September was a month... I'm not sure what type of month, so it's just was a month. I can't even remember what I did. I did a lot of aerial, I read a pretty decent amount, and I feel like I started getting back on my review game a little bit. My husband and I also celebrated our five year marriage anniversary with a day trip to Malibu, so that was a nice time and much needed break. I was really looking forward to September/October all year because I really have grown to love the Halloween season, but October is shaping up to be a pretty hectic month so I'm trying to just enjoy what I can so far, haha.
I read 13 books in September, which really shocked me, but I've been trying to really prioritize my reading and focus better, so it goods to see that that's clearly working. Some standouts from September's reading are: To Shape a Dragon's Breath, Royal Assassin, Whispers from the Poisoned Isle, Two Twisted Crowns, and The September House–which is quite a nice number of books to have loved for once! I've been slowly getting back into what feels like a more normal routine for blogging and reading and so far, so good! What have you all been reading? Let me know in the comments and feel free to link your own wrap-ups (or any posts, really!), and I hope you all have a wonderful October!
# books read: 13
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: I loved this! I don't think it's going to be for everyone because it's written in a very... I don't know, matter of fact way? The protagonist has a really great head on her shoulders and I can see some people not meshing well with that, but I though this was amazing and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: Sadly, this didn't click with me as much as I'd hoped it would. I still liked the general premise and would probably still recommend this, though, to anyone interested.
Whispers from the Poisoned Isle (Jekua #4) by Travis M. Riddle
Source: Author | Format: eARC
Source: Author | Format: eARC
Thoughts: I loved this fourth installment to Riddle's Jekua series! This series has been so fun and has been ramping up and diving into some fascinating storylines. Highly recommended!
Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King #2) by Rachel Gillig
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: This was a fantastic conclusion to a really great duology! I was really pleasantly surprised by this duology and ended up having an amazing time with it. I think it sounds a bit like some common YA stories out there, but it's really not and I think it stands on its own really well. I'll have a review up for this sequel soon!
Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy #2) by Robin Hobb
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: I enjoyed Assassin's Apprentie well enough, but not enough to where I wanted to read this sequel right away after finishing it. I finally got around to reading the sequel now, and I loved it so much more than the first book! I feel like that's pretty rare, but holy cow this was great and I read it so much faster than I expected, and I'm actually now in the middle of the third book because I had to keep reading the story, so... yeah. The second book is good.
The September House by Carissa Orlando
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC
Thoughts: This was wild and is now one of my favorite haunted house stories. I already talked about it a bit on my blog tour stop, but I really love it (though I honestly didn't care for some of the chapters that focused solely on the main character's relationship... I know it was important, but... eh.)
Wild Spaces by S.L. Coney
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This was a weird story that definitely didn't end up working for me. Of course, I remembered that a lot of the bloggers I follow gave this poor reviews once I was almost done with the book and thinking about how much I didn't like it. Maybe I should've checked those reviews again before I picked it up, haha.
Phaedra by Laura Shepperson
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: This has a pretty low average Goodreads rating, and while I can generally understand why, I actually think this was pretty good. It's not going to be a favorite, but I thought it was a really solid retelling and I liked all the different POVs.
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: This was weird and kinda whacky and witty and I had a great time with it!
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: I liked this way more than the movie, and it's pretty much just as weird as I expected it to be based off of what everyone has told me about it. Not sure I'd continue the series, though.
Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes
Source: Owned | Format: Audiobook
Source: Owned | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This was so unexpected and so good! I caught it on sale a couple weeks ago and hadn't heard of it before then, so I was really pleasantly surprised by it. It has some great Hawaiian history woven into a compelling story. It's a bit on the slower side, but I'd absolutely recommend it.
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: I am mildly devastated that I didn't read this as a kid because I would've lost my mind over it. This and the sequel that just came out this year were sent to me by the publisher and I had an awesome time with this book. (The sequel... we'll discuss that next month.)
The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This had a strong start, but I feel like it started to lose me somewhere along the way. Still, I'll always be excited to try out new Kate Alice Marshall books and I think this will be a hit for a lot of people!
DNF/To-Be-Finished:
Apparently none! I feel like this might not be true, but I can't remember any books I DNF'd, so we're going with none.
Posts:
(other than reviews)
Month in Review: August 2023
Blog Tour + Excerpt: The September House by Carissa Orlando
Anticipated October 2023 Releases
Blog Tour + Excerpt: The September House by Carissa Orlando
Anticipated October 2023 Releases
Blog Memes:
Can't-Wait Wednesday:
9/6: Red River Seven by A.J. Ryan, Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, & The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas
9/13: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, Knock Knock Open Wide by Neil Sharpson, & Lilith by Nikki Marmery
9/20: Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling, Death Valley by Melissa Broder, & Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
9/27: The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey, A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand, & Silent City by Sarah Davis-Goff
9/6: Red River Seven by A.J. Ryan, Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, & The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas
9/13: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, Knock Knock Open Wide by Neil Sharpson, & Lilith by Nikki Marmery
9/20: Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling, Death Valley by Melissa Broder, & Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
9/27: The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey, A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand, & Silent City by Sarah Davis-Goff
I feel like so many us had great reading months in September! Happy anniversary!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you loved The September House, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't care for Wild Spaces. Congrats on reading 13 books!
ReplyDelete