Monthly Wrap Up: October 2019

Life Stuff

As always, October was busy. My life is just not calming down. I ended September (WRAP UP LINK) by moving into a new house, and so a lot of October was spent getting used to the new place and figuring out where we were going to put everything. We have SO MUCH space in our new house, which I’m thrilled by, and so we’re going to have to buy some furniture to make it look a bit more lived in. We have a new, much bigger sofa being delivered in November, and then I’m going to focus on furnishing the library room. I’m struggling to find the perfect armchair, though, so if you have any suggestions or recommendations, do shout!

Things have been eventful at work as well. Firstly, I’ve been training someone in their new role (one of my old roles), and that’s zapped a lot of my energy. I haven’t really been online much because of that. The commute hasn’t helped, since it’s currently way, way longer than it should be due to roadworks. I literally cannot get out of my town without hitting at least three sets, no matter which route I take. It’s draining, and so all I want to do when I get home is nap or play games. But on the plus side, we did have a week at the office dedicated to raising awareness for the current climate crisis. I was very appreciative about and keen for that. I just hope that my company keeps this up, and it wasn’t just a phase.

Despite being really, really busy in October, I also managed to fit in some pretty awesome things. First of all, there was GollanczFest, which has made a triumphant return this year. I spent most of my day with Justine (and her Scottish Husband) and Judith, and I also met Maggie, which was lovely! I had a really good time listening to the panels (especially the discussions that got quite heated because DRAMA), and Quill also really enjoyed himself, which I was glad about. I wasn’t sure how he would find sitting around all day listening to authors, but he found it all really interesting. I did have to leave early because we were going to a housewarming party (which sucked), which was a shame, but I guess I’ll be back next year!

Quill also booked a surprise for me – walking a silver fox! We spent a couple of hours on a farm walking this guy around and feeding him berries. He was an absolute sweetheart, and it was really interesting to learn about how silver foxes are entirely domesticated now because of the fur trade.

Then, of course, there was the 24 Hour Readathon, in which I read two and a half books! I love Dewey’s Readathon and I take part at least once a year. I love how the community comes together for it! Did you take part? How did your reading go?

Books Read

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1. Thornhill by Pam Smy ★★
2. Fan the Fame by Anna Priemaza ★★★.5
3. If You’re Out There by Katy Loutzenhiser ★★★.5
4. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys ★★★
5. American Predator by Maureen Callahan ★★
6. The Whisper Man by Alex North ★★★★
7. Through the Woods by Emily Carroll ★★
8. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch ★★★★
9. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab ★★★
10. The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy ★★★
11. The Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Platts ★★.5
12. Do No Harm by Henry Marsh ★★★
13. The Escape Room by Megan Goldin ★★.5
14. Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick ★★★.5
15. All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban ★★★★
16. I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rish ★★★

On the Blog & In the Blogosphere

I only really had reviews going on on Books of Amber during October because I was struggling to find the time to write any more creative posts.

• The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy
• Fan the Fame by Anna Priemaza
• If You’re Out There by Katy Loutzenhiser

I’ve been a bit behind when it comes to keeping up with everyone’s blogs, but I did a little bit of reading over the course of the month. These area few of my faves.

• Samantha wrote about her five star reads for October.
• Caitlin asked why reading is so unpopular.
• Laura shared what she learnt from blogging every day (!) in October.
• Laura also talked about why she doesn’t DNF.
• Taasia shared her bullet journal spreads!

Movies, TV Shows, and Games

Quill and I have been watching a lot of TV recently. It takes less concentration than blogging and Booktubing, so I’ve been having a whale of a time marathoning shows. We’re currently on Season 3 of Supernatural (I’m trying to rewatch it all before the final season ends, but that might be a long shot), and we’re obviously loving it. We started Season 2 of Scrubs (which I’m not such a fan of but I like a few of the characters), and I introduced Quill to Modern Family (which he is unexpectedly REALLY into). Basically, I have great taste in TV and everyone should listen to me.

I haven’t watched many movies, although I did make all my friends watch Scream with me. I used to be obsessed with that franchise when I was younger, and could probably quote the whole thing from memory. Quill and I also watched District 9, which was a lot more emotional than I was expecting! I got very attached to the aliens.

We’ve also been playing our way through the Gears of War series. We finished the first two games, and we’re currently about a quarter of the way through the third. The games improve massively, which I’m happy about, because the first one stressed me out more than anything.

Looking Ahead

November is going to be another busy one. I’m not sure if there’s any point in my noting that down anymore! First of all we have our anniversary, for which we’re going on a spa weekend. That should be nice and relaxing, and I’m hoping to fit a lot of reading in while I’m lounging around and being pampered. Quill and I also decided we would have a “no phones” weekend so that we’re properly off the grid.

My mum and Quill’s parents are coming to visit (on two separate days – I’m not ready for them to meet yet!) and to see the house, so that’ll be nice. We’re going to a fireworks display on the 9^th with Quill’s family, and I have to say that it’s the best fireworks display in the county and I cannot wait for it.

Then we have both of our birthdays coming up as well! Mine is on the 14^th, which is a Thursday, so I’ve booked that day off work along with the following day, so I can enjoy a really long weekend. I’m not doing anything special on the day, but on the 16^th we’re going ice skating at the Natural History Museum and I’ll probably pop into Waterstones Piccadilly to FINALLY break my book buying ban. Quill’s birthday is right at the end of the month, and we’re not doing anything exciting for his until December. That’s a secret though, so I’m not going to post about it here in case he sees!