September Wrap-Up and October Hopefuls

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!

Jane Austen July 2026 Wrap-Up and August Hopefuls

Jane Austen July 2026 Reads

July Wrap-Up

• Finished: 6
• Started but not finished: 2
• Total pages read: 1,914
• Average rating: 4.2

This was my third year of participating in Jane Austen July, and again, I had a great time. That means that most of the books I read this month were Austen-related.

Book Review: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Book title: Mansfield Park
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: Classic
Published: 1814
479 pages
My rating: 5/5

“Fanny Price was at this time just ten years old, and though there might not be much in her first appearance to captivate, there was, at least, nothing to disgust her relations. She was small of her age, with no glow of complexion, nor any other striking beauty; exceedingly timid and shy, and shrinking from notice; but her air, though awkward, was not vulgar, her voice was sweet, and when she spoke her countenance was pretty.”

My choice for this year’s Jane Austen July was Austen’s third published novel, Mansfield Park. This review is a rather spoilery one, so if you haven’t read all (or any) of Jane Austen’s novels, be warned. Ten-year-old Fanny Price is sent to live with her rich relatives at Mansfield Park. Growing up with her cousins, she is constantly aware how precarious her place in society is. When a dashing couple from London, Henry and Mary Crawford, enter this rural world, they manage to dazzle everyone except Fanny, who sees through their superficial glamour.

Favorite Classics: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

 

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. I have only read one of his books, but I loved it so much it deserves its own post (here are some of my other favorite classics). Originally published in serial form in 1847–1848, Vanity Fair is probably Thackeray’s most well-known work. The Penguin Classics edition I read follows the text of Thackeray’s revised edition of 1853.

Favorite Classics: Henry Fielding

Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

Henry Fielding (1707–1754) was an English writer and a judge known for his use of satire and humor in his works. I’ve read two of Fielding’s novels, and one of them is among my favorite classics. I'll talk about my favorite book, Tom Jones, first, even though it was actually published after Joseph Andrews.

Book Review: Cecilia by Frances Burney

Cecilia by Frances Burney

Book title: Cecilia
Author: Frances Burney
Genre: Classic
Published: 1782
1004 pages
My rating: 4/5

Cecilia Beverley is an heiress who can only keep her fortune if her husband agrees to take her surname. Surrounded by fortune-hunters and other people who want to use her money for their own gain, the beautiful and virtuous Cecilia has to navigate the world with only the help of three questionable guardians. She falls in love with Mortimer Delvile, the son of one of her guardians, but his father insists that he keeps the family name, and it seems impossible they will ever have their happy ending.

Cecilia, or Memoirs of an Heiress is Frances Burney’s second novel, published in 1782. I started this book for this year’s Jane Austen July, but as the book is closer to thousand pages (plus foreword and appendices), it took me over two months to finish it. I don’t usually mind long classics, but Cecilia was way too long.

Favorite Classics: E.M. Forster

Three novels by E.M. Forster

Edward Morgan Forster (1879–1970) was an English author who published six novels as well as short stories, essays, and other works. I’ve read three of Forster’s novels and his influential work of literary criticism, Aspects of the Novel. I still want to read at least A Passage to India and Maurice, a posthumously published love story between two men.

Jane Austen July 2025 Wrap-Up and August Hopefuls

July reads

July Wrap-Up

• Finished: 6
• Started but not finished: 2
• Total pages read: 1,743
• Average rating: 4.58

This was my second year of participating in Jane Austen July, and even though it wasn’t quite as fun as last year, I still had a great time. And as the average rating shows, there was nothing wrong with the books I read, as most of them were four or five-star reads. Besides Jane Austen related books, the first book I finished in July was Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced (4/5 stars). I actually reviewed it as part of my June wrap-up, as I started it in June and finished it in the beginning of July. The rest of the books were Austen-related, though.

Book Review: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Book title: Sense and Sensibility
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: classic
Published: 1811
My rating: 5/5

After their father’s death, the Dashwood sisters are left with very little money and have to find love in a world that values wealth. Elinor’s stoic and detached sense and Marianne’s romantic and passionate sensibility cause them their own trials and tribulations. Elinor must suffer silently after she falls in love with secretly engaged Edward and Marianne is jilted by the immoral Mr. Willoughby.

Sense and Sensibility is Jane Austen’s first published novel. It has always been on the lower half of the list of my favorite Jane Austen novels, and that was partly the reason I was interested in reading it this Jane Austen July.  I wanted to see if my feelings for it have changed, and whether I could pinpoint more clearly what it is about this book that I don’t like. I’m sorry to say that even after this reread, Sense and Sensibility still remains at the bottom, possibly only besting Emma (but then again, I need to reread Emma as well, so the situation may change!).

June Wrap-Up (with Mini Reviews) and July Goals

Some of My June Reads

June Wrap-Up

• Finished: 9
• Started but not finished: 1
• Total pages read: 2,184
• Average rating: 4.38

June was a great month when it came to reading! Not only did I finish nine books, but they were also really good: four five-star books, three four-star books, and one three-star book. One nonfiction book I left unrated. I finished six fiction books and three nonfiction books. Three of the fiction books I read during a short summer vacation at my mother’s, and I’ll give you mini reviews of them below (there's also a bonus review of a book I finished in early July). Two of the fiction books were fantasy: The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi (4/5 stars) and Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao (also 4/5 stars). One was a collection of ancient Greek novels, Collected Ancient Greek Novels (5/5 stars). Click the links to read longer reviews.

Jane Austen July 2025

Jane Austen July TBR

Jane Austen July is a month long readathon all about Jane Austen, her works, and her time period. Last year was the first time I had time (and small enough TBR!) to join the readathon, and I had a blast. So naturally, I want to take part this year as well.

There are seven challenges in this readathon: five books and two screen adaptations. There is also a readalong associated with the challenge. I won’t be participating in the readalong because I had already decided what I wanted to read before the readalong book (which is Emma this year) was announced. You can find more information about the challenge from the Youtube videos posted by the hosts of the challenge (Katie from Books and Things, Marissa from Blatantly Bookish, and Claudia from Spinster’s Library).

Anyway, without further ado, here are my choices for this year’s readathon and my reasons for picking them.

Collected Ancient Greek Novels

Collected Ancient Greek Novels

Book title: Collected Ancient Greek Novels
Edited by: B.P. Reardon
Genre: ancient literature, ancient Greek novels
Published: July 8, 2008 by University of California Press
835 pages
My rating: 5/5

Collected Ancient Greek Novels presents in modern English translations nine complete prose narratives and several fragments commonly included in the genre of ancient Greek novels. These prose narratives were written in the first centuries of the common era. I’ve read B.P. Reardon’s seminal edition several times over the years, and it is always a pleasure. Needless to say, I love the ancient Greek prose narratives, especially the five romance novels.

Chariton’s Chaereas and Callirhoe is most likely the earliest of the novels, possibly written in the first century CE. It also provided the model for the plot that the other romance novels follow. The two titular characters are a young couple of noble birth. They fall in love at first sight and get married. Chaereas’ jealousy leads him to kick Callirhoe, and to all appearances she dies from the attack and is buried. However, she wakes up after her funeral when pirates rob her grave and take her with them to be sold as a slave. After a long separation, during which time Callirhoe has to marry another man and thwart the advances of several other men, Chaereas wins her back and they return to their home town.

Book Review: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Title: The Count of Monte Cristo
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Genre: classic
Published: May 27, 2003 by Penguin Classics (originally publ. 1846)
Translator: Robin Buss
1276 pages
My rating: 5/5

Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo first appeared in serialized form in 1844 to 1846 and was published in book form in 1846. The main character Edmond Dantès, a nineteen-year-old sailor, is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned without a trial in the Château d’If, a fortress off the coast of Marseille. A fellow prisoner Abbé Faria deduces that the people responsible for Edmond’s imprisonment are his romantic rival, an envious crewmate, and an ambitious magistrate who is desperate to protect his career. When Faria is on his deathbed, he reveals the location of a secret treasure to Edmond. Edmond escapes the prison, finds the treasure, and enters the 1830’s Parisian society to avenge himself as the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo.

This was a fun book! This review will have spoilers because the book is a classic—if you haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favor and read it.

Favorite Classics: Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

In this second instalment of some of my favorite classics, let’s talk about Daniel Defoe (c. 1660–1731). Defoe was one of the earliest advocates of the English novel and helped popularize the genre in Britain. Besides novels, Defoe wrote books and pamphlets on diverse topics, including politics, religion, and psychology. From modern standpoint, his novels are clearly products of their time, but Defoe's influence in the development of the genre is irrefutable. I’ve only read two of Defoe’s novels, but they are probably his best-known works, and well worth reading.

Favorite Classics: Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë's two novels

Welcome to a new series where I talk about some of my favorite classics! The star of this first instalment is one of my favorite classic female authors (probably second only to Jane Austen), Anne Brontë (1820–1849). She’s less famous than her sisters Charlotte and Emily, but I have to say that Anne is my favorite of the Brontë sisters, mostly because I find her love interests more likable.

October Wrap-Up and November Goals

October reads

October Wrap-Up

• Finished: 7
• Started but not finished: 2
• Total pages read: 2,191
• Average rating: 3.71

Another month with a lot of books. The only contemporary fiction, though, was The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (4/5 stars), which (despite the high rating) was a bit of a disappointment. I love The Hunger Games, but the prequel did not achieve the same level of excitement as the original trilogy. Click the link to read a longer review of book and what I did and didn’t like about it.

Jane Austen July wrap-up and August hopefuls

Jane Austen July Reads

 

July Wrap-Up

• Finished: 6
• Started but not finished: 2
• Total pages read: 2,323
• Average rating: 4.5

I had so much fun last month! July was full of Jane Austen and related literature as I participated on Jane Austen July for the first time. Here are short reviews of all the books I read in July, and a quick look forward to the books I’m planning to read in August. All links with * are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Book Review: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Book Title: Pride and Prejudice (*affiliate link)
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: classic
First published: 1813
262 pages
My rating: 5/5

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

The Bennet family has five daughters and only a moderate amount of money to share as dowries to them. It is no wonder that Mrs. Bennet’s dearest wish is to see her daughters well married – preferably to men of good fortune. Her second daughter Elizabeth, however, believes in first impressions and is determined not to marry just anyone. So when the rich but extremely proud and disagreeable Mr. Darcy slights her, she knows exactly what to think about him. But appearances can be deceiving, as Elizabeth is forced to acknowledge after Mr. Darcy becomes captivated by her lively manners, bright eyes, and sparkling wit.

It’s odd to write a review of a book I’ve loved ever since I read if for the first time 25 years ago and have read multiple times afterwards. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite Jane Austen novel, and although it was not the first Austen novel I read (that honor belongs to Mansfield Park), it was the book that made me binge-read everything else Austen had written. The humor, the wit, the characters, the historical setting, and the world and the people Jane Austen so accurately describes and at times ridicules are all features that made me fall in love with her writing, and Pride and Prejudice is a perfect example of Austen’s style.