Here we are once again, my friends — it’s Wednesday! And that means it’s time to check in on those current and recent reads.

What a whirlwind October has been for me thus far, with work picking up speed and my social life following along with it. As much as I feel that inward pull to curl up and read, I haven’t had as much time to indulge it as I’d like, since things have been very go go go of late. 

While I’ve been back to the office since July 2020, I think the rest of the city must be catching up, because traffic has been on the rise on my commute, lengthening it from 25ish minutes to 45 on the particularly busy days. This has been a difficult adjustment, but it does mean I’m getting more dedicated audiobook time in, so there’s that. 

Now that we’ve had a general check in, let’s check in on the week in books!

(Full disclosure: links to specific books are Bookshop affiliate links, which earn me a small commission if you choose to purchase.)

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Recent Reads

I finished The Witch Haven late last week, and it was quite the ride! A more unpredictable, darker plot got October off to a spooky start, and it really does feel like the season of the witch now. My full review is up if you’d like to check it out: ‘The Witch Haven’ Casts a Powerful Spell
Don’t expect it to feel like going back to Hogwartsmedium.com

I also finished my audiobook listen, Cultish, and realized it was the audio read I’d been waiting for. Such a fascinating, informative read with the kind of writing style I adore in my investigative nonfiction. The narrator gives a great performance, as well, making it easy to sink right into this one. Highly recommend, and did do a review of this one as well if you’d like to learn more. 

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Current Reads

I started The Ex Hex and took it along with me on our little weekend getaway, but haven’t breezed through it like I expected to thus far. It’s fun and magical and I can’t really pinpoint why it hasn’t sucked me in. I think it’s a combination of general burnout and the fact that second-chance romances are not my favorite, nor are romances that alternate POVs. 

Hopefully as the week lightens out I’ll be able to really dig into this one and enjoy it more. 

Audiobook wise, I was thrilled to be approved for my very first digital ARC on Netgalley (thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media!) I’m listening to Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter Words and really enjoying it. 

I will say, the voice the narrator uses for the hero isn’t my favorite, as it’s a Southern accent that sounds quite a bit like Sandy Cheeks from Spongebob. Which, needless to say, has not got me swooning in the least bit. Still, overall I think I’m going to really enjoy this one. 

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Up Next

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m buddy reading Payback’s a Witch with a friend, and our goal is to finish by the end of the month. So, this one is next in line for me after I finish The Ex Hex. 

Several holiday-themed books are waiting in the wings but I’m going to wait until mid November to get started with those. Instead, I’m going to work through some of my digital ARCs and get caught up on reviews with my next few reads so that NetGalley shelf of shame is a bit less, well… shameful. 

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The Book Ball’s In Your Court

That’s my week in reading since last we Wednesday’d. 

What about you? Read anything good lately, or have an upcoming book you’re excited to get to? Let me know!

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