September 2016 Reading Round-Up
Posted 3rd October 2016
Category: Round-Ups Genres: N/A
5 Comments
Given what I said last week, it will come as no surprise that I haven’t read much this month! By the middle of September I had an immediate must-be-read-very-soon pile of ten books, mostly review copies, and had abandoned 3 books that had already been languishing on the ‘current’ list. I’ll pick them back up in due course; one of them is Helen Oyeyemi’s What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours which I was rather enjoying, it’s just that I couldn’t pay it the attention it requires. In regards to the list of ten I’m currently at 3 down, 1 on the go, the 1 being Dan Richards’ The Beechwood Airship Interviews, which needs finishing if we’re to have a more varied conversation. It’s just the sort of book you want when you’ve a deadline – funny and very unique. I’ve still a fair amount to do in regards to promotion so I’m happy several of the ten books are pretty short.
The Books
Non-Fiction
Bill Burnett and Dave Evans: Designing Your Life – A handbook for improving your career prospects and life in general based on the writers’ successful Stanford University course. Rather good.
Fiction
Helen Slavin: Crooked Daylight – After the death of their grandmother, three sisters put her cottage up for rent and strange things start to occur. A paranormal-magical realism tale; okay in itself, very promising as a start to a trilogy.
Jemma Wayne: Chains Of Sand – An Iraqi Jew hopes to leave Israeli whilst a British Jew yearns to live in Israel. A good premise.
Linda Stift: The Empress And The Cake – A young woman is asked to share half a cake with a lady wearing 1800s fashion; though she wishes not to, she accepts. Super.
My favourite this month was The Empress And The Cake, a bizarre, fab, book that’s just something else entirely. I also enjoyed Designing Your Life more than I’d imagined I would – no low expectations by any means but as I will be saying in my review, it’s the bookish equivalent of that situation where someone says ‘bear with me…’ and you wish you were somewhere else before they get to their point and you discover it was all worth it.
Quotation Report
None this time.
In theory, considering my introduction to this post, I will have a lot of books on October’s list.
What did you read in September?
October 3, 2016, 7:05 pm
Looks like September was pretty good. I hope October has begun well!
October 4, 2016, 5:00 pm
Totally intrigued by The Empress And The Cake. I’m away to read your review and who knows maybe even add a copy to my wish list.
October 4, 2016, 6:51 pm
In September, I read far less than I usually do due to being so busy! I am hoping for a quieter month in October where I can read more. Good luck with your long list of tbr books and happy reading in October.
October 5, 2016, 12:20 pm
Freda: Yay! Happy October, Freda!
Stefanie: It’s not been bad. Likewise :)
Tracy: At the risk of repeating myself, it’s an excellent book :)
Jessica: You’ve half-term to look forward, I think? :) Likewise, happy reading October!
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October 3, 2016, 2:45 pm
Crooked Daylight looks to be for me. Have to check it out! Happy October!