Wow, September has been a whirlwind of a month. Sadly this little blog took a backseat as I am sure you’ve noticed, and my reading also took a hit. But all for good reasons!

Reading Wrap

In September I read 4 books. My lowest total so far this year, but that’s okay. My Storygraph tracker for September really makes me chuckle – you can see when my sister was staying (start of the month), and when university started at the end of the month.

One chonker of an Arthurian fantasy aside, my reading in September was very climate focused, with two climate fiction books and one non-fiction by an Indigenous activist. While the number of books I read was small, the quality was excellent.

• The Way by Cary Groner. This book was a trip. A post-apocalyptic cli-fi road trip with a little sprinkle of magic. Despite the gritty plot and perilous adventure, there is a contemplative heart at the centre of this story that I really enjoyed.
• The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman. I would never have picked this up if it weren’t for r/Fantasy book club, and I’m glad I did! A chonk at 673 pages, this is an Arthurian fantasy without actually centring Arthur. Told from the PoV of a wannabe Knight, we are instead keeping company with the misfits and odd-bods of the Round Table. I really enjoyed the way the story was told, though perhaps it could have been a little shorter.
• We Will Not Be Saved by Nemonte Nenquimo. Incredible. Nenquimo’s people, the Waorani tribe of the Amazon, were one of those that Christian missionaries wanted to ‘save’. Only the saving actually meant that they wanted to sell the Waorani ancestral lands to oil companies. Nenquimo fought for their land, and her story is absolutely one that needs to be read.
• When There Are Wolves Again by E. J. Swift. Cementing Swift as a favourite author of mine, this is a cli-fi that looks back at the lives of two women from 2020 and forwards as they both choose, in their own ways, to give voice to nature and strive to make a world heading for disaster a better place. If you’re after a hopeful climate fiction, this is your book.

Reading Challenges

Little progress was made this month, but never mind.
Both Bingo and Friends Recommend took a halt, but that was a purposeful choice as I wanted to get some publisher mail books read.

Nenquimo’s book was my choice for The Diverse Baseline this month, which means I am on track with one book per month so far, and 17/12 books read overall this year.

I am also still on track for reading 50% of the choices for Rewild Your Shelf. I had already read September’s pick, and I will be reading October’s choice too.

Life Wrap

As some of you know by now, I started university in September!
I am studying for a BSc in Plant Science, which is everything I hoped it would be. I was nervous to go to uni as a mature student (34), but the class is a great mix of ages.

Hopefully I’ll get more settled soon (I am knackered haha), and I can find more time for some reading in October…

You Tell Me: How was your September? What your best read?