Hello Readers!
October was a month where I re-watched a few Bollywood movies in excitement of visiting India, mainly watched a lot that included documentaries, movies and k-dramas all leaning towards the thriller and creepy genre, ending it with a bitter sweet finale of my favorite rom-com. Also of course, the month where I read books with authors that share the same last name.
I had a pretty busy month especially with the number of projects I’ve been working on and the race against time for me to submit my assignments for the Interior Degree course, I have been doing.
Although , I hope you’re doing well and have had an amazing October! Did you celebrate Halloween? What costume did you wear? Me – I did not do much. I was caught up with an interior refurb for a Director’s Office this month and spent the whole day making sure that went alright. It was a proper nightmare though 😛 We also had the glass boards shattering *coughs* it was an accident! :P.
Now on to the books I’ve read!
READING STATS
BOOKS I READ
I only read two books this month. I am pretty disappointed with this month especially since it feels like I’ve been in a reading slump forever. Unintentionally so, this month I gravitated towards books with authors that had the same last name. WEIRD!
The one where I read books with authors that had the same last name.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson was the only highlight of this month. I am already onto Book 2 and very hopeful of finishing the series this year. This had a lot of thriller tropes I loved especially with the whole Nancy Drew vibes it gives off. I loved Ravi (a guy I would like to date myself :p) and the commentary on how the color of your skin can work for or against you when you are involved in a crime was just perfectly done. Although, I’d be conscious picking this up if you aren’t in the right place in life as this does have a ton of trigger warnings for drug use, rape, death of a pet, and kidnapping even if it is marketed as a YA Thriller.
Overall, I enjoyed this book thoroughly and gave this a total of 4.5 stars. Also, highly recommend the audiobook with its full cast and extra effort on the production log recordings which made it a whole experience.
“The people you love weren’t algebra: to be calculated, subtracted, or held at arm’s length across a decimal point.”
― Holly Jackson, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson wasn’t bad but wasn’t as good as I expected it to be either. I guess I just had high hopes for this book after being so obsessed over Grown and Let Me Hear A Rhyme. I still love the writing style and the commentary about gentrification and addiction, a topic I have read about in a YA novel for the first time. Honestly, I am absolutely amazed how she manages to wrap a story around such serious topics in a way that is accessible and easy to understand. However, the creepy factor was to a minimum and this is coming from a person that is scared easily. I guess the haunting house trope in books specifically doesn’t do it for me. I should have known since I disliked The Haunting Of Hill House so much even though I loved the other two books by the same author. Although, Margoret who is terrified of bed bugs states so many creepy facts about them, which has made me terrified of bed bugs too.
Overall, this book was just okay. I gave this a total of 2.5 stars. This was good except that it wasn’t spooky and I really wanted to read something that was downright creepy. To be honest, The ending just felt flat to me
SHOWS AND MOVIES I WATCHED
BOLLYWOOD MOVIES
In the spirit of visiting India in November, I ended up rewatching about 4 Bollywood Movies. If you haven’t watched any of them yet, please do! They are modern classics with all the shenanigans of what you expect from a good Bollywood which for me is a lot of entertainment and something to ponder about.
Main Hoon Na is about an Indian army officer going undercover in a college to protect one of the students, the daughter of a Senior Officer. Also, it has some commentary on the war situation between India and Pakistan. This was set in Darjeeling. The college campus is spectacular and it had some good old mix of college fun and romance.
Singham – Keeping up with the theme of re-watching movies that glorify the Indian nationalism spirit, I also watched Singham another movie I loved watching again. Love that scene where he talks to the Police and says if we wish, nobody would even dare to rob a slipper outside a temple. ★★★★
Chak De India – My comfort movie of the month. A re-watch obviously. Still enjoy it the same though. ★★★★★
Pink was good. I had loved it the first time, not so much the second time. It has less of an entertainment value as it deals with such a serious topic. However, It is still an important movie and I’m glad it exists. ★★★
DOCUMENTARIES
Rubaru Roshni taught me a part of Indian History I wasn’t aware of, like the riots that happened in 1984 and how the Sikh community retaliated. How the 26/11 attacks affected a family from the US, and about a man that killed a nun after being politically brainwashed in Madhya Pradesh. I love how all the stories explore the idea of forgiveness and responding to violence with peace, ★★★★★
House Of Secrets This gave me Nightmares. Not a good idea to watch it before bed. It opens a conversation to how mental health is stigmatized in India and the blind faith In India to a level where a whole family decides to mass suicide in the name of some religious ritual. 3 Generations of people that switched their minds off, did not ask any questions and succumbed to patriarchy and utter madness. To think that this happened only recently in 2018 makes me sad. ★★★★★
Crime Stories: India Detectives This was different, I love the behind-the-scenes take on what goes on in an Indian police investigation. It’s focused on one city – Banglore, and I loved the extra efforts police take which doesn’t always shine through. would love to see more set in different cities all over India ★★★★
KOREAN DRAMAS
Squid Game. Fell for the Hype! This was insane!!! ★★★★★
Mouse OMG!!! Twisted AF!!!★★★★
MORE THRILLER STUFF
The Guilty – Watched this for a Movie Night with my housemate. His Choice! Guessed the twist so it wasn’t really a great movie overall, but still okay-ish. a 911 operator that tries to rescue a lady who says she is being kidnapped. ★★
The Chestnut Man- This was really creepy and exceeded my expectations. I really wish I read the book before but I guess I’m gonna read it either way. I wasn’t really a fan of the ending, but this went to some really dark places at times. ★★★★
THE FINALE SEASON OF MY FAVOURITE INDIAN ROM-COM
Little Things (S4)- Watched the fourth and the Final Season and it was indeed bittersweet. So many things I loved in the show, the Human Library, the intimacy between them, and the ever-so-cute scenes. ★★★★★
LIFE UPDATE
October went by too soon! Here are a few highlights –
- An amazing dinner with my family. We went to Tamatanga in Leicester
- I went to the Hull Fair with my colleagues
- I submitted my Assignment 2 finally and got a merit 🙂
- Did a project handover for a Director’s Office. That literally went on for a whole month.
- I was sick for about a week with common cold, hopefully. But powered through work since I couldn’t afford any project delays :/ This was pretty stressful.
- I finally restarted my Driving Lessons and making some good progress with building some confidence.
NOVEMBER TBR
I am still in a reading slump and I would be in India after the 15th of November. This means the first two weeks are going to be ultra stressful with all the things I need to wrap up at work before I go for the “holiday”. Although I still want to read more books and smash the Goodreads Challenge this year. Currently, about 19 books behind but I have our positive pants on 🙂
I definitely see a theme on the books I have picked up and that is books that have a little bit or a whole lot bit of red on the cover! 😛
Have you’ll read any of these boo, TV shows or movies?
How many books have you managed to finish this month? Do leave a link to your October Wrap Up and I’d love to check it out. Let’s Chat!
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