October 2015 Wrap Up

Wow! Wow! Wow! I don't even remember the last time that I did a monthly wrap up post, but I know it's been months! I don't even remember why I stopped, but I realized that I missed doing little wrap ups, so I'm bringing them back to The Hardcover Lover.

I cannot believe that October is over! It's really kind of sad. I didn't even really get to do any fall things like pumpkin or apple picking, but I did get to judge my town's Halloween parade this year! I also had a pretty good reading month, and we'll get to all of that in just a minute.

Books Read in October

Links Will Take You to My Review

• Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi - It had been a while since I read the first book in Ms. Satrapi's series of autobiographical memoirs, so I decided to finally read this one to conclude Banned Books Week. I really enjoyed it, and if you're curious about it, or the first book, I highly recommend them.
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - I read and liked Fangirl, so I was more than a little curious about Carry On. While I didn't love it, I really liked it, and I'm glad that I went with my gut and read it.
• Red Girl, Blue Boy by Lauren Baratz-Logsted - I was really happy when I saw that Bloomsbury sent me a NetGalley widget for this book because I'm a huge fan of politics. (I work the polls every election day, and I'm seriously considering a career change to politics.) While I wasn't super impressed with this one, I found it to be a quick and cute read.
• Kid Athletes by David Stabler - I managed to win a copy of this Quirk Books title, and I really enjoyed reading about some of the best athletes as children. My review will go live next week, but if you're a school librarian or parent, you should consider ordering a copy of this book right now!
• Wandering Star by Romina Russell - YES! Wandering Star was my most anticipated book of the year, and I'm so happy that Romina worked her butt off to make sure that an ARC showed up in my mailbox because it's amazeballs! My review for this one is scheduled to go up in December, but just do yourself a favor and order it now.
• The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen by Katherine Howe - Ummm, that thing about me not liking paranormal books might have just changed! Penguin Teen sent this to me, and I am in love. This is one of the best books I've read this year.

Books Hauled in October

I stopped doing Stacking the Shelves a while ago, but I thought this would be a great way to share what books I've bought and received.

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Illustrated Edition) by J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Kay - Ummm. How could I not resist this book? It's been on my radar for a while, and I'm so glad that I bought it. It's gorgeous!
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - I love Rainbow Rowell. I collect her books, so I needed it. 
• One by Sarah Crossan - I won this book, and I'm looking forward to finding the time to read it.
• Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass - I have all of The Selection books, so I obviously needed to buy this for myself. The illustrations inside are gorgeous!
• Wandering Star by Romina Russell - Many thanks to Romina and Penguin Teen for making sure that I got an ARC of this book! I loved it!
• The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen by Katherine Howe - Again, thanks to Penguin Teen for sending me a finished copy of this book. I loved it and participating in Wicked Reads.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - Ummm... My hardcover copy was apparently a second edition, and I needed the first edition for reasons.
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - My copy was falling apart, so I grabbed a spare hardcover at Half Price Books.
• The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver - This was another giveaway win. My mom currently has possession of it, but I cannot wait to read it! I love me some middle grade.
• Return Once More by Trisha Leigh - I'm on a blog tour for this title, so look out for a review soon!
• Things I Can't Explain by Mitchell Kriegman - Thanks to all the wonderful people at St. Martin's for sending a copy of this to me. I am looking forward to reading all about Clarissa's life!
• So You Want to Be a Jedi? by Adam Gidwitz - I had recently purchased the first book in this series of Star Wars novelizations, so I needed the next one.
• Beware the Power of the Dark Side - by Tom Angleberger - Same thing as above. I needed all of these books.
• Lost Stars by Claudia Gray - Another Star Wars book. I'm kind of obsessed, and this one just looks like it's going to be epic!
• Hello? by Liza Wiemer - I won a copy of Hello? on Twitter, and it came the other day. Thanks, Liza! I'm looking forward to reading your book!

Blogging News

A few new features have popped up on The Hardcover Lover this month, and I really hope you're enjoying them. 

During Banned Books Week, I did a mini-series of posts about some of my favorite banned books. While most of Banned Books Week took place during September, it spilled over into October, so my feature did too. If you're curious about some of my favorite banned books, check out the feature and other Banned Books Week posts. 

Another thing that I'm hugely excited for is Sassy's Fangirl Debuts! That's right. I'm one of Talina's secret agents! Her feature debuted this month, and you can check out my first mission - an open letter to Emily Martin. I'm looking forward to participating in more of Talina's secret missions and sharing information on all of these amazing debut authors with you.

Looking Back on October

So October wasn't a bad month for me at all. Now even though I didn't pick apples or carve a pumpkin, I think I had a pretty fun time. I live in Pennsylvania, and the leaves are just beautiful right now. There are golden yellows, oranges, and reds, and it just makes for some of the best driving time.

I also told you about that Halloween parade, right? Well I volunteer to pass out candy every year, but this year, I somehow managed to be a judge! It was kind of weird because all of the other judges were in their forties or older, but I had a great time with them. It was also really cute to see all the kids in their costumes, and some of them even hammed it up for us! I laughed so much. And some of these parents... OMG. The homemade costumes were insane, but I know my mom always worked hard on ours so we could win that $25 prize!

I also put some new music on my iPod, but I'll admit that Adele and One Direction are currently being played the most. I'm just in love with Adele's "Hello." I keep singing to my cat, Luna, and let's just say that it confuses her. I am so ready for the rest of her CD, and I'm thrilled that she's back! I've missed her. I'm also really into "Perfect" by One Direction. I love the beat and the lyrics. Don't judge me!

I've also been taking to Instagram again. It comes in phases for me, but I've been inspired lately. I'm even thinking of possibly taking more professional looking Bookstagram pictures. I'll let you know if I decide to make an account just for The Hardcover Lover.

Also, I hit 1K on Twitter! I just wanted to say thanks for that. I might do a giveaway for it soon, but I'm kind of saving for the holidays right now. (I'll probably do a huge giveaway when I hit 500 blog followers, though.)

Now... the biggest fangirl thing I did this October was order my tickets to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I'm literally so freaking excited for this movie. You don't even know! OMG. I don't know if you all know this, but I love Star Wars. I remember watching the original movies with my uncle, and then he took me to see The Phantom Menace when it came out. I even asked my mom to make me a Queen Amidala costume for Halloween that year.

I'm sure Tika, Talina, and Blessie are getting annoyed with my daily Star Wars freak outs, but I'm just so freaking excited. I've been reading some Star Wars books and watching all the other movies again to tide me over, but I need it to be December 17 now! (I somehow snagged tickets for that night instead of the midnight showing, which is so much better because I get to brag to people that I saw it before opening day!)

Looking Ahead

I'm telling you all right now... there is a huge, huge, huge surprise coming up on The Hardcover Lover, and I hope to reveal it in November. I'm not giving you any hints about it, but I think you will all enjoy it.

I've got a few ARC reviews and blog tours coming up in November, and I hope that you all take the time to read them. I'm also planning on binge reading some series, so look out for even more reviews. 

I'm also planning on just enjoying the rest of the autumnal season. My mom is apparently making lasagna for Thanksgiving, so that will be amazing! I'm also looking forward to snuggling up to my blankets on Thanksgiving morning to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade and usher in the Christmas season.