“All the months are crude experiments, out of which the perfect September is made.”
Virginia Woolf
And so September is here [or was here – as I am per usual finishing this later in the year]. This month brings the shortening of days and cooling of summer temperatures up here in the Northern Hemisphere, the first stirrings of Autumn start to appear and sadly, so does the rain.
But, there’s a lot to celebrate in September, it is the month of Library Card Sign Up Month – if you don’t have a card yet, make it this weeks homework. Honestly, libraries are magical places and we all need to do our part to keep them open and running! It is also National Self Care Awareness Month, so what better excuse to make space in your day for the things that nurture your soul, for me this meant lots of reading of course.
It is also National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, whilst this doesn’t give an opportunity to celebrate in the way other things may, I urge you [at all times] to reach out to those around you, you never know what battles they may be facing, or how a kind word may help. And if you ever feel like things are getting too heavy in your own life, please reach out to those around you – or to someone who can help. In the UK that could be the Samaritans, you can call any time on 116 123 or go to their website for support [https://www.samaritans.org/].
September was a quiet month for me, I really leaned into the autumnal hibernation vibes and tackled a whole raft of books that have been on the pile for a while.
And so to books, here’s what was on the list.
Books Read:
| Title | Author |
| All You Need is Less | Vicky Vrint |
| A Court of Thorns and Roses | Sarah J Maas |
| A Court of Mist and Fury | Sarah J Maas |
| A Court of Wings and Ruin | Sarah J Maas |
| A Court of Frost and Starlight | Sarah J Maas |
| A Court of Silver Flames | Sarah J Maas |
| The Gilded Ones | Namina Forna |
| The Merciless Ones | Namina Forna |
| The Eternal Ones | Namina Forna |
| The Circle | Dave Eggers |
| The Host | Stephenie Meyer |
Total keeping: 4 out of 11
The Host by Stephenie Meyer follows the story of Melanie and Wanda as they learn to coexist in the same body – one as a human, and one as an alien parasite. Despite that description sounding distinctly like a horror story, it really isn’t. It is a great story about the love of family, both those we are given and those we find, and how sometimes it’s possible to make a home in even the most unlikely of places.
Melanie believes her and her brother may be the last remaining humans in North America, scraping a living amongst others who have been taken over by the hosts, an alien life form that bonds to humans and create a world where the many come before the few.
Wanda is a soul that has travelled the universe, before being tasked with using Melanie’s memories to track down the last of the human resistance on earth. What she wasn’t banking on was Melanie’s strength and will to keep those she loves hidden. As the story develops we see how the two begin to learn to not only coexist, but to form an uneasy friendship. It is fascinating to see how the story develops in the two ‘voices’ of the lead character.
Stephenie Meyer has created a world that is believable, beautiful and more than a little tempting – who wouldn’t mind giving up their body for world peace, right? In my opinion, one of the worst things they ever did for this book was trying to piggy back off the success of Twilight – it’s a completely different type of novel, and I personally love it. Despite being released in 2009 I revisit this every few years and find different details each time, one to consider if you like your sci-fi to be believable.
The Circle is a terrifying book to me, despite it being far from a thriller or horror story. Set in a parallel present to our own, we follow the story of Mae as she starts her career at The Circle. Pushing for full and complete transparency in both online and offline lives, Dave Eggers creates a world that doesn’t feel like it’s too far away. A world where ‘likes’ and comments really have become their own currency – where you can engage with a post about a horror happening on the other side of the world and somehow feel you’ve helped. A world where everyone is more connected than ever before, and yet isolation and loneliness is rampant.
This was a re-read for me, and when I first read this book, it seemed that it couldn’t become reality. I would have trusted much more fully that there would be too many hurdle, too many safeguards in place to stop the inevitable ‘machine’. And yet, in a world where a genocide is being documented in real time, Trump is heading back to the White House and loneliness is endemic, this book begins to read less like a work of fiction and more like a warning. It is deeply unsettling, incredibly well written and one you should definitely add to your list if it’s not already on there. This one has earned its place on my shelf 100 times over and I won’t be passing it on any time soon.
The film is absolutely worth a mention, I hugely enjoyed it – but a lot of the nuance is lost in translation. So definitely seek out the book if you can.
Total heading for new homes: 7 out of 11
All You Need Is Less by Vicky Vrint is a great pocket sized reminder of how life can be simpler when we simplify our surroundings – not just our homes, but our schedules, car and surrounding life. This one is a quick read, and a a great introduction to the idea of minimising, as well as being filled with beautiful images – this would make a great gift for those in your life who already have everything.
Books like this remind me why I started a book challenge this year – ultimately I’d love to have a home filled with only my favourite things, not with every book I’ve ever read!
The Gilded Ones. This absolutely beautiful trilogy from Namina Forna is the perfect YA trilogy to remind our young women that they have strength beyond their wildest imagination, if only they have belief in themselves. A trilogy exploring the power of friendship, love and oppression – we follow the story of Deka as she finds out whether at 16, she will be allowed to join her village as a full member. In a world where women are deemed second class citizens, Deka has to find her own way, whilst figuring out just who she can trust as she goes. I really enjoyed this series, seeing Deka develop from a naïve young woman, ever searching for approval, to the strong character she becomes was a great arc. Definitely one to read! I’m gifting this set to a someone in my life who I think will like the story.
A Court of Thorns and Roses [Series] by Sarah J Maas. Oh my goodness, I laughed, I cried, I threw at least one book across the room, I changed allegiances and I started writing an unhinged blog post mid way through (look out for it later this week!).
I’m not going to try to put my thoughts into words in this post as I’d very quickly run out of space, I can see why people love this series and despite not holding onto the physical books, it’s one I thoroughly enjoyed! If you’ve never tried romantasy this would be a great introduction! I did genuinely love this series, but decided they had a place on my kindle more than my bookshelf, although below I’ve shown only a few of the books leaving, I ultimately passed on the whole set.
I always view September as a month of new beginnings, likely a result of too many years in education, and this months reading felt like a reset. I was getting lost in the books for the first time in a long time, long may it last!
As always, let me know if you have any recommendations.
Nx
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