Remember how I said I did a reading challenge last year and I got so burnt out I struggled to finish it….I’m doing it again! Spooktober is back, but it is the new and improved version, so strap yourselves in and let’s see what’s in store for October. For those of you who are new to my blog, Spooktober is my daily posts challenge for October, and this is its second year so there are still processes and structures I’m trialling to see what works best for me as well as what would appeal most to readers.

Anna, why are you doing it again when you said you wouldn’t?

I’ve been thinking about this for a few months now, and although I said in earlier discussion posts that I partly regretted doing this daily post challenge, I have discovered were my weaknesses lie in regards to my planning. While it is 31 days of posting, five of those posts are discussion-related posts, with the final post being my October Reading Summary. Similarly, creating a mini-series of Sherlock Holmes reviews helps to reduce the number of different books I need to read as all of the Sherlock novels I will be reviewing are from my Sherlock Holmes complete collection brick of a book.

This challenge is also contributing to my year goal of finishing my physical TBR. I have stand-alones that will be reread, series to start and others to complete, and, of course, I have accumulated a library TBR befitting the autumnal season which will be dipped into more than a few times. I did mention I wanted to expand my reading genres, and Spooktober reviews will cover Sci-Fi, Historical Fiction, Murder Mystery, NZ Fiction, YA fantasy, Adult Fantasy, YA Dystopian, Classic Literature, Dark Academia, Paranormal and Supernatural Fiction, Horror, and more. While this challenge is taxing, it is also rewarding in many ways.

So what changes are there to how you did it last time?

This year, I have six book reviews a week and a Saturday discussion post (NZST). Sundays are Sherlock Sundays and I will review the four novels – A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of the Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Valley of Fear – for a nice little mystery mini series. In 2023, I attempted only reviews and it drained me mentally. Now, I have a break with a discussion post each week, an easy thread of novels for Sunday leisure, and while my tense is implying these books have yet to be read, I am actually more than halfway done with my reading. I have ten more books to go and a reading timetable in place to ensure I not only get them read in time for their day, but that I get break when I need to for uni work, free time, and general downtime.

You will find books reviews posted through October that were in my August Reading Summary, as well as my September Reading Summary going up in a few days time. Last year I started reading in advance in September and it wasn’t early enough, so bringing ti forward another month has lifted that pressure considerably. There will still be a few more weeks of heavy reading, but its not that different from my usual reading levels.

I hope you are all excited and ready to see some reviews. Perhaps you may be swayed to add a few more titles to your TBRs or maybe even walk out of the library or bookshop with an armful of books before the month is through. Either way, I’m hoping Spooktober will broaden your minds and show you that the spooky season doesn’t have to be all about one genre or vibe.