Reading Wrap Up // September 2017

Although it seems like the typical reaction to the end of the month is shock and dismay- I don't feel that way about the end of September. September 2017 was a full month for me - it is my birthday month, and enjoyed lots of fun and activities with friends and family, and of course, I also did a lot of reading! September was kind of an awesome reading month for me. Watch the video below to find out why or keeping reading to find out my favorite, and not so favorite, reads from September 2017.

Reading Wrap Up

I read 5 books in the month of September - which isn't a crazy reading month, pretty average for me. But as far as pages go, I kind of rocked my September reading! The five books that I read were all of a pretty good size, and one was actually the longest book I have read so far this year! Which honestly, I know it is easy to get caught up in the number of books read, but the number of pages should really be more of a focus - if all I worry about is the number of books I am reading then I'll avoid larger books, and what would be the point of that!?

Landline

by Rainbow Rowell

goodreads // amazon // library

"Landline" is the first book I finished in the month of September. And even though it has been over a month since I finished it, I just have the warmest and coziest memories about it! I love all of the books I have read by Rainbow Rowell, and this is totally her writing style, just with adult characters - and it was a nice change for me as someone who doesn't typically read YA. The storyline for this book is so cozy and has become my new favorite Christmas-y read, but I also love that the cover doesn't make it an exclusively winter. I gave this book five stars - I was so impressed, once again!, but Rainbow's writing and all of the different emotions that this book perfectly captured. I was also really impressed that this book pulled off the science fiction aspects of it ( she is talking to her husband in the past) without feeling at all cringy - just awesome! Check out the video below for a 60 second book review I created for "Landline" by Rainbow Rowell.

Dark Matter

by Blake Crouch

goodreads // amazon // library

I had so much hype going into this book and it totally and completely lived up to it! I was completely taken by this story and walked away with way more than I thought I would. What started out as a really good science fiction book, became an excellent thriller, and much more emotional read that I anticipated. I'm not going to say this book is a tear jerker, but it definitely tugs at your heart strings in a way most science fiction and thrillers don't do. If like me you missed this read when it was super popular, you should absolutely circle back and check it out! I gave this book 5/5 stars and it has become on of my new favorites!

Salt to the Sea
by Ruta Sepetys
goodreads // amazon // library

"Salt to the Sea" was another highly anticipated book that I read this month. And while I really wanted to like it, I only sort of liked it. I gave this book 4/5 stars, but it was probably between a 3 and a 4 for me. I thought this would be a much more emotional read, as these typically are for me, that would require a pile of tissues like, "All The Light We Cannot See". But the formatting of this book was a little different and I think I had trouble connecting with the characters because of it. Every two to three pages the perspective shifts and while it was emotionally exciting, it didn't feel as sad when things were not going well for the characters. Check out my 60 second book review for "Salt to the Sea" below.

Stiches

by David Small

goodreads // amazon // library

I hadn't read a graphic novel in a loooongg time, but decided to complete the I Suck at Readathons - Readathon, hosted by Sam's Nonsense on Youtube. I had  a lot of fun attempting to complete the challenges, and the experience definitely encouraged me to participate in future readathons, as well! "Stiches" was DARK, very dark. I felt horribly for David and his experiences. This reading experience really showed me that graphics novels can pack just as much emotional punch as a fiction or non fiction book can. There were lots of "twists" in David's life, that in a fiction books would've been enjoyable to read or at least intriguing, but in a non fiction illustrated memoir you could really see just how painful these experiences truly were for David and how much they shaped his childhood and adulthood as well.

The Best Kind of People

by Zoe Whitall
amazon // library // goodreads

I read an Advanced Reader Copy of "The Best Kind of People" by Zoe Whitall. Although I was very intrigued by the premise of this book - a man who is a teacher and father is accused of having inappropriate conversations and inappropriately touching several students on a ski trip. I was so interested to see how the author would handle this story, and how the family would handle the accusations leveled against a loved one. Unfortunately, this book was fairly disappointing and I would not recommend it. The most frustrating aspect of reading this book for me was the way the plot meandered off track in unexpected ways that really detracted from the strength of the book- the intriguing premise that initially drew me to the book.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

goodreads // amazon // library

Going into reading this book, I knew it was going to be a bit of a struggle for me- and it was. This book was my Everest in September, and it definitely contributed about half of the pages that I read that month. I gave this fantasy novel 3/5 stars for my enjoyment, but I think that most people who enjoy fantasy would like give this four stars or higher. If you enjoy long books ( typically I don't) and long world building descriptions ( not my thing) than this book is right up your alley. I did really like the characters in this book- Locke and his group of Gentleman Bastards saved this book for me, but by page 300 I was kind of done, but unfortunately had another 200 pages to go!

And that's my September reading wrap up! Let me know below if you have read any of these books and what you thought of them! Let me know what books you read in the month of September, and what I need to add to my ever growing TBR list.