Actually Reading Books From My TBR?! | September 2023 Wrap-Up
Welcome to my September 2023 Wrap-Up! My September was a month of readjusting, learning a new skill, and (most shockingly) actually reading some books from my TBR!
This is a short one, so let’s get into my September 2023 Wrap-Up…
The Books I Read in September
Nocturne – Alyssa Wees
My first read of the month was actually a book from my September TBR list! Shocking, I know.
Following a ballet dancer in depression-era Chicago, Nocturne promised to be a lyrical fantasy with some darker elements.
Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it was the setting or the lyrical writing, but I just felt incredibly disconnected from the characters or the emotional beats of the story. And as much as I love a story about ballet, this one just did not work for me.
Maybe it’s a case of right book wrong time but Nocturne was a disappointing start to the month. I wanted to love this one so much and I hate when my hopes about a book get crushed like that.
Thirteen – Steve Cavanagh
My next read was a bit of a random pick and definitely made for an interesting reading experience. Mostly, because I read Thirteen almost entirely during my intro to python programming class.
Thirteen follows con-man turned lawyer Eddie Flynn who has been hired to defend a rising star actor accused of murdering his wife. However, we as the readers get a second POV: the cunning serial killer who actually committed the crime and has infiltrated the trial.
I haven’t read many adult crime thrillers but this one delivered what I hoped for from the premise and was a fast and engaging read.
Amari and the Night Brothers – B. B. Alston
Up next, I read Amari and the Night Brothers.
Yes, I can’t believe I actually read another book from my September TBR, who am I?
I’ve been meaning to read this one for ages and I’m so glad I finally made the time because it was such a fun read! I adored Amari as a main character. She’s so smart and fierce and diving into this magical world with her was absolutely delightful.
At some point, I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel as well because I have so many questions that I want answered!
I think if you’ve enjoyed the Nevermoor books or are looking for a magical story with a Black girl at its heart, this one is a must read!
Extra Focus – Jesse J Anderson
Finally, I sped through Extra Focus in one afternoon!
As I’m on my way towards (hopefully) an ADHD diagnosis, I’ve been looking for more books about adult ADHD and this was one I was particularly looking forward to! I’ve been following Jesse on social media for a while and was really excited to get a review copy of this book.
Extra Focus features a very ADHD friendly layout (I love bullet points and summaries!) and fun illustrations to keep you engaged. It delivers bite-sized information on ADHD and offers up a whole buffet of strategies to manage it.
As with all kinds of self-help books, your mileage will vary as to how helpful you’ll find the advice. Personally, I enjoyed reading Extra Focus a lot and I’ll be referring back to it as a great collection of strategies and tips!
A Life Update
Welcome to the life update part of my September 2023 Wrap-Up! This will be a short one because I feel like not that much happened in September, actually.
As I mentioned above, I took a two-week long intro to Python class in preparation for a class all about text corpus analysis. It’s very much outside my comfort zone, but since I always feel like my media studies degree has actually taught me zero scientific methods, I thought having at least one concrete skill would be nice.
I have to say, learning some programming basics was incredibly fun! It also fried my brain a little bit because I am not used to sitting in a classroom, receiving the same kind of very new and complex input for six hours.
Other than this very intense start to my uni semester, I had a very slow month. I went on a few nice walks, consumed some great media (if you’re not listening to the Worlds Beyond Number podcast, I need you to drop whatever you’re doing because it’s my favourite podcast right now!) and settled back into some routines.
Let’s Chat!
That’s it for my September 2023 Wrap-Up! After August being so exciting and full of adventures, September felt very calm and almost boring in comparison. I hope you still enjoyed reading this Wrap-Up and as always, I love hearing from you so let’s have a chat in the comments!
⭐️ How was your September? Did you have a TBR list for the month and how did that go for you?
⭐️ What non-bookish media has been your favourite this month?
I hope you have a lovely day,
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One Comment
Clo @ Cuppa Clo
Ah so glad you were able to read some great books last month! I think my fav non-bookish media consumed last month was the Chinese drama I picked towards the end of the month. Ray of Light was such a surprise – whilst I have one tiny wish that didn’t happen in the show – it highlighted the harsh reality so many people face going through school. How hard it can be and how whilst a lot of dramas portray school/uni as the best times where you have your friend group and maybe a relationship – that’s not always the case for everyone. Considering writing a post on that drama actually so we’ll see but I really enjoyed watching it. Now I’m craving some like fluffy romance but I don’t know what drama to pick next haha. Hope you have a lovely October Lay! 💜