As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from October.

Hollywood, Ending (John Green): This is an incredible book. He has created complex, interesting characters, researched the hell out of Hollywood and movie making, and given part of his heart and experience with fame to us so we could understand a bit how it feels. I will think about this story for a long time.

It’s Not What You Think (Clare Mackintosh): A twisty thriller with a disturbing plotline. I normally love Clare Mackintosh books and don’t even read what they’re about when a new one comes out. I just jump right into the story. But this one didn’t sit well with me, even though the writing itself was strong, as usual.

The Velvet Knife (Maureen Johnson): As I said with the last Maureen Johnson book, if I were still a teen, I would eat these books up and love them. I would love the characters because they would feel like familiar friends. And I would love the setting, which had Only Murders in the Building vibes. This is the sixth book in the series, and I’ve read all of them. So perfect read if you’re a teen. If you’re an adult, you may feel vaguely annoyed with the characters.

Sophie, Standing There (Meg Mason): This book will make your heart hurt in a good way. I had this on my TBR for months, waiting for it to come out. And it was so gorgeous. Sad but also thought-provoking and lovely and I just wanted Sophie to win, whatever winning means to her. I will think about her for a long time.

Do You See What I See? (Peter Swanson): It has a great twist, but I wouldn’t say it follows the rules of fair play. Which means the twist has a little less impact that it would have if all had been there from the beginning. But a good, creepy Christmas mystery.

A Box Full of Murders (Janice Hallett): Is there anything Janice Hallett can’t do? After so many brilliant adult novels, she has gone and written a children’s book in the same style, and it’s adorable. I read it before getting it for my nephew to make sure it’s not scary. Would be perfect for mid to upper elementary. But honestly, an adult could enjoy it, too.

What did you read last month?

It’s Friday the 13th. Not really sure why I feel the need to write that in the Roundup every time it happens. But I do.

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Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

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But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• None… sniff.

Okay, now my choices this week.

Swistle gives some fret updates. I love that term: frets. It perfectly describes those lower-key, time-sensitive worries that either clear up or fizzle out. Unless they move from fret to… what is one step beyond fret? A fret that has become a true worry is a crisis? In any case, I like this idea of noting your frets.

Lastly, Skinny Black Girl has returned and has been writing regularly. I love this post for the image and the sentiment. She writes: “I’ve become exactly who I wanted to be. The woman who lives in her own world, offering only what she’s willing to give. An eye over the page of her latest read. Her back while dancing at a party of one.” Go read the whole post — it’s beautiful.

The roundup to the Roundup: Friday the 13th. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between November 6 – 13) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

Do you remember this absolutely amazing (and brilliantly simple) game from last January? Thomas (the creator) is back with an updated game that works the same way, but now with colourful bars that tell you how close you are to goal.

It is hard to wait to start grouping. Upon opening it, I immediately clicked two blocks together. I wanted to remain firm and wait for the weekend, but tiny peeks at it mean that I’m 18% of the way through.

Enjoy Make Groups.

I consider myself a fairly digital person even though I’m more analog than others. I still take meeting notes by hand, keep a paper journal and a paper datebook, and buy paper books. Writing that, it sounds like I hate trees. Anyway, I work remotely online and often socialize via FaceTime. That feels like a digital life.

I got excited by a list of 50 things you can do to lead a more analog life. But when I opened it up, I discovered that I’m much more analog than I thought. Before I read the list, I would have judged myself to be 80% digital/20% analog.

But I didn’t hit the first thing I didn’t already do until #10. I see sunsets, but I don’t make a point to go outside and watch the sun set. Some of the list is unhelpful — I didn’t need to do 11 – 15 because I find it super easy to not pick up my phone or go on websites — and some was confounding (how are game consoles analog? Why not board games?). But overall, it was a good reminder that some of the basics are worth keeping.

I’m thinking now I’m more 60% analog/40% digital upon reflection, though I got to that answer without any scientific proof beyond the fact that I already do (or already don’t do) most things on this list.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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It’s a super simple website, but it made me so indescribably happy. You write one good thing in the prompt bar, and it gets attached to a bird who flies around in the trees. And you can click on any bird and read what other people have written. All of the messages are small, happy things, and your small happy thing is flying around, too.

You can feed the birds when you click on them. Look at the four icons; it’s the one on the far left. And you can see how many people catch or feed your bird.

Enjoy.

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.