What Caught My Eye Online #42

Quiet novels, enneagram poetry, horror + fantasy recs, and more

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

October is one of my favorite months. I love the cooler weather, the colors of the leaves, and all of the yummy pumpkin and apple treats. Those are some of the things I’ve been loving lately. Other recent loves include:

• Getting 15 hours of audiobook time with my Spotify subscription. I’ve known about this deal for a while, but I forgot about it until the other day when I wanted to listen to a book with a lengthy library waitlist. I like having this audiobook bonus since I’m paying for Spotify anyway.

• Surprise mail. One of my friends sent me a box full of fall goodies, including wax melts, handmade soap, and a sweatshirt she embroidered for me. It was such a fun, thoughtful surprise that made my day.

• Snack containers. I’m usually hungry when I get home from work, so I got these little containers from Amazon to make snack boxes. I saw several creators making these on TikTok and thought they were a great idea. This week’s menu includes carrots, hummus, grapes, and salt and vinegar almonds. These boxes are so tasty, just the right amount of satisfying, and quick to make.

And now for this week’s links!

• SheReads looks at the organizations standing up to book bans.

• Anne Bogel recently shared a list featuring one of my favorite types of books: quiet novels. I have my own list here. Anne and I have one title in common.

• Goodreads shares readers’ top books of the last five years. Looking at this list, it’s obvious what a big role TikTok and social media trends play in a book’s success.

• I’m fascinated by the Enneagram, a personality typing system. Poet David Gate wrote poems for each of the nine numbers. I’m a One, and he captured that number beautifully. David and his family live in North Carolina and have been affected by the recent hurricane. I’ve previously bought a print from David that I love and know now would be a good time to support his work.

• Lit Hub recommends several horror novels, including helpful fear-o-meters.

• If you want more horror, Goodreads has you covered with these popular titles that are beloved by readers.

• I’m not much of a fantasy reader, but I know many people who are. If that’s you, check out this list of cozy fantasy recs from TJ Klune. Several teens I know love Klune’s books.

• I’m always up for a good dark academia novel. CrimeReads suggests five by BIPOC authors.

• If you need a dark academia playlist to go with your reading, here’s one!

• Here are seven poetry books for people who don’t like poetry, suggested by poet Lyndsey Rush. I can’t wait to get her new book, A Bit Much. I second her Chen Chen and Kate Baer recs.

• I don’t think I’ve ever read a book by a Taiwanese author, but Electric Lit shares 11 suggestions.

• I made this baked spaghetti for dinner Monday night, and it was delicious! It also made a large pan, so I was able to freeze several portions.

• Safiya has long been one of my favorite YouTubers, and in her latest video, she delves into historical fashion with her husband as they dress for various dates throughout the decades. It was so much fun to watch.

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What have you been loving this week? What’s caught your eye? Thanks for reading!