Happy October! September was quite the month, and it was definitely an eventful month when it came to reading. I read nine books ranging from a non-fiction memoir, an educational marketing book, two books that were the last in their series, an antiracist read, and more. Let’s get started on the books I read in September!
one | Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb — E-Book
Therapists are people too. They have opinions, they struggle with normal problems like breakups and feeling the impending doom of their own death, they curse — basically, they are just like us. This is Lori Gottlieb’s main message in her book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. Or at least, that’s what I thought it was until I went to my book club. The alternate message of this book is that the human experience is unique for everyone, but everyone has a story. That jerk on the highway? He’s got a story. That mother in the park, she’s got a story. We all have stories. I initially gave this book a low-star rating because I wasn’t drawn into this book as I normally am with narratives like this. I do believe I will re-read this book as a physical copy later down the road to see if it resonates more with me, but for now, it’s keeping its two-star rating. 2/5 Stars
two | Me and White Supremacy by Layla S. Saad — E-Book
What a great, educational, interactive antiracist read. My favorite thing about this book was how it was both educational and introspective. Half of the work is introspecting about your own racist behaviors and thoughts. This book is a must-read for an anti-racist education. No Rating
three | Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë — Audiobook
I did it! I read a classic! Kind of. Jane Eyre is about a young-governess who goes to teach a pupil and falls in love with her caretaker, Mr. Rochester. Jane and Mr. Rochester are engaged to be married when she finds out a horrible secret about him. She runs away only to be brought back to Mr. Rochester after a terrible accident. Truly everything happens in this book — readers follow Jane from childhood to early adulthood. It’s a classic, but I highly recommend listening to it. I don’t know if I would have gotten through it in physical form. 4/5 Stars
four | The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson — E-Book
Stevie has been to hell and back in the first three-ish months on her schooling. Her most recent trauma? The suspicious fire her advisor died in. Stevie knows it’s no accident that three people have died in mysterious, controllable ways, and she’s determined to find out who is behind the suspected murders. Overall, I liked this series. I think it’s a little over-rated by the big personalities on Booktube and Bookstagram, and it happens in way too short of a timeline for my preference, but it’s a fun detective book. 4/5 Stars
five | Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
I did it! I finished Kingdom of Ash! I really loved the ending to this series. The final book follows the Throne of Glass crew as they go into battle to defeat their foes. I don’t want to give anything away, so I don’t want to give any details, but this was one of the best books in the series. Maas does a wonderful job of developing her characters and building her world over the eight books involving these characters, and I highly recommend nesting down with this series in the coming months. 5/5 Stars
six | Beach Read by Emily Henry
January and Augustus can’t write a single word. Which is kind of a big problem because they are supposed to be writing their next books. January writes “women’s fiction” and Augustus writes literary fiction. January always sees the happy ending while Augustus sees more of the dark side of life. One summer, they end up living in beach houses next door to each other and one thing leads to another which leads to a bet that they are going to write each other’s genre for the summer. I loved this book. It’s such a good story about stepping outside of yourself, learning from other people, and understanding that there are always two sides to the story. 5/5 Stars
seven | Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger — E-Book
This was a perfectly fine book. In the sequel to the well-known The Devil Wears Prada readers find Andy ten years later, best friends and business partners with nightmare first-assistant Emily, and getting married to media honcho Max. Emily and Andy have created The Plunge, a successful, upscale wedding magazine. Andy loves her life. But is Miranda Priestly just around the corner ready to ruin it all? 3/5 Stars
eight | All the President’s Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward — Audiobook
The greatest book ever written about the Watergate Scandal, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward were the journalists behind breaking the news about Nixon’s involvement in breaking into the Democratic National Convention. This was a super educational listen, but I think I’ll be picking up the physical copy soon to actually read it. I missed way too much listening to the audiobook. 4/5 Stars
nine | Unmarketing by Scott Stratten and Alison Kramer
I really loved learning about marketing from Scott and Alison. If you’re interested in getting into marketing or learning more, I highly recommend this book. He’s a little obsessed with Twitter (it dates the book a little bit), but overall, there are really good messages and reminders about the best way to market, or unmarket, to your audience. 4/5 Stars
Happy reading,
Kimberly
