September Wrap Up

I had a pretty ambitious TBR for the month, and I did pretty well.  I didn't get to everything on my list, but some of those were ARCs for October, so we can let those slide.  I also read ahead for my October TBR because I was afraid I wasn't going to finish some of the longer books.   Overall I think I had a great reading month.  I read some really great stuff this month.  October is shaping up to be about the same, way too many books to read (as if that is a problem) and not enough time to read them (an actual problem). 

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
• Review
• This came out September 3rd.  This is a Scandinavian thriller about a man who leaves little chestnut dolls at the scene of his very violent crime scenes.  It is good but in my opinion far too long and has way too much going on.  I often lost interest in what was happening because there were too many different things happening to too many characters and it took too long to resolve everything.  I find this is my typical reaction to Nordic Noir.  I like them but they are too slow.  I do better with the audiobook version.  I do think this will make an excellent movie.
• Beard with Me by Penny Reid
• Review
• This is one of  my most anticipated books of the year, this and the next one Beard Necessities.  This came out September 16th and was heartbreaking.  This is book 5.5 of the Winston Brothers series and it tells Billy and Claire aka Scarlet's story when they were teenagers.  The next book tells their story when they are adults and I can't wait.  Beard with Me is tragic and reveals so many things from the series that I've been wanting answers to.  If you haven't read the series, they are some of my favorites and this couple has been waiting for their book for a very long time!
• The Grace Year by Kim Liggett 
• Review
• This came out September 17th.  This is a YA dystopian set in a very misogynistic society.  When girls turn 16, their Grace Year, they are banished to survive that year on their own to rid themselves of their magic and sin.  Women are treated as property and if they fall out of line they are punished.  Their grace year is the only time they are allowed to act freely because they are consumed by magic, or are they?  I really liked this.  It was fast paced and had some really disturbing parallels to real life.
• War of Hearts by S. Young
• Review
• I'm so glad that Samantha has returned to her paranormal romance roots.  I loved this.  I has the qualities of her romance books that I love as well as the paranormal fantasy elements that made me first love her books when I found them years ago.  This is an awesome merging of all of the things I love about her writing.  This is a standalone novel due out October 1st, but I hope there are more books coming.  It follows Thea a paranormal of unknown origin and Conall a Scottish Werewolf.  Conall has a unique tracking gift and he is essentially hired to track Thea down by her adoptive father.  All is not what it seems and Thea and Conall find themselves on the run from several different factions that either want Thea dead or want to use her for her power.  It's a romance too, so I don't have to tell you the rest.  
• Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen 
• Review
• This came out September 17th.  This is a new middle grade fantasy series by Reintgen.  I loved his sci-fi trilogy Nyxia and this is so much fun.  This follows a fairy tale character who is waiting for her story.  It was amazing and I loved it!
• Kiss Me Tonight by Emma Hart
• Review
• This is a hilarious romcom.  It begins with a naughty text sent to the wrong number.  Reagan is outspoken already, and decides to engage the texter to tell him he's got the wrong number and witty banter ensues.  They end up having friendly text conversations when tragedy strikes and Reagan's apartment burns down.  She's rescued by a fireman, who comes to check on her in the hospital.  Her hero is none other than her text friend Noah, who happens to be the man of her fantasies.  He's hot, tattooed, and he has a ridiculous chihuahua.  Coincidence?  I think not.  This is a quick and funny read.  I read it in a couple of hours.  I really love this series and can't wait for the next book due out in October.  This was published on September 24th.
• Baking Me Crazy by Karla Sorensen
• Review
• This is a friends to lovers romantic comedy.  It is really adorable and not full of angst.  It follows Joss, a girl in a wheelchair which is something we don't often see in romance. Her best friend Levi is in love with her, but they met shortly after a wicked virus left her paralyzed from the knee down.  She wasn't ready for his affection, but she needed a friend.  She and Levi begin navigating what it means if their relationship changes to something more.  I really enjoyed being back in Green Valley and the Donner Bakery.  This comes out October 8th.
• The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Review
• This picks up where The Darkest Star left off.  Evie is trying to come to grips with her identity and how Luc fits into her life.  Strange things happen pitting humans against Luxen putting our cast in a precarious situation.   As usual there is more to the story than meets the eye and Luc and Evie are at the center of it.  I really enjoyed this sequel and I'm really liking this spinoff series.  This also comes out October 8th.

Audiobooks

I didn't get to everything on my September TBR for audio, but most of these are longer books so I'm not upset about my progress.  I also finished up a few reading challenge prompts, so we are making steady progress on that front.

• The Library Book by Susan Orlean
• This really wasn't what I was expecting.  It was very well written, and well narrated by the author herself.  I was expecting more of a true crime novel about the fire at the library.  I was disappointed because I didn't not get what I was expecting not because of anything else.  This is more of a love letter to the LA Central library and the library system, with information about the fire thrown in here and there.  The timeline jumps around alot and there is a ton of valuable history in this book, it just doesn't solely focus on the fire or the investigation.  It is a very interesting book for sure.
• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
• I read this for the popsugar reading challenge to read a book with sugar in the title.  This was short and cute.  It wasn't my favorite.  It has some elements that I don't love.  The main character has little self-esteem and she is treated very poorly by her mother and the rest of the town. She is naive and sheltered and rarely leaves the house other than to take her ailing mother to the ladies of privilege social gatherings.  I did like the interaction with Chloe and Josey.  Them meeting and becoming friends were my favorite scenes.
• The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
• Review
• I really enjoyed this.  It is actually the first book in The Physick series.  I read the 2nd book back in July and really enjoyed it.  This sets up some of the back story but they are both standalones.  I really enjoy anything involving the Salem Witch trials and this delivers.  It is a nice blend of historical fiction, magical realism, a little fantasy, and has a nice romance.  
• The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
• This was amazing.  I've had this on my TBR forever.  I highly recommend the audiobook.  I really enjoyed getting to know Eve and Charlie.  Both of their stories and how they intersect is a compelling tale.  Eve is a spy during WWI sent to France to bring back information to the Alice Network, a group of female spies placed strategically throughout France to gather information on the Germans.  Charlie is an American, headed to Europe to take care of her little problem, aka an unwanted pregnancy.  She decides to take a detour from her very proper, French mother to look for her long lost French cousin Rose who disappeared during WWII.  Charlie was given Eve's name as someone who might be able to help her find Rose.  The tale is one of heartbreak, revenge, loss, and trauma.  I really loved this!
• Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab
• This sequel follows our Cassidy, daughter of ghost hunters except she can actually see and talk to the dead.  This installment takes place in France as her parents shoot footage for their TV show about the haunted history of Paris.  Cassidy attracts the company of a long dead French poltergeist and she has to figure out how to get him to pass on before he really hurts someone.  Accompanied by her BFF ghost Jacob and fellow ghost whisper Lara, Cassidy must dodge her parents and save the city from mischief and mayhem.  This is a great read for fall.  It is a little creepy, not too scary, and perfect for young readers who want to dabble in horror.
• Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King
• I started a reread of this series via audio a while ago, but I took a break after Wizard and Glass because I was going to read The Wind Through the Keyhole.  Well that paperback has been collecting dust on my shelf for a while now and I've decided to pick back up on my reread.  This follows our favorite ka-tet on yet another weird adventure as they try to get closer to the dark tower.  It also made me realize that I'm a terrible Stephen King fan because I've never read Salem's Lot.  I have had a copy for approximately 1000000 years, no seriously I've probably had my copy for close to 25 years and I hope to get to it before the end of this one.