Whatcha Reading? October 2022

By: Cori Reed Photo By: @once_upon_a_bookish_tale

Better late than never! Check out some of the awesome books Team OwlCrate read in October!

Leave a comment letting us know which awesome books you read in October for a chance to win a $25 OwlCrate shop gift card! The winner will be selected on Friday, November 18th.

The OwlCrate Jr Team also read some great books this month! CHECK IT OUT.


Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
Batman: Dark Victory

I don’t know if this will get me into trouble but I actually enjoyed Dark Victory more than The Long Halloween. While we still have Gotham’s organized crime element from TLH, the follow-up story introduces all our favourite costumed criminals - and the band is all here! Along with the Joker, Scarecrow, Catwoman, and Co, we also get a young Dick Grayson. Like Bruce Wayne and the pearls (IYKYK), we are given the classic Grayson origin story but it is told quickly and refreshingly through a handful of images. We then see Grayson’s earlier days in Wayne Manor, and eventually the tights. The main storyline is Commissioner Gordan and Batman trying to uncover the Hangman, a serial cop killer. It’s all connected and no one knows who to trust. It was definitely a page-turner and was the perfect brisk autumn read.

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman
All of Us Villains

This was an audiobook re-read to prepare for All of Our Demise, which I have been itching to read. The time is now! I loved this book the first time around and, even knowing the twists, it was just as good the second time around. Every generation, the town of Ilvernath has a fight-to-the-death tournament with magic - dark magic! While making alliances and plotting their strategies, a couple are looking to undo the curse from the inside. I loved all of the characters (but obviously had my favourites) and am really looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Note: The audiobook is great. Highly recommend.

— Crystal

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The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
The Weight of Blood
A new horror novel for the ages, built on the bones of one of the greats. Maddy has always been an easy target for the bullies at her small-town high school, but she deals with it because her bigoted father forces her to hide what he considers the more heinous crime — that Maddy is biracial. So when the truth comes out and there's nowhere for her to hide, something in Maddy snaps into place. And when it breaks, the town will never be the same again.

Tiffany D. Jackson takes one of the best horror stories of all time, Carrie, and infuses it with conversations on societal racism, light-skin privilege, our obsession with victim-blaming and our inability to take accountability for our actions. It's hard not to see the truth and importance of this story bleeding through the horror that will inevitably take place. And honestly? I'm just gonna say it: Maddy was right.
— Shanleigh

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The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
The Dead Romantics

Florence is a ghostwriter for a very well-known romance author and her new editor, Ben, won’t give her an extention on her latest novel.
Florence’s manuscript is due but she hasn’t written anything in over a year after a bad breakup that left her not believing in love anymore.

When the worst happens, Florence has to go back to her small hometown. A place she hasn’t been in a decade, a place she ran away from the moment she turned 18, after she solved a murder back in high school, by talking to the victims… ghost.

But Florence gets a surprise visitor at her family's funeral parlour one evening, the handsome new editor, Ben. But only she can see and talk to him.

Perfect if you like: Death puns and great humor, small town vibes⁠, a MC who LOVES romance books and lots of pining. ⁠

— Sophie

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The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones
The Drowned Woods

If you ever want me to drop everything and read a book just whisper "it has a heist plot" to me.

That's what drew me in when I picked up The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones. What I didn't expect it to be was an atmospheric and action packed standalone fantasy.

The novel begins in heartache when the last water diviner alive, young Mererid is ripped from her family and forced into the service of an evil prince. Years later, Mere desperately escapes the Prince's reach so that he cannot continue use her power as a weapon and goes into hiding as a barkeep. She's later found by her old mentor who entices her and a rag-tag Scooby gang to join him in overthrowing the Prince and his kingdom. What ensues is story that scatters magic and Welsh lore throughout. From faeries and high stakes magical heists to the snuggliest of corgi characters, I actually felt attached to the urgency of the plot when things began to unravel quickly. The best part, though? That it wraps up neatly with a bittersweet contented "ever after".

— Jordan

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The Winners by Fredrik Backman
The Winners

The Winners is a the third and final book in the Beartown trilogy, which hold a very special place in my heart. 

I won't tell you about The Winners because, well, you need to read the first two books, but this series focuses on the towns of Beartown and Hed, bitter junior hockey rivals. Hockey is the heart and soul of these towns, and when a sexual assault occurs involving one of Beartown's star hockey players and the daughter of the team's coach, things quickly spiral out of control.

I'm a big hockey person. I grew up in a small community that loved their junior team (go Rebels!). I can tell you this trilogy is about hockey, but it's not about hockey. It's about what brings communities together, what tears them apart, and what it takes to stand up for justice when that might not be the easy thing to do. And it made me cry a little bit at least six times. 

— Cori

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What great books have you read lately? Let us know in the comments!


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