EDITOR’S NOTE: I apologize for the delay in posting this article. I promise to be more punctual with the November wrap-up!
At the start of October, I wondered if my reading wrap-up would consist only of a book of poems by Sappho and a Warriors book. So I thought, “how can I make this weirder?” And thus, the rest of my choices followed.
It wasn’t a conscious decision, though I laughed as my list for October stacked up. From poetry and cats to plenty of manga, a thriller, and even a nonfiction collection of quotes, I quite enjoyed my walk through reading this month.
Although last month I kept my 18+, R-rated manga reading to myself, I decided to throw caution to the wind moving forward. As an ARC reader and reviewer of these, it is unfair to leave them out. Sincerest apologies to those who are only now finding out (or have been finding out through my Goodreads profile or these wrap-ups) the kind of genres I read!
7. Pride: A Celebration in Quotes edited by Caitlyn McNeill
Published June 4, 2019
Rating: 4 stars (with leniency for me not caring about nonfiction)
Genres: Nonfiction, Quotes, Queer, LGBTQ+
Summary: Words of wisdom that come from prominent figures in history, past and present. This book celebrates 50 years since the first Pride Parade and the Stonewall Riots. It is a hearty reminder that love is the greatest power on the planet Earth.
If you’ve been keeping up with my wrap-ups, you know I’m not a huge fan of nonfiction. I purchased this book of quotes a year or two ago now when it was on sale at Barnes & Noble because I wanted to expand my collection of gay things for the Gender & Sexuality Alliance club I run at my work. It does contain a lot of wonderful quotes. Not all of them are from LGBTQ+ people, but also allies of the community and other marginalized people. Since it was published in the middle of 2019, there is unfortunately a quote by notoriously anti-trans author JK Rowling that really caught me off guard (it was before she revealed just how strongly she hates the transgender community). There are also a few quotes by Ellen DeGeneres, whose talk show didn’t end until 2022. I think I might cover Rowling’s if I put it in my classroom. Also, Elliot Page hadn’t come out as trans yet, so their deadname is included; I will fix that too before sharing this book with my students!
6. All the Way with Idol-kun! Volume 1 by Nawako Mineshima
Published June 17, 2025
Rating: 3.75 stars
Genres: Manga, Boys Love (BL), Mature, 18+
Summary: Shinji Katsuragi is a local journalist shocked when the stoic, mega-famous idol group member Ao Koujima agrees to an interview with his small-time magazine. However, the typically silent man is uncharacteristically animated during the interview, leaving Shinji even more confused. Alone, Ao reveals that his reaction was because he knows Shinji’s true identity—an idol who took the world by storm and disappeared almost twenty years ago. Now Ao wants Shinji’s help, but the former idol has one condition—a no-strings-attached fling. Ao will do anything if it means spending time with the man he’s adored for years… but Shinji’s only interested if true love isn’t involved.
A quick steamy love story between an older man and a famous idol. The early twist was definitely good and set a precedent for the story. Shinji and Koujima’s dynamic was surprising, too. I like how they had some push and pull. Koujima’s character really evolved over the short time readers get a peek into their lives. He is an adorable puppy of a human. I wasn’t super crazy about the characters or story, which is really the only reason my rating drops slightly below a four. The art was good. Koujima is gorgeous. Intimacy scenes were well-drawn and depicted, too. I recommend this for a quick read!
5. I Flipped on the FWB Thing! Volume 1 by Veni
Published May 26, 2026
Rating: 4 stars
Genres: Manga, Boys Love (BL), Mature, 18+
Summary: Tsukioka is unlucky in love but lucky… elsewhere. When classmate Tokieda catches a glimpse of what he’s packing, he proposes a friends-with-benefits deal. Tsukioka worries he’s too much to handle, but Tokieda knows exactly what he likes! What starts as a temporary fling “until we get girlfriends” slowly grows into something deeper. A coming-of-age story about young love that’s not as unrequited as they think!
The “playboy” and the “idiot with good grades” meet up! I totally fell for Tokieda’s cutesy lovable energy, and the teasing from Tsukioka. I do dislike that they’re high schoolers, though it’s hard to tell what grade they’re in. This mostly sucks for me because if I read this when I was in high school, I would have been fangirling like crazy. Yet! It is pretty funny other than that. I can see the youthful humor about it. Definitely some very cheeky moments—and great, overblown teenage drama. The intimacy is in such great detail in comparison to other BL manga I’ve read. I really enjoyed the interactions with background characters especially; it made Tokieda and Tsukioka more well-rounded to see how they socialized outside of each other, and some other BLs lack that outward interaction.
4. When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven
Published September 2, 2025
Rating: 4.25 stars
Genres: Dark Academia, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Romance
Summary: At an elite New England boarding school, eight students are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop with the one and only Meredith Graffam—an enigmatic writer, director, and actress. For sixteen days, they will live in the isolated estate of the school’s founder, surrounded by snowy woods and a storm-tossed seas. Only one of the chosen will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams. Graffam’s unorthodox methods push the students past the breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets, taking unthinkable risks, and slowly starting to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .
This is a very solid and enjoyable YA Thriller. The backdrop and concepts were wonderful. I love the dark academia feel. Niven is really good at creating an atmosphere of wonderment in her books. The writing pulled me directly into the cold, dreary setting and the mystery that surrounded Meredith Graffam. While I picked up most of the clues along the way, some still had a way of surprising me. Character-wise, I liked them. They each had distinctive traits, hammered home by Graffam and Effy. As for any complaints… The romance. It wasn’t needed. I was more intrigued by the character study of Effy and Arlo as separate people. The romance was more distracting from the core ideas: Who are the monsters? Who is the villain? I would have loved it even more if it had more introspection and less repetition.
3. My Student Is So Not Cute Volume 2 by Mottasu Tonooka
Published June 25, 2026
Rating: 5 stars
Genres: Manga, Boys Love (BL), Mature, 18+
Summary: University professor Mizutani and his former student Amatsuka are officially a couple! They’ve got it all – living together, thriving at work, and basking in the honeymoon phase. But just as things seem perfect, Amatsuka’s boss sets his sights on them… and threatens to pull them apart!
This is by far my favorite series of the manga I’ve been reading through. While I kept Volume 1 out of my wrap-up last month, now that I’ve forged ahead with including my R-rated reads I can include Volume 2. While I still prefer a narrative to manga or graphic novels, my mind keeps coming back to this story. I had to include it in my top three, narrowly beating out the Jennifer Niven book.
The second volume was somehow even better than the first. It introduced a new (challenger) character to the dynamic, creating an interesting problem for our couple. I was anxious in the middle bit that the miscommunication trope was going to be the prime villain, but their relationship proved stronger. I adore the dynamic between Amatsuka and Mizutani. Despite being together so many years, they still fluster and surprise each other. It’s true love. All of the bonus and side stories were to die for.
2. Warriors: Changing Skies #4: Guiding Light by Erin Hunter
Published October 6, 2026
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Fantasy, Cats, Children’s
Summary: Moonpaw, Goldenpaw, and Morningkit made their choice and left the Clans. Now adventuring in the wild and Twoleg territory, Goldenpaw struggles with his decision. Meanwhile, Moonpaw is wracked with guilt of whether to stay true to him or her sister. On the other paw, Tawnypelt struggles to follow the guidance of StarClan, traveling beyond the lake to SkyClan’s old gorge. The questing cats begin to tire as they wonder if they’re doing what is right. Finally, Starlingpaw believes himself to be the savior of his Clan. As he starts to gain more notoriety, what will he do with his followers?
WHAT? The Warriors book isn’t number one? Surprise! Don’t get me wrong, this was one of the better books of the Changing Skies arc. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Guiding Light was rife with character interaction, as well as development. Many of the events I didn’t see coming. For a full review (SPOILERS), check out my article “Changing Skies: Guiding Light Review.”
1. Poems by Sappho, translated and edited by Willis Barnstone
Published August 17, 2023
Rating: 5 stars
Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Classics, History, LGBTQ+, Lesbian, Sapphic
Summary: This edition reintroduces Sappho to the modern reader, providing a vivid, contemporary translation, which captures the spareness and the intensity of Sappho’s line. The wondrous Mary Barnard translation was based, unfortunately, on the 1928 Loeb edition by J. M. Edmonds, who filled in many of Sappho’s fragment with his own Greek lines. In Professor Barnstone’s brilliant translation, Sappho’s work is presented as we have inherited it, in its darkly antiromantic idiom that rejects sentimentality and “prettiness.”
Reading this was something I needed to do for a very long time. With a long Sappho tattoo on my right leg, it was a miracle I’d yet to read all of her compiled excerpts. This collection allowed me to finally do so. It was gorgeously lyrical and, of course, sapphic. I found myself marking so many pages to come back to later. I can’t say much other than these poems meant so much to me that I had to put it in the top spot for October.
Fourth mention of my audiobook journey with the Warriors books! I finished Rising Storm from the end of September to the beginning of October. Macleod Andrews continues to deliver the best during the most depressing scenes. I am so excited to see how he does with the next two books.
2026 monthly wrap-ups: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September
2025 monthly wrap-ups: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
