Hello, everyone! It feels a bit odd to have two posts in a row that are wrap-ups but alas. I’ve not read very much throughout the month overall but the last several days have been packed with a good deal more than usual. It’s strange but I’ve found that at some point I started viewing reading as work which made me more and more adverse to it, especially considering all the more pressing actual work I’ve had on my plate. That being said, however, I’m actively working to remind myself how much fun reading really is — and, finally, I feel that I’m convincing myself!
I think I mentioned Goldfish Ghost in my summer wrap-up when I actually read it earlier this month! Like another Lemony Snicket picture book The Dark, this one has the simultaneous strains of an unsettling concept and an angle that shapes it into something comforting. It’s a sweet little story and even in its brevity I found it satisfying!
I started reading Rouge earlier this year amidst a grisly reading slump. and after setting it down for many months, I finally picked it up again. I’m so glad I did! Mona Awad has certainly made her way onto my list of favorite authors — though I had some mixed feelings about Bunny (and have started but haven’t yet finished All’s Well), I knew that I loved her writing style and the disconcerting feel of her novels. Rouge for me was sublime! The prose is addictive, the story elusive and macabrely intriguing, and it was exactly the kind of reading ride I’ve been craving. It’s rated fairly low on Goodreads (3.56 stars) so it’s not for everyone but I personally adored its meditations on beauty culture, mother-daughter relationships, and the protagonist’s descent into a bizarre, intoxicating world.
I’d had The Stepford Wives on my physical TBR for quite a while before moving it up to my “intensive TBR” more recently (along with Rouge, it’s a sort of “read-alike” to a new writing project I’m hoping to start this fall). Even if I hadn’t sought it out for inspiration, I would’ve been glad to have read it! It’s such a haunting and effective novella. A part of me wishes there was a little more explanation towards the end of the story about the how and why of things but I can see how the more succinct conclusion serves the book more than not. Good stuff!
Riding the high of finishing The Stepford Wives, I picked up Lucinda’s Secret (the third installment of The Spiderwick Chronicles) — a jump that doesn’t make sense thematically, I realize, but makes sense in that I wanted a quick, engaging read. And quick it was! The world and stakes expand a bit in this one compared to the first two which was fun. I also wound up a tiny bit inspired to maybe work on a children’s story upon finishing it which is a nice bonus!
Books Completed: 4
Most Read Genre: Horror
Top Intended Audience: Adult
Currently Reading
I recently got Spotify Premium and subsequently began listening to the audiobook for Good Omens. I’m only about 18% into it at the moment but am really enjoying it so far! It’s very tonally different than what I usually read which I’m welcoming more than not.
I’ve only read a couple chapters of Wrath of the Triple Goddess so far but that’s not for lack of interest! I was just trying to finish up some other reads first and now that I have, I have eyes only for this one. So far, it’s looking like it’ll be quite the fun time which I’m happy about.
I don’t want to put too much stock into anything as I find that sort of jinxes me but I’m liking where my reading is at presently! A part of why I subconsciously withdrew from bookstagram and even the book blogging sphere is out of embarrassment when comparing how little I’ve been reading to everyone else’s much longer lists. However, I’m finding that I’ve not been wishing I was reading more books nearly as much as I’ve been wishing to really enjoy what I’m reading — which I finally am now! I hope you’re also reading what you love because it’s truly one of the best feelings. 🙂
How was your reading in September? Any new favorites? Least favorites? What books are you hoping to read in October? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Little Bit of All That 