Hey Bookworm friends, happy November! Yesterday we had an unseasonably warm day, just for Halloween, and now we’re back to more normal autumn weather. October was insanely busy; every weekend was packed, and we had lots to do even on weekdays! It’s one of my favourite months because of Halloween and Autumnal Nature Walks. That being said, my reading suffered and my blog schedule was unceremoniously thrown out the window. Overall, though I had so much fun, I’m glad November brings peace and calm so I can return to my routine.
October Highlights
- We had a surprise visit from my aunt who lives in Florida. I basically dropped everything else to spend a few days with her and my family. We ate good food, played games, and went on a gorgeous autumnal walk.
- My dad went to Colombia and we stayed with my mom to keep her company and walk the dogs together. When my dad came back, he brought us a pile of my favourite Colombian snacks!
- Lots of birthdays, celebrations, and friend game nights.
- I dressed up as Evie from The Mummy for Halloween and got Cheeto his first Halloween costume!
What I Watched In October
We continue our Taskmaster obsession by also watching the Australian version. We watched S1 and in the middle of S2. I also decided to rewatch some of my favourite shows for the Halloween vibes. Anything with a pumpkin is perfect for Halloween viewing. We also went to the movies to see The Wild Robot and it’s easily my favourite movie of 2024!
Finished Watching
- Taskmaster Australia (S1)
- Hazbin Hotel (S1, Rewatch) 🎃
- Chocolat
- The Wild Robot
Currently Watching
- Taskmaster Australia (S3)
- The Fall of the House of Usher 🎃
- Heartstopper (S3)
- The Owl House (S1, Rewatch) 🎃
What I Listened To In October
- This is History: A Dynasty to Die For │ In Conversation with Dan Jones and a series of guests. While we wait for season 6 there are some really fun episodes where Dan speaks with different guests about their specific topics of expertise and they have been great for adding more History Nonfiction books to my TBR!
- 🎃 It’s Always Halloween podcast with host Lucé Tomlin-Brenner. I started listening to a few episodes and it was fun to listen about the history and origins of Halloween.
Games I Played in October
- I’ve been trying a couple of visual novel games lately and the current one I’m playing is called Brassica: A Marry Tale. So far the story is cute but nothing groundbreaking The princess needs to marry and the princes from neighbouring kingdoms are invited to vie for her hand. But the princess has other plans and sends them on a wild goose chase. So far I’m having fun but not very invested and it feels like the actual ‘game’ element is minimal, it’s more just clicking through text and not making many choices. At that point, I’d just rather read a novel! I’m beginning to wonder if visual novel games might not be for me but I’m not ready to give up on them just yet.
- Canvas is a creative abstract strategy & puzzle game where you layer see-through cards on top of each other to create pieces of art. I loved this concept and enjoyed the level of strategy, I’d play this again without hesitation!
- My husband and I have been wanting to play Everdell for years! The game at our local board game cafe is missing the tree, which is a bummer because it adds so much whimsy but it’s not strictly necessary for gameplay so we decided it was time! The adorable forest animal aesthetic is so immersive! The strategy was harder than I was expecting and I made several big errors but now that I know how it works I am looking forward to trying again and making an even better little animal city!
Around The Blogosphere
- how many ebooks can I read in 24 hours? The Timer Challenge 2.0 (Sophie @ Me & Ink)
- 13 Best Horror Books with BIPOC Main Characters (Liv @ Livinliterary)
- Favorite Fictional Creatures of the Night (Part 3) (Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads)
- Spooky Book Recs Paranormal Romance, Horror & Manga (Caro @ Bookcheshirecat)
- Top Ten Tuesday: Ten More Great Indie & Small Press Dark Fantasy Books (Athena @OneReadingNurse)
Reviews:
- REVIEW: THE WANDERINGS OF BALTHUS OR A DELIGHTFUL MIX OF OLD AND NEW (Susy @ Susy’s Cozy World)
- Tale of the Flying Forest Book Tour (Vero @ The Moon Phoenix)
- THE BLACK HUNGER by Nicholas Pullen – Review (Tammy @ Books, Bones, & Buffy)
Let’s chat in the comments!
What was the highlight of your month? Or if you know of any visual novel games that are more interactive, please let me know!
Are you a Dan fan? I haven’t tried his histories proper but enjoyed the novel and medieval retelling I encountered from him.
I am a big Dan fan but only from his Podcast so far. I have not read any of his books yet but both the nonfic and fiction ones sound so good! I’m glad you liked the ones you tried out by him 🙂
It looks and sounds like you’ve had a fantastic month. I bet Cheeto loved getting to go on lots of walks. And it’s lovely that you got a surprise visit from your aunt, how sweet. It sounds like you had a good Halloween and fit in lots of seasonal movies. What did you think of Chocolat? I really want to read the books one day. I’m glad you enjoyed The Wild Robot so much too. Canvas sounds different/fun and I’ve never heard of Sverdell but the box is so sweet 🥰 I really need to learn more boardgames.
I hope you have a wonderful November 🥰
Yes I think Cheeto liked going for nice walks and he also loved all the family time because he gets that much more spoiled + extra attention. The visit from my aunt was a complete surprise, she planned it last minute so I was truly surprised when she showed up at my door 🤣🤣
I liked Chocolat, I honestly was worried coz I didn’t think I would but I was very invested and I found it charming, It made me want to read the book too!
omg the Wild Robot had me in absolute tears for a while!
I recommend both of those games if you like strategy games and If you have a board game cafe close to you that’s the perfect place to try out new games and see if you like them. I’m kind of bummed the place we go to changed how they operate and they got a lot more expensive now!! 😥😡
Aww thank you, I hope you have a fabulous November too 🥰!!!
Aww yes I imagine he would love that. It’s wonderful watching your pets get spoiled 🥰 oh wow, major surprise then. Lucky you were in 😂
Yay I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve had films I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy too. There’s a couple of books, including a prequel that’s out next year I think. I have high hopes for it though as I adored the short story collection that I read by the author
Aww that sounds like a powerful animation then.
Oh no what do they do differently now? That’s so annoying. I’ll have to look into if there’s one or not. There used to be one but it changed to a sushi place (why?? I’ve never got the appeal, although I like fish). I’ll have to Google if there’s any others. You’re right that they’re a good place to try them though as games can be so pricey.
Thank you 🥰🥰
Yes, his happiness brings me so much joy 🤩! Haha lucky indeed, because especially with the hurricane season in FL my aunt’s area was spared the worst of it so we were happy 🙂
Thanks 🙂 & there’s a couple of books including a prequel next year of what? Chocolat or something different?
&Yes I love a good animated movie! The cafe just basically made it so that now you pay a lot more up front and they include some teas and coffees in that price but if you want a discount you have to have alcohol so they made it just more expensive overall and like sometimes I don’t want alcohol 🙄. So annoying.
Oh sorry to hear your board game cafe got switched for something you don’t love.
I can imagine 🥰 having seen some of the damage on the news I’m really glad to hear that ❤️ yes Chocolat. I just doubled checked and it’s set six years before the others.
I really need to try and watch them more. I tend to really enjoy the movies like Paddington that mix it with live action so I should enjoy them too though.
Oh that’s so frustrating. I imagine it’s to try and get people to buy more alcohol as it costs more but that’s so frustrating. I tend to associate those types of cafes with tea and cake tbh. I think it’s goes well with the whole comfy board game feel.
Yeah it was quite scary to see the damage for sure. Oh wow okay I had no clue, that’s good to know!
Oh my gosh I loved The Paddington movies so much, except I don’t think I’ve seen the newest one yet!
Yes exactly it makes people buy more alcohol and it simultaneously makes the place less family-friendly which It has always been! Yes that’s true I often have teas and desserts there, I agree it’s that cozy board game feel!
Definitely. It’s hard to believe how much devastation nature can cause sometimes.
I saw it today and I liked it but not as much as the other two. Just as a heads up the actress playing the mum has changed which kind of threw me at first.
That’s so annoying, surely it’ll put some people off going. It’s a shame they don’t do the alcohol focus on certain times or something.
Everdell looks interesting. I looked it up and there is another version (not just expansion) – Farshore. Some say it is Everdell improved and some say it’s not as good. Have you seen it at your game cafe?
Ohhh this is all brand new information for me! I have not heard of Farshore and now I really want to try it out too. Though I think I want to play Everdell again another time so I can get better used to the way it works before comparing it. I haven’t seen it at the local cafe but next time I go I’ll keep an eye out for it!! Thanks for the tip 😉🤩!!
Sounds like a fun, busy month! I love Cheeto’s costume😁 And thank you for sharing my review!
It really was, thanks so much! & haha thanks, my little spider-dog definitely stole the show at the Halloween party lol 😂 My pleasure, I loved your review !!🖤
I love this time of year too, nice pics! And your puppy is so cute. October flew by so quickly. The nature walks have been nice with the Fall views.
What a gorgeous time of year and thanks so much! 🐶🖤 October flew by for me too, I hope we can both enjoy a couple more nature walks before it gets too cold!
Those games look like so much fun! 😍 Everdell in particular looks so cute. It sounds like you had a great October. Cheeto’s costume is adorable! I also watched The Wild Robot and I loved it so much. It was so sweet and touching and such a great story told in so little time. I hope you have a great November 🙂
Ahah yess I have such a soft spot for anything that’s about cute little animals and Everdell is cute AND fun! Thank you, I’m glad you liked Cheeto’s costume 🖤. He liked it too coz it’s warm and fuzzy so I’m happy lol.
I agree, the Wild Robot was just so well done and got me all emotional! Thanks, Dini, I hope you have a great November too🥰!!
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