L I F E
This October, I attended MCM Comic Con! A lot of my friends are cosplayers, so I thought it would be good to have a casual cosplay in my wardrobe for con days so I don’t feel like the odd one out when I’m hanging out with them. I also have to travel much farther than the rest, usually alone on public transport, and I haven’t quite yet mastered the bravery to be in full costume by myself, so I created a cosplay based on Phasmophobia! A 4-player co-op horror game where you try to figure out the ghost type and survive. The game recently introduced its own customisation, so I had a custom T-shirt, jacket and hat printed for my cosplay! I had a lot of fun preparing this, even if not many people recognised it. Sadly, this will most likely be my last MCM for the foreseeable future because they removed priority entrance, raised prices despite no increase in quality, and continued crowd mismanagement.
B O O K S
In October, I read 7 books! (and finished reading 1 webtoon)
Mestra by Madeline Miller
Mestra is Miller’s newest novella, retelling the story of the daughter of the king of Thessaly. After the king is cursed with an insatiable hunger, Mestra is sold off but returns soon after when she gains the ability to metamorphose. To feed her father’s endless appetite, Mestra is forced into an endless ruse to marry her off to men disguised as other women. When the cycle becomes unsustainable, Mestra must decide how to break it.
I was not aware of a new Miller book until very recently. A short, fun retelling in true Miller style! I would’ve loved to have seen in as a full novel!
Walking in Your Tracks by Tatsumi Kifuu
A recluse author, Ren, is wheelchair-bound after an incident and befriends his newest caretaker, Maki. I came across this manga on Reddit by chance, so I decided to give it a try. It was super sweet with some deep emotional pulls. Ren’s backstory and how it leads to him being in a wheelchair was very heavy, and sometimes the narrative kind of loses direction, and I could only really chalk it up to the way it was translated.
Trigger warning for the manga: grooming, CSA and child abuse. (I found it quite unsettling to read through. I really hope the author unpacks it and lets Ren fully grieve what he went through, because it seems like it was sidelined a bit for the romance.)
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
The newest Hunger Games movie comes out in November, so I thought, why not re-read the original trilogy? I haven’t read the OG series in over 13 years! I read Sunrise on the Reaping and the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as an adult, so both stories were still fresh in my mind. But reading the OG series felt like such a blast from the past!
In the Shadow of Eight by Collin Gosselin
I never watched TLC shows growing up, but the clips of the Gosselin family are probably one of the earliest examples of child reality stars. This was absolutely devastating. Collin’s ability to show compassion and maturity despite so many people failing him is commendable.
Black Bag by Luke Kennard
An out-of-work actor takes a job for a university professor conducting a psychological experiment. His role? Stay in a black bag and sit silently in his lectures. I sadly was not a fan of this. A wacky, interesting premise bogged down by everything in this book. I can allow it being longlisted for the Booker Prize, but shortlisted? Not a worthy contender.
Can’t Think Straight by Pangin, illustrated by Hudadak
Han Garam despises his rude, spoiled roommate, Yoon Jaehyuk. When he overhears his homophobic remarks, it begins a war of attrition between the two. But intense loathing turns into a roommate-with-benefits arrangement, then into a genuine relationship filled with humour and surprising emotional growth.
I have a love/hate relationship with this webtoon. I started off absolutely hating Jaehyuk. I started this webtoon back in 2022! It recently finished, so I decided to buy the last few chapters and finish off the series. Considering how long manhwas take to complete, it almost feels surreal to reach the end! Like I said, I actually wasn’t a fan of this series to start. Jaehyuk is one of the worst male leads at the beginning of the story. I think curiosity got the better of me, and I kept reading only because I was genuinely curious how the author somehow makes this irredeemable man… well, redeemable? It is an extremely hilarious webtoon, but the plot drags so much that it almost ruins all the character development both Garam and Jaehyuk had. Miscommunication is this webtoon’s bread and butter, and boy does it drag the trope to the ground. The first couple of instances it was ok, but towards the end, especially in the final chapters? There are only so many times we can continue the same topic and conversation before it gets stale. And in classic manhwa style, the ending felt abrupt. How do you drag the story and then choose to end abruptly?
That’s it for this month! Tell me what went on in YOUR life this month! What sort of things was important for you this month? New obsessions? New TV shows? Or book? Any new song recs (I’m always open to new music!)? Best books you read this month?
