2018 Reading Updates: October Update

October’s come and gone and – you guys… This month was weird. I mean, you know this already if you follow me on Twitter, but I got hit with an actual pile of over 1000 texts to correct. I double checked the math twice. 1000 is the correct number. Suffice it to say: reading was an escape. In between getting sick, drowning in work, it still being like 28°C halfway through month? I was craving Christmas. That’s all I’m saying. It’s my 2018 Reading Updates October Update!

What I read

1. Dear Santa: A Novel, Nancy Naigle
2. Another Day in Winter, Shari Low
3. A Season To Celebrate, Fern Michaels (collection)
4. Santa’s On His Way, Lisa Jackson
5. The Little Christmas Teashop of Second Chances, Donna Ashcroft
6. Come Away With Me, Maddie Please (review)
7. Cupcakes for Christmas, Kate Hewitt
8. Happily Ever After at the Dog and Duck, Jill Steeples
9. Christmas Stitches, Judith McCoy Miller (collection)
10. The Christmas Heirloom, Karen Witemeyer (collection)
11. The Christmas Wish, Tilly Tennant
12. Coming Home to Maple Cottage, Holly Martin (review coming up this Sunday!)

As I said: Christmas.

What I thought

Honestly, I wasn’t overly wowed with most of the books I read this month. You know, I can appreciate them for what they are. And within that category, they would score pretty okay. My full opinion on about all of these, you will be able to read during Blogmas (boy, do I have a ton of reviews coming up for that one!) but in general, they weren’t all that special.

There were a couple of stories that managed to get the “touching” part of Christmas romance right – I’m thinking, specifically, of The Christmas Wish and Cupcakes for Christmas when I say that. And there were more a couple that got the whole “White Christmas aspect” down to the t – again: The Christmas Wish, but also: Happily Ever After at the Dog and Duck.

Out of all of them, though, my favourites would probably be Christmas Stitches and The Christmas Heirloom. I don’t really read that many collections of short stories, and both of these really pleasantly surprised me. So if you – like me – are in need of some earlier Christmas reading to make the stress go away? Those would be my picks!

What have you been reading this month? Be sure to let me know below!

-Saar