September 2018 Wrap-Up

This month i started to hit a reading slump quite hard. Honestly, it’s the first time i’ve ever felt actually panicked by a reading slump. I found it so hard to get in to books and be interested in anything, along with taking a long time to finish books i was actually reading. Towards the end of the month i managed to pick up pace again a little and read some books that i really really loved in September!

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
Ramona Blue was our book club pick for August, and i had finally finished it early in September, just before book club. I ended up adoring this book and the characters, and i actually have a few posts coming up about Ramona as a character. It was my first book from Julie, and i cannot wait to read the rest of the books she’s written!

City Of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
I’ve been excited to read a Victoria Schwab book for a long time, and i finally got the chance with City Of Ghosts. It was the book i’ve been most excited about, and i was right to, because it’s truly excellent. City Of Ghosts is a middle grade novel about a young girl who can pass in to the next world where some ghosts live out their days. She follows her parents across the world to Edinburgh, where the famous ghost hunters start a TV show about ghosts. It has such a wonderful feel to it from the Edinburgh setting to the mystical idea of the change of worlds. I really enjoyed this read.

That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger
Since i read The Duff a few years ago and absolutely hated it, i’ve been avoiding Kody Keplinger books. But her latest release, That’s Not What Happened seemed to be getting a lot of praise. I found it on audio book and figured that i might as well give it a chance. I’m glad i did because it was a very refreshing take on a school shooting and a really interesting story about loss. I liked the characters and the story-line was particularly memorable.

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Starfish is one of my favourite books of 2018, so naturally i felt like i needed to pick up Summer Bird Blue as soon as it was released. Summer Bird Blue had that comforting feeling of an Akemi novel (which is strange because her books aren’t incredibly comforting by nature, but they do have that feeling), and the excellent writing that i remember from Starfish. The novel itself is set around music, which i didn’t overly click with, but is completely a personal preference. However i adored the characters and the setting, and the emotions of the main character were written incredibly. I loved Summer Bird Blue.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
I wanted a filler for the end of the month, a quick read that i knew i’d enjoy. I’m so glad i picked up The Poet X. The story follows Xiomara as she deals with first relationships, friendships and life alongside her religious family. I really love novels written in verse, however i’ve never read one that was also about poetry. It was a really lovely element to the story, but i am extremely glad the whole novel wasn’t about slam poetry because i might not have connected so well with it. I however really did love the book and found it to be a very impactful read.

Books read: 5

Books read this year: 46

Pages read: 1,756

Pages Per Day: 59

Average Rating: 4

Years of Release: 2018

Genres: Contemporary, YA, Middle-Grade, Paranormal