In September we got back into the reading game with a few new releases, some incredible sapphic reads and overall a good reading month. I thought I’d get through even more as I had a week off (finally) but I was actually pretty busy.

Let’s get cracking!

Over the past few months I started playing Dungeons and Dragons, my friends had been playing for a while and I wanted in on the action. I absolutely love it, so when I came across The Adventure Zone and was recommended it by someone in a bookshop I picked it up. It’s a fun DnD story and I laughed out loud so many times! A 4.5 star read for me.

Next up, the sequel to American Royals , Majesty. This follows the start of Beatrice’s reign mixed with social climbers, romances, revenge oh it was so good! I loved this book, I couldn’t put it down and when I got to the end I wanted more…only to find out that it’s a duology! This was also a 4.5 star read for me. For transparency I was sent this for review by the publishers.

American Widow is a novel by Alissa Torres who lost her husband in 9/11, his second day in the towers and while she was 7 months pregnant. This focuses on the aftermath as she tries to make sense of what has happened and access the support that she should have received. This was hard to rate because it is so sad but it was a 3 star read for me.

I was really looking forward to reading The Henna Wars, initially I had problems getting hold of the physical book so I got the audiobook…which had a American narrator for a novel set in Ireland. This month I finally picked up my delayed physical copy and wow! This was a great novel, I read it so quickly because I wanted to know what happened, I cared about the characters and I’m definitely planning to read more by Adiba Jaigirdar. 5 stars from me!

I was sent Lady In Waiting a while ago by the publisher and have just gotten to it. Anne Glenconner has lead an interesting life, as part of it she was one of the Ladies in Waiting to Princess Margaret, sister to the Queen. This was a different kind of read and Lady Glenconner has clearly lived more than most people. It was ok but I don’t think I was the target reader. A 3 star read for me.

I’ve really gotten into novels in verse lately and this was written by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five. Punching The Air is a unique novel, because of the influence that Yusef had on the novel and his experiences of being wrongly convicted and imprisoned. An incredibly well written novel that lets you feel the frustration through the pages. A 4.5 stars from me.

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So many people love Kacen Callender’s novel Felix Ever After. I wanted to love this novel but, for me, it didn’t live up to the hype I saw online – it was okay, the blackmail situation felt very much like Simon vs The Homosapiens Agenda. Also there wasn’t really anyone in there I felt like I liked a lot or was connected to. That said, I’m not the target audience – it was 3 stars for me.

Finding Joy is one I came across in my local bookshop on my birthday and I instantly fell in love with the art style. This is a collection of drawings to show life after Gary unexpectedly lost his wife. It’s moving, beautifully drawn and will probably make you tear up at least – a 5 star read.

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This year I discovered Nina LaCour so when I found out that she had a new novel coming out this year I was EXCITED. This is different to the other books I’ve read as it has a paranormal aspect. As if the case with Nina LaCour I didn’t always know what was happening and it wasn’t super fast paced but I still adored it – 4 stars!

I bought myself a copy or Orpheus Girl after eyeing it for a while. Wow this is a tough read, short but tough. This covers conversion ‘therapy’ and it’s pretty dark at times so I would advise some caution. This was another 4 star read for me.

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I was given e-arcs of both My Name Is Selma and Loud Black Girls in exchange for review.

I read My Name Is Selma very quickly, it’s the story of a young woman who survived Nazi Germany as a resistance fighter and was also able to hide the fact she was Jewish. Selma lead a fascinating life and this was a brilliant read – 4.5 stars from me!

Loud Black Girls was an interesting read, there are some incredible writers in this collection but I did feel a little bored in the second half and put it down a fair bit. Still worth a read but a 3.5 star for me.

There we have it! I’m not sure October will be as successful but there are some excellent books in there. What did you read? Let me know in the comments below!