October 2023 TBR and MBR
Introduction
September 2023 was one of the most challenging reading months that I had so far; I read just a few books, probably about one a week. It is not bad in general but it is quite far from my usual standards, especially for 2023.
Yet, these situations are fine, sometimes we cannot control circumstances outside of our control and sometimes there isn’t enough drive to experience hobbies or passion. For me, not only work kept me busier than usual, it is also normal and okay to have a month where my brain wants to explore different content!
So, I am excited to see what happens in October and I cannot wait to share my goals for October. I want to push myself and, as a result, the plans are quite ambitious so I need to enable myself to find the time and the will for reading!
To-be-read list
Books in this list do not get the reading guarantee (case in point, last month!); yet, this list contains the stories the priority reads for the month!
Let’s start with the buddy reads: Traitor’s Blade (and possibly Knight’s Shadow) by Sebastien de Castell, book one in the Greatcoats, Blood of the Chosen by Django Wexler, book two in Burningblade and Silvereye (and the ending of the first book was fantastic and I cannot wait how things develop) and the explosive ending to The Age of Madness, The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie.
The ability to interact with other readers and, specifically, fantasy readers from all over the world is pure beauty and it makes me want to read more and share more than usual!
I also have plans to push through a couple of books in the Shadows of the Apt series, with The Sea Watch and the Heirs of the Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I still have the goal to complete this series by the end of the year (the feeling of accomplishment would be outstanding in this case).
I have also committed to reading The Will of the Many by James Islington, starting The Hierarchy series. His The Licanius Trilogy was one of my favorite series (and still is) having a strong plot, great world building and relatable characters; yet, it is admittedly heavily inspired by The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings (with plenty of modern takes on topics and tropes, great execution). This little detour to say that I really want to read a story inspired by the Roman Empire (and there aren’t many stories inspired by it; I only know of Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown - and I will have to put this series on my 2024 list - and Codex Alera by Jim Butcher).
There is one thing that is preponderant in this list though: all these books are written by male authors. I need to better balance my reading for next month (and I think I have a couple of ideas how to do so) but I also want to put a must read for October with The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Yet, it is a re-read but there is a reason for it: next month I want do dive into the duology set in this world, called The Cemeteries of Amalo (and I own a Broken Binding special edition of it, so I cannot wait to push that read in November!).
Might-be-read list
There are much less books on this series, at this moment in time. I have a few women in fantasy in this list, with V.E. Schwab’s Vicious (so I can read the Villains series and complete it by next month) and Vaishnavi Patel’s Kaikeyi.
I will also include a few different books in the list this month: the new release The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft (magical mysteries and alchemy had me sold), The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu (kicking off The War Arts Saga and book two will shortly be released too) and, last but not least, Gods of the Wyrdwood (book one in the Foresaken series) by R.J. Parker.
Urban fantasy
Last month, I opted for a hectic listening experience to urban fantasy as I wanted to experience as many heroines in this space that I could make a cohesive list (if you have not read the post, here is your link!).
So October will be focused on Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews, and continue my adventure with Magic Strikes. I wonder how many books of the series I will be experience. I am quite excited to see how Kate and Jim will continue to collaborate; I am curious to see how her aunt-like role to Derek will develop and I want to know more about Andrea!
October - a great month in the planning
I cannot wait to experience these stories and get to know new authors for me (such as Viashnavi Patel or Wesley Chu or R.J. Parker). I cannot wait to go through these entertaining and engaging stories!
What are you plans for October? Do you plan readings for the month/quarter/year? How do you hold yourself accountable to make progress? Let everyone know in the comments down below!
