Hey, everyone! August flew by and I can't believe we are in September. I will start teaching this Tuesday, so I don't know how much reading I will get done or even how my life is going to be like. When I taught last year for my residency year I was a huge school, this year I am at a small school and we are all online. August was another great reading month for me. I read another 23 books which is a consistent summer number of reading for me this year. I really enjoyed my reading month and I can't wait to read some more great books to wrap-up the end of the year. September got away from because I started teaching and then I got food poisoning and was sick and then I had to go to the hospital twice in 48 hours, so it was a rough middle of the month. Due to that, I combined my two wrap-ups together.
AUGUST THE BOOKS I READ:
You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles- 4.5 stars I really enjoyed this one. It follows a man who is at a meeting at Vietek and is seeing the science of the company as they unfold the life is his future children. Great topics and it left a chilling atmosphere behind as I closed the book.
Vampire State Building by Ange- 2 stars I had a lot of issues with this graphic novel. Mainly its dehumanization of Natives and continuing to use the evil cannibal trope against them. You can check out my review here. Venus in the Blind Spot by Junji Ito- 3.75 stars for the overall collection I loved this collection. My favorites were "Venus in the Blind Spot", "The Enigma of Amigara Fault", "Billions Alone", and "Keepsake." This was my first time reading Junji Ito and I definitely want to read more by him. Check out my review here. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid- 4.25 stars I really enjoyed the audiobook for this novel. This was a novel that was fun to experience. The content wasn't fun, but the story was so interesting and I was invested in all of the characters. The commentary of performative racism was so important and timely. I don't always enjoy literary fiction, but this is a novel that I enjoyed and the characters are what made me enjoy it so much. I loved Emira and following her journey as a Black nanny to someone who wanted to be something more, but didn't know what or how to do it. It's a great novel and I definitely recommend it.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones- 5 stars This was my favorite book of the month. I loved everything about this novel and its commentary was beautiful. This book is haunting and horrifying. I'm super proud of my review for it and I hope you read it to understand how important and necessary this novel is for not only the horror genre, but for Natives in publishing. Check out my review here. Finna by Nate Marshall- 4 stars This is a fantastic poetry collection. I noticed that I don't read as many Black male poets as I should and Nate Marshall is a fantastic contemporary poet that needs to be watched. Check out my review here. Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar- 4.25 stars I love learning about Priscilla and Aquila in the New Testament and how they helped Paul's ministry with the Gentiles (Non-Jews), so I was down to read a fictional account of the couple. Surprisingly, there was a lot of historical accuracy in regards to Roman rule and the Jews being forced to leave the city. I really enjoyed my listening experience and I definitely want to read more by Afshar in the future.
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice- 5 stars This is a slow and quiet novel about an Anishinaabe tribe in Canada as they slowly realize that the world has ended and they are seemingly the last to know. The commentary in this book was SO GOOD. I loved where the novel went and the inclusion of the Wendigo and its affects on Native storytelling. The ending was really well done and I am so happy I borrowed this from the library because I could have missed out on such a fantastic read.
Crown Noble by Bianca Phipps- 4.75 stars This is a super short poetry collection, but I loved it. This is one that I highly recommend and had a deep connection to. Check out my review here.
Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer- 4 stars I have a ton of thoughts on this book. I loved the Light Housekeeper (Saul's) PoV and the Director, but the constant back and forth of too many chronological timelines was not cohesive and took me out of the story. I loved the ending and its ambiguity. It felt right to end on Area X in such a way.
Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer- 4.25 stars for the trilogy I love this bind-up and I'm happy that I own the trilogy because I really did enjoy it. Annihilation is still my favorite and I think the best of the trilogy.
Summer Frost by Blake Crouch- 4 stars Talk about a weird experience. This follows a woman who creates game software and she has created an AI with deep intelligence. It's weird because it's about a creator falling in love with her creation who can't love her back. It's an uncomfortable experience, but I really enjoyed it. This is something that I think many people will enjoy and be fascinated by.
Colossians by Joyce Meyer- 2 stars This is a very simple Bible Study. It wasn't what I wanted and I wanted a lot more out of this. Check out my review here. The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket- 3.5 stars This is my least favorite of the series so far. I don't know what it was about it, but I just didn't have a great connection to Aunt Josephine and I didn't really care for the plot. The leeches are the best part of the plot, but it didn't have the same ramped up pacing as The Reptile Room or the fear inducing terror of being introduced to Count Olaf in The Bad Beginning.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager- 5 stars I love Riley Sager! I loved this book. I loved the concept of a book within a book within a book. I found the pacing to be brilliant. The story was intense, horrifying, and I didn't guess any of the twists. It was my kind of story. I loved this one. It's not my favorite Sager, but it was a great addition and one of my favorite thrillers of the year.
Here at Dawn by Beau Taplin- 2 stars I was really disappointed by this collection. It wasn't what I wanted. I had expectations and it didn't really give me anything. Check out my review here. Eighteen Inches: The Distance Between the Heart and Mind by Mirtha Michelle Castro Mármol- 4.75 stars This is a beautiful combination of prose and poetry. Each chapter is about a part of the author's life and then followed by poetry. It's a beautiful combination and it is done so eloquently and beautifully. Check out my review here.
Fangs by Sarah Andersen- 4 stars This is a super cute graphic novel about a vampire and a werewolf who are in love. It's a super cute story and I really enjoyed it. Check out my review here. Becoming a Next-Level Prophet: An Invitation to Increase Your Gift by Jennifer LeClaire- 4.25 stars I really enjoyed this book and I got a lot out of it spiritually. This is a great book for people looking to use their spiritual gifts and grow as a servant for Christ. Check out my review here. I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick- 4.75 stars This a fantastic new YA mystery that I think many will enjoy. I loved the audiobook and the podcast elements. I loved the Gothic elements and the suspense. I also did not guess who killed Zoe or how, so that was a fun time. This was a great experience. Check out my review here. Ark by Veronica Roth- 3 stars This is the type of short story that you've read and then you forget about it. There's nothing I hated or disliked or liked or loved. This short story was very middle of the road for me. I am done with the Forward collection!
The Deep by Rivers Solomon (inspired by the song by clipping.)- 5 stars I loved this book. It's an intense and beautifully descriptive story, but it is filled with so much trauma and pain. It's not an easy read, but it's a necessary read. I loved the experience of this novel and learning about Yetu's people and the pain and suffering she must carry for her people.
The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket- 5 stars I really loved this one! I loved the setting and the hypnosis plot. I loved the story and it's direction. This one was really good and it had the tone that I enjoy. It felt a lot like The Bad Beginning, which may be why I enjoyed it so much.
Overall Thoughts: It was a successful reading month. I read 23 books in August and while there were times I didn't read at all, there were days where I read three books in a day. Here are my 5-stars reads:
1. The Only Good Indians
2. Home Before Dark
3. Moon of the Crusted Snow
4. The Deep
5. The Miserable Mill
SEPTEMBER THE BOOKS I READ:
The Austere Academy- 5 stars I loved this one! The fourth and fifth books in this series were so good. I'm on hold for book six and I can't wait! I loved the atmosphere of the school and I loved the friendship with the Quagmire triplets. It was so sweet to see the Baudelaires make friends. This one also had one of the darker endings, but no tragic death of a guardian in this one.
Maurice and His Dictionary by Cary Fagan- 4 stars I learned so much in this children's novel about the Jews who fled to the Caribbeans for refuge during World War II. It was a different WWII story and my only issue was that it felt very cramped and paced quickly, but somehow felt like it was leaving parts out.
Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation by LaTasha Morrison- 5 stars I loved this and it is an important conversation that people who are in the church are too scared to have. There's too small of a portion of Christians whose hearts are breaking and too many with callused and straight up racist hearts that don't reflect Jesus at all. I loved and appreciated how much history Morrison talked about as well as the things she unpacks. I loved this book and it's one I want to return to again.
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury- 4.75 stars This is probably one of the highest rating I've given to a short stories collection. It's rare for me to give as many short stories 5 stars, but in this one I gave TEN!!! There are ten stories in this collection that I adored and didn't find any faults with. Bradbury is the master of short stories and I need to buy more of his collections to divulge in because I loved this one. My favorite story in the whole collection was "The City".
YOLO Juliet by Brett Wright- 3.5 stars This was a lot of fun. It's Romeo & Juliet told in text format and it's cheesy and super annoying, but it's also hilarious and it works. I enjoyed the 45 minutes I took to read it. It's not a great piece of literature, but it's a lot of fun. I can't wait to use it with my kids when we get to Romeo & Juliet.
Killer's Kiss by R.L. Stine- 4 stars (reread) Ah, memories! The nostalgia. This kicked off my reread and reading of Fear Street books. Fear Street were the books that got me into reading. When I discovered them in fourth grade, I would read and read them for hours. I would check out 12 of them every time I went to the library and read as many as possible before having to renew any others. This one was one of my favorites growing up and it still held up for me. It's silly at times, but this is for young readers and if you keep that in mind it makes the twists more enjoyable. I do love the ending!
You May Now Kill the Bride by R.L. Stine- 2.5 stars So this is a newer released Fear Street, which means I didn't read it before and it's completely new to me. It reminded me so much of the Fear Street Sagas, which were the historical fiction and history of the Fear family and the curse that started before Fear Street was this evil part of Shadyside. I loved those books growing up because the bridged Gothic horror and history together. The first part of this book was the strongest part of the book. It opens up with two Fear sisters in the 1920s one is a witch and one has betrayed her sister. The present day chapters have horrible first person narration and are just awkward. Plus, the ending was garbage and was some weird homage to The Shining film, but it felt so weird and out of place with how much was actually revealed in the character's arc that it didn't make a whole lot of sense. It was disappointing since the beginning was so strong.
Beloved by Toni Morrison- 1 star DNF No one is more surprised that I didn't finish this book than me. I thought that Beloved would be one of those books that I absolutely loved and was 100% for me. It was kind of disappointing. I wonder if that's because I tried to listen to the audiobook and Morrison's narration was too soft and quiet for me. I am putting this one on pause/hold. I may come back to it or I may try another Morrison. I definitely want to read Morrison and give her another go.
Anyway the Wind Blows by Seanan McGuire- 3.5 stars I've read some great short stories by McGuire this one is pretty good, but it's very niche. This one is really only for the Tor superfan. I didn't mind it, but I was kind of disappointed in the story's direction. You can read it for free on Kindle or on their website if you are interested.
The Wrong Girl by R.L. Stine- 1 star I'm going to say that this was the worst book I read in September. The narration was terrible, the plot was silly, the characters were a joke, and the story was an uneventful mess. It had the essence of past Fear Street books, but read more like Goosebumps and it was just not a good combo. This is also a newer release to the Fear Street series and I was not a fan.
God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women by Our Daily Bread- 2 stars I was disappointed in the format of this. The devotions are too short for my personal preference and they don't really do much. They give you a verse and then some unrelated story that they then try to haphazardly connect to the Scripture of the day. It didn't work for me and is not what I am looking for in a devotional book.
The Lost Girl by R.L. Stine- 4 stars This one was so good. The beginning was absolutely horrifying and I loved it! The horror felt more mature and like this is a good setup for younger readers towards looking to more mature thrillers. The ending was whack and didn't need that scifi twist, but that's what I got. However, this is one of the newer Fear Street books that I think is on par with the older books and is a fun one that I would recommend.
Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams by Naoki Urasawa- 1 star This is one of the worst mangas I've ever read. Like whew! A wild mess. I know a lot of people are digging the absurdist and weird art/plot, but this isn't absurd. I read some weird stuff and this was just boring and uneventful prestige manga. It was boring, so boring.
House of Evil: The Indiana Torture Slayings by John Dean- 4 stars This book got me out of my audiobook slump that Beloved put me in. I read this in less than 24 hours and I loved it. I have always been haunted by the story of Sylvia Laken and what happened to her. It's tragic, disturbing, and it makes my blood fume because all those kids and the adults involved got away with minimal or no punishment for torturing her. This is a true crime novel about the events and it's a good and comprehensive look into the case. I recommend it for true crime readers as well as anyone looking to learn more about the case. I didn't learn anything new because when I tell you know this case, I know it pretty well. The only new information to me was some of the court proceedings and the ridiculous and frustrating attempts of Gertrude's lawyer, but this novel looks at the case from when Sylvia and her sister go to live with Gertrude to how everyone involved is pretty much dead now. It's not a favorite true crime novel, but it was definitely a good one.
Can You Keep a Secret? by R.L. Stine- 2.25 stars This one has way too many subplots. There are werewolves, a robbery, money hidden in a tree, and weird character development plots that didn't work out too well or fell flat. Too much was going on and it was not a cohesive or congruent story. It went from point A to H to B to Z to C. It was a hot mess, but it was fun to read and see how it ended. The ending wasn't particularly good and it was silly, but I had fun sitting down and reading it in one go.
Fear Street Super Thriller: Secrets by R.L. Stine- 3 stars for the overall collection This one contains The Lost Girl and Can You Keep a Secret? I definitely recommend purchasing this edition as opposed to buying them separately. It's cheaper to buy them combined, but also the edition is nice.
Ever After by Olivia Vieweg- 5 stars This one was a shock because I thought I would just like it, but I absolutely adored it. It was haunting and heartbreakingly beautiful. The story follows two girls who are struggling to survive the zombie apocalypse in different ways and their friendship and fight to stay alive despite the odds that are stacked against them. I cried. I bawled like a baby. It was so good. I loved the ending.
Some Are Always Hungry by Jihyun Yun- 5 stars This one stuck with me. The poetry was guttural and at times brutal in its emotive telling of topics like war, poverty, starvation, and culture. This is one of those collections that I know will be overlooked because it's not published by Andrews McMeel, but instead by a university press. This is good. So good! Please pick it up!
Lizzie by Dawn Ius- 3 stars What hurts this book is that the story of Lizzie Borden is told from a modern POV instead of sticking to the historical setting. That's what hinders this story and makes it seem more juvenile than it should be. The plot is definitely more mature, but the writing and language set this book back and keep it from appealing to a larger audience because it feels like only MG or young teen girls would be interested in reading this.
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline- 4.5 stars This follows Joan as she deals with the loss of her husband, Vincent. When Vincent turns up as a pastor named Pastor Wolff, Joan embarks on a quest to win her husband back from the claws of the Rogarou (werewolf). Set on the backdrop of Canada and looking into the culture of the Métis Nation while tackling topics of racial discrimination towards indigenous people, the cultural silencing and desire to turn many indigenous people away from their roots to steal their land, and the power of knowing where you come from this is a powerful horror novel that will leave you feeling haunted and on the edge of your seat as you hope and pray that Joan can rescue her husband. The only reason I am not giving this a full 5 stars is because I was disappointed by the ending.
Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom by Sylvia Plath- 5 stars This was written by Plath when she was a student in college and was rejected by publishers. It was just published in 2019 and y'all I LOVED IT. I loved the intense backdrop of the speeding train and the mystery of Mary's destination. When you put the pieces together and begin to see that this train is of the supernatural sort and does not plan on dropping Mary off in a nice vacation spot, one becomes as a panicked as she is as she fights for her survival. It's beautiful and haunting. A wonderful short story/novella to pick apart.
Overall Thoughts: I enjoyed reading Fear Street books this month and I plan on continuing to read some of the old school ones this month in October. I was sick for most of September so it made teaching and reading hard for me. I didn't start October off to a good start and I'm praying that my health will get better. I did manage to read 21 books in the month of September, but I hit a couple of duds, so my reading month didn't feel too successful. Here are my 5 star reads:
1. The Illustrated Man
2. Ever After
3. Be the Bridge
4. Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom
5. Some People Are Hungry
6. The Austere Academy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Challenge Tracker:
*2020 52 Owned Books TBR:
5/5 A Lineage of Grace books
Binti: Home
The Most Important Women of the Bible
Hidden Bodies
Elevation
Bonhoeffer Abridged
Four Past Midnight
Parable of the Talents
Tuck Everlasting
*none this month
9/52
*Books That I Owned Before 2020 That I Read:
Binti: The Night Masquerade
The Beauty of the Cross
Twenty-Two
Uglies
Carrie
This is Not a Test
Becoming a Next-Level Prophet
*The Illustrated Man
Total Combined with 52 Books: 17/52
*Audiobook TBR:
We Are All Good People Here
Uglies
Tuck Everlasting
none this month!
3/20
*5-star Predictions Tracking Progress:
Stop Calling Me Beautiful: 5 stars (reread)
The Wives: 1.5 stars
The Return: 4.5 stars
The Only Good Indians: 5 stars
*none this month
4/20
*Series I Want to Read:
Binti: Home
Beneath the Sugar Sky
Binti: The Night Masquerade
Authority
Hidden Bodies
DEV1AT3
In An Absent Dream
Parable of the Talents
Juice Like Wounds
Please Remain Calm
Acceptance
The Wide Window
The Miserable Mill
The Austere Academy
Killer's Kiss
You May Now Kill the Bride
The Wrong Girl
The Lost Girl
Can You Keep a Secret?
20/10
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Currently Reading/Hoping to Finish in October:
Already Finished: My Dark Vanessa, The New Girl, The Poet X, Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass, Moon Lake Volume 1
Netgalley eARCs: Moon Lake, One by One, It Came from the Multiplex, Some Kind of Animal, The Borden Murders, Conjure Women, Until the Mountains Fall, Jesus of the East, TRUEL1F3, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, Love to Eat, Hate to Eat, 7 Feasts, Women in a Patriarchal World, Kingdom Come
Sent by Publisher: Warfare Prayers for Women, For All Who Wander Journey Guide
Audiobooks: Conjure Women, Malorie, A Gathering of Shadows, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World
Books I Bought / Gifted: Fear Street: The Beginning, Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot, Culture of Revival, Treacherous Beauty: Delilah, Samson, The Elijah Task, The Stranger Beside Me, Biblical Healing & Deliverance, The Insanity of Sacrifice, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, Celebration of Discipline, The Purple Book, East of Eden, Moments of Grace
Ebook: Bind, Torture, Kill, The Good Nurse
ARCs That Come Out in October:
Check out my post on ARCs
here.
Here are some ARCs that I am hoping to read in October:
Audiobooks:
Ebook:
Books I Own:
Here are two books I've had on my TBR forever. I have a spooky TBR and here it is.
I don't know if I will read all these books, but here are some horror books that I just bought that I am excited to gobble up.
Have you read any of these books? I hope your September was better than mine. It's spooky season! Let me know your thoughts on any of these books down below!
