September Reads

I know I’m super late on this post since at this point we’re almost halfway through October. The truth is I’ve been battling some severe de-motivation for the past few weeks which has been so fun. But I’m back, better than ever, and forcing myself to post about the randomness that was the books I read in September. I literally just read what I wanted to read, there’s no theme, rhyme or reason to it so let’s get started!

The Hunger Games & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins— Can you believe I’d never read these books until now? I know it’s literally insane. Shout out to my intense aversion to everything mainstream when I was younger lol. I actually watched all four of the movies, also for the first time, like right before I read the books so it was kind of interesting cause that’s not something I usually do, but I loved the movies so much that I had to read them. Plus, I discovered this BookTuber called The Book Leo who did a bunch of videos about reading The Hunger Games and it just made me want to read them so so bad. So I dove into that world headfirst and did not regret it at all. The story crafting, world building, and intriguingly deep characters suck you right in and make you care deeply about what happens to them (even if you already know). The overall experience of reading about Katniss’ thoughts during the story made me appreciate the genius of Collins’ social commentary/dystopian masterpiece even more.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid– Oh. My. Gosh. I finished this book in a matter of less than three days and it truly messed me up emotionally. It tells the story of a fictional band from the 1960’s and how they rise to fame, encountering personal struggles along the way. One of the most interesting things about this read is the unique format, it’s told as a compilation of interviews from the key characters in the story. I found it so compelling and entertaining how each character had their distinct voice, their distinct motivation. It felt like I was truly listening to a group of people tell their life story, and it made me feel for each and every member. There were just a lot of heart wrenching moments in there, but my favorite was the relationship between the two main characters. It’s sort of a forbidden/unrequited love storyline that leaves you unsatisfied in the best way possible. I just loved it. I also loved the constant references to their music, and how they included lyrics. It made me want to listen to their music for real because it sounded so amazing! I feel like I’m not doing this book justice at all with my mini review, but if you have any interest in these sort of stories about fame and the psychological effect it can have on people this is a really really good one. TW: Drug addiction & an abortion figure in this story,

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde– This was my transition into fall, sort of spookier dark read. I LOVE this book. Oscar Wilde’s language speaks to my soul on the deepest of levels. The way that he describes the slow moral decline of his main character, the way that he describes literally EVERYTHING is just gorgeous and so emotionally evocative. I hadn’t read this book in many many years and I kind of forgot how dark it was, but it was kind of exactly the sort of thing I was looking for to just sort of bury myself in. There’s scandal, murder, suicide, and absolutely gorgeous descriptions of beautiful things woven through it all. I for sure want to read more of Wilde’s writing again ASAP because it’s the best.

Well, that’s it for this post. Be excited for my October reads as I’m gonna try and read some more mysterious/spooky sort of books, just cause it’s such a fall mood and that’s what I need in my life.