlier in the month and they found that he had pneumonia. We tried a couple of antibiotics with no luck, but he was still chipper and eating. Eventually, we were thinking we would need to take him in soon to have him put to sleep because he had mostly stopped eating and was having a harder time breathing and getting around. But that night he passed away on his own. I had spent a lot of time with him that evening because I felt like we were getting closer to the end. I hope that he didn't suffer much. I checked on him right before I went to bed around 11. When Kevin came to bed around 2:30am, I woke up and asked about Poseidon and he told me that he had passed. I wish I had been with him though. He was my oldest rat, nearly 3 1/2 years old. I miss him so much. Our vet kept saying that he was her favorite rat. When I took him over to be cremated, the front desk staff knew us and were very sweet and sympathetic. And they knew that our vet would be sad and they went to get her. She came out to see me and gave me the very best hug and cried with me. I miss my bright-eyed boy. I always called him my precious and my pill and he was so sweet and cute.
In other good news, I got my hair done. Kevin took me to see Moonage Daydream a while back and I was thinking that I really liked David Bowie's hair in his Thin White Duke and the Man Who Fell to Earth days. So I asked my hairstylist to use that for inspiration. I love it. I posted a photo on my Instagram if you haven't seen it.
I read more books this last month than I thought I would. I will keep my reviews very brief.
Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Narrator: Neil Gaiman
Synopsis/Thoughts: I don't think I need to keep reviewing this book. I love it very much and I read it every year and I never fail to cry at the end.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars
Title: Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places
Author: Colin Dickey
Narrator: Jon Lindstrom
Synopsis: A historical look at haunted places and what makes them haunted.
Thoughts: This was a good read if you like history, which I do. The author visits a few places so you get some first-hand view points. He also talks about what makes places haunted in the minds of people.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars
Title: The Dead Romantics
Author: Ashley Poston
Narrator: Eileen Stevens
Synopsis: Florence is a ghost writer for a famous romance author, but after a terrible break up, she can't seem to find the romantic inspiration she needs to finish a series. Her (handsome) new editor demands the document ASAP, even as she is called away after the death of her father. Oh, and she can see ghosts.
Thoughts: I didn't really know what to expect and I definitely guessed what was happening early on. But I enjoyed it more than I expected to. It was a nice read and I plan to re-read it in the future.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars
Title: I Choose Darkness
Author: Jenny Lawson
Narrator: Jenny Lawson
Synopsis: A short essay about why Jenny Lawson loves Halloween and spooky things.
Thoughts: In general, I enjoy Jenny Lawson's books. This was a very short listen, only about 30 minutes or so. And it was enjoyable.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars
Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Narrators: Greg Wise and others
Synopsis/Thoughts: I have read/listened to this several times. I don't think I need to say much about it. I always enjoy this book. I love that it is written in diary entries, letters, and such things. Great classic.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars
Title: Gallant
Author: V. E. Schwab
Synopsis: Olivia never knew her parents, all she has is her mother's old journal. Until she gets a letter inviting her to her ancestral home. The one her mother warned her to stay away from.
Thoughts: This may not be my favorite of her books, but I did really enjoy it. The fact that Olivia couldn't speak and could see ghouls was interesting. There were a few parts that creeped me out, perfect for Halloween.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars
Titles: Sandry's Book and Tris's Book
Author: Tamora Pierce
Synopsis/Thoughts: These are the first two books in the Circle of Magic series. They are comfort reads for me and I always enjoy them.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars
Title: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Author: Josephine Leslie (Pseudonym: R. A. Dick)
Narrator: Elizabeth Jasicki
Synopsis/Thoughts: Another book I have read many times over. I love this book. Maybe not very spooky, but wonderful.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars
Title: All These Bodies
Author: Kendare Blake
Narrator: Matt Godfrey
Synopsis: A series of murders in the 1950s comes to a small town. The strange thing is that all the bodies found are drained of blood. In this small town, they have their first suspect. A girl found at the scene of the crime, drenched in the blood of the murdered family.
Thoughts: There were some parts of this book that spooked me. And I would like a sequel because of the ending. But I definitely enjoyed it and thought about it when I wasn't reading/listening.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars
Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Narrator: Samara MacLaren
Synopsis: Mika is part of a group (a very secret society, if you ask her) of witches. Being a witch means witches are not supposed to gather for too long and they must keep their magic separate. But Mika gets a job offer that breaks all the rules, but one that she is just right for.
Thoughts: This was a last minute addition to my spooky reads. It was very sweet and cute. I enjoyed it. If you like found families, it is worth a read.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars
Favorite book read this month: Besides the Graveyard Book and the Ghost and Mrs. Muir? I really enjoyed the Dead Romantics and the Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Least favorite book read this month: All These Bodies, only because it had the lowest rating. I did enjoy it.
I have now read 75 books and my goal was 60. So that's good.
I hope everyone had a lovely October and a great Halloween!
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