September was a slower month for me where reading was concerned as it was incredibly busy in other aspects of my life. Even when busy, I make a regular effort to be reading when I can but from time to time my attention span is exhausted and reading becomes back burner for me. Even so, I did complete seven books in September (with the help of two on audio when driving around or cleaning), although most were just fine – no huge standouts for me this month. I am hoping as we dive deeper into the fall, October will pick up for me with my reading time and I will get to the rest of my 2022 Goals. We will see if I do a better job of maintaining a sense of balance.
Here is what I read in September.
In a New York Minute – Kate Spencer
This was a very cute rom-com set in NYC. I found it to be a fun, entertaining book in between my deeper, darker reads. Loved the NYC setting & wished for more of that. I enjoyed In a New York Minute on audio and while I found most of it fairly unbelievable, it was a perfect palette cleanser.
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Iona Iverson’s Rules For Commuting – Clare Pooley
Iona is another quirky book that has to strike you at the right moment. While you should never talk to strangers on a train (a rule), it is doing so that weaves this fun, heartwarming tale about the community that we never knew we had.
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Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance – Alison Espach
Hauntingly devastating about the unimaginable. I know the conversational approach was key but I could never get 100% in it’s flow. We know from the get-go that Sally Holt’s sister, Kathy, has died. This is a unique novel that follows Sally’s conversations in her mind with her sister before and after her death. Many of my online bookish friends saw this one as a standout, and I can see why. However I think the structure was the issue on why this wasn’t a high 4 or 5 rating from me. I clearly am in the minority on this one, so perhaps you will love it more than I did.
🍷🍷🍷1/2
Nothing To See Here – Kevin Wilson
Clever & quirky. I make it no secret that my forte is not suspending my disbelief. With that said, this was a charming tale of fire-starter children and a care-giver with a heart of gold. I enjoyed Nothing To See Here on audio.
🍷🍷🍷1/2
Imposter – Bradleigh Godfrey
Imposter is a psychological thriller about 2 sisters that have been estranged after the death of their parents and come back together on a snowy night. Lilian, a pediatrician that is mentally and emotionally recovering from a tragic event, is the older sister. Her younger sister, Rosie, picks her up for a reconciliation dinner and shares she has something to tell her and that it is a matter of life or death. Before she can share the information they get in a terrible car accident and Rosie suffers a brain injury and can’t communicate. The beginning and ending of this one were pretty good. There are about 150 pages in the middle that for me were quite long and challenging to keep going. It did keep me guessing though and the red herrings galore were well done. I do also think the author did a very good job on the medical piece of this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Imposter is now available.
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A Familiar Stranger – A.R. Torre
A Familiar Stranger is a double-life type story. Lillian, an obituary writer, discovers her husband is having an affair. She confronts him quickly and never is able to find out who the other woman is. She then on a bit of a whim claims to be a different person when she meets David in a coffee shop which leads to an affair of her own. While we hear a lot about Lillian’s troubled past with substances and depression following tragic events, her history doesn’t have too much of a purpose except to make her an unreliable narrator. This was obvious from the get go. I had fairly quickly predicted the bulk of the plot very early on, but that’s ok as I did enjoy seeing how it got there. I do wish Lillian was a bit more like-able early on. She did grow on me towards the end, but I think overall I would have enjoyed the book a bit more if she was more likable from the beginning. Overall the book was clever and I will look for more titles from the author. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. A Familiar Stranger is now available.
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Wish You Were Here – Jodi Picoult
I flew through this one, I just wanted to be done. It is actually fine, well written, etc – but I didn’t want to read an entire book about Covid. It was a vivid flashback of so much – and frankly I am just not ready. Not sure I ever will be. I would have DNFed if it had not been my book club pick. Interestingly, the part I enjoyed the most was the Author’s Note at the end. I resonated deeply with what Jodi wrote there.
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