September Wrap Up
Happy October Storytellers!
This is coming at you later than usual, because today has been completely BANANAS! I took the day off from work yesterday and I came back to what almost resembled the scene from community when Daniel Glover’s character walks in and the room is burning:
Pretty much that was me this morning. BUT I’m at lunch and writing this intro like the wind because I always save these for last! September was a chaotic and stressful thirty days, but it was filled with some exciting moments like going self hosted and getting this shiny new layout and graphics! I am honestly still swooning at it all.
One of the cool things about September was the chance to get to prep for Bookending Autumn (WHICH STARTS TODAY!) with our amazing hosts! Formerly known as blogoween, Bookending Autumn is a month long event where each day is a new prompt that participants can replicate! Our goal is to bring the bookish community closer together and meet new friends through our favorite medium–blogging! If you are interested and want to know more check out my announcement post here: Bookending Autumn: Announcement. There you will find all the glorious details as well as the link to sign up!
† denotes an ARC/book received in exchange for my honest review.
🎧 denotes Audiobook.
5-4 Stars
- 🎧She’s The One by Ella Goode – RTC – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- 🎧Definitely Kinky by Annabelle Joseph – RTC – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- †Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills – RTC – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- 🎧†The Stars and The Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus – REVIEW – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- 🎧†The Girl The Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young – RTC – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- 🎧Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco – RTC – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2-3.5 Stars
- 🎧I’m Yours, Baby – Fiona Davenport – RTC – ⭐⭐⭐.5
- 🎧The Football Pants Chronicles by Tessa Bailey – RTC – ⭐⭐⭐
1 Star
- †NONE
DNF
- Jock Road by Sara Ney – DNF REVIEW
- Jeimy @ A Novel Idea hits us with 5 epic ways to combat writer’s block–just in time for preptober!
- Kayla @ Books and Blends serves us the tea with her review of Pestilence by Laura Thalassa
- Dev @ Read By Dev blesses souls with her Trash Tuesday meme post of New Obsessions
This month was a hopscotch of cafe vibes, pop legends, and musical numbers that I could not for the life of me get out of my head (looking at you Rocky Horror Picture Show). Like always though, here is a snapshot of what was on repeat this month!
- Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince – Taylor Swift
- Gold – Andreya Triana
- Courage – Celine Dion
- Happiness Begins Album – Jonas Brothers
- OK fine, the entire Jonas Brothers discography–we prep hard for their concerts
- Paper Rings – Taylor Swift
- Dance Monkey – Tones and I
Film:
- Falling INN Love (Netflix) – 🍿🍿🍿🍿.5
- Love on the Sidelines (Hallmark) – RE-WATCH
- Who am I kidding, literally a shit ton of hallmark movies…
TV:
- Bachelor in Paradise (ABC)
- Sabrina, The Teenage Witch (Hulu), Season 1: Ep. 1-2
- The Great British Baking Show (Netflix), Season 7: Ep. 1-5
- Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (Hulu), Season 2: Ep. 5-7
- Master Chef (Fox)
- New Amsterdam (NBC)
- NCIS (CBS)
- Chicago Med (NBC)
- Chicago Fire (NBC)
- Bring The Funny (Hulu), Season 1
How was your September? Let me know!
Kayla @ Books and Blends
October 1, 2019 at 1:54 pmI am loving all of the images and the new look of your blog! I wish I was brave enough to go self hosted.
Also, you DNFed Jock Road?!
fictionallysam
October 8, 2019 at 12:21 pmTHANK YOUUUUUU <3 ! Honestly it was more mellow and chill than what I had thought it would be!
And I did! I need to write my DNF review, but in a nutshell the characters weren’t really developed and their wasn’t really a plot…things just happened and it felt off. 🤷♀️
Kayla @ Books and Blends
October 9, 2019 at 4:32 pmI’m sorry that it didn’t work out for you! I need to really take the plunge and finally do go self hosted.
danielle
October 1, 2019 at 4:28 pmWow, you had a month! Why didn’t you mention your brief hiatus? Or was that last month, like August??? idk you don’t have to say so but I was just curious. <3 🙂
Lottie @ LottieIsWriting
October 1, 2019 at 5:23 pmHappy October! I love the idea of a music wrap up each month.
fictionallysam
October 8, 2019 at 12:23 pmHappy October to you as well! I absolutely love them, gives me an excuse to relive the glory lmao
Meeghan reads
October 1, 2019 at 5:34 pmBut, I want to know ALL the Hallmark movies… Also, I need to watch Falling INN Love 🥰
fictionallysam
October 8, 2019 at 12:39 pmLMAO just be warned: you asked for it!
A country wedding
Nine Lives of Christmas
A Bramble House Christmas
Christmas in Evergreen
Christmas Wonderland
A Brush With Love
A Cookie Cutter Christmas
Best Christmas Party Ever
Appetite for Love
Bottled with Love
Birthday Wish
Christmas at Holly Lodge
Christmas in Rome
Christmas made to order
Love on the Sidelines
October Kiss
Once Upon A Prince
Over The Moon in Love
Picture Perfect Christmas
Pumpkin Pie Wars
Sister of the Bride
Winter Castle
Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder Mystery
Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe
Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobler Mystery
A Song for Christmas
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Game Of Cat And Mouse
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Very Foul Play
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: An Inheritance to die for
Christmas Encore
Chronicle Mysteries: Recovered
Chronicle Mysteries: The Deep End
Chronicle Mysteries: Vines That Bind
Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to die for
Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts
Mystery 101: Playing Dead
Mystery 101
Mystery 101: Dead Talk
Mystery 101: Words Can Kill
Mystery Woman: Game Time
Operation Christmas
Picture Perfect Mysteries: Newlywed and Dead
The Christmas Secret
Meeghan reads
October 8, 2019 at 5:09 pmOMG!!! There are Aurora Teagarden movies?!?! (See, this is why I asked)
I used to love those books, but the new ones aren’t all that great…
fictionallysam
October 10, 2019 at 1:57 pmHahah yes! They come on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel, not the greatest mystery show out there but it does the job of moving time lmao!
Meeghan reads
October 10, 2019 at 4:38 pmI am totally looking them up!! Have you read the books?
fictionallysam
October 11, 2019 at 8:59 amI haven’t! though now you have piqued my interest!
Meeghan reads
October 11, 2019 at 6:38 pmI really liked the first 8…? And then she stopped writing them, and then started again like a decade later… the new ones aren’t as good as what I remember the old ones as.
Heather @ The Frozen Library
October 2, 2019 at 1:44 amOh yay I’m glad you liked The Girl the Sea Gave Back! I LOVED Sky in the Deep earlier this year so I hope I’ll like this one just as much too. 🙂
fictionallysam
October 8, 2019 at 12:40 pmI’m excited to read sky in the deep (I do all things backwards lmao) Hope you enjoy it!
dbsguidetothegalaxy
October 2, 2019 at 5:24 amGlad you had a good reading month in terms of 5 stars! Saw your insta stories from the concert – looked like you had great fun 😁 I watched more of Chicago Med than Fire, but did like both of them pretty well – liked how they crossed over.
fictionallysam
October 8, 2019 at 12:41 pmomg it was a BLAST! An era has come forth and I was HERE for it! 🤣🤣 oooo I do love Chicago Med, but I think I prefer fire more so–like I wont be butt hurt if I missed a couple episodes of med, but I NEED to watch fire. THE CROSSOVER EPISODES ARE MY FAVORITE!
dbsguidetothegalaxy
October 8, 2019 at 4:21 pmFire was pretty fun to watch 😄 don’t know how I feel about PD – though I definitely need to watch them all.
fictionallysam
October 10, 2019 at 1:56 pmI don’t really care for PD, the only times I watch it is with the crossovers lmao.
dbsguidetothegalaxy
October 11, 2019 at 7:06 amLol probably the same. I’ve seen a few eps of all three and Med and Fire do look more interesting.
Jennifer Pletcher
October 2, 2019 at 1:58 pmGreat reading month! I love Hallmark movies too. I cannot wait for the holiday movie season to start
fictionallysam
October 8, 2019 at 12:42 pmThank you! And yeah, my mom has the schedule taped to the coffee table so she knows when the new movies premiere. lmao
northernplunder
October 2, 2019 at 2:30 pmit sounds like you had a lovely month tho regardless, im so excited for bookending 🙂
and sept was lovely for me too tbh! busy though and oct is just getting busier too
fictionallysam
October 8, 2019 at 12:43 pmit was a good month! YOU WERE/ARE FABULOUS AS A HOST AND IM SO HAPPY YOU DECIDED TO JOIN OUR CRAZY! May the busy gods be ever in your favor these coming months! <3
Clo @ Cuppa Clo
October 9, 2019 at 10:27 amAaaaah I’m so glad you had a good Sept even if it was a chaotic and kinda stressful one! I’m still in love with your blogs new look swoons so very pretty. I think I’ve seen a couple episodes of Chicago Fire and I really liked it but I despise trying to watch it on the freeview channels here. You remember me saying about NCIS LA and how it gets to a certain series…then it repeats from the beginning?
Well I got to the end of season 4 I think…maybe 5 and a few weeks later I find it’s back on…ONLY WE’RE BACK AT SEASON 1 LIKE I’M STUCK IN GROUNDHOG DAY SAM wails I may just buy the DVDs for it though for my birthday or something….or ask my parents/grandma for them phahaha. Here’s to us having a spooktecular October and BEautumn event! <3
fictionallysam
October 10, 2019 at 2:00 pm🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 at least you don’t wake up to the same song over and over! LOL