Offbeat Offline: October 2022 (+ Announcing Blog Reprise in December)

Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!

What happened last month to yours truly? I've STILL been tending to my husband and working myself to the bone and basically going mad. But I did make a point of reading a bit every day or so, and that's how I finished 4 books (I also had a DNF though). Anyhow, I have news, so let's dive straight into my monthly recap...

📚 FOR THE THRILL OF IT. As I mentioned above, I read 4 books in October, and I DNF a fifth. Too bad the DNF one was a NG approval...😬

I read Rules for Vanishing and Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall (both YA, supernatural/horror/multiverse - the second being a semi-sequel to the first). I've found a new-to-me author to watch (though me and OLE got off to a bumpy start...but by the second half of the book I was finally enjoying it properly).

I read Boneyard by Seanan McGuire (adult, historical/steampunk/supernatural/horror)...to keep with the Halloween theme! LOL, no I swear it wasn't intentional...it's just that, now more than ever, supernatural horror is my comfort genre (OK, I know, I'm one weird chick 😂).

Anyhow, I also read Freaks Like Us by Susan Vaught (YA, contemporary with mental health rep).

Lastly, I DNF Seeds for the Swarm by Sim Kern (YA, sci-fi), which is a shame, since it was an ARC I got via NetGalley...but eh...it happens. Mini reviews for all these books are on Goodreads for now, though they will be posted on my blog in due time...As a matter of fact, Seeds for the Swarm, Freaks Like Us and Boneyard will be featured in a mini-review round in December!

Also, I was approved for 3 books this month! Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sidoti (YA, thriller - out on April 4th), Nothing but the Rain by Naomi Salman (adult, sci-fi/contemporary with a twist - out on March 14th) and We Don't Swim Here by Vincent Tirado (YA, supernatural??? - out on May 2nd).

Normally, at this point, I would list the reviews I plan on posting and the Tell Me Something Tuesdays I mean to participate in during this month, but due to my ongoing home problems (see below) I'll have to sit November out. Here is a list of the next TMST questions though, covering November, December and January, so that you can schedule your posts if they strike your fancy. I plan on making a blogging comeback next month, but I don't think I'll be able to join the meme again until January...

• November 1st: What was/were your favourite subject/s in high school?
• November 8th: Do you belong to any book clubs?
• November 15th: What activity that you've read a character doing in a book have you dreamed of trying?
• November 22nd: Tell us about your favorite books as a kid
• November 29th: Which books are you looking forward to reading this winter? (Dec-Feb)
• December 6th: Which character from a book would you like to be friends with and why?
• December 13th: Do you have a favorite quote/s from a book?
• December 20th: What are your favorite holiday-centric movies? Do you rewatch them every December?
• December 27th: What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2022?
• January 3rd: What are your blogging/reading goals for the new year?
• January 10th: Do you read classics? Why or why not?
• January 17th: Do you tend to enjoy spin off series? Or are you hesitant about them? 
• January 24th: Do you listen to author/book playlists? Do you create your own?
• January 31st: Do you reread series before reading the newest book if it's been a while?

😩 MESS & STRESS PT. 2. My husband is still bedridden because of his foot ulcer, and since the doppler test showed a peripheral arterial occlusive disease (which caused the problem), he's now in line for surgery. In the meantime, the nurses keep coming every day except Sunday to medicate and bandage him, and the surgeon keeps checking on him thrice a week in order to remove the necrotic tissue from said ulcer. Of course, my life is still hectic and exhausting, to say the least. But at least now we have surgery to look forward to (though we don't have a date yet, but it will happen within the month).

😠 COME AGAIN? I'm sure you all remember that my Twitter account was hacked last year and used to promote b1tc01n (ironically, under the face and name of Twitter's current owner), and I ultimately had to create a new one because I couldn't find anyone who would listen to my innocence pleas. Well...on October 1st, one year and three months after, it happened again. Luckily, this time the suspicious activity didn't attract the powers-that-be's attention - it was a small breach really, a handful of tweets saying stuff like "So good!" and providing a link that I didn't investigate. I was able to delete them and change my password before it turned into a whole thing. BTW, thanks again to Karen who alerted me via email (I was having internet issues those days, so I didn't notice until she told me). I don't have a clue why it must always be ME. I have a small follower count, and I never use obvious passwords...

Of course, I haven't blog-hopped at all this month (again), so I've got nothing 🙁. And November will be a repeat of this scenario 😞. BUT I definitely plan on being around in December, because I want to exit the year with a bang!

That's it for now! My next post will be up on December 3rd, and it will be a new installment in my Offbeat Offline series, that should mark my official return to blogging!

So, what were your highs/lows in the past month?