spell the month in books | Bookshelf Fantasies

Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Jana at Reviews from the Stacks. To participate, find a book title that starts with each letter in the month’s name, make a list, share your link, and that’s it! You can share anytime by the end of the month. Some months have additional themes, but feel free to participate however you’d like!

This month’s theme is Trick or Treat: books that you feel strongly about, whether positively or negatively.

Last month was my first time trying this meme, and I thought it was so much fun that I’m back for more. I’m even trying the theme this time! Here are my OCTOBER books:

O:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Trick or Treat? Treat! I loved Outlander immediately, and have read it (and the entire series) many times so far… and probably will again!

C:

Carrie by Stephen King
Trick or Treat? Trick… but in an awesomely horrific way. I think I was way too young when I first encountered Carrie. (Middle school girls dealing with first periods probably should NOT read this book… much safer to read from the comfort of adulthood!) Later, coming back to Carrie, I was better able to appreciate Stephen King’s talents without it feeling quite so visceral.

T:

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Trick or Treat? Trick… I didn’t hate this book (I gave it a 3-star review), but the workplace romance aspect creates so many problematic situations that I just couldn’t enjoy it as a whole, despite the parts that I actually liked.

O:

One Salt Sea (October Daye, #5) by Seanan McGuire
Trick or Treat? Treat! I love the October Daye series to pieces, and this book, relatively early in the overall series, moves the story in new directions in a really spectacular way.

B:

Battle of the Bookstops by Poppy Alexander
Trick or Treat? Trick… with a little hint of treats mixed in. What’s not to love about a book about battling bookstores? This should have been cute, but just did not deliver. I like some elements, but overall, this was a letdown (See more, here)

E:

Emma by Jane Austen
Trick or Treat? Treat! I’ve loved Emma from the start, and the audiobook version I’ve listened to (narrated by the amazing Juliet Stevenson) makes me laugh every time.

R:

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Trick or Treat? Treat! Ish… I enjoyed all of the Bridgerton books, but they do require a certain willingness to look past cringey sex scenes and a few over-the-top descriptions. Still, these books are generally loads of fun and go down like candy.

Happy October to all! If you spelled the month in books, please leave me a link to your post — I’d love to see it!

I see that the September theme is Something to Savor, which might include longer books, books that have been on your TBR a long time, some that have food on the cover or in the title, or simply a few favorites.

Since this is my first time participating, I’m going to keep it simple and just focus on the titles without applying a theme. Here are my SEPTEMBER books: