What I read in this month’s Round Up!
This was definitely the slowest reading month I’ve had all year, and that includes the big slump of March. I simply wasn’t reading, and not in a “book slump” kind of way either. I just didn’t feel like it. Books were taking me longer to get through, and to be honest, I was quite busy this month. A lot was going on, and I think my phone was just being used for other things. Half the books I read were via audiobook, which is very unlike me.
I ended up reading ten books in total, three of which I wrote on this list in advance to make sure I got through them. That little push seemed to give me a new lease of life, and before I knew it, I’d read four more books in the final week alone.
A monthly round up with only four books would’ve felt a bit underwhelming! My original goal was ten, but that would’ve meant finishing a book a day towards the end of the month — which, under normal circumstances, might’ve been manageable, but whenever I start forcing myself to read, it tends to backfire. Yet somehow, it all worked out in the end — so hey ho! On to the round up!
I had two initial five-star reads and a couple in the 3.75–4.5 star range, so overall, not a bad month on the enjoyment scale. I quite impressive one actually!
Completed Books (in chronological order, Notable in italics)
Finished
- The Rewrite by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
- Rome: The Ballerina by Grey Huffington
- Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
- The Art of Scandal by Regina Black
- Luster by Raven Leilani
- Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola
- Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Illusion of Power by J.L. Seegars
- All The Little Raindrops by Mia Sheridan
- A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence by Steohanie Burgess
The best book of the month was definitely Girl, Woman, Other, which I reviewed on Tuesday. It’s a great book and such a fun read. I listened to it as an audiobook, which definitely influenced my experience, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the individual stories. Dominique’s was my favourite — that’s when I really started to lock in. Bummi’s story felt familiar, and Carol’s felt like the alternative life I might have led if that all-white private school I went to had got a stronger hold on me.
Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read, though I did find it difficult at times to keep track of the connections. There were several moments when I had to Google who was who and how they knew each other. I love anthology-style stories and multi-character narratives, but because these characters were technically connected and often name-dropped in one another’s stories, I did find myself getting confused now and then.
While writing my review, I also looked back at the physical book, and wow — what a funky writing style! The lack of capitals, the free-flowing sentences, the almost journal-like feel… a very interesting and distinctive stylistic choice for sure.
I was extremely disappointed by Rome: The Ballerina. I usually enjoy Grey Huffington’s work and have loved the other books in this series, but I think the premise of this one almost made her writing feel a bit lazy. Rome and Saint, the male main character, are destined to be together — there are supernatural elements around soulmates who reunite in every lifetime — so we already know they’ll end up together, just not how. Unfortunately, that took away much of the tension. The story felt like a bit of a cop-out; there wasn’t much buildup, angst, or even a real plot.
Grey usually writes in a deep, poetic way, but here it came across as cliché and a bit corny. The ending also made no sense in the context of the book as a whole.
If you’ve read any books in The Grey List, you’ll know the girls have a powerful, almost intense attachment to their older brother, something I haven’t minded in previous instalments of the series. But if I’m being honest, it is now starting to feel a bit odd, and not in the it’s ok, it’s a book way. It’s never crossed over into that territory, nor do I think it ever will, but it just feels weird.
I could pretend I’m not going to finish the series as the new books come out (but that would be a lie). Still, I can’t deny feeling disappointed by this one.
The next book of note was Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola, a welcome and thoroughly enjoyable sequel to Honey & Spice. I liked the first book, though it leaned a little more towards YA and felt slightly juvenile to me. This sequel, however, builds beautifully on the elements I enjoyed most from the original.
I mentioned Bolu Babalola in my list of Black British romance authors. I have admired and followed her for years. She’s a talented writer with a distinctive voice, and Sweet Heat showcases her skills wonderfully. The story has a slow start — the first quarter is spent deeply inside Kiki’s head, making it a little hard to follow what’s happening around her. But the moment the male lead appears and the reunion begins (this being a second-chance romance), I was completely hooked. I’ve always loved this trope, and the chemistry between the two characters was written with such warmth and sincerity — a solid 10/10.
Babalola writes with the distinct voice of a millennial shaped by social media culture, using phrases and references that feel very contemporary. Normally, I dislike when social media plays too large a role in fiction; it often feels too real and pulls me out of the narrative, but in this case, I didn’t mind the language too much, and the world she created still felt authentic and self-contained.
The most unusual book I read recently was Luster by Raven Leilani. It was recommended to me by two Black girls in Foyles last week (love me some natural book store encounters), and the blurb intrigued me enough to pick it up immediately. It’s a brilliantly written piece of true literary fiction, not plot-driven, as I’d expected, but more of a deep, introspective character study. That said, I can’t say I loved it. I’m not even sure I enjoyed it. Three days later, I’m still uncertain how I feel about it; it was simply another book I read.
I started Daisy Jones & The Six completely by chance, but I was cooking and wanted an audiobook under ten hours (I only had that much time left on Spotify!). At 9.5 hours, it seemed perfect, so I pressed play, and what a great time I had.
Taylor Jenkins Reid has such a gift for storytelling, and her books translate beautifully to audio. It’s easy to see why so many of her works are being adapted for the screen; listening to Daisy Jones & The Six feels like watching a film unfold. Her writing captures the spirit of the era so vividly that it almost feels like a real biography rather than fiction.
Some might say her stories verge on cliché or borrow too heavily from familiar times, but I think that’s exactly what makes them work. Reid takes settings and themes we already know and makes them feel alive and authentic, which is no small feat.
I finally read The Rewrite from my TBR and, surprisingly, really enjoyed it. The themes were engaging and far less clichéd or predictable than I’d expected. That said, I did find the female main character quite frustrating; she’s one of those protagonists who always seems to make the wrong decision, often by overcomplicating situations and choosing to lie instead of simply confronting the truth. Her decision-making drove me mad at times, but overall, it was still an enjoyable and worthwhile read.
I started writing this post about a week before publishing it, thinking it would be a short and sweet round-up based purely on the number of books I’d read. But then, this week, I ended up reading some absolutely brilliant books that I couldn’t not mention.
The Illusion of Power by J.L. Seegers was a particularly pleasant surprise. I’ll be honest — I don’t hold Seegers in the highest regard. She’s a talented writer, but her stories don’t always feel well executed, and I’ve DNF’d a couple of her books in the past. This one, however, came recommended in my book club because it shares a similar premise to The Art of Scandal, though it’s far more daring — it’s an MMF romance. And I can’t lie, it was sensational.
For me, the romance was more of a subplot to what was essentially a political thriller with a touch of pseudo-espionage — and it had me absolutely hooked. Thankfully, the next book is due out in December, and I honestly can’t wait to get my hands on it. Here’s hoping she doesn’t disappoint!
This round up is now getting a bit long – much longer than intended. So to wrap up, overall, it wasn’t a bad month in terms of book quality, and I somehow managed to convince myself to read six more books after only having four done by the 22nd. I’m hoping to be a bit more disciplined in November — especially if I’ve got any hope of reaching my goal of 150. No pressure, though.
See you on my next post for my updated TBR! Follow me on GoodReads and Fable!
Signed,
