September Mid Month Wrap up

In August I read 18 books, and I was a bit overwhelmed when it came to writing my wrap up, hence I haven’t actually done it. Sorry for that but I just couldn’t do it. So I have decided this month to split up in to 2 halves. The good news is that I’ve read one of my absolute favourite books this month, however I’m slightly concerned I won’t read anything I love as much for the rest of the month. My love for fae romance fantasy continues and I’m now going to be falling down the Sarah J Maas rabbit hole soon such is my love for Crescent City (more on that shortly)

Assassin’s Apprentice ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have heard so much recently about Robin Hobbs realm of the Elderling and I have decided to jump on the daunting band wagon. I really needed this book when I picked it up after 2 really disappointing reads previously and it was exactly what was called for. I got characters that I really felt for and really routed for. The story was interesting and a great starting point for a series I really look forward to continuing (especially as I’m now making a hobby of finding Robin Hobb books second hand). Poor Fitz has such a sad life and give me a character that loves dogs and I’ll love that character. The magic system is so interesting and I look forward to exploring it more.

Crescent City ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The hype around this when it was released was so deserved. I put off getting it when it was released as I’ve never read Sarah J Maas before and wasn’t sure whether I would like it, however I’ve got a better idea of what I do enjoy reading and the particularly the types of fantasy I like reading, then I found the special Waterstones edition tucked away on a bottom shelf with £4 off and took it as a sign. So I am in love with Bryce, Hunt and Ruhn in equal measure. I want a pet Chimera and want to read everything Sarah J Maas has ever written. Her writing was so easy, I immediately connected with the characters, my heart hurt while reading parts of this, I cried and laughed. I heard reviews saying the first 600 pages were slow, but I thought it was fantastically paced, there was plenty of moments throughout that kept me on the edge of my seat. This makes the favourites of the year list for me. And as I said earlier, I’m desperate to start reading more from Sarah J Maas as I pretty sure I will now love everything she writes, particularly the Court of Thorns and Roses series which is now high on my overall TBR.

The Bi-Ble Volume One ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A very interesting collection of essays that have made me think a lot about the B in LGBT+ I have the second volume also and look forward to continuing my eduction in hearing people’s first hand experiences of being bisexual. I hadn’t ever considered the erasure of bisexuality and the questionning of the validity of the label. Hearing own voices experiences of this opened my eyes and I’m really pleased I picked this up.

Anne of Green Gables ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It was a sweet story. The way Anne feels about her hair made me chuckle so often. She is a funny chatty child, but not my favourite children’s classic that I’ve read recently, but I can see why people love this story, I just didn’t connect with it the way others seem to. A very easy and enjoyable read nonetheless.

The Vile Village ⭐️⭐️⭐️

At this point in the series, I’m now just reading to find out how it ends, the books are too formulaic for me to really be enjoying the journey. However I did enjoy this book more than the previous 2, maybe because it’s less repetitive at the beginning as we are far enough into the series that only people who have read the previous 6 books and therefore will be very familiar with the characters that they don’t need reminding of specific traits Violet, Klaus and Sonny have, or maybe Snicket is just sprinkling them in rather than shoving them in your face like previous books. Only 6 more books to read.

Orange ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the art and story in this, such an interesting plot. Naho’s crippling shyness is frustrating at points, her naivety and selflessness makes her a bit of a doormat but the story has so much heart and emotion, that I still love her and the friendship group is good, they all clearly care for each other and look out for each other. My only slight criticism could be that there is too much emphasis on others taking responsibility for someone’s mental health. But on the whole this is a fantastic story about friendship.

Peter Pan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed parts of this book, it’s very well written, and as always the Mina Lima edition has such beautiful illustrations throughout. The Disney film follows that story almost word for word and I loved the film growing up. The ‘redskins’ is something that did impact my enjoyment, I understand that it’s a show of the time in which it was written but I really disliked it and fell it needed to be acknowledged. Peter is a very unlikeable child, selfish and mean at times but I don’t think we were supposed to like him.

The Train to Impossible Places ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A really fun ride! Such a fast paced adventure, the Impossible Places were so exciting and I loved Suzy and Wilmot and pretty much everyone we met along the way. I do love train settings for stories so it was unlikely that I wouldn’t enjoy this.

Overall I’ve had a good reading month so far, and I’ve still got 4 more books on my fixed TBR and I’ve got my first ever NetGalley arc to read and review. So see you at the end of the month to see what else I pick up.