Book Wrap-Up: September 2020

Hello again!

I’m working to quickly catch up on missed wrap-ups from the last few months. Here’s hoping for success!

September was an odd reading month, with few titles standing out above the rest. But I’m happy to discuss them with you, in each of their times!

Total Things Read: 22

• Novels — 14
• Picture Books — 2
• Comics — 1
• Nonfiction — 1
• Manga — 1
• Memoir — 2

Genres

Poetry | Social Issues | Comics | Contemporary Fiction | Manga | Historical Fiction | Christianity | Thriller | Contemporary Young Adult Fiction | Horror | Contemporary Middle Grade Fiction | Picture Book | Essays | Memoir

Favorite Read:

Wow, No Thank You | Samantha Irby

Wow, No Thank You

This was an easy win for me. I love Irby’s writing, in particular the way she can have you laughing hysterically and then deliver a serious punch of reality at the end of her essay. This collection is my second favorite of her three, and I think it offers some really great new perspectives of life and living, as her own life has changed since she began writing.

If you haven’t tried out Irby’s work yet, somehow, I challenge you to change that today–I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Least Favorite Read:

History is All You Left Me | Adam Silvera

History is All You Left Me

I am honestly very sad to report this as my least favorite book. I think part of the problem was timing–I wasn’t in the mood for something sad, and I picked this up anyway to complete a readathon.

But I also can’t lie and say that all the issues I have with this book start with me. What most of my complaints boil down to is this: The plot of this story hinges on emotions and actions that, to me, seem far larger than what someone in high school will experience. We hear a lot of discourse about how much we have “aged up” YA, and I think this book is a good example of that. I’m not saying someone couldn’t go through all of this in their mid-teens; I’m just saying that I think the story would have been stronger with college students rather than high schoolers. And that fact made it hard to take anything very seriously or to effectively connect with the characters.

All Titles and Ratings

• Rain Before Rainbows | Smriti Prasadam-Halls — ⭐⭐⭐
• The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church | Gregory A. Boyd — ⭐⭐⭐1/2
  • A little surreal to have read in 2020, when this was published in 2007…
• Strange Planet | Nathan W. Pyle — ⭐⭐⭐1/2
• Burn Our Bodies Down| Rory Power — ⭐⭐⭐1/2
• Anxious People | Fredrik Backman — ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
• Ranma 1/2 Vol. 18, Nos. 35 & 36 | Rumiko Takahashi — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing | Mira Jacob — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • If you’re somehow still sleeping on Mira Jacob, STOP. Read her graphic memoir, or this, or both.
• Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women | Sarah Bessey — ⭐⭐⭐
• The Companion | Katie Alender — ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
  • If I get my act together, you’ll probably see a full review of this one soon! Spoiler: I loved it!
• Us Against You | Fredrik Backman — ⭐
  • This is the second time I’ve read this book. I thought maybe the first read was a fluke–how could I give Backman a 1-star review? Turns out, not a fluke. Read more here, if you’re interested!
• With the Fire on High | Elizabeth Acevedo — ⭐⭐⭐
• Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From | Jennifer de Leon — ⭐⭐⭐1/2
• My Best Friend’s Exorcism | Grady Hendrix — ⭐⭐⭐
  • I totally dig how Hendrix blends horror with humor–it’s super unique, and has so far always been a good time!
• The First Rule of Punk | Celia C. Perez — ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
• Dear Haiti, Love Alaine | Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite — ⭐⭐⭐
• Islandborn | Junot Diaz — ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
• History is All You Left Me | Adam Silvera — ⭐⭐1/2
• The Girl from the Well | Rin Chupeco –⭐⭐
• Wow, No Thank You | Samantha Irby — ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Down with the Shine | Kate Karyus Quinn — ⭐⭐⭐1/2
• Untamed | Glennon Doyle — ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires | Grady Hendrix — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • I was not supposed to read this until October, but I literally could not stop reading it! So intense, and so good.

And there it is! Another month in the books.

October had a few more stand-out reads, so that wrap-up may have a bit more color.

Until then, Cheers!