Sometimes I feel like sounding like a broken record, but where does the time go? It’s already October which means we’re already in the final quarter of 2024! Somehow New Year’s Eve feels like yesterday? September was an exciting month. I first had one week of summer break left (well I even forgot about it, that’s how fast time goes), and I don’t know how I always seem to time it, but I had lovely weather yet again! Then, I started working at another location and I ended this month with my birthday. The weather was a bit on and off since I got back to work, but I still squeezed some outside reading in. Well, let’s take a look at this month’s books!

My monthly stats

Whereas I read a lot in August, I read less in September. In everything: the number of books, hours and pages. I read 2,607 pages and listened to 15.48 hours across 9 books. Actually, the number of hours listened to audiobooks is incorrect, because I started 1 book as audiobook, but I couldn’t get into it this way. I always seem to make this same mistake over and over again with this author, I never seem to learn. From these 9 books, I’ve hauled 1 this month. The others have been in my possession for a while, some longer than others. In total, I’ve hauled 10 books in September. My reading material consisted of many Dutch books this time. I mean, some are originally English, but I got myself the Dutch version years ago. I like to mix languages so I can keep my fluency in both. The genres are pretty divided again, but romance is still dominant. I even read one erotica and that’s probably a book I should have DNF’ed instead of powering through. It took me averagely 3 days to finish a book and my average rating for the month September is 2.78 stars. Ouch. Let’s tear this apart, shall we? In the image below, you see my monthly data at once. It won’t have an image description as most has been written here already.

My read books

Links will direct you to the reviews on on my blog.

1. Priest by Sierra Simone – This is the erotica I’ve been talking about, and I didn’t expect this book to be so spicy. I had totally different expectations, I thought it would be a romance with lots of emotional depth. Maybe I should have checked reviews before I bought the e-book. However, I only read how the Dutch publisher marketed this book. It’s safe to say that I absolutely hated it and I’m glad it was a quick read. Not a nice read to end my holiday with. E-book, 1 star
2. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig – Another book I’ve started on holidays, and I didn’t really enjoy either. I think the language played a crucial part in this, alongside the timing. It was still full on summer on holiday and this book has such a gloomy vibe and atmosphere. Maybe I should give this one another try in winter and in Dutch, which will be available in December. E-book, 3 stars
3. Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow – This book has been on my TBR a little longer and this was much more YA than I’d expected. It’s not bad for the target audience, but for me it wasn’t what I was hoping for. It has less emotional depth and the plot development was quite unbelievable. It’s a quick read though. E-book, 3 stars
4. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune – I have to learn that this author’s books don’t work for me as audiobooks, I had to switch to the e-book to get into this story. However, I didn’t really enjoy it. It’s not bad, but a quite unnecessary sequel. Maybe I’ll think about this differently as well during the autumn and winter months, as it was again warm weather outside when I read this novel. Cozy fantasy is a hit or miss and very dependent on the seasons in my opinion. E-book, 3 stars
5. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio – It was to be expected, but this was not the book for me. I found it complicated and confusing, it never put me on the edge of my seat. Also, a lot of Shakespeare knowledge is very helpful to be able to get into this novel. I’m glad I waited for the Dutch translation all these years without realizing, because I think I wouldn’t understand it in English. E-book, 2 stars
6. Reünie in Spanje by Anna Thomas – I just needed a quick palate cleanser and that’s exactly what this book provides. It’s the last book in a Dutch series and whereas I really enjoyed the first 2 books back in 2021, I enjoyed the final two less in 2024. E-book, 3 stars
7. Geheimen passen niet in een verhuisdoos by Marike Goslinga – Another Dutch book, a children’s book this time. This has been sitting on my TBR since 2021 and although it might be good for the target audience, it was too much on the surface for me. I had so many questions left after reading, but maybe that’s a bit unfair when taking the genre and age range into account. However, it’s less than 200 pages, so a quick read. E-book, 3 stars
8. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai – Another book I finally knocked off the TBR, this one has been comfortably sitting there since early 2020. We all know what time it was, and this story covers the AIDS crisis in 1980s Chicago. So, you can guess why it took me so long to pick it up. It was not bad, but I had different expectations because of the praise this book got after publication. E-book, 3 stars
9. Where Time Stands Still by N.S. Perkins – I still have to review this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has much character depth and growth, something I want to see in my reading. I won’t elaborate more in depth now, since I still have to write my review. E-book, 4 stars

My bookhaul

1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
2. The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde
3. Tijd droogt alle tranen by Emma Anna
4. Kleine gelukjes by Audrey Adelin
5. Alleen thuis by Carlie van Tongeren
6. Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
7. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
8. Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh
9. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune
10. House of Secrets and Vows by Genna Ashwood

September was – unfortunately – a less good reading month than August. This is not strange to me at all, but I hope this won’t be the start of my annual reading slump. Actually, I’ve read another book, but I didn’t track it so therefore didn’t count it. This was the Dutch version of Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. I flew through the book this time around. Let’s see what October brings!

How was September for you?