September was a month spent mostly in a suitcase for me. With travelling for work three times, hello Amsterdam, Manchester and Birmingham, it’s felt very intense and a bit tiring. But all this travelling did give me ample long train journeys and quiet hotel rooms in which I managed to polish an impressive five novels!
What was your September like? Write anything interesting or do anything fun? Feel free to drop a link or opinion in the comments section.
What I Read
📚 Throne of Swans – Honestly, I was not a fan. The whole novel felt confusing and I really didn’t like the relationship slapped unnecessarily at it’s heart.
📚 The Raven Boys – I re-read this fantastic novel, re-entering the spooky forest and posh boys school that started this eerie yet entrancing series.
📚 Vox – After loving The Handmaid’s Tale I was intrigued to try it’s modern retelling, Vox, which was just as shocking and a tad more infuriating.
📚 Vicious – Having loved A Darker Shade of Magic I was excited and nervous to launch into Schwab’s university set adult fantasy about the lengths morally dubious men will go in the name of science.
📚 One of Us is Lying – Crime is not my genre and it’s been a good four years since I’ve been able to relate to teenagers at school. So you can imagine my surprise when I absolutely fell in love with the compelling characters driving this crime drama.
What I Wrote
🧦 Are these Over Hyped?! – The age old question we all have to wonder when we try a book that has been across Twitter and Instagram for basically a month. Here’s me questioning ten books on my TBR that might have too much hype now…
🧦 30 Words I Learnt From Books – I made a list of words I learnt lately from reading! How many do you know?
🧦 My Fall TBR – I came up with another list of ten books to ignore over the next few months.
10 Snacks to Eat While Reading – Who doesn’t want to write about food? And books. The best combo.
What I Read Online
🌂 5 Tips for Getting Over a Slump – the post we all know we wanted, and honestly a lot of these work for me too! I often find music helps me concentrate weirdly enough.
🌂 How to Read in Different Languages – I just got Harry Potter in French so could use all the tips!
🌂 Into the Crooked Place Review – an insanely well formulated, charming and funny review. And I agree, the book is definitely worth four cats!
🌂 Stalking Jack the Ripper Review – this lovely reviewer linked me to her review the other week for a novel I’m very excited to read this spooky season!
What I Did
✈️ Amsterdam – I ate far too many stoopwaffles, sat next to the canal and people watched in the sun, cycled around the city and even managed to attend the conference I was in the Netherlands for on the last few warm days of the year, at the beginning of September.
✈️ Wicked – Two of my friends celebrate their birthdays in September a mere day apart and we had a lot of fun cramming in sandwiches, a quick station catch up before falling in love with my favourite stage musical all over again.
✈️ Machine Learning Training – I went for some computer science training up in Manchester this month which has got me dangerously considering stepping back into the murky and stressful world of education.
✈️ Beam Engines at Night– Have you ever wanted to see a piece of industrial architecture, like a beam engine that pumps water up and down a canal, at night? Well I got to live that dream, and it was fantastic. Also tickets included paella so I can hardly not have enjoyed it.
Books, Life and Other Oddities 
Aaaa I’m so glad to help you find a good book to read!! And I’m waiting for your review for One of Us is Lying! Have a great month ahead!
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Haha thanks for the recommendation!! It’s such a good read I devoured it in two days 😍 with work on that’s impressive for me 😂 you too!
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I saw this picture and thought immediately “Amsterdam”. This city has such character; bicycles, old houses and canals everywhere. If you would like to read something in French, don’t start maybe with an English author that has been translated in French, but with a French book that you’ve been reading in its English version. Sometimes nuances get lost into the translation process. And don’t grab for a dictionary every time you’re encountering a word you don’t understand but try to say it loud or to derive its meaning from the context.
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Yep it’s so distinctive. I also mostly chose this picture because it epitomises Amsterdam 😂 ooh really, would you recommend any? I thought Harry Potter would work because I know the story inside out, it’s a children’s book and it’s so popular I would assume it would be well translated 🤔 ooh ok I’ll do that, I’ve heard that’s a good way to learn!
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I would recommend Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It’s also deemed to be a children’s book, although it’s also part of the world canon of the world literature. And I only enjoy paella most when the shrimps are peeled!
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I’ve heard that’s a good novel! I will see if it’s at the library, thanks. Ah I love paella 😍 I want to have it in Spain
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Glad you found my post helpful! And thank you for sharing! 💕
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It was great! No problems 😁
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