September Wrap Up

Hello fellow book lovers. Hope you are all well. Today's blog post is a September Wrap Up with a look back at all the books I read during September. 

I do love the month of September. It always reminds me of new starts and I think that goes for a lot of people. It's when children/students start school or university and when big changes happen. This September brought a lot of change for me. I left my first ever grown-up job as it were after three years and started a new job and not only that it's a job in publishing- an industry I have been wanting to work in for some time. I am really enjoying myself and it's local so I no longer have to do that awful train commute. My sister also had her second baby- a beautiful baby girl called Leia, making me an Auntie for the second time. I know I am going to love her so much. So September has brought some good things. Now onto the books! I managed to read 7 books this month, despite being super busy and I have resigned myself to the fact that I have had to reduce my Goodreads challenge as what with no train commute in the morning and lots to do in new job, I cannot physically meet the set challenge by the end of the year. But never mind, I shall continue and here are the books I read in September.

1. The Red Shoe by Ursula Dubosarsky As I said above, I was a bit behind with my Goodreads challenge so I was looking for a short, quick read so picked this one up from Walker Books. Unfortunately I really could not get on with this one. I didn't really like the writing style and it just made it really difficult to follow. It was about three sisters living living in Sydney in the 1950's against the backdrop of the Cold War, the threat of the H-Bomb, the unrest in China and a high profile case of the KGB defector Vladimir Petrov. Told in the viewpoint of six year old Matilda, we see these things through a child's eyes. I just felt so separated from everything that was going on and found my mind wandering whilst trying to read. The book is aimed at middle grade children so maybe those readers will understand it better, but usually I don't struggle with middle grade books. 2. Monsters by Emerald Fennell Monsters surprised me in that I didn't know what to expect, but wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did! We never know the main characters name, but this does not stop you from becoming completely and utterly morbidly engrossed in the story. I was also surprised that I enjoyed this so much as there are SO many hateable characters in this one book. Some of them even made my blood boil. Although it is good for writers to create likeable characters, I think it is even more brilliant when they create a character, or in this case characters that you don't like as it just gets me so involved emotionally in the story and desperately wanting them to get their comeuppance. Monsters really is the perfect title for this book. Miles in particular is a child that you do NOT want to meet and if I'm being honest I don't think I want to meet any of the characters in this book. A brilliant read that definitely would make some great Halloween reading. 3. The Secret Fire by C.J. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld Another great YA trilogy in the making. This was interesting as one of the main characters cannot die until his 18th birthday, For years his Father has been trying to find a cure, but his untimely death leaves Sacha at a loss. That is until he meets Taylor and their underworlds if you like collide. Overall this was really good and interesting concept. There were a few things I would have liked to be explained more, but a good start to this series. 4. Please Don't Leave Me Here by Tania Chandler When I saw that this book had been likened to The Girl on the Train, my curiosity was instantly heightened. I had really liked The Girl on the Train, so was interested to see what this book would be like, and also because of the success of The Girl on the Train, I was expecting great things. Please Don't Leave Me Here starts in 2008 where Brigitte is married and a Mother of twins; fourteen years after a man was found dead in her apartment. Brigitte was investigated by the police, but claimed to have no memory of what happened. Now the case has been reopened and the question is; is Brigitte a loving Mother or a cold blooded killer? This story gripped me when we were taken back to Brigitte's past leading up to the murder. Initially I could not like her as a character and was worried that I would not like this, but that change in time saved it for me. I do think it's unfair to compare this to The Girl on the Train as those who did not like that story may be put off reading this when actually I think they will like it. A good psychological thriller. 5. The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt I was really excited to read this book as my friend Zarina heard I had a copy and had said it was a Dutch classic and was extremely popular back in the Netherlands, so I just had to get on and read it. This tells the story of Tirui who is set to become an knight, but on the eve of his knightood, he gets called away on a perilous mission sending him from one kingdom to another to deliver an extremely important message. This was a brilliant, action packed medieval adventure that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

6. The Dead House by  Dawn Kurtagich My God this book freaked me out! I actually had to sleep with the light on. The Dead House tells the story of Carly and Kaitlyn. They both share the same body, but Carly has the daytime and Kaitlyn has the nighttime. They are thought to have Disassociative Personality Disorder, but Carly and Kaitlyn both seem too real. Throw in some paranormal activity and some more weird stuff and you have one highly scary book! Definitely recommend this as a Halloween read! 7. 100 Awesome Hair Days by Jenny Strebe This one is a little different from my fiction reads, but I really really liked this one. I am so boring when it comes to hairstyles and this book encouraged me to try something a little different with my hair. Very easy to follow with some amazing hairstyles and useful haircare tips. Therein lies September's reads. Overall a great reading month with only one read that didn't do it for me. Check back at beginning of November for October's Wrap Up. Happy reading :)