What I Read in September

September was nowhere near as busy as August, but I didn't get in nearly as much reading as I'd hoped or planned, either. I did get some, though, which puts me three books ahead of my August total of zero books. All three were memoirs - none great but all interesting.

I feel like I'm in the middle of many other books, the most powerful among them Know My Name by Chanel Miller, who was known as "Emily Doe" during the Brock Turner sexual assault trial. I'm listening to the audiobook, read by the author, & it's incredible so far. More on that in next month's round-up, to be sure - but in the meantime, I highly recommend picking it up (& paying for it, because I think this woman deserves, like, a billion freaking dollars for being so strong, so brave, & so in the public eye).

Here's what I got through in September... how 'bout you?


Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon
I listened to this on audiobook on my drive back from Virginia, & it was... fine. Witherspoon's pleasant, familiar, Southern accented voice makes for easy listening, but it turns out that this book isn't a memoir so much as it is a how-to on Southern living - which is very much not of interest to me. Also the audio version frequently references a PDF full of Reese's recipes, which wasn't available to me when I borrowed the audiobook through the library - so I missed out on the best part of the book! ★★★☆☆

Now Accepting Roses by Amanda Stanton
Yep, I read another Bachelor book. What's a guilty pleasure if you don't indulge it?! As Bachelor books go, though, this was a really enjoyable one, equal parts about the author's TV life & her tips on travel, dating, being a fashion "influencer," & parenting as a single mom. I've always liked Amanda, despite her occasional bimbo edit, & reading this book made me like her more. I also appreciate that she's openly talked about & thanked her ghost-writer. Not many celebs do! ★★★★☆

The Pretty One by Keah Brown
I was excited to read this book, a series of essays by a young Black woman with cerebral palsy. The book is important, this author's voice is important, & it's important for people without disabilities to read books by people with them. There are lots of good nuggets in here - thrilling glimpses of beautiful writing - but (God, I hate saying this) the book, taken as a whole, felt like a very rough first draft. It needed a better editor, someone to trim & rearrange & focus - & without it, some of the essays bordered on unreadable. Honestly, I'm mad about it, because this author, her book, & the topic deserve better. ★★☆☆☆

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