State of the ARC is a monthly meme temporarily hosted by Sarah at All The Book Blog Names Are Taken meant to motivate you to finish up your long overdue ARCs (Advanced or Early Reader Copies). This is its original intention, while some bloggers have tweaked it a bit for their own purposes, such as just keeping ARCs in order by due dates. Or you can just be a hot mess like me who sometimes misses publishing dates (or ignores them altogether) and needs a way to stay organized on what has been read, reviewed, or is still begging for attention. Thank you to Evelina @ Avalinah’s Books for coming up with this super helpful monthly meme.

I finished September with 27 ARCs left to be read. 

I started doing this monthly feature a while ago, and it really helps me keep track of how I’m doing with my ARCs. Every month, I type this out, and it really hit me today that this is the 44th month of me doing this. I’ve had my ups and downs, but I really like the accountability I get from doing this post.

October has been a busy month, with multiple Jewish holidays and most importantly, my mother’s 85th birthday. There’s always a festive vibe with the Jewish holidays in the autumn, yet they were tinged with sadness this year because of the hostages being held by Hamas. 

The weather is starting to cool down most days, and I have never been more glad that I live in a place where the leaves change color, the nights get cold, and the best feeling ever is getting all bundled up with a fluffy, warm blanket and a dog or two … or three. But that’s just my own personal opinion.

I’m still dealing with chronic health issues, and I’m just hoping that my insomnia/fatigue gets sorted out relatively quickly. The cooler weather helps, since the humidity was so rough for me this year. Even with all of that, I made a pretty decent dent in my NetGalley ARCs. I was able to devote most of my reading to catching up on my past due NG ARCs and made some progress that I’m really proud of. I have also been working on limiting how many new books I’m requesting, but I’m sure you know how hard that can be.

I got approved for four books, two of which were audiobooks, and one of those was another version of the ebook I got approved for. All the hard work is paying off because my ratio went up another point to 95%. So I’m still planning to work really hard on getting the backlog down, and hopefully will be able to do this by the end of the year. I got 10 ARCs reviewed during the month, and got approved for 4, so it’s still a net decrease in how many outstanding books I have to read. Here’s how this month went for my NG ARCs:

I got approved for 4 new books in October:

1. How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science by Annie Grossman
2. The Legacy of Arniston House by TL Huchu
3. High Season by Katie Bishop
4. The Lost House by Melissa Larsen

These are the ARCs that I read and reviewed, with links to my reviews:

1. The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch — see my review here.
2. The Comfy Cozy Witch’s Guide to Making Magic in Your Everyday Life by Jennie Blonde — see my review here.
3. The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard — see my review here.
4. Night Owls by A.R. Vishny — see my review here.
5. Betty Crocker Found Recipes by Betty Crocker — see my review here.
6. When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman — see my review here.
7. The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig — see my review here.
8. The Judgment of Yoyo Gold by Isaac Blum — see my review here.
9. The Kiss of the Nightingale by Adi Denner — see my review here.
10. How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science by Annie Grossman — see my review here.

Here are the ARCs I still have to read:

1. The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois by Ryan Graudin | Amazon
2. Hex and Hexability by Kate Johnson | Amazon
3. Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik | Amazon
4. The Forbidden Book by Sacha Lamb | Amazon
5. Modern Magic by Michelle Tea | Amazon
6. Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot | Amazon
7. The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche | Amazon
8. The Legacy of Arniston House by TL Huchu | Amazon
9. The Legacy of Arniston House by TL Huchu (audiobook)
10. Murder at the Lemonberry Tea by Darci Hannah | Amazon
11. The Voyage Home by Pat Barker | Amazon
12. The Shadowed Land by Signe Pike | Amazon
13. Breath of the Dragon by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee | Amazon
14. The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia | Amazon
15. The Lost House by Melissa Larsen | Amazon
16. Those Fatal Flowers by Shannon Ives | Amazon
17. Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson | Amazon
18. A Long Time Gone by Joshua Moehling | Amazon
19. Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine | Amazon
20. Saltwater by Katy Hays | Amazon
21. High Season by Katie Bishop | Amazon

Which ARCs are you excited about this month? Do we have any in common? Have you already read any of the ones on my list?