September 2020 Reading Wrap Up

Happy October! It is time to wrap up what I read during the month of September. After taking a year-long hiatus from blogging ( and reading, really, because I think I read all of 4 books in the last nine months ) I am back on the reading train and things are going well. I read 5 books in the month of September - keep reading to hear my thoughts!

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Little Fires Everywhere ★★★★★ 

First up, my absolute favorite book I read in September, "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ing. This was one of those reads for me that was just 10/10 satisfying. First, because it had been on my TBR / I had owned a copy for *so long* - and to finally read one of the books I've been holding on to felt like an accomplishment. Because I just kept putting it off, literally for years - I know I'm not alone in this habit, why do we do that, readers? So then I read it, finally, and loved it, of course. Celeste Ing is such a talented writer and definitely an auto-buy author for me now. This story was one I could not out down and I flew through it. Amazing quotes and such a great book club book as well! If you haven't picked it up yet and enjoy adult fiction, this is definitely one to read.

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Atomic Habits ★★★

In an effort to get back into blogging, I read the self-help genre book, "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. And hey - I'm blogging again - so clearly, this book helped? I kinda think so! "Atomic Habits" was a quick and practical read full of strategies for breaking bad habits and starting new productive ones. I feel like many of the tips in this book could be construed as too obvious or simple to make the book worth reading. But for me, it's exactly what was needed. The reality is, there are no "top secret tips" to putting in the work of a productive habit, you just have to do the work!  The tips in this book are incredibly easy to integrate because of how basic and practical they are. I've read other self-help books before that just felt like useless pseudo-psychology, but this one felt more like a pow-wow session with a productive friend who just shared helpful and practical advice.

Small Animals  ★★★

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This was a random impulse read I found at 2am while desperately trying to rock my 8 week old baby back to sleep. "Small Animals" is a nonfiction book that the author was inspired to write after being charged with a crime for leaving her 4-year-old son in the car while she ran into Target. The premise of the book is that we are ultimately hurting our children with this risk-averse parenting culture, sheltering them from developing much needed independence. As a parent, I'm definitely a hover-er and fairly protective - and while the book did not convince me that leaving my child alone in the car is a good idea, it did motivate me to let go a bit! Since reading it I have tried to encourage and create opportunities for my four year old to play independently more often, particularly outside. As enjoyable as parts of this book were, others felt pretty repetitive and ultimately I gave this book three stars for it.

Before She Knew Him ★★

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Another one bites the dust off of my physical TBR, yay! Adios and good riddance too, because this was a two-star read for me. "Before She Knew Him" is really split between love and hate for the readers that I follow on goodreads. The book definitely had its well plotted moments that left me wanting to turn the page, but this thriller also had just one twist too many for me. At the end of the month, besides the couple of notes I took, this book also just didn't leave a lasting impression. A *really* good thriller sticks with you, and that twist is hard to forget, but this one just wasn't it and I wouldn't recommend this one. Fingers crossed I read some thrillers I love in October!

Tribe ★★★

 

Another physical TBR book off the list! But also, womp womp. While I was really excited to start "Trube" by Sebastian Junger unfortunately, it was a disappointment. So many different theories and topics regarding the importance of "finding your tribe" were included in this tiny book. Any one of the chapters would've made its own interesting nonfiction book if they were fully fleshed out and researched, but the whole of "Tribe" just felt incredibly scattered and unfulfilling. An interesting idea would be presented and then it was off to the next thing. Overall, it was a quick read that I enjoyed in part, but still not one I would recommend or will be keeping.

And so, September is a wrap, and we are on to October reads! Comment down below if you have any thoughts on the books I read this month, great reads from the month that you want to share, or any bookish thoughts at all! And as always, thanks for reading, readers! ❤