September Reading Wrap Up
Another month of reading is completed! Claire and I love to share the books we’ve been enjoying lately with you all!
It’s definitely been a diverse reading month for me – everything from classics to middle grade to fantasy to historical fiction to suspense/thriller and everything in between.
I also hit my reading goal for 2020 this month! My Goodreads goal was to read 100 books. I finished my 100th book on September 30th. I set a pretty lofty goal this year, so I was thrilled when I reached it.
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What I've Been Reading
The Unbreakable Code (The Book Scavenger series)
Claire and I listened to the first Book Scavenger book back in May (you can read our review here, under the read aloud section). This book is the continuation of the series. We follow Emily, James and Matthew as they try to uncover the identity of an arsonist. As with the first book, there are tons of fun literary references that I really enjoyed. The first book was mostly Poe references and this one is mostly Mark Twain. This book was really enjoyable, though not quite as fun as the first.
All Things Bright and Beautiful
Last month, I read the first James Herriot book (All Creatures Great and Small). It was one of the best books I’ve read this year! The second book was just as lovely and wholesome. In it, we follow James Herriot, a country vet, in his jaunts across the English countryside. There are lots of stories of animals and people that are so enjoyable to read. I loved this one just as much as the first one. I picked up the last two books recently, so I’m looking forward to finishing the series.
When you think of L.M. Montgomery, you typically think of Anne of Green Gables. While thrifting last year, I found the Emily series. I’d never even heard of it, but for $0.39 each, I thought I’d pick them up. I didn’t get around to reading them until now, but I read the entire series in less than a week! I absolutely loved it.
In some ways it’s similar to the Anne series. Emily becomes an orphan after her beloved father passes away. Forced to live with her spinister aunts and uncle, ten year old Emily finds solace in nature and writing. Emily definitely has a different personality than Anne, so it wasn’t like reading the Anne series over. These are probably some of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I love L.M. Montgomery’s writing, particularly her descriptions of nature.
Fawkes is an interesting blend of fantasy and historical fiction. The tale of Thomas, the son of Guy Fawkes, this book delves deep into the Gunpowder Plot. It stays true to many historical accounts, but adds the fantastical element that people are able to control certain colors. It’s also allegorical of the animosity between the Catholics and Protestants in the early 1600s. I can’t say too much more without giving away the plot, but it was an interesting read. Definitely out of the norm for me. While there were elements of it that I didn’t enjoy, overall, I liked this book.
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, 1)
Morrigan Crow was born on Eventide. Every child who is born on Eventide brings misfortune to their community and dies on their 11th birthday. But on Morrigan’s birthday a mysterious man named Jupiter North whisks her away to safety – a magical place called Nevermoor.
I don’t want to say much more and give away the plot, but this was a fun read. People have compared it to Harry Potter and I see the resemblance. Both have the “mistreated cursed child is whisked away from their unkind family to a magical place, where they must learn new things and make new friends” idea. It’s the first book in a series, so I’m looking forward to reading more.
In 1857, a wagon train in Utah was assaulted by a group of militant Mormons calling themselves the Avenging Angels. One hundred and forty people were murdered, including unarmed men, women, and children. The Mountain Meadows Massacre remains controversial to this day—but the truth may be written on the skulls of the victims. Gwen Marcey is a forensic artist recovering from cancer and a messy divorce who uncovers cover-ups in the Mormon church in this action packed Christian suspense thriller.
I’m a big fan of books that use cult settings to drive the plot of the book, so this was a fun read for me. While it is supposed to be a Christian book, it didn’t deal a whole lot with spirituality other than repeating “everything happens for a reason.” It was more of a sanitized thriller. However, it’s the first book in a series, so it may delve more into religion in future books. Important to note: I didn’t feel like it bashed the Mormon church, as it was more focused on fundamentalist sects.
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. This book follows the next 35 years of life, the way he lives and the people he encounters. Admittedly, this book took me a while to get into, but I really enjoyed it. If you’re looking for a fast paced book, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a beautifully written (and occasionally humorous) book that is insightful about purpose and life, you’ll enjoy this one.
What Claire's Been Reading
Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls (Emmy and the Rat (2))
We read Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat aloud together in June and enjoyed its weirdness. Claire has continued with the series. She really loved both this book and the final book, Emmy and the Rats in the Belfry.
If you think this book sounds disgusting, you’d be right! But I’d be remiss not to mention it. Claire found the whole book fascinating (and disgusting). I never knew so many beauty products and foods contained animal secretions … not sure that I wanted to know, but here we are. If your kid likes gross science-y things, I’m sure they’d love this one.
Claire’s favorite book series of this year is most likely Peter and the Starcatchers, which she’s been steadily plowing through for the last few months. This book is a a sequel to that series, though it involves some different characters and is set in more modern day.
Sarah and Aidan have enjoyed the Peter and the Starcatchers books, but when they come across a document proving they’re not just stories, they’re thrown into a dangerous battle of good vs evil. Much to Claire’s dismay, this is the last book in the series. She has really loved it. If your kids like Peter Pan and fantasy stories, she highly recommends them.
The final book in the Dragon Slippers trilogy, Dragon Spear continues the story of Creel. It seems the dragons and humans are finally at peace and Creel can finally have her happily ever after with the man she loves. Until someone gets kidnapped. Suddenly Creel must put her wedding plans on hold to go on a dangerous adventure to rescue her friend.
Claire has enjoyed this series (and pretty much all middle grade series by Jessica Day George) and said this book was the best so far!
September Read Alouds
It was a slow month for read alouds. Part of the reason for that is that we’re back in the swing of school, so we’re reading a lot during that time. The other reason is that this book wasn’t as good as some we’ve chosen in the past. There are some that Claire begs for another chapter. This one wasn’t one of those, so it took us all month to finish it.
This is the story of five siblings who discover a Psammead (aka a wishing-granting sand fairy). He can grant one wish per day, but the effects of the wish are gone when the sun sets. While a few of the wishes were funny (the chapter where they wish their baby brother was an adult had us both laughing), most of the chapters were … boring. Edith Nesbit is pretty wordy and her characters use slang that was common to their day, which makes her books difficult to slog through. We read a lot of classics, so antiquated language isn’t typically an issue for me, but Nesbit’s wording feels different. Claire enjoyed this book, so we finished it, but I’ve determined I’m decidedly not a Nesbit fan.
That’s about wraps it up for September! Have you read any of the books we enjoyed this month? What are you reading right now? Please share in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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