Month in Review: September 2020

Another month, another wrap-up of the previous month. At the beginning of the month I sped through 5 books, all of which were 4-star reads or higher. Then a reading slump/mental slump hit and I only read two more books for the rest of the month. The last two books I read – The Book of Not and Transcendent Kingdom – both disappointed me in some ways, but were still overall enjoyable reads for me. Reviews for those will be up in a week or so.

Books read:

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• Bright-Sided by Barbara Ehrenreich – 4 stars out of 5
• Paradise Cove by Jenny Holiday – 4 stars out of 5
• Chemistry by Weike Wang – 4.5 stars out of 5
• Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward – 5 stars out of 5
• Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – 4 stars out of 5
• The Book of Not by Tsitsi Dangarembga – 3 stars out of 5
• Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi – 3.5 stars out of 5

Books in progress/October TBR:

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I’m currently finishing up We Want Our Bodies Back by Jessica Care Moore and Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall. I had wanted to finish these by the end of September…but my reading slump made that goal pretty unattainable.

I’m not sure if it’s realistic to finish 8 books on top of the two that I’m currently wrapping up – we will see. The books that I want to read this month are:

• This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga. I have been working through the Nervous Conditions series in anticipation of this novel, and am really looking forward to it! I’ve heard good things about this one so far, and am encouraged by the fact that it advanced to the Booker Prize short list.
• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. This seems like a perfect spooky read for October. I get scared REALLY EASILY, but this novel just sounds too good to pass up.
• The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante. I’ve heard wonderful things about this coming-of-age novel, and am really looking forward to it.
• Luster by Raven Leilani. This is one of my most anticipated reads of 2020, and while the reviews I’ve read so far would suggest that this book didn’t quite live up to its hype…it’s still a must-read for me.
• Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi. I don’t know too much about this book, but based on the title it seems like a perfect audiobook/commuting-read for me.
• The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste. One of my Booker Prize reads! I love historical fiction that shows history from a non-whitewashed point of view, so I’m hopeful that I’ll enjoy this Booker-shortlisted novel.
• Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler. Also reading this one because of the Booker Prize, even though it didn’t advance to the shortlist. Because my October TBR is unrealistically ambitious, there is a good chance that I actually won’t end up reading this one.
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab. This has been on my TBR for SO LONG and it also seems like a great Halloween read. So excited about this one!!

Some blog posts I enjoyed:

• Stargazer’s latest post in their “literary locations” series – this one focused on desert locations.
• Emily’s Booker Prize shortlist reaction post (her feelings about the shortlist are remarkably similar to my own!)
• Naty’s anti-TBR! I just love the concept of an anti-TBR – it reminds me that part of the point of reading is to enjoy it and read the things we want!
• Book Club Mom’s National Punctuation Day reading list. I did not know National Punctuation Day was a thing, but I am into it!
• Diana’s Japanese literature recommendations for each Zodiac sign. My recommendation was Yoko Ogawa’s The Housekeeper and the Professor, which I immediately added to my TBR.

September photos:

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