September 2019 Wrap Up // A slow kind of month

It was a pretty slow reading month for me in September. And I decided to put that in the title because I think it’s OK to be frank and open about that.

Sometimes we hold ourselves to such high targets that any time we read less than seven or eight books in a month (or even eleven or twelve), it feels like we’ve failed ourselves.

So, I’m here to happily say that I read five books in September, it was slow and I’m not sure why, but that’s OK. I didn’t get to Ninth House, or Into the Crooked Place, or Angel Mage, and that’s OK.

It’s OK to read slowly not be in the mood to read at all. Stats and targets are important, but so is self care and enjoying things outside of books without feeling guilty that you’re not reading. And I loved the books I read in September and found a new favourite, so that seems like a win to me.

Tweet Cute // 3.5 stars // This was a cute story about two high schoolers, Pepper and Jack, who work for rival food companies and accidentally start a Twitter war. The twist is, they’re tweeting from their corporate accounts, so they don’t know who the other person is.

I loved the witty dialogue between the main characters; it’s got to be some of the most wholesome banter I’ve read in a YA contemporary for ages. The use of technology was well done, and I liked the little unexpected moments between the MCs.

A Princess in Theory // 3.5 stars // I read this on audio and the narration deserves 5 stars. The different voices, accents, and intonation that the narrator created were spot on and her voice brought every single character to life. The plot was a little slow in places and Thabiso was pretty entitled at times, using his wealth to get what he wanted, but his behavior was challenged in all the right ways/places by Naledi.

The ending felt a little rushed to me because the author had spent so much time building up their first meeting and growing attraction, only to have them resolve everything pretty quickly.

Ms Marvel vol 3 // 4 stars // I enjoyed volume 3 a lot more than the first two volumes because it had more direction. Ms Marvel understands her powers now and is really coming into her own, wielding them with accuracy and intent.

The characters are all more developed and Loki makes an appearance in this volume, which I loved. His mischief really added sparks to the story, and it was interesting to see him working on the side of good.

 

Ms Marvel vol 4 // 4 stars // This was probably the best volume so far. It’s got a real end-of-the-world vibe and I genuinely didn’t know what was going to happen next, but I loved the heart-warming interactions between Captain Marvel and Ms Marvel.

Every volume up till now has been pretty episodic, but this volume seems to introduce a more long-term, overarching plot and I can’t call what’s going to happen next, but I’m keen to find out.

 

Crier’s War // 4.5 stars // This book could punch me in the face (it kinda did to be honest) and I’d thank Nina Varela for it. I cannot tell you how much I LOVED the world and characters.

The story is set in Rabu, a futuristic world where Automae have subjugated humans and rule the land. Crier, the daughter of sovereign Hesod, is trying to stop an Automae plot to build new humanless cities, and Ayla, a human, is trying to stop Crier. There’s F/F forbidden romance, action and adventure, political machinations, and revolution. Crier’s War is my new fave.

In September I wrote about some of my favourite bi characters for Bi Visibility Day.

I also shared thoughts I have when watching BookTube videos, and announced a Library themed month I’m co-hosting in October.

For all you wizards and witches, I did the Harry Potter spells tag and for the autumn lovers, I shared some books on my fall TBR.

*aggressively tries to remember what I did in September*

Oh yeah.

Leisure

Hollie @Hollieblog visited me for the weekend, which was definitely one of the highlights of my month, as we haven’t seen each other since May.

We went book shopping in Birmingham, found a great vegan cafe, accidentally stumbled on an Extinction Rebellion meeting, and walked along canals in the sunshine. I picked up three new books: Pumpkinheads, Solitaire by Alice Oseman, and Birthday by Meredith Russo.

We also started a queer Thai series on Netflix called SOTUS and accidentally binged nine episodes in two days. It’s that good. (Well, the sound, music, and staging aren’t great, but the romance and general drama is so addictive.)

I also finished the Umbrella Academy (FINALLY) and Titans on Netflix. If you know how slowly I watch TV (because I don’t have/make much time for it) then you’ll know this is A Big Deal™ for me. Finishing two series in one month? HUGE.

One Saturday in September, I went to a food festival with Jess @ABookAddict’sBookshelves in our local town and guys. I had a vegan crepe.

A. vegan. crepe.

It’s been so long since I had a proper crepe, I almost cried with happiness. I had sliced banana and Biscoff spread as the filling and my soul slowly started to ascend into the afterlife. It was delicious.

After that we wandered through the rest of the stalls, and I bought my parents some fudge and meringues. There were cooking demonstrations the weather was so warm that it felt like summer had returned.

Events

In the middle of the month, I went to a lecture on Margaret Atwood with Lucy @CrescentPages. The lecture was being hosted by the university to celebrate the release of The Testaments and it was a really insightful talk. (It made me miss uni lectures tbh.)

Afterwards, we went to Sweet (a dessert shop) and I had a vegan chocolate pudding. It’s been a pretty indulgent food month and I’ve enjoyed it immensely.

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How was your September? What did you read? Did you do anything fun?