September was a bit of a strange month, and obviously this recap is posting later than usual. Early in the month, I sprained my ankle which threw all kinds of things off-kilter. I ended up DNFing 2 books, because they were not working with my mood/what I wanted while having to recuperate. Other than that hiccup, I did end up reading books I enjoyed, as you can see below. And while the ankle is still not “back to normal,” it is at least a lot more user friendly. Just in time for Fall adventures! But before we get too deep into October, let’s look back over September.
🎧 Sounds Like Love | Ashley Poston | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Predictable but poignant, comforting while also somewhat challenging. There are hard things going on, and it’s not really a “happy” read in general. But there is hope and love and the power of music. Loved the thread of magical realism, and nods to previous books/characters.
📱 What You are Looking For is in the Library | Michiko Aoyama | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
There is something inherently comforting about Japanese fiction. This was so undemanding and gentle, a series of vignettes, slightly overlapping, centered around an enigmatic librarian.
📖 The God of the Woods | Liz Moore | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a wild ride, and while I was thoroughly engrossed in the reading, the ending left me feeling … meh. After 400+ pages of the most careful parsing out of information, there’s an abrupt {and unexpectedly simple} conclusion. Things are just too neat.
🎧 Divine Rivals | Rebecca Ross | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another case of why did I wait so long to pick this up? The mythology and world building. The characters, especially Iris and Roman. Their bickering and banter. The typewriters’ magical ability to send letters. The love story forming through words. The war, and the horror. The ending. My poor aching heart.
📖 The Spellshop | Sarah Beth Durst | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oh this was delightful. Such a cozy, warm hug of a read – exactly as the author intended. I’ve been savoring this one, slowly, over the course of the summer {since July at least}. Got to love a runaway librarian who steals books to save them, and then decides they are better being used. Plus the cottage and garden and the talking spider-plant and the merhorses. The found family and the winged cats. It was perfectly cozy.
📱 The Heartbreak Hotel | Ellen Clover | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to NetGalley for early access to this one! She’s a fixer, determined to heal the world’s broken hearts. He’s a vet with a secret, tragic backstory – and he’s her landlord. The house-turned-B&B is a character of its own, and sounds so lovely. There’s found family. There’s a ton of emotional baggage. Love conquers all.
📱 We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat | Syou Ishida | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Again with the Japanese fiction, this time with a healthy sprinkling of magical realism. I loved the first book in this series, and this one dives a little deeper. I liked the way the individual stories/chapters overlapped, with characters from one chapter appearing in another. There are future volumes to come, and I am very much looking forward to getting my paws on them.
Listening:
Honestly, just my audiobooks. I somehow even missed the September episode of A Jane Austen Year! {Which means I’ll have 2 to listen to in October, so that’s fun}. With the ankle sprain, my hour-long walks disappeared, and even with listening while I crochet, it was a slower month.
Watching:
As nights start to get a little longer, we’re coming inside earlier. Add a slightly busier season of work for Mr, and there is more watching taking place. For me at least; our mutual watching is a bit hit-or-miss {because busy season}. There’s just something about Fall/Winter that lends itself to watching things more than Summer.
- 📺 The Great British Bake Off | Netflix
This is a Fall tradition for me, and as much fun as it is to binge seasons, there’s something special about waiting for the new episode to drop each week. This year’s group seems a good bunch {so far there’s nobody that I find supremely annoying like some seasons past}. - 📺 The Lizzie Bennet Diaries | YouTube
Okay, I am 10+ years late to the game with this one, but better late than never right? I’m watching this one slowly, and it definitely has the feeling of being “dated” culturally, but it’s something different to have playing when I need something mindless. - 📺 Designated Survivor (Season 1) | Netflix
This one came highly recommended from one of my besties, after finding out that we loved The Diplomat {new season dropping mid-October!}. Mr. has actually seen it before, but it was a while ago and he doesn’t remember most of the details. So we started watching the end of the month, and this is a good start to our “hibernation watching season.”
On the Blog:
September did have some fun highlights though, including an exciting coop update {Pippin has also joined the egg laying club! Still waiting on Penguin, ha}. I wrapped up Summer of Jane, and looked forward to a third year of My Christmas is Booked. These reading campaigns are so much fun for me, and I hope they help you find books of interest as well. We looked back at the flowers and we taste-tested apples, getting in the mood for Fall and Winter predictions.
You may notice the absence of a Persuasion post, and that’s because I did not finish my reread before the month ended. That should be coming very soon, and I’ll be back on track with the Jane Austen Reading Challenge.
How was your September? What was the best read? Have any adventures?
Any exciting reading on your October agenda? I’ve got my first Christmas book checked out on Libby, so that will be happening soon.
Sorry to hear about your ankle! I’m in a boot myself, so you have my sympathies. I loved the magical librarian book, but was iffy about the cat prescription.
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Oh yikes, a boot! You have my sympathies as well. There’s just something about the Cat Prescriptions that get to me – maybe because I’d love to get that kind of Rx myself, if I hadn’t discovered a fairly substantial allergy, lol
Magical Librarian was awesome though.
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I felt the same way about God of the Woods. SUCH an abrupt end. That seems so typical of books. They go on and on and then – BAM – the book is over. I felt that way with The Women. That said, God of the Woods really pulled me in.
The ankle sprain is a bummer, but it’s wonderful it gave you more time for reading!
My favourite book in September was The Enchanted April.
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I know, right?! Like I was so invested in God of the Woods, and was like “okay, this is a crazy scenario, but I know it’s all gonna mean something” … and then … nothing. I literally stared at the book when I finished and asked myself “why?”
The ankle sprain has been a weird experience, lol. Thankfully it wasn’t major, but it’s being lingeringly grumpy {it’s only been 5 weeks, I know it’ll take much longer}. Learning to slow down and think about my steps/movements a little can only be a good thing though, right?
Oooh, I’ve heard good things about that one but haven’t tried it. 🙂
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I loved God of the Woods sooo much – and that ending was just so ugh. I was so mad. Lol.
I also loved What You are you Looking for is in the Library. Such a great book. That was my intro to translated fiction from Japan and Korea. I need to read the Prescribe you a cat book!
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You definitely need to read the Cat Prescription books! There’s 2 out now and apparently 2 more to be translated. Yay!
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Im so sorry to hear about your sprained ankle and hope its back to normal soon. Im also sorry to hear about the two DNFs as well but it looks like a great reading month otherwise.
I can’t believe I still haven’t read anything by Ashley Poston 🙈 its a shame The Gods Of The Woods had an underwhelming ending given the build up that you’ve described. I love seeing that Divine Rivals rating 🥰 I only got to it earlier this year too (I wanted to make an effort to check it out so I knew if I wanted Wild Reverence or not) and I also loved it. The typewriters were such a beautiful touch and I loved the little whimsical touches to the world that were present even within such a brutally crafted war. I had more mixed feelings about The Spellshop than you but I did love the cosy vibes of the setting. And im very curious about The Heartbreak Hotel.
Ive somehow missed Bake Off this year but I’m glad youre enjoying it 🥰 I havent actually watched much TV in ages 🤔 I really need to get back to it 😂
I hope you have a wonderful October.
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I’m almost ready for hibernation season just to catch up on television watching 😂😂😂
I have loved everything by Ashley Poston I’ve read so far, but I think my favorite might be the YA. Maybe. But I also have been enjoying the magical realism in her adult romances. So … yeah. She’s got a wide range, and so far it’s all been good. I also just saw a teaser that she’s writing/written a STAR WARS novel 😀 😀 😀 And my heart did major pitterpats!
The ankle is slowly recovering … it’s still grumpy about some things, and will puff up by the end of the day, but I can do a lot more. Just trying to not do TOO much before it’s wholly better. Sigh.
Here’s to fabulous Octobers for all! ❤
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Having just gotten hooked on a show myself I can definitely see the appeal 😂
Thats wonderful, its always lovely when you know you can rely on an authors books to vibe with you. Ah I take it you’re a Star Wars fan then? I have to confess that I’ve never seen any of the movies 🙈 but im excited for you!!
I imagine (and definitely hope) that its healed by now. I also hope you had a lovely October and am sorry for disappearing off of here.
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I am indeed a Star Wars fan 😎 I was late to the party, not seeing it until college, but I fell completely in love with the story. And some of the books have been utterly wonderful (but I am far from going down all those rabbit holes 😂).
The ankle is… mostly better. Still occasionally grumpy, more stiff/tight than anything. But it doesn’t like the cold, so that’s fun. 😑
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Better late than never. Maybe I’ll have a similiar experience if/when I finally watch some 😂 I’m glad some of the books have been so good too, its always nice having additional content for favourites.
Aww I’m so sorry to hear that its still playing up a bit. I wish I could offer some decent advice cold wise but besides double socks (which doesn’t always work depending on shoes) I dont know what to suggest.
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And no worries, we all have seasons we need to disappear. I was very happy to see your name show back up 🩷🩷🩷
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Aww thank you 🥰🥰 I’m glad to be back, although I have a LOT of catch up to do still 😅
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