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My Month in Books: October & November 2025

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I’m surfacing up again to bring to you the penultimate Month in Books post for the year: my October and November in books. It’s already almost halfway through December while I was drafting this and the next thing I know, I will already be finishing the year strong and trying to concoct a year-end wrap up post again. I didn’t want to crowd that last post with too much to say, given that it seems I ended up only writing these updates on a per quarter basis. So here I am, still showing up.

The past two months have been really nice to me, book-wise. A lot of random books I tried ended up being really good and I recently realized that I am starting to warm up to the idea of fantasy (genre) again, what with the amount of cozy witch stories I’ve read lately. What initially started as means for me to continue my streak with seasonal and themed reading became instrumental to finding new authors and stories that I absolutely enjoyed. I’ve read one of my worst books this year, but then again, I also read one of my favorite books this year. And oh, I finished my Reading Challenge target already!

So, to recap in detail…

My October and November in Books

During the past two months, I read 9 books:

Laurie Gilmore’s The Ginger Bread Bakery is the only book in this list that I finished on October. If you’re not new here, you would know that I just happened to follow this series, even if most of the books in this series are just mid. I’m in my 5th book now and I consider it a guilty pleasure at this point. You know those books that you follow just for the vibes and the coziness of familiarity? This whole series is exactly that, and this latest book is no different. This Dream Harbor centers Mac and Annie (finally), two people who are locked in a rivalry you don’t know about ever since book 1. The author interview at the very end of this book mentioned that she started writing these characters without a solid background of what actually went down and what cause the rivalry at the beginning of this series. And by the time comes that she had to concoct that reason, I don’t know, the results just felt underwhelming. I find myself not getting too attached to this pairing, but then again, I’ve encountered worse in this series. There is still a certain comfort from encountering familiar characters and a familiar background story in this world so this provided a much needed respite for my busy October.

Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow is a random book I read while looking for some seasonal romance, as part of my Fall Bucket List. This is my lowest rated book in the bunch (1.5) just because everything about it feels too tropey (even the 3rd act unnecessary conflict), that it got too hard to connect to the main characters — specially with the main girl. Debbie Viggiano’s Annie’s Autumn Escape, though, was an excellent surprise. This book centers around Annie, turning sixty and suddenly finding herself single, when her husband suddenly announced he’s leaving her. She was devastated of course but not until her friends whisked her away to a vacation in sunny Dubai in a trip that changed her life, in a very good way. With it’s very unassuming (and maybe a little outdated-looking) cover design, I wasn’t really expecting a lot but it turned out to be one of the most fun books I’ve read in this list. I was grinning a lot of the time while listening to this at the gym. This is a very tropey book, but in this instance, I didn’t mind at all. The execution is so much better compared to Love and Lattes. Forced proximity? (They shared only one room! *gasp*) Check! Rivals to friends to lovers? Check! Slow burn romance? Check! A happy ever after? Check check check! (This is a romcom, so this is hardly a spoiler.) The thing that I loved the most about this is the fact the main characters are 60+ years old. I love adult relationships and book, and it was a pleasure reading about how the buds of romance was sown and has flourished in this story. This a true blue romantic comedy, that came out of a tragic situation. This book just cheered me up so much, and I couldn’t recommend it enough. 💛

I have also tried seeking witchy and magical books in celebration of these two witchy months and I ended up discovering a lot of very good books and authors. I started with Emily Grimoire’s Impractical Magic, riding the high of my watching Practical Magic (1998) for the first time (I know, I’m too late in the game). This was a very cozy fall book that managed to accompany me in a lot of autumn park walks. I will never look at Starlings the same way again, without remembering this story. Another cozy witchy book that I just recently finished is Holly Martin’s The Midnight Village — which follows Star Brightheart, who made a career out of baking cakes that help people with their needs (like acing a job interview, etc.) and took refuge to the Midnight Village after a scandal reduced her career to the dirt. There, she met a band of interesting characters, on a path of self discovery, that explained why she have always had a strange feeling of connection to the village. The world building in this story was a thing of beauty, that I was surprised to find out it is actually a standalone. This also featured a romance that I found myself absolutely rooting for. I also absolutely loved Viktor the talking (sassy) cat, perhaps my favorite character lol, and I would definitely read a story detailing of the lives she/he lived. Such a charming, but surprisingly solid story.

A short but sweet book that I also read is A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon. This book had always captured my interest just because of the cover and it proved as whimsical as it presents to be. It was also a very dark book too, in a sense that it tackles serious topics and also disguised as a sharp social commentary as to how girls are treated in Korean Society. Given that magical girls are a very popular concept (at least in Asia), I am pretty surprised to realize that this is one of the very few that I’ve read that used this narrative device (excluding mangas). This is probably too short to be considered a novel, a novella or even a long short story might be a more accurate descriptor for this. Of course, the length did posed some problems in terms of subplot and side-character development. . I quite like the Translator Notes at the very end of my copy, as it is one of those cases where context really added another layer to the story. Why it was chosen, what it represents, and the subtext written in the pages that I otherwise did not pay too much attention to at the first reading. It also contributed to me rating the story plus 0.5 to 1 higher than I originally intended to.

Last but not the least in this magical theme is probably the best of the witchy/magical books I’ve read in this bund: In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace. I read this following the recommendation of one of the trusted bookstagrammers I follow: lostsouls.reads. This was just so unexpectedly lovely: the perfect cozy autumn and spooky season read, indeed. I loved all the characters (the focus on female camaraderie makes my heart positive swell), the mystery of the story is layered, and the world building is so good. I know this is a cozy read but it also did not shy away from tackling deep and heartbreaking topics. If I have to choose which is the closes to the Practical Magic vibes — the coziness to it but ALSO the darkness — this will take the cake. This book is also very much grief-forward, which is (I find) something that resonates so much with me. The penultimate chapters made me so emotional and my heart was so full by the end. I legit cried finishing this. It was just a very satisfying story to read, and brilliantly written too. Most times, I separate the form to the actual structure and I usually like a book based on either; in this case, both are executed to a very good degree. I consider this a full book/story but I wouldn’t mind reading another one set in this world (there is luckily another one in this series – set in Spring, no less). Everything is just so believable, and I think my favorite witch in this book is definitely Nora (Brynn is a close second). I just loved it so much that I rated it a full 5 stars!

The penultimate book in this list is Vincenzo Latronico’s Perfection – a book I started way in July that I only just got back to reading last month. It’s a fairly short book, but it failed to hold my attention when I started reading this. There were several factors at play, but part of it was definitely because I felt called out, and that uncomfortable feeling made it harder to keep going with my headspace at the time. The story follows a millennial couple living a curated, creative life somewhere in Berlin. Despite the aesthetic and idealized existence they present online, there’s an underlying sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction. I know there are a lot of think pieces about how this type of living is ruining the human experience. But seeing it laid bare in a book, in close inspection, written as if you’re a spectator of their lives along with the people actually living it just hits too close to home. It’s definitely an exposition of the current digital zeitgeist, and I can see this book becoming a classic — in a sense that it is a mirror of a specific period of time. Unsettling, and bordering on creepy in its accuracy. That last line was gut punch.

And last but definitely not the least, my favorite among this list (and a close contender to being one of my favorites the whole year), Lily King’s Heart the Lover. This is Lily King’s first book after her last short story collection, Five Tuesdays of Winters (2021), and the novel that shot her name to stardom (and one of my favorite books of all time), Writers and Lovers (2020). Divided into 3 distinct parts, it follows Jordan, the protagonist, in various points in her life. What started as a foray into young love, quickly turned into a heartfelt meditation of loss, friendship, grief, purpose, and love — all kinds of love. A book that is simultaneously about books, reading, and writing — but also spotlights that rich human experience that comes from being alive. I don’t know if I am just sensationalizing this – I tend to do that with the things that I deeply love – but I can’t deny the fact that it has affected me in more ways than one. And for me, that is one of the greatest things a book can do to me. Reading this book, for me, was a profound experience. There is just something about how Lily King paints a scene. How every quiet conversation felt loud, with just the minimal amount of dialogue between the characters. It’s in those liminal spaces that her writing shines through: how it can feel like a chasm, where a lot of things are said without being spoken. I have always associated the color orange with a happy feeling but after reading this, I couldn’t look at it the same way. With it’s distinct almost-playful cover, there is a promise that you will have a good time. And I did, but not in a way that I expected: I think this is the first time in a long while that my chest ached that much while reading a book. This book hurt. But I wanted more of it. I rated it a solid 5 out of 5: what an absolute gem of a book.

What I’m currently reading and looking forward to

These are the two books I am actively reading right now:

  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna – My current gym audiobook. I am almost finished with this and this holds up as being one of the best witchy (and cozy) books I’ve read lately. It’s a very charming book that so far the only thing that irks me is that the audiobook narrator is speaking in an Irish accent when it was said explicitly that Jamie (one of the main characters in the story) is from Belfast (— I can’t believe I turned into this person now, lol). But I quite like it overall, and I can see why it was so popular when it was published.
  • An Alternative Irish Christmas: An Anthology by Various Authors – I picked this up because I was craving some holiday stories. But not the ones that has a sugar-syrupy feel to it, as I have a complicated relationship with Decembers. I think this might be the answer. I read the first story in this collection, Careless People, and I didn’t expect it to be that dark. Looking forward for more!

Now that I’ve finished my target this year, I can be as fast or as slow as I am with finishing my reads. I definitely love how I am taking my time and following my energy levels in terms of reading. And that even if I don’t rush, I can still achieve my goal. Reading seasonal books have also been a simple pleasure of mine lately. And since winter is just around the corner (maybe it’s already here), I’m trying to curate my reading list with some winter-feel stories, and definitely some cozy ones too. I am looking forward to curling up in the sofa, reading, while drinking hot coffee or cocoa. This season will only feel festive for me if I can do that.

So that is that, looking forward to that last recap of the year. Until next time!

2025 Book Read Count as of writing: 26 /24

Now let’s talk…

HOW ABOUT YOU? HOW WAS YOUR READING MONTH THIS past months? DID YOU HAVE ANY NOTABLE FAVE? 

(Read my previous updates this year: Q1 Reading Update | Q2 Reading Update | Q3 Reading Update)

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