In September I read four five-star books, one of which is an absolute classic, one of which is a sequel to a hit book from 2020, one of which is a truly life-affirming book and the final of which is a contemporary masterpiece about the struggles of love and class set in Greek mythology (take a guess!). I also read three other books which I’ve given summaries of below.
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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
My summary of To Kill a Mockingbird: “I listened to To Kill a Mockingbird via audiobook and I read the kindle version too and whichever I was choosing to do, I found myself absolutely obsessed and invested by the story and the characters. When I pick up a classic, I always go into it with hesitancy as I worry I won’t grasp why it’s received the acclaim it has and to have endured for such a long time. But I can 100% see why To Kill A Mockingbird is considered one of the greatest novels ever written. It gives you an utterly pure look into prejudice and the beginnings of the questions of whether it’s right the way people of colour were treated back then and whilst doing so writes in some utterly loveable characters, a gripping story and the feeling of completion when finished.
If you’ve not read To Kill A Mockingbird, I would highly recommend it to absolutely everyone. Usually, I pick a genre so I can link it to those genre reviews on my blog but I have to recommend this book to everybody. It’s fantastic and possibly up there with one of my favourite novels I’ve ever read.”
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My summary of All The Light We Cannot See: “I feel like I should have liked All The Light We Cannot See more – I’ve seen universally good things about this before I had read it. However, after putting up a post on my Instagram letting people know that I just wasn’t getting on with it, I can see I’m not the only one who struggled with the writing style and the unengaging way this was written.
I will definitely pick this book up again in the future and see if my views on it change. However, for now, it just didn’t resonate with me or leave me with a very positive impression.”
- Read my full review of All The Light We Cannot See here.
- Get your copy of All The Light We Cannot See here.
The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell
My summary of The Pale Horseman: “Overall, The Pale Horseman is a solid follow-up to The Last Kingdom. Though it hasn’t quite gotten me obsessed and fully immersed into the series quite yet. I love reading about Vikings, I think Cornwell writes fantastic action scenes and I’m a growing fan of Uhtrid and the imperfect characters that Cornwell writes. However, the passive writing style and the lack of there being an overarching goal do hamper this for me a little. Though its shortness works to its benefit in this matter but also hinder it from filling in more detail or expanding on the story a bit.”
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
My summary of The Man Who Died Twice: “The Thursday Murder Club shocked a lot of people when it came out. There are always hesitancies when a “celebrity” writes a book – especially an adult book. Yes, some of the initial sales may well have come under the categories of Osman having a large social media following or being a fan of his, however it was soon realised that he’d written a genuinely brilliant crime novel, utterly unique to a lot else out there. The Man Who Died Twice, therefore, doesn’t come with that surprise element but does manage to prove to us it wasn’t a fluke and that Osman has found a fantastic formula for writing witty and engaging characters. Simply put: if you liked The Thursday Murder Club – you’ll love The Man Who Died Twice and if you like crime, murder mysteries or simply something with a bit of humour, you’ll also like this.”
- Read my full review of The Man Who Died Twice here.
- Get your copy of The Man Who Died Twice on Amazon.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My summary of The Book Thief: “The Book Thief is often brought up on a list of top-book lists and is considered one of the best books you can read. It’s a book that will make you laugh and cry. It’s a book that will have you turning the pages and falling in love with the characters that Zusak has created. It’s not a book for the faint-hearted, but it is most certainly a book I would recommend to absolutely everybody.”
One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus
My summary of One Of Us Is Lying: “The Book Thief is often brought up on a list of top-book lists and is considered one of the best books you can read. It’s a book that will make you laugh and cry. It’s a book that will have you turning the pages and falling in love with the characters that Zusak has created. It’s not a book for the faint-hearted, but it is most certainly a book I would recommend to absolutely everybody.
I’d recommend One Of Us Is Lying to anybody who likes a decent enough mystery book, anybody who leaves to read books about teenagers and high school life, but other than this, I’d suggest there are some better mystery and crime novels out there. Though I am intrigued to read the sequel as I can’t see what the author could possibly do with it.”
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My summary of The Song of Achilles: “The Song of Achilles is definitely a must-read. It’s a must-read because the characters are great, it’s a must-read because it tells a genuinely emotional and believable (despite the setting) love story, it’s a must-read because the Greek Mythology is so well done and incorporated but most importantly it’s a must-read because I said so! Pick this book up if you want to like Romance, Historical Fiction or Fantasy.”
To summarise…
September brought with it a first on my blog – a review of a brand new book mere days after it came out and also the introduction of my face to my blog articles – let me know if you prefer this method or simply the front cover of the book.
I managed to smash out seven books in September, which I was very proud of myself for. I’ve definitely noticed that if I don’t have the audiobook of the book, I can’t finish even half that many. Being able to move about and do other tasks whilst having the book in your ears allows for so much more time consuming some of these great novels.
I’d have to say my favourite book I read this month was either The Book Thief or The Song of Achilles. The Book Thief was so heart-warming and then heart-breaking it left a real mark on me. The Song of Achilles has come highly recommend but I wasn’t expecting the powerful story that it brought with it.
