What I Read in October 2026: 5 Books and 1 rare DNF

Thanks to our cruise this month, I managed to log 5 books, plus a DNF. It’s super rare that I quit a book, but I felt like this one I just had to walk away.

Let’s take a look.

Total sidebar – I realised that I published my Cruise Day 6 post earlier today, but because they’re backdated, I don’t feel like it counts as such for NaBloPoMo. So, I guess you’ll just have to put up with me publishing twice some days!

Though that means it’ll take me longer to finish off my cruise posts. Thank goodness I’m on the back half of the trip now.

That makes this one the official first post for NaBloPoMo 2026!

The books I read

Poison Daughter: Sheila Masterson

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (and a half)
Link: amazon.com
Format: Kindle

This was an equal favourite for the month, and a carryover that I hadn’t finished from September.

The Poison Daughter is the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, set in a fantasy world where two neighbouring towns (villages?) are out to get each other. They both have their various reasons for revenge.

The main female character comes from a magical family, where her unique ability is that anyone she kisses dies. It’s a well-kept secret, and one that she uses to her advantage.

It’s an enjoyable read, and in a rare case for the fantasy genre, a one-and-done book. It’s sometimes really nice to not start a whole new series and have to focus super hard on remembering locations, people, etc. The list of main characters is easy enough to keep up with.

I’d recommend this for someone looking for a standalone fantasy book that’s fun to read.

Tunnel 29: Helena Merriman

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Link: amazon.com
Format: Kindle

This is the story of Joachim Rudolph, a student digging a tunnel under the Berlin Wall. The goal is to save people – separated families, husbands and wives, children from parents.

It’s a true story, and told by an incredible author and podcast host. It’s heartwarming, heartbreaking, and all the feels.

This was a recommendation from Nicole from Boy in a Girl House (HI NICOLE! <– Making myself laugh because you do this in posts). I was too young to remember any of this happening, and while I knew of the Berlin Wall, I didn’t know the details that came with it. This was eye-opening and sparked a conversation with a good friend of mine who grew up in Germany. My mind was blown when he told me that he lived in East Germany. He has distinct memories of when the walls came down.

It’s a great read for anyone who wants to read about a historical moment, told like a novel.

Crown Me Dead: Liv Zander

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (and a half)
Link: amazon.com.au
Format: Kindle

This was a book club recommendation, great for anyone who enjoys fantasy and smut.

I only started reading fantasy in the past 12 months, and yes I’ve read some great ones, but… I just don’t feel like this was it for me.

It tries to have the requisite dark, moody guy, and the guy that seems bad but turns good, and the unexpected twist, not to mention the cliffhanger, but… it just missed the mark. I’m not really sure how to describe it. Based on the reviews on Amazon, I’m not in the majority, and most people rave about it.

I guess, if you can borrow it from the library, then have at it.

A Hymn to Life: Shame has to Change Sides: Gisèle Pelicot

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (and a half)
Link: amazon.com.au
Format: Kindle

This is an incredibly tough read, for good (??) reasons. The way the book is written is captivating, and no matter how horrified you might feel, you want to keep reading.

What an incredible woman.

Firstly, trigger warnings. So many.

This was a read inspired by Elisabeth from Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist. If you aren’t familiar with the story, for a decade, Gisèle’s husband had been drugging her, raping her, and filming other men raping her, while she was unconscious on the bed. Over 50 men. Disgusting doesn’t even begin to describe it.

This story starts with Gisèle finding out what happened from the police, through to the eventual court case. In the midst of that, she describes her parents and her upbringing. She also describes times during her marriage and memories with her children. It all puts together such a complicated picture that you get just a glimpse of the turmoil, and everything she must have been re-living.

I don’t know how to describe how incredible this book is, without feeling like the word isn’t appropriate. I wish she didn’t have this story to tell at all. But her courage in sharing her story, and in forging a path for survivors to put a face and a name to their attackers, is incredible. This is a biography at its finest, making you feel just a small part of what they must have felt.

If you like biographies, this is a must-read, but it’s a tough one.

Lost December: Richard Paul Evans

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (and a half)
Link: amazon.com.au
Format: Kindle

This was another recommendation I saw on a blog post somewhere, and I’m kicking myself for not tagging it properly.

This book is written in a slightly different way, with little excerpts from a diary followed by the story.

It’s about a son, who having been raised by his dad to take over the business, decides to go to college to get his MBA. From there, things spiral (not going into detail to avoid spoilers), until he eventually hits rock bottom. He then has to figure his way back up.

Now…mild spoiler alert on my review. I enjoyed this a lot for about 3/4 of the way through. Then suddenly everything gets tied up with a pretty bow and the book is done. It was so abrupt, and too… easy for my liking. So, I rated it 3.5 because I enjoyed the rest of it, I just wish the ending maybe went for a bit longer. If you told me the author suddenly realised he just had to get it done and out the door I wouldn’t be surprised. Anyways, it was a good holiday book I suppose. Easy reading.

The book I DNF’d

Little Stranger: Leigh Rivers

Rating: N/A
Link: amazon.com.au
Format: Kindle

A bit of forewarning. I like to think that I’m open-minded, and it’s hard to shock me. Sure, I might sometimes skip some pages of sex scenes because I’m more excited about the storyline than I am about whether they had sex on the couch, bed, bath, or shower. Doesn’t mean I can’t handle words on a page – look at the subject matter I’ve already read this month.

But this book shook me.

The whole “Dark Taboo Romance” tagline should have been a big red flag for me, and instead I waltzed in thinking I was all tough and brave.

Here is a list of content warnings submitted by readers on StoryGraph:

Graphic: Sexual content, Stalking, Violence
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse

I would also add to that incest, although it’s foster siblings, domestic violence, and gaslighting.

I don’t know if it’s because of my own personal history, but I reached a point where I just couldn’t do it any more. I just felt so angry, and disgusted. It was bringing up all sorts of emotions from god-knows-where. For my own mental health, I felt like I had to put this down and walk away.

I have zero judgement for anyone that read and enjoyed this book.

You do you.

But for me, this was a “put it down, walk away, take a deep breath, and give myself a hug.” I think I’ve only DNF’d maybe 3 or 4 books in my life, and it feels strange, but I’ve not regretted it for a single second.

So, that’s it for the month! I’m also 70% of the way through the next book, and super excited to figure out what I’m reading after that. I’ve got so many queued up, but I think it’s going to be time to dive into a fantasy world again for a bit.

Have you read any of these? I’m curious if anyone else had the same reaction to them as I did. What does it take for you to DNF a book?