🙏 Sunday Reflection | My October 2021 Wrap-Up 🍂 & The End of R.I.P 🎃

Hello everyone, a blessed Sunday and safe All Hallows’ Eve to you all. I hope this post finds you all well. A wet, emotional and tiring October has flown by here in the UK for me and now it is time to reflect on what we’ve been doing, reading and watching over that time.

💜💜💜 Life 💜💜💜

First, I have to apologise for going AWOL for a couple of weeks at the beginning of October, which started with a lovely weekend away in Kent, but was extended by the tiredness and low mood caused by a stressful, busy schedule and my change of hours at work. Topped off with the sucker punch blow of myself and ‘my boys’ being split up due to the closure of our class. 😟

Thankfully, this past week was the school’s half-term break, which gave me time to rest, reflect and look into some possible work options going forward. Other positives have been the return of my weekly dance class; seeing the awesome Christian band Rend Collective play at a small, local arena; and my continued effort to take good care of myself with soothing superfood lattes and immune boosting food. 🥣

💜💜💜 Reading 💜💜💜

You will not believe it though… through all that my reading actually increased! Maybe due to me needing to escape from the world of an evening, meant I was able to finish these three books:

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Classic 
• Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam by M.C. Beaton – Cosy Crime
• The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman – Cosy Crime

It was great to finally reach the end of the epic The Count of Monte Cristo! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED it, but it is a veeery long novel! After that I was at long last able to start my belated R.I.P reading, losing myself in two ultra-comforting cosy crime capers with some brilliant amateur sleuths. The latter of which, The Man Who Died Twice, has to be my pick of the month for sheer fun value. 🔎

The end of October also means the end of the R.I.P. reading event, so only two books read for it this year, but two very good ones! Plus, this week, I also started and I am already a good way into the vintage thriller The Land God Gave to Cain by Hammond Innes, which was perfect for this event too, just haven’t finished it to officially count it. 🎃

💜💜💜 Viewing 💜💜💜

On the other hand, it is not surprising that my viewing has stayed high, and even improved due to my week off, as I enjoyed snuggling up in a blanket with my cat, as the rain fell outside, to watch these six new-to-me shows and films:

• Tiger King (2020) – Crime Documentary ⭐⭐
• Edge of the World (2021) – Historical Film ⭐⭐
• White Lotus (2021) – Comedy-Drama TV Series ⭐⭐
• Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime (2021) – Crime Documentary ⭐⭐
• How to Become a Tyrant (2021) – Documentary ⭐⭐
• The Little Things (2021) – Crime-Thriller Film ⭐

This was another good, consistent month of viewing. Except being disappointed with the weirdly ambiguous ending of The Little Things, these were all very close for enjoyment, with no huge stand out watch. My pick of the month goes to How to Become a Tyrant, as I watched all six episodes in a row!

Three of these were also perfect towards the R.I.P’s ‘Peril on the Screen’ subsection, along with my September views of the supernatural-comedy film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and the crime-thriller TV series The Serpent (2021). On top of which, I also enjoyed re-watches of Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), The Haunting (1999) and Sleepy Hollow (1999). 👻

💜💜💜 Blog 💜💜💜

Finally, here on the blog things were pretty non-existent when I went AWOL at the beginning of October, sorry! My only review posted over the month was:

• A Tapestry of Treason by Anne O’Brien – Historical-Fiction

However things did pick up! I had great fun taking part in The Classic’s Club 28th Spin Event and two of Top Ten Tuesday’s weekly topics on My Favourite Spooky Book Settings and Spooky & Mysterious Reading Recommendations. I shared my unboxing of My 3rd Teatime Bookshop Book Box and my reading plans for the upcoming November reading events. So plenty for you to check out, if you haven’t already. 🙂

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For now, that’s all folks! I look forward to catching up with you all next Sunday for my regular weekly reflection; and in a month’s time to see how November has treated us all. Wherever you are in the world, I hope you and your loved ones are well: staying healthy and happy. God bless and bye for now!👋

(I have linked this post into the weekly meme, The Sunday Post)

Now in the comments let me know: How you are? What you have been reading and watching? Or please leave a link to your own Sunday post or monthly wrap-up post.