#september wrapup

PLUM DUFF by Victoria Goddard 4.75 stars

Long(and short) term readers of the blog will either know from a long series of in-jokes or that post I just made about starting anywhere in a series being good for you that, well, I think starting anywhere in a series can be really good for you. Not on a moral level or anything, just as an exercise in connecting the dots and making your brain work doubletime on reading comprehension.

I don't recommend starting Greenwing & Dart with Plum Duff. Not because it isn't perfectly understandable, but more because much of it is less plotty and more charactery and I don't think you'll be very invested without prior investment in the characters. I, obviously, was invested.

THE SAINT OF THE BOOKSTORE by Victoria Goddard 4 stars

Well listen. I am kind of undermining my points about series reading, but it's whatever. Extremely short. Kinda want to know more about the nuns. Enjoyed seeing Jemis from other PoVs. Roald needs to remember that he and Jemis both have two hands. Short story aside from Greenwing & Dart.

CLARY SAGE by Victoria Goddard 5 stars

Do I just perpetually like noble/royal characters named Hal? Seems possible. HE'S TRYING SO HARD YOU GUYS. Short story aside from Greenwing & Dart. This one you COULD just start with!

THE BRIDE OF THE BLUE WIND by Victoria Goddard 5 stars

Do you like fairytale vibes. Do you like bluebeard retellings specifically. Do you like sisters. Do you like sisters going 'now hang on a sec we were fine with our sister being chosen as the bride of a god until we learned she's become unhappy in the marriage'. If you don't idk why you're on my blog, but if you do, welcome! This is for you and me specifically. "He sired a god." "Perhaps you mothered one."

BLOOD MOON by Britney S Lewis 1 star

Do you like Twilight by Stephenie Meyer? If so, you will not want to read this book because it is beat for beat Twilight. I mean that. I mean like. Near copying. Do you NOT like Twilight by Stephenie Meyer? If so, you will not want to read this book. Because it is Twilight (with like. One twist that did make @wizardheart83 shriek for a hot second but then it walked back the twist)

And to the author's credit(?) she is aware of that because she has as part of her marketing strategy called it bad Twilight fanfiction. Sometimes the dove really is dead, y'all. Sometimes you really shouldn't eat it. Or whatever.

THE CITY IN GLASS by Nghi Vo 4.75 stars

As usual with Nghi Vo's books this feels written entirely for me. The ending was just kind of anticlimactic.

SIR ORFEO (translated) by JRR Tolkien 3 stars

✨ SEPTEMBER WRAPUP ✨

QOTD: What was your fave September read?

Mine was An Unbreakable World by Ren Hutchings!

I left off the graphic with my unrated book because you can only upload 10 images on the mobile app? Even though you can upload more on desktop? And icbf transferring my graphics to my laptop just to add one image of one book 😂

Books finished: 35

DNF’s: 4

Pages read: 8,345

Hours listened: 60.77

Currently reading:

📖 Mate by Ali Hazelwood (7%)

🎧 A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (33%)

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✨ SEPTEMBER WRAPUP ✨

Come chat about your fave September reads with me!

Mine was The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian.

I’m trying a new layout for my wrapup posts because I was hating the way my previous ones were looking. I think I like this? I’m unsure 😂

I also accidentally left off the stats for A Pirate’s Life for Tea which makes 17 total LGBT+, 8 lesbian and 6 FF

Total books finished: 25

DNF’s: 4

Pages read: 9,398

Hours listened: 86.55

Currently reading:

📖 Januaries by Olivie Blake (54%)

🎧 Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson (75%)

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A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende This book isn’t out until January (in English, anyway), but I picked up an ARC of it at work - I often end up grabbing random ARCs when I forget to bring my own book. It’s one of those stories where you follow a character for almost their entire lives through historical and personal turmoil, which is something I tend to love when consumed in moderation (The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom and Melnitz by Charles Lewinsky come to mind). This book in particular is about a handful of Spanish people who escape Franco’s reign and build a new life in Chile, only to once again find themselves in tumultuous times after Pinochet’s coup. I’ve seen some people criticize the slightly detached way of telling the story, but that is actually what made the book all the more enjoyable to me: you have all the information you need to understand these characters, their decisions and the context in which they make them, but not everything is spelled out for the reader and you’re left enough freedom to have your own interpretation. Rating: 4/5 stars

For the first time in eighteen years, I didn’t start a new school year this September. So, instead of trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life, I went on a month long trip with my parents to Ontario and Portugal where I read, ate, swam, and avoided real life. 

- the television - 

I blasted through the second, and last, season of Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 while in a hotel room in Toronto. It’s a funny and charming show that should have run longer than two seasons. 

Before leaving for my trip, I loaded my iPad with seasons two through seven of Parks and Recreation and watched all of them while I was away. It was my first time re-watching the series and it is just as delightful the second time through. This show is so full of heart and warmth, the characters are kind and passionate, and I aspire to have a fraction of Leslie Knope’s optimism. Once I was home and had access to my Netflix account, I re-watched all of Life UnExpected, another series that deserved more than two seasons. I will forever be distraught that we didn’t get a chance to watch Cate and Baze fall back in love, but the series finale came equipped with an epilogue that provided plenty of closure for fans. 

September is the season of season premieres and pilots, and I watched them all. Of the debuts I watched, my favourites were: 

- Speechless - The Good Place - Atlanta - Pitch - This is Us 

Speechless is a comedy about a family - Maya and Jimmy, and their kids Ray, Dylan and J.J - one of whom has a condition that leaves him with unique mobility and communication difficulties. The Good Place comes from the mind of Michael Schur, the same man who created Parks and Recreation, and stars Kristen Bell which basically guaranteed that I would watch the series whether I loved it or not. Luckily, it’s the former. Atlanta is a new FX comedy created by and starring Donald Glover about two cousins navigating the Atlanta music scene. Pitch was by far my favourite pilot of the year, and the episodes I’ve seen since have only solidified my love of the show. Pitch follows Ginny Baker, the first female player in the MLB, and her teammates as they make their way through the baseball season. I can’t remember the last time I fell this quickly for a series and I will be absolutely heartbroken if it isn’t renewed for another season. I’m not quite as sold on This is Us. The show is sappy and sentimental, which is usually right up my alley, but I found it to be rather insufferable. I would gladly watch the Sterling K. Brown storyline every week, and the Mandy Moore/Milo Ventimiglia plot had its moments but I found every other aspect of the show to be extremely irritating. 

- the books - 

I read a lot on my trip. 10 books in total. Friendship by Emily Gould, Modern Lovers by Emma Straub, One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins, Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford, Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer, The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth, If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman. I also listened to the audiobook of The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. 

Modern Lovers and Everything, Everything were by far my favourites of the bunch. 

- the movies - 

There is something so satisfying about watching movies on planes. Even the worst films can seem bearable - even enjoyable - when cruising at 40,000 ft. I took seven flights throughout the month, and over the course of those plane rides, I watched five films - The Intervention, If I Stay, The Best of Me, Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 

If I Stay featured Jamie Blackley as Adam, who was unequivocally my favourite aspect the film. He is super talented, and a total babe. The story itself was sad, but it lacked the emotional punch of the novel and I struggled to connect with Chloë Moretz as Mia. 

The Intervention falls into the category of Jason-Ritter-Reunites-With-College-Friends that I love. (Side bar: Everyone should go watch About Alex right now). The film is sweet, sad and hopeful, and Clea Duvall is an absolute rockstar. 

The Best of Me = when bad movies happen to good people. James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan are wonderful but the plot is insanely dumb. 

Pop Star was a lot of fun, and re-watching Harry Potter is always a great way to pass the time.