After reading a whopping 10 books in August, September was a bit of a slow month, reading-wise, but it was still a pretty darn good one. Even the books I gave lower ratings to were still enjoyable enough while I was reading them, so overall, I'm calling it a win.
Pottermore Presents by J.K. Rowling (kind of)
These three mini e-books about J.K. Rowling's wizarding world read like Wikipedia entries, but I kind of liked that - just a little bit here & there to give background on magical people & places we already know & love (or, in the case of Dolores Umbridge, those we know & loathe). I loved the little peek into Rowling's brain to hear more about what she envisioned when she created this world. ★★★★☆Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
This is the second book we chose for book club, the story of old friends & former rock stars now in their 50s & living in Brooklyn. It's also about their children, who are - surprise - falling in love with each other... sort of. I thought it was a poignant & likeable look at aging gracefully & all the issues that crop up along the way - & hope maybe we never really feel grown up, even when we are. A really comforting, enjoyable read. ★★★★☆If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski
Man, I can't tell how I felt about this book. One star or 20? I hated it, & I loved it. The author is the founder of To Write Love on her Arms, a nonprofit that helps people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, & thoughts of suicide. In some ways, the book was very, very difficult for me to read; it felt too much like it could've been written by my dead ex-boyfriend. I hated that Tworskowsi didn't use capital letters, & some of his writing was just too emo for me to bear - but at the same time, it repeatedly brought me to tears. It made me glad to be here. It made me want to do more to keep others here. ★★★☆☆Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
I'm not usually one for sci-fi, but then again, I'm not sure this book is sci-fi. I have no idea what it is. It's about a guy who gets mugged & wakes up in a different reality, one where he's the same person but on a path not taken - & then he tries like hell to return to his reality. Could a mutliverse exist? Is there more to life than this life? I liked this book for 3/4 of the way through, & then I hated it. If I could, I'd give the first 3/4 five stars & the last 1/4 zero of them. ★★☆☆☆The Last Letter by Susan Pogorzelski
When Susan, who I know from blogging, asked if I'd like a copy of her first full-length novel, I responded with an enthusiastic yes. This YA book is a semi-autobiographical account of her own experience living with Chronic Lyme Disease, written from the perspective of a teenager in the early 2000s. It was hard for me to follow in the beginning, but that turned out to be part of the point - that Amelia, the main character, was losing herself to her illness. A really good read that's sure to bring comfort & support to others struggling with, as Amelia repeatedly calls it, "this damn disease." ★★★★☆Comment to tell me what you're reading! Then add me on Goodreads to keep in touch & see what I've read in months past.
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