September was quite the month for me, book-wise. I set my standards low for reading, thinking I would get through at least two books, maybe three. July and August weren’t big reading months for me. It turns out I got through ten books in September. When I was collecting the stack for a picture, I was amazed at myself. Maybe the month felt long, but I really had no idea that I had read that much. Here is my September Book Summary.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Absolutely one of my favorite reads from the September Book Summary. This wasn’t my first Fredrik Backman book, so by the time I read this one, I was prepared for the unique writing style. While I can only speak for “A Man Called Ove” and “Anxious People”, the writing style seems to contain a lot of sarcastic humor, which is truly one of my favorite things in the world.
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The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff
I’m not really sure how you can give anything less than 5 stars to a book like this. It was heartbreaking and at times, hard to push through. However, as someone who was only around ten years old when 9/11 happened, I really try to read or watch something each year to learn and to empathize with those who survived and those that didn’t. Garrett M. Graff’s “The Only Plane in the Sky” is a great work of compiled stories of survivor’s and victim’s families.
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Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris
Maybe I give too many five-star ratings, or maybe I just read a lot of good books. I do get emotionally invested in the characters that I read about. Anyway, this was one a heartbreaker as well. Cilka’s story is pulled from “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” and extended out in her very own historical fiction novel. Although based on a true story, some aspects were changed or created, so it is classified as historical fiction. This novel follows Cilka’s journey after Auschwitz and into her Soviet imprisonment. As I mentioned, it’s heartbreaking, but also one of those stories that deserves to be told and that all of us should really take a hard look into.
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Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Yeah, yeah, another five-star. But really, I can’t wait to dive into more of Fredrik Backman’s books. This was the first of his that I’ve read, and as of this blog post, the most recent of his. It spoke to me in so many way. It did take some time to get into, and I really think it’s one of those that you need to finish to understand why people are loving it so much. It’s entirely frustrating and sarcastic at the beginning. I can say it made no sense to me at first, and I almost put it down. However, the end turns into such a beautiful story. It’s worth putting up with the first 150 pages of the book. I laughed, I cried, I was mad. It’s truly worth the five-star rating.
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The Whisper Man by Alex North
I really enjoyed this book, and did not see the final twist coming. I thought I had something figured out, but I was so far off. To me, it wasn’t one of the “oh wow that book was sooo good” books, but I definitely couldn’t figure it out. It’s a great mix of thriller and police drama. There are definitely a few gruesome, detailed scenes that were hard to get through.
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The Crowns of Croswald (Book 1) by D.E. Knight
Star ratings are so hard for me to choose. It’s a great general rating of the book, but I think you have to dive into someone’s reviews and thoughts to get a good look at a story. “The Crowns of Croswald” was a great middle grade fantasy. I haven’t read much of those since reading Harry Potter as a young kid. However, this one had a lot of great elements contained in Harry Potter and definitely gave off “HP vibes”. I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing the rest of the series, so stay tuned!
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Beach Read by Emily Henry
I did not want this book to end. It was definitely a predictable love story, but I think it was written that way on purpose. You knew what was eventually going to happen; however, it still took you through the twists, turns, and character development to get there. It’s like your favorite rom-com movie in book form, and ultimately a beautiful (and sexy) story.
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After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
This was also a great thriller/mystery. I didn’t predict this one, either, and I truly do pride myself on predicting my thrillers. They are my favorite genre, after all. Lisa Scottoline definitely had me guessing up until the end. This was does contain some triggers such as postpartum depression, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
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One by One by Ruth Ware
Sometimes predictable is good for me, like in “Beach Read” above. However, this one I had pegged from the beginning. There were some suspenseful parts when I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. However, it just didn’t do it for me. There are definitely mixed reviews on this one, so I hope you’ll pick it up and decide for yourself!
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The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwake Emezi
While I truly hate to give this book only a three-star rating because of the message it delivers, I just really didn’t enjoy it. The story line felt very shallow and like there was nothing to know about the characters. After the reviews, it wasn’t what I expected it to be at all. Again, I think reading it to hear the important message within is necessary, but it fell flat for me overall.
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