Wrap Up

September Wrap Up

October 4, 2022 /

This, my friends, is it.

This is the type of month I want to be having every dang month. I read nine books in September, three of which I read in the course of two days, and shockingly surged past my Goodreads reading goal to now be “ahead”.

Who is she?! 

But in all seriousness, I had a wonderful reading month. Many of the books I read in September have quickly become favorites of the year, and I’m incredibly proud of the amount I was able to knock out! I think there’s just something about the fall that transforms me into this crazy reading monster, because I’ve noticed for the past few years that my reading really takes off around the August/September point. Which, hey, I’ll take it!

Let’s get into it.

Of course, an unsurprising hit. Loved this, loved its depth and the messages explored through a fantastical setting. Kuang wrote a four-act structure, which got a bit meandering for me at times, but still flew through this. Keep em’ coming, queen R.F. Kuang!

Given that this book was on backorder for MONTHS, I was expecting a great read, and a great read I got. A heartbreaking, introspective look into the life of a child actor, written in Jennette’s dry, witty style. Loved.

Okay, WHAT! I was so meh on the Love Hypothesis, this was a “last chance” read for Ms. Hazelwood. Ya’ll, I loved loved this. Grinned ridiculously through the whole thing. Will absolutely be trying her next novel – will this be a one-hit wonder? Stay tuned!

Another last-chance read, and another absolute hit! Devoured this in a day and found myself fist-pumping for Carrie Soto’s victorious return to tennis. Who would’ve thought? However, post-reading, I’ve seen discussion (linking a good comprehensive TikTok here!) about TJR writing a Latina MC, so definitely a bit cautious of my TJR consumption from now on. 

Look at this cove. LOOK AT IT! Gorgeous. The color scheme, the design style, the lil’ tagline, ugh. Love. This one was fun and I’m definitely glad I read it, but for awhile there it was just so freaking British that I didn’t know if I was going to be able to get through it enjoyably. I tried to listen on audio and multiple times had to run it back. But overall, ended up really enjoying! 

I was really excited about this and ended up a bit disappointed. It just fell flat in terms of characters and I felt like there wasn’t enough actual interaction between the MC and love interest to really warrant the drama they go through towards the end. I couldn’t buy into it! Also, while the family moments were sweet, there were so many of them that it overshadowed the love story. Overall, meh.

Three stellar factors that made this one a must read: Book of the Month, Bad on Paper September book pick, and that COVER! Ya’ll, this one was fun. From the very first scene I was hooked (four bestie assassins on a private jet? yes!). My only qualm with this that the female main characters got kind of interchangeable and that the ending felt a bit rushed, but otherwise, a fun fall read!

This was a GREAT reading month, so it’s hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to, I might just say this one. Goodness, what a sweet, adorable, heartwarming story that I was so sad to let go of. The witchy-ness, the grumpy/sunshine-ness, the found family-ness, all of it was perfect. It’s also my favorite content creator, Morgan Long’s September/October book club pick, an added bonus!

This was really, really strange. 

Not necessarily in a bad way, just in a…”what?” way. I think the concept was fun (an undertaker and basically a zombie killer) and I enjoyed the side characters, but there was very little plot and just a smidgen too much instalove for me. I’m glad I read it, and I’m incredibly, confusingly drawn to the cover, but don’t think I’d ever actively recommend. 

I might be in the stray 5% of the population that didn’t…like this? Which is so sad because it’s two book-y people falling in love, and one of them is Tom Hanks. What’s not to like? Well, the cat-fishing for one. And the whole emotional cheating on your partner thing, two. And I guess three would be casually crushing your future significant other’s generational livelihood and not apologizing. So yeah, not the biggest hit for me, unfortunately!

Abbott Elementary is the purest, funniest, cleverest show on television, and no, you cannot change my mind! This show is like chapstick on dry lips, a warm shower after going sledding, the first sip of a perfectly steeped cup of tea. I was also so happy to see Sheryl Lee Ralph win an Emmy and her speech now and forever lives rent free in my head. 

And that’s September! All in all, a great reading month, and I’m really eager to see what October and the rest of the year brings!

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