What I read in October 2021

If you’ve been around here for a while then you’ll know I love reading. In fact a few years ago I used to write regular book reviews on here. I fell out of love with them though so I stopped. Last year I posted a few bookish posts though and I really enjoyed writing them. So I’ve decided to give monthly book round-ups a go instead. Here’s what I read in October.

My reading was back to it’s usual pace in October and I managed to get through 3 books. Which has been around average each month for me. I would have liked to have read a few more spooky books for the season bit hitting my average wasn’t too bad.

Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween

Author: Lisa Morton | Genre: Non-fiction | Length: 229 pages

To kick things off in October I went with a book I’ve been wanting to read for a couple of years now. I absolutely love Halloween and I’d seen a few mentions of this book so I picked it up earlier in the year and saved it for spooky month. While it wasn’t a very long book I felt it was just right to have a good overview and history of Halloween. There were a few bits in it I didn’t already know and overall I found it quite an interesting book on Halloween.

The book covers a number of topics such as the misunderstandings of Halloween, early celebrations in the U.K., the introduction of Halloween in American and other associated festivities such as Dias de los Muertos and finally how Halloween has impacted popular culture. If you’re a hardcore Halloween fan it’s definitely worth a read but I can understand how the average person would also find the book a bit heavy going. Overall though I enjoyed it and found out some very interesting things from it.

Graveyard Billy

Author: David Irons | Genre: Horror | Length: 325 pages

A book about a black cat that can see and communicate with the dead? Count me in! I was desperate to enjoy this book just based on the front cover and the fact I have my own little black cat but I went into it thinking it would be a fun, kind of cheesy read. What I wasn’t expecting was to also feel really sad at parts of the book.

Graveyard Billy is a black cat with a special gift, he can communicate with the dead. But strange things have been happening and there’s a so called “Graveyard Killer” on the loose. One evening Graveyard Billy’s life changes forever when his loving owner, Piper, is murdered by the Graveyard Killer. The cat is left alone in the world to live feral in the cemetary. But he isn’t alone for long. When he witnesses the spirit of a recently deceased girl, Kelly, try and attach herself to her family and fail she attaches to the only other living thing in sight, Graveyard Billy. Together the pair make a deal, if Graveyard Billy helps Kelly get home to see her family one last time then she’ll help him find Piper’s spirit. Along the way the pair encounter many odd happenings that all lead them to finding out who the Graveyard Killer is.

There were a lot of moments in this book where I actually felt really sad and worried for Graveyard Billy. I usually find if books have anything to do with animals being in danger then my emotions run high. That aside though I was pleasantly surprised with this book. As if mentioned I was expecting quite a light hearted, slightly cheesy novel but it was quite the opposite. It’s certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I really loved this book. Me and my mum read it around the same time and she just thought it was OK whereas I absolutely raced through it and loved it.

The Bewitching of Aveline Jones

Author: Phil Hickes | Genre: Children’s Horror | Length: 256 pages

After reading the first book in the Aveline Jones series (The Haunting of Aveline Jones) last year and really enjoying it, I figured it was about time I got round to reading the next book that’s not long since being released. I honestly really enjoy reading older children’s book and young adult fiction as I think they’re often fantastically written and this series is no exception.

When Aveline and her mum head to a holiday cottage to escape city life for the summer, Aveline is beyond thrilled to find out that the cottage sits beside an ancient stone circle known to locals as the Witch Stones. Aveline is desperate to learn everything she can about the stones. But then she meets Hazel, mysterious, beautiful, charming, funny but very friendly , Hazel isn’t like anyone Aveline’s ever met. Hazel seems lonely and desperate for a friend and the two girls quickly become very close. But Hazel has a secret that could but Aveline in a lot of danger.

What sets out as a calm, idyllic holiday soon turns into something much more sinister. With the help of her friend, Harold, Aveline must learn more about the witch stones and about Hazel before it’s too late.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series but this one was even better. I absolutely loved the story. While it was a quick and easy read, the storyline was super interesting and I found it to be a real page turner. I’m praying that there’ll be more Aveline Jones books because it’s such a great little series!

So they were October’s books. A pretty great month I’d say. I’ve mentioned it before but if I’m not enjoying a book then I no longer waste my time reading it which is why my books reviews never have a rating lower than 3 stars. There’s too many good books out there to spend time reading things you’re not enjoying. Hopefully I can maintain my average for November before I get on to the Christmas books in December!

Have you read any of these books? What did you read in October? Let me know in the comments.