September Wrap-Up

Happy October everyone!

September has been so busy what with starting the school year and everything, but it’s been a pretty good month! I haven’t had too much time to read, but I really enjoyed what I did manage to read!

The most noteworthy literary accomplishment of this month for me was that I FINALLY finished The Count of Monte Cristo! This 52-hour audiobook is the part of the reason why I’m so behind on my annual reading goal (I started it in June and just now finished it), but it was totally worth it. It was such a fantastic story and I was completely absorbed and invested the entire time I was reading it. I always loved the movie when I was younger, so I’m excited to re-watch it now that I’ve actually read the book!

I also loved Wonder, the middle grade book I managed to read this month. And while I didn’t necessarily love You Had Me at Hola, I still found it really cute! And it was exactly what I needed during this busy month.

Without further ado, here is my wrap-up of all the books I read in September:

To learn more about a book, click on the photo to find the Goodreads synopsis.

Stats and Overall Thoughts:

Books read: 3
Physical books: 2
(Books that I physically own: 1)
Audiobooks: 1

Fiction: 3
(Historical fiction: 0)
Nonfiction: 0

Average monthly rating: 4.7
Top Book of September: Wonder & The Count of Monte Cristo

*To learn more about a book, click on the photo to find the Goodreads synopsis.

5-star books:

• Wonder by R.J. Palacio (Realistic Fiction, Upper Middle Grade, Hardcover)
  • I adored this book. It made me cry several times (sometimes sad, sometimes happy), and, in general, it just provoked a strong emotional response from me the entire time I was reading it. I thought it was beautifully and brilliantly written. I didn’t realize before I started reading it that this story was told from multiple different perspectives, so when I first discovered this I was a little hesitant, but it ended up being perfect and it added so much depth to the story. The only thing I was a little unsure about was that the main character was a fifth grader, because I felt like all of the kids acted more like sixth graders (as someone who has taught both fifth and sixth grade, the behavior of the kids was definitely more reminiscent of sixth grade to me). However, this slight disbelief in the true age of the characters was not enough to lower my score. It’s been a while since I’ve read something that has resonated with me so deeply, and it immediately made my “All-Time Favorites” list. More details in my review (coming soon)!

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Literary Classic, Audiobook)
  • This is definitely a classic for a reason! Wow. What an incredible adventure of a story. The first 40 hours or so was a lot of set-up for the revenge plot of the main character; it felt like the setting up of hundreds and hundreds of dominoes. And in the last 12 hours it was like the dominoes were finally falling. The pace picked up so rapidly and it was so exciting to listen as all of the meticulous planning and details from the first part of the story starting falling into place! It’s super long, but every detail ends up mattering so it never gets boring. I was a little unsure of the ending at first, but I think it’s really just a product of its time and women’s roles in France in the 19th century. What really brought this book to life for me, though, was the narrator. I listened to the version narrated by Bill Homewood and it was incredible. Each character had a distinct voice, which made it easier to follow this long story with many, many characters. He also did great accents and read with so much expression that I felt like I was experiencing the story with the characters! It was such a fantastic reading/listening experience. I would highly recommend this book! It’s long but definitely worth the effort.

4-star books:

• You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria (Romance, Paperback)
  • This was a cute book! I liked the main characters and thought the side characters were very diverse; I wish we got to know them better! My only issue with the book was the writing. I just felt that there was too much telling rather than showing, and some of the dialogue felt corny and too on-the-nose. However, I was looking for something light and fun and it definitely delivered! I also really enjoyed the themes about family, anxiety, and consent.

How did your reading go in September? Any stand-out books to recommend?

Let me know in the comments! And thanks for reading (my blog, but also just in general)!