Hello Loves!
September comes to an end.
It was a month of many unusual reading sojourns for me.
For one I read some Russian Literature.
Then for one week straight, I read a romance novel every night.
I also didn't read a single book from India this month. Not one. And if you know me at all, you know that is not common around these parts. At all. I don't even have a specific reason for doing so, it's just something that happened.
I also didn't buy a single book.
I read a book on my iPad after years and was reminded of how much I love it.
I read 19 books in total and had a very happy reading month.
So let's just jump into it.
Here is everything I read in September and my thoughts and little reviews.
BOOKS OF SEPTEMBER 2022:
1. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky: I started my month with a classic. My first proper foray into Russian Lit. My first full length novel from a Russian master. I have, so far in life only ever read short stories from the Russian Lit and I have been meaning to delve into a novel. I started with The Idiot and I was surprised by how easily I slipped into this world, the writing is so accessible, so if like me you were worried about it being a little too difficult to navigate, fear not. I had no problems slipping into this story and find my footing.
I won't say too much about the book itself, because I don't know if I have the wherewithal to talk about this book. I haven't read anything quite like this, but I did like how a seemingly simpleton walks into the lives of people and leaves an impact, makes them rethink their way of looking at people like him and the world at large. I love how it talks about not making judgements on people and think more deeply than just first impressions. I like the view the author took on women and how harshly they are judged and often for the misdeeds of men.
I loved my time with this book and I loved how I read it slowly through the month, studied it (like I was back in Lit class) made notes and did a deep dive. Here on out, I hope to do this every month, read a classic and make a little project out of it.
4/5
2. I'm Glad My Mother Died by Jennette McCurdy: I read this very buzzy memoir in the very beginning of the month. I am not a Disney of Nickelodeon fan at all, I don't think I've ever watched any of the big shows on either channels. I had never even heard of the show that made the writer a household name, I had no clue. But what I do find endlessly fascinating is child-stars and how fame and money affects someone so young. I have often wondered what it does to a child when they go from being a child to the person who puts food on the table? I won't lie, I have some pretty strong ideas about how detrimental growing up too early does to the psyche of person. I don't think it's a great idea to have children work in adult environments and work full time. It can't be good. And it's unsurprising how so many former child stars have nothing nice to say about their early days in showbiz.
This book further cements my opinion.
Add to that a mother who is truly, truly messed up.
She is a nightmare and I cannot believe she went on unchecked and was allowed to make her young daughter's life a living hell.
This book was startling and infuriating and sad and so good.
I always find books (both fiction and non-fiction) about messed up families, especially mothers very interesting, maybe because these relationships are often put on such a pedestal and society shies away from thinking or acknowledging those outlier units that don't fit into our ideas of motherhood.
TWs for Sexual Abuse, EDs and Emotional Abuse.
4/5
3. The Missing Word by Concita De Gregario: My next read was about another mother, this one is someone who is left without her children. An abusive and controlling, soon to be ex-husband does the unimaginable thing and abducts the couple's twin daughters and they are never seen again, presumed dead And now our protagonist must go through life being a person without a word for it- a mother who has lost her children.
Is she still a mother?
This book will break your heart and enrage you and it brings home so many things we live with and know as women. Men, even vile men are so often not blamed for the things they do and the damage they inflict. Women are blamed for not doing enough, not being enough and in this case not being vigilant enough or worse still provoking her ex into harming her kids!
This was short and powerful and profound.
4/5
4. The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin, Trans. Anissa Abbas Higgins: Back in March I read Winter in Sokcho by the same author and really enjoyed it. It's the kind of book that's not very plot heavy but mostly is very atmospheric and what the kids call full of vibes. I liked it. I liked the writing and when this book came out I was very interested in reading it. One for the writing itself but also the setting in a familiar (thanks to Pachinko) world, that of Koreans living in Japan and running Pachinko parlours. So I stepped in expecting good things and in part said good things were delivered. This book is heavy on the vibes. It took us along with our protagonist, who is spending her summer with her old grandparents and is very keen on going to Korea to re-connect with their roots. She is also spending the summer teaching French to a young girl. There is a lot going on here, some summer sadness, some racism and someone trying to find her roots and who she is. A lot of it worked. A lot of it was perfectly nice. Then there was some bits that had me zoning out.
So eventually this one was a very average read for me.
2.5/5
5. Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky: I read the author's previous book last year, it was called The Mary Shelley Club and I LOVED it. So much. So I went into this book with my excitement off the charts! Plus this one seemed like a mix between Lords of the Flies (obvs) and the whole Fyre Fest mess. So I was allll in.
Sadly, this one was a colossal let-down.
It was not fun. Just not.
Meh.
1/5
6. Bunny by Mona Awad: Guys, I finally read a TikTok famous book...or a BookTok book. Bunny has a few things I like a lot, a college setting, a girl group, some magic, some magic going wrong and possible mental illness. All good things.
This book was sooooooo weird and odd and just...oodles of strangeness.
Read it just for the strange quotient. And if you'be studied liberal arts.
This book is a curious mix between Secret History and Donny Darko.
Fun. Odd. And leaves you a lot to think about.
3.5/5
7. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie: Read some good old Christie when we had a few very rainy days. Right around her birthday. Read this and loved it and watched a bunch of Christie TV adaptations too.
Always a good time.
4/5
8. Marple, 12 New Stories: I was quite excited and a little nervous for this new release. As much as I love Poirot, I ADORE Miss Marple, so I was low key very excited to see what these 12 authors would do with a beloved character.
And...this was such a mixed bag.
A full review is coming soon because you bet I have a lot to say. So stay tuned for that.
9. Carry The One by Carol Anshaw: My next read is an old one from my shelves. One I read mainly so I could be good and read older books from my shelves. And I am so happy I did and found my way to this book.
I love books like these. Books about how one night, one incident, one accident has the ability to alter lives forever. Change people and change destinies.
Three siblings. From 1983 to 2008.
One night in 1983 and one reckless night of celebration of drinking, drugs and an accident in which a child is killed in an accident. And this death and it's shadow follows them through the years.
Marriage, love, relationships, addiction and family and everything else is touched by this.
I really enjoyed this book.
4/5
10. Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller: Another oldie from my shelves. This one has won a bunch of awards and I had heard quite a few things about it. I am so happy I read this, finally! Another book that's set in the 80s, I guess I was really feeling the 80s this month huh? This one is about a young girl who's abducted by her survivalist father and spends nine years living in the forest, cut off from people and thinking the rest of the world doesn't exist anymore. A very interesting premise that I loved reading, I don't think I've read anything like it. We see the world from the point of view of our protagonist, before, during and after her living in the forest. We see her life and the author does a phenomenal job of taking us right into this world and we walk along our main character and feel everything she's going through.
So good.
3.5/5
11. Unmissing by Minka Kent: I have read a few books by this author and I usually enjoy her thrillers. This one was decent-ish. The premise was intriguing, a woman was went missing and was presumed dead, comes back after 10 years and throws off her husband and his new wife's lives. Told from two perspectives, of bot the wives, old and new, this book was nicely paced and well-written but the big twist is very easy to guess and so obvious.
3/5
12. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld: September felt like the perfect time to read a book about a boarding school. I have had this book for a while and for years I've heard people tell me how much they loved it. I was happy to finally dust it off and give it a read and honestly fall in love.
Alas, that didn't happen.
For the first 200 pages I got what the fuss was about. I got it. The author does a bang on job of really getting what it feels to be 14 and lost and trying to make friends, be cool and find your place in the world and belong. So much of that is pitch perfect.
Then..I really, really began to dislike Lee, our main character. I think the main thing is my teenage self was so dramatically different from her. And so much of her painful insecurity and her desperation to be cooler was getting on my last nerve. I can see why people love this book, it was just not for me. By page 303 I was kinda done.
Not for me.
2/5
13. First Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton: After Prep I wanted to read the OG and I wanted a little comfort. I don't think I've actually read this series in it's entirety. I was more of a Famous Five girl when I was little. So these stories are pretty much all new to me. I am excited to read the rest of the series slowly. This was fun and warm and fuzzy.
3/5
Oh and then...I went on a full romance bender!
Like full on.
I made the most of my Kindle Unlimited subscription and read a LOT OF ROMANCE.
6 Romance Reads.
I had some stressful days in September and I found a lot of comfort and distraction in romance.
I haven't read this much romance/smut since I was a teenager.
:)
Here are the books I reads in a frenzy.
14. Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas: This book started off my romance kick. A YA/New Adult romance. Two pen pals meet in real life and don't quite get along...till they do.
Steamy, sweet and fun.
Just what you need when you want something sexy and fun.
4/5
15. and 16. The Confidence of Wildflowers and The Resurrection of Wildflowers by Micalea Sheltzer: Next I read this duology. I found out quite a bit this month about alll the many kinds of romance genres that exist now. So this genre of age difference romances is quite popular and these books fall under that genre. Normally, in real life, I am not too fond of romances with huge age differences. Yes, age is just a number but age also means so much more.
This book has a 18 year old girl falling for a 31 year old man, which can be skeezy but here it's handled quite well. And in the second book there is a five year leap when the age thing isn't that bad...ish. Seriously though in this book, this couple makes sense. I quite enjoyed it. It was hot and steamy and sweet.
4/5
17. June First by Jennifer Hartman: Another romance genre that's kinda in vogue right now is a Taboo Romance. So relationships that are frowned upon and kinda inappropriate. This one is about two people who were raised in the same household...as siblings..but aren't biologically related. So taboo...but not as bad as some other books I came across. Man...people are into some very taboo things.
This one was a little too long drawn and starts from when our leads are kids. In fact even before the girl is born. So there is a lot of character development and we really get to know the people in this world. This one wasn't too skeezy, something I was concerned about...this had it's heart in the right place.
3.5/5
18. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas: This was a mix of the age-difference genre and the taboo romance genre. There is a 20 year difference between the couple and the man is the girl's boyfriend's dad.
Yup.
Dad.
Kinda weird.
3/5
19. My Best Friend's Sister by Q.B. Tyler: This one was short and hot and fun. Didn't exactly love the writing. But at 107 pages, I didn't mind.
2.5/5
That's everything.
Mostly good reads.
I am happy to have read some classics, literary fiction, a thriller, a memoir and so many old books off my shelves and so much romance.
A good reading month.
Hope September was good for you too.
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