Hello Friends!  Welcome (or welcome back) to the blog.

** Quote ** 
“Think before you speak. Read before you think.”
― Fran Lebowitz, The Fran Lebowitz Reader

My bookish peeps, how are you? We’re at the cusp of October…ready for spooky season?

Wherever you are, stay hydrated, take a long walk, kick some leaves, and read a good book. And for the love of all things … put down that phone📱!” (LOL)

We’re at the end of the month, which means bookish business. Here is my September Edition of the newsletter. For this post, I’m adding my Goodreads challenge progress.  How many books have I read towards my challenge? Will I meet my goals?  Keep reading to find out.

Here we go!

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VOL. 2 | Issue No. 19| SPETEMBER 2026| Blog Version | PDF

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LATEST BOOK REVIEW

THE HOUSE THAT EATS THE DEAD
Max Doty
[PARANORMAL ✮ THRILLER ✮ HORROR]
✨4.0 Goodreads Rating

This may be my first ✨ 5-star ARC rating of the year, because I truly loved everything about The House That Eats the Dead. I went into this excited to get a copy, and then I realized what a novel concept it was.

Because when you think about that title, there are so many places this story can go.

It’s not unexpectedly graphic, but it’s creepy in every way. A house that not only eats the dead but removes all memory and evidence of their existence—with the exception of the owner.

I loved the family dynamic in this story, but at first I didn’t care for the husband because something about his disconnect from everything just felt off. He stepped up at times, but his approach wasn’t always what the family needed.

The strangeness of things going missing starts small. Truly, no one would even notice at first—until meat and snacks start disappearing right before your eyes.

This is one of those stories where Mom Claire instantly earned my trust, simply because she sacrificed everything for her family and put her career on hold. But don’t worry, because “Chaos Claire” comes through in the end.

Her husband, Tom, however, seemed shifty…as most lawyers do. (LOL)

It turns out the house has a history, and over the years, outsiders have learned its secrets. That’s why Pamela, the original owner, chose Tom and Claire in the first place. She knew she was putting this enormous responsibility into the right hands.

Overall, this story had a great ending, and what it all boils down to is women. The care that women give, the responsibilities we carry, and how sometimes, for the sake of family, we have to grab hold of things and handle them ourselves.

I would absolutely recommend this title.✨

CURRENTLY READING

Approved ARC downloads 💾

Bitter Fruit, Tempest Black

GOOD READS CHALLENGE UPDATE!

Here are all the books I’ve read so far. Will I complete my challenge of 36 books? It’s not looking that way this year, but let’s see where I’m at.

What caught me off guard was how many ARCs I was approved for because, honestly, I never think I’m going to get everything I request. I also had several publishers reach out to me directly, which is awesome—but yes, I know, I can’t read them all! 😂 With so many ARCs in the mix, several of my original Goodreads titles got pushed back while I focused on those.

SOME CONTEXT: The ARC titles weren’t part of my original reading list, but they still count toward my total. The italicized titles are moving to next year, and the 📌 means I’ve read it and you’ll find it in the next column.

As always, I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. LOL

ORIGINAL GOOD READS CHALLENGE VS.—> Big Bad, Christian Galacar The Godsend, Bernard Taylor 📌 The Babysitter Lives, Stephen Graham Jones 📌 Her Body and Other Parties, Maria Carmen Machado  The Extra: A Novella, Annie Neugebauer  The Film You Are About to See, Haley Newlin 📌 We Had a Hunch: A Mystery, Tom Ryan A Box Full of Darkness, Simone St. James 📌 My Ex the Antichrist, Craig DeLouie 📌 Play Nice, Rachel Harrison 13 Months Haunted, Jimmie Juliano The Maid, Nita Prose The Rotting Room, Viggy Par Hampton  Silence for the Dead, Simone St. James 📌 Of Monsters and Mainframes, Barbara Truelove Polybius, Colin Armstrong 📌 Hell Bent, Leigh Bardugo 📌 Meddling Kids, Edgar Cantero All Night Horror Show, Eric Mosher  Angel of Indian Lake, Stephen Graham Jones 📌 Sign Here, Claudia Lux Screaming for Pleasure: How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy, S.A. Bradley The Haunting of Blackwood House, Darcy Coats Dearest, Jacquie Waters📌 The Killing Hills, Chris Offutt A House With Good Bones, T Kingfisher📌 Schrader’s Chord, Scott Leeds The House Isn’t Haunted, But We Are, Stephen Howard This House Will Feed, Maria Tureaud The Lost Amongst the Living, Simone St. James ORIGINAL TOTAL: 30 TOTAL MOVING TO 2027: 12 WHICH LEAVES: 19 + 19 ARCs TOTAL: 38 (Whew!)

READ & REVIEWED —> GOOD READS CHALLENGE This math made more sense in my head, but on the screen it’s wonky.  The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing, Marshall J. Moore (ARC) A House With Good Bones, T. Kingfisher A Box Full of Darkness, Simone St. James Observer, Nicholas Russell (ARC) The House That Eats the Dead, Max Doty (ARC) That Night, Gillian McAllister The Godsend, Bernard Taylor The Calamities, Chuck Wendig (ARC) Silence for the Dead, Simone St. James Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die, Mallory Arnold (ARC) The Babysitter Lives, Stephen Graham Jones The Film You Are About to See, Hayley Newlin The Patel Motel, Maulik Pancholy Molka, Monika Kim (ARC) Dearest, Jacquie Walters Odessa, Gabrielle Sher (ARC) My Ex, The Antichrist, Craig DeLouie Polybuis, Colin Armstrong Hell Bent, Leigh Bardugo Nothing Tastes As Good, Luke Dumas (ARC) Wayward Souls, Susan J. Morris (ARC) Wretch, Eric LaRocca (ARC) Head Cleaner, David James Keaton (ARC) This Is Not A Test, Courtney Summers (ARC) ARC TITLES TO COMPLETE THIS YEAR: 6 TOTAL READ & REVIEWED: 25 NEW TOTAL: 31! SPACE FILLER SPACE FILLER

🕯️📖 What I read in SEPTEMBER

I’ve had a good reading month, friends, and made it through a healthy four titles in September. (Patting myself on the back right now.) I still have one review pending, but I’m not even gonna sweat that. Here’s what I read!  📚🎧☕

Please Enjoy Your Stay, Tara Goedjen [REVIEW PENDING]
A House With Good Bones, T. Kingfisher
The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing, Marshall J. Moore
Observer: A NOVEL, Nicholas Russell

🕯️📖

OCTOBER 🎧 Reading Challenge

“Read a story about a haunted house”. – Happy Halloween 🎃

Great Book Sources

✯ BookTrib ִ✯ Goodreads ִ✯ Book Riot ִ✯ Literary Hub ✯ Booktrovert ✯ Fable ✯

Well, friends, that’s it for today. September was productive, but between the work that pays me, the blog, content creation, and just keeping up with all the things, I’ve been a little overwhelmed.

I’m hoping October brings a little more peace. It’s my favorite month, and thankfully, most of my posts are drafted and planned, so I can actually enjoy my 31 Days of Halloween series instead of scrambling through it.

For now, I’m still enjoying the spoils of September while getting ready to decorate for Halloween. Hello, spooky season! 🎃

Thank you so much for stopping by today. Please consider subscribing or following the blog.  – Duces.✌🏽 –

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