I really cannot complain about my reading for this month. 17 items read is really not bad for me. I read 7 manhwa, 1 memoir, and 9 novels. Again, I have nothing to complain about. I enjoyed most of the things on this list.

Out of the 7 manhwa I read this month, three definitely stood out – The Words in Your Snare, The Big Apple, and The Black Mirror. There were two that I really didn’t like – Link in the Hole and All For 9900 Won. Hold Me Tight and Pleasure Principle were fine.

The Words in Your Snare (manhwa, webtoon). The story follows Lee Jooin, a reclusive cafe owner with some kind of ability who catches the eye of a gangster, Mookya. Mookya also happened to be the only person whose thoughts Jooin couldn’t read. Due to circumstances beyond his control, Jooin got dragged into Mookya’s dangerous world. It was pretty obvious since the beginning that Jooin would be drawn to Mookya. I mean, can you blame him? It would be nice to be with someone whose thoughts he couldn’t read. Anyway, the story was a lot to take in. It has organized crimes, special abilities, romance with a dangerous person…and then throws some kind of incestuous brother in the mix. This was such a wild ride – it was difficult to read especially as the story progressed and we got to see Jooin’s past life that led to him moving to live exclusively in a rural area. For the most part, it was heartbreaking. And I couldn’t stop reading.

The Black Mirror (manhwa, webtoon). Well, I mean I knew that this would be some kind of fantasy when I started reading it. But I did not realize that it would be supernatural and creepy. In this manhwa, we follow Tae-jun who lost his childhood memories. As he was looking for an apartment, he met a handsome writer, Yeon-woo, who recognized him immediately. And as Tae-jun started living with Yeon-woo, his nightmares and hallucinations of bloody, disembodied hands escalated. This was definitely not something that I would normally gravitate towards but I got so invested so quickly that I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know what the fuck was happening. It was wild. I can say that I was not scared of the hands and the mirrors, I was more scared of the psychological aspect of the relationship between Jun and Yeon-woo. It was definitely a mind-fuck of an experience.

The Big Apple (manhwa, webtoon). In this story, we follow Joachim – a very talented sniper of an organization called the Secret Intelligence Agency. His work definitely is stressful and his only reprieve is his times with his lover, Juergen. Honestly, I thought this would be some kind of action manhwa that’s why I gravitated towards it. But I was wrong, it was really some kind of urban fantasy with gifted characters and dragons. I did enjoy how the conflict arose and got resolved. I was not invested in the romance as much. I did have some issues with the relationship between the main characters. There was too much possession and toxicity, a lot of games and manipulation. It got really difficult to read at times. However, aside from that, I really enjoyed the plot when it progressed.

Craig & Fred (memoir, physical book). I don’t want to say too much about this. Let’s just say that this book became one of my favorite reads. I mean, it was about a dog and a marine and how they saved each other. What is not to love about this? It was definitely emotional in parts. I was definitely in an emotional roller coaster. I will have a separate reaction post on this book soon.

Lolita (classic, physical book). I just want to say that I read “Lolita”. It was a good read, and I will say this again, you’re not missing anything if you haven’t read this one. I already had a reaction up about this one. Check the post here.

Beta’s Thief, Alpha’s War, Tiger’s Den, Dragon & Flame, Alpha’s Gamble, Alpha Enchanted (novels, eBooks). These are books 3 to 8 of a 10-book Haven City series. Out of these six books, I enjoyed Beta’s Thief and Alpha’s War were my favorite reads. Not the best for sure, but these two had some angsts and a bit of heist in the story. So, of course, I would enjoy them. The other novels were okay. I think I just preferred the characters, dynamics, and conflicts in books 3 & 4. It took a while for me to get into the stories for the latter novels.

Heaven Official’s Blessing Vol 3 and Vol 4 (novels, physical books). I love this series. I have nothing else to say. My heart was fluttering the whole time I was reading these volumes. The interactions between Xie Lian and Hua Cheng made me smile and giddy. I was laughing at certain parts. The story could be really graphic. And the author did not shy away from gore. These were some great reads!

I did enjoy the majority of what I read last month. I really took some time to catch up on some manhwa in September compared to the months prior. I am hopeful that I can keep my reading momentum through October.