While September was a fairly slow reading month for me (traveling through Scotland will do that to you), I still managed to read 16 books with multiple 5 star reads included.
Here are my favorites:
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Getting me to cry while reading a book is a fairly regular occurrence. Crying throughout an entire book has only happened once, and it was with this book. I initially thought this book made me so emotional due to jet lag and post vacation blues but finally came to the conclusion that it was just Backman’s writing. When I say I cried through the whole book, I mean it literally. And not just teared up, but tears falling with the intermittent sob.
The way he brought the characters together and told their story of belonging, grief, fears, and joy did something to my soul. The storytelling took a minute for me to get the hang of, but it made the story so much more impactful. Backman gave all these details while also withholding, until the moment when the reveal caused the most emotional damage. And he did that over and over throughout the story, until I should have expected each aside and one-liner to be an emotional sucker punch but they hit me straight in the heart every time.
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
Fantasy books with older FMCs may be hard to find, but are so worth the effort. The Raven Scholar had that and so much more, with trials, politics, a romance subplot, and twists that just kept twisting. All of the characters had depth and a maturity that can sometimes be lacking. The ending kept me guessing but came together so well. I couldn’t put this down and thought about it when I had to.
Eldritch by Keri Lake
Eldritch kept me company on the flight home from Scotland. While I ended up really liking Anathema, it took me forever to get through, so I was a little concerned that I would have the same problem with Eldritch, but I shouldn’t have worried. I was hooked from the beginning and it kept me engaged the whole flight.
I loved the communication between the FMC and MMC, even if the MMC was a bit reluctant. The FMC calls him out and it was so refreshing not to have miscommunication hanging over everything. The MMCs past was so dark, but it added so much to his character, and the moments of hurt/comfort were so good.
I wasn’t prepared for the cliffhanger though so am anxiously watching for book 3 to be announced.
Wild Card by Elsie Silver
This was so good! I loved Bash with his grumpy heart and that Gwen sunshine had some darkness too. The airport scene at the beginning set up their relationship so well. The tension between the two broke so satisfyingly with that ‘f*ck it’ moment.
The drama of the third act was perfect – no real break up but I could truly feel his Bash’s desperation! And a grown man shedding tears! A+ Tripp got over everything a bit too quickly, but I’ll allow it!
The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch
I really enjoyed Sara Raasch’s Royals and Romance series, so was very excited to start book one in her Magic and Romance series. I loved the way this combined some darker elements with sweetness and slow burn spice. Sebastian and Thio were both fully formed characters with all the banter and bite that comes with being rivals, and then the support and sweetness of something more. Looking forward to book 2 with Orok!
Other books read this month:
Here are some pictures of our trip to Scotland!
Now it is time to put together my October TBR. Bring on the Spooky Season Reads!
Happy Reading!
