The school year has really been one heck of an adjustment for me. I’ve been reading loads but not doing all that much when it comes to this blog, and I’m sorry about that. I figured it would be worth it to do some catching up. It was on the whole, a pretty great reading month though, and the school start-up wasn’t too bad either. Let’s jump into it below the cut.
Books I hauled in September:
- The Cursed by Harper L. Woods
- Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma
- The Champions by Kara Thomas
- Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
- Sleep Tight by JH Markert
- Bad Tourists by Caro Carver
- Vilest Things by Chloe Gong
- Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
- Lucy Undying by Kiersten White
Books I read in September:
1. A Tall Story by Janet Keegans
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was a good little picture book. I liked the pictures that accompanied the story, and the message behind it. It was a really enjoyable read, and I would recommend it for those with little ones.
2. Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was such an interesting book. The perspective of a child as the protagonist/narrator is really interesting and unique to me. The way it was written is really interesting to me. I found the story super creepy, and definitely spooky. It would be any family’s worst nightmare. The Other Mommy was just a super malevolent figure in the book. I had an incredibly hard time putting the book down.
3. Roaming by Jillian Tamaki
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was a really interesting graphic novel. I really found the discussion of friendship dynamics and how things change when you grow up. I liked the setting of New York, and all the tourist opportunities they were encountering. It was a very interesting book. I also really enjoyed the art style.
4. Salt Magic by Hope Larson
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I really enjoyed this graphci novel. I though the premise of the different types of magic and curses on families was a really interesting element of the story. I enjoyed the historical setting as well. The main character was really fun, and well-developed. It was just such a lovely story, and the family dynamics were really interesting to me.
5. Umbrella Academy, Vol 1 by Gerard Way
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was an interesting graphic novel. I feel like it was a lot different than I expected it to be. However, that’s because I watched the first season of the show and I guess I thought it would be closer to that. The characters were definitely pretty interesting.
6. The Breadwinner (Graphic Novel) by Deborah Ellis
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was a good little graphic novel. I don’t remember if I read the book it was based on, but I felt this got the story across well. I enjoyed the story. The art style wasn’t my favourite, but it was well-suited to this book.
7. Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search, Part 3
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
8. Strange, Dark, and Mysterious by Mr. Ballen
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this up on the blog here.
9. The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written and had a fun and interesting premise. Ember was a really well-developed character, and it was so interesting to read about her and her character growth. I also loved her love interest. He was an ideal book boyfriend. I know it’s the genre convention, but I was really happy when he and Ember worked things out and got together. They just had such a great dynamic together.
10. How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy/Audiobook
Review: This was a such a beautifully, heartbreaking story. It was was emotionally devastating to read about the loss of the female main character’s sister, and to read about her journey of dealing with her grief. Overall, it was a really interesting story. Both characters were well-developed and the story was incredibly well-structured. I really appreciated their journey together and apart, and I especially loved the way it all came together in the end..
11. In Which Margo Halifax Halifax Earns her Shocking Reputation by Alexandra Vashti
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was a fun story. I liked how it was a quick read, but we still got the perspective of both of the love interests. I liked the dynamic between the sisters. I’m looking forward to continuing the series and reading the other love stories.
12. Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I found this story really compelling. The characters were interesting, and I loved the way First Nations culture and values were such a crucial part of the story. The overall storyline was really intriguing to me, and how she had to go home to figure out what was going on with her. It kept me engaged and guessing about what would happen next.
13. Indiginerds by Alina Pete
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this book on the blog here.
14. The Girl Who Flew Away by Lee Dean
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog closer to it’s publication date.
15. Radiant Sin by Katee Robert
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a good continuation of the series. The main characters were interesting to me. It wasn’t my favourite in the series, but I still really enjoyed the storyline. Katee Robert is a really great writer. I’m looking forward to more of this world, and more of her characters.
16. The Reunion by Kayla Olson
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really cute celebrity romance. The characters were really interesting, and I liked the behind the scenes of movie/TV production. I liked the way that nostalgia was depicted in the novel. I also really enjoyed the character journey the main couple went on. They really grew a lot.
17. Haunting of Vancouver Island by Shannon Sinn
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked reading these ghost stories. They were well-written, and it was evident that a lot of research went into the book. I really liked the local history aspects. If you like ghost stories, then I would recommend checking it out.
18. Suitor Armor, Vol. 1 by Purpah
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this up on the blog here.
19. Broken Bonds by J. Bree
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was an absolute junk food read. I could not put it down, and I didn’t until I finished it. I just needed to know what was going to happen next. The main character was kind of annoying to me, but I definitely enjoyed the plot. I will be continuing the series just so I can know what happened next.
20. The Worst Journey in the World by Sarah Airriess
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this up on the blog here.
21. The Tent by Margaret Atwood
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I thought this was an interesting collection of short stories. It was a pretty quick read, and on the whole I enjoyed the collection.
22. Sleep Tight by JH Markert
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was not quite what I expected when I picked it up. I still really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed how everything came full circle. I also liked that all the different points of view were included in the story, and how that allowed the reader to slowly put the mystery all together.
23. Nothing Special, Volume 2 by Katie Cook
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun continuation of the series. I really enjoyed learning more about the world and the magic system. I also really like the characters and how they interact with eachother. I really loved the art and the way the story was shown. I want more of this world ASAP.
24. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a lot better than I thought. I had fun reading Olive’s story, and I though she and Adam were both really interesting characters. They were well-developed, and I very much enjoyed their dynamic. I put it off for a long time because of the fan fiction origins, but on the whole I had a lot of fun listening to this.
25. Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was an interesting conituination of the story of these characters, but it wasn’t my favourite. The characters were interesting, but I wanted something more from the story.
26. The Insrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue by Jerzy Drozd
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. This was well-written, and the story had a really interesting premise. I liked the art style and the way that the characters were shown throughout the book. The premise of the story was really fun and had some great Dungeons and Dragons style vibes.
27. First World War Posters by Rosalind Ormiston
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really interesting collection that had been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. I found it really informative. It would be a great resource for history teachers.
28. In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint by Alexandra Vashti
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was a really fun novella. It gave me a lot of Jane Eyre type vibes, but where the Mr. Rochester doesn’t give off 70000 red flags. I really enjoyed that aspect of the story. I loved the interactions between Matilda and her love interest, and I also loved her dynamic with his sister. It was just so fun and cute.
29. Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a compelling mystery. I found the different perspectives and different timelines to bring a unique flavour to the story. I really enjoyed reading from both of the main characters. The mother/daughter dynamic was really interesting to me. I liked the overall mystery that was being told. There was a lot of intrigue, and I loved how it all came together.
30. In Which Winnie Halifax is Utterly Ruined by Alexandra Vashti
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was such a fun novella. Winnie was a great character, and I really enjoyed reading from her perspective. I also really enjoyed Spencer. The way they met was so funny. It was also really fun to watch them fall in love and to see the hijinx that they got up to. I loved the writing style.
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