September was a weird month. It was my birthday month, but, well. It proved to be a month of testing me. I had a great long weekend away with my best friend and her fiancée in San Diego/LA where we saw Usher (!!!) and just got to spend time together. Otherwise, my life was a lot of working and then to cap off the month, we got hit with Hurricane Helene. I am one of the lucky ones, by a mile. I still have a place to live, we never lost power for more than a few minutes at a time, and I can still get up and drive to work. It’s hard though, in a lot of ways, to know that five/ten minutes down the road, so many people weren’t nearly so lucky. And, since my birthday itself is September 30th, that’s how I spent my birthday. Working, because at least the office had internet, and trying to figure out what Helene means for us. But the thing is, we still don’t know. In so many ways, we’re in better shape now, a week out, than we were, and yet, the road I take to get home to my family is likely going to take until March 2025 to be fixed. Buncombe County and Henderson County largely still don’t have power or water yet. They’re getting it back, slowly, but surely. We’re getting gas and supplies into the area. I can pay with my card at the vast majority of places again (which is good because I had $8.00 when the hurricane hit and now have $0.00 in cash). So, when will things be normal again? I’m not really sure normal is on the horizon, but I’m grateful for the way our community has pulled together and the way those outside of western NC have come together to help us too. And with all that said, I have two weekends away coming up in October and I’m just praying that I’ll be once again reunited with two of my best friends, which will hopefully soften the blow of not seeing my family for two months (and likely longer). Anyway, let’s get to the books, which is why you’re actually here, shall we?

A Visual Representation of September Reads by Rating

5 Stars

4.5 Stars

4 Stars

3.5 Stars

3 Stars

I know I don’t frequently say much about the books in my wrap ups, but I just need to acknowledge that these three books are three stars for very different reasons. The Truth According to Ember relies heavily on deception as a plot point and that stressed me out too much for my enjoyment of this to be higher (although, honestly, a 3 star given how much the plot centered around deception is a great sign!).

Good Women by Halle Hill is a short story collection that is blurbed by Deesha Philyaw and I adored Philyaw’s The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. The problem with Hill’s short story collection for me is that it’s just really overwhelmingly sad. Plus, given that it’s set in Appalachia and I’m currently dealing with Helene and a VP candidate “from” Appalachia (okay, I know he is, but I mean, really?), maybe now wasn’t the best time to read a short story collection with a lot of tragic stories. Or, alternatively, there’s actually never a good time for me to read a short story collection where so many of the books involve some sort of sexual abuse/trauma situation. I do want to note though that any abuse or trauma is pretty normalized. None of these stories really reckon with it. It’s more like they show how you just… deal? I’m sure other people have different takeaways and I would recommend that if you’re a short story reader, you check out anyone else’s review besides mine.

Anyway, then we have Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught, which I read because I needed an absolutely bonkers plot to distract me from the lack of internet or phone service and feeling so wildly cut off from the world. Apparently, this was a reread for me, though all I remembered was a vague notion of the horse and that Clayton rapes Whitney at some point. Except I couldn’t remember if I remembered that latter point or if I just knew it. Either way, this book is a wild ride and it delivered me from my present circumstances. But would I recommend it? No. Not really. If you’re curious about the history of the genre, sure. But to actually read for enjoyment? Not unless you also need a bonkers plot to escape your reality. And even then, may I suggest Johanna Lindsey’s Gentle Rogue? Now that is a bonkers ride.

Quick Statistics

• Books Read: 29
• BIPOC Books Read: 9
• Books Hauled: 16 (maybe)
• Audiobook Reads: 7
• Ebook Reads: 12
• Physical Reads: 8
• Mixed Format Reads: 2
• Off Shelf: 6
• Queer Books: 4

Thoughts on my statistics, I haven’t read this many ebooks in a while. My kindle came in so handy while traveling. For some reason I forget how useful it is for reading on a plane when you’re cramped into your seat. I took two physical reads and came home with two more and I touched not a one. I just read on my kindle. I also read a lot on my kindle app on my computer during Helene for some reason. I think the fact that I was looking at a screen could almost distract me from the fact that I didn’t have a way to talk to my parents or check in with my co-workers. What a mess.

October TBR

October ARCs Still to Read

There are also a few new releases aside from these ARCs that I’m interested in trying to pick up.

Closing Thoughts

Here’s to a much better October than September was! For me and for all of you.

xx