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| September reads |
September Wrap-Up
- Finished: 16
- Started but not finished: 1
- Total pages read: 3,501
- Average rating: 3.8
I did not expect to finish this many books in September! I read more e-books, audiobooks, and nonfiction books than I had planned. Out of the sixteen books I finished, nine were nonfiction and seven were fiction. I’ve written reviews for four of the fiction books: Marie Brennan’s adult fantasy A Natural History of Dragons (5/5 stars), Sabaa Tahir’s young adult fantasy An Ember in the Ashes (3/5 stars), Rachel Ann Hubert’s adult fantasy The Debt Collector (4/5 stars), and Hayley Gelfuso’s adult historical fantasy The Book of Lost Hours (5/5 stars). The two five-star fantasy novels were so good that I’m not sure which I liked more!
The nonfiction books were Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, John Stuart Mill’s The Subjection of Women, and eight scholarly nonfiction books about ancient Greek novels. In addition, I read three more works of fiction, two by indie authors and one classic. Here are mini reviews for those books:
The Scent of Sunlight by Annie Bellet
An
overworked single mother living in a rundown neighborhood escapes with her
children into the sunlight of a fantasy world. This urban fantasy short story
was a fast read—I finished it in about half an hour. The story was sweet and a
little bit emotional, but although the family’s surroundings were bleak, the
story ended on a hopeful note. It worked well as a short story, but there were
aspects I wished would have been developed further.
Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle
Death on
Cozumel Island is a cozy mystery and an indie debut by Cindy Quayle. English
teacher and a diving enthusiast Claire O’Keefe has planned a fun bachelorette
party for her best friend in Cozumel Island, Mexico, but when one of the fellow
divers dies and a diving guide is accused of his murder, Claire sets out to
solve the mysterious death. If you prefer mysteries with fast pacing and high
stakes, this book probably isn’t for you, but if you like depictions of diving
in a holiday setting, this book might make a cozy beach read. However, as a
mystery the book falls flat, as the outcome of the story would have been
exactly the same without Claire’s sleuthing.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
As new
managers take over the Paris Opera House, they receive a list of demands from
the Opera Ghost. They ignore the demands, thinking that they are nothing more
than a practical joke. Their heedless disregard leads to a series of tragic
events, culminating to the disappearance of singer Christine Daaé, to whom the
Ghost has fallen in love with.
I’ve seen the musical adaptation of this book once, but since it was about fifteen years ago, I don’t remember much about it. That was probably a good thing, as I could read the book on its own without comparing it to a later adaptation. I liked the journalistic style of narration, but like in so many classics, the pacing is slow, and I found myself somewhat irritated by the stupidity of the characters. It’s one of those classics that I’m glad I’ve read, but I don’t see myself revisiting the book.
October Hopefuls
My goal is
to finish two physical books in October: Heather Fawcett’s cozy fantasy books Emily
Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands and Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales. After those, I want to start Leigh Bardugo’s young adult fantasy King of Scars.
I’m also continuing with my audio book listens. I’ve already finished Naomi
Novik’s historical fantasy His Majesty’s Dragon (the review for that is up
as well), and I’m currently listening to Sangu Mandanna’s cozy fantasy A Witch’s
Guide to Magical Innkeeping (review coming next week). After that, I’ll
probably continue with Novik’s Temeraire series. I’ll also be reading more
nonfiction about the ancient Greek novels.
~ ~ ~
If you want
to see more about the books I’ve read and a little book haul, check out my September
wrap-up on YouTube:
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