It is already October and that means that both autumn and the fourth and final quarter of the year have officially started. But first, it’s time to wrap up September. The first week of this month I went on my summer break, to a small coastal town a bit further down south. We were lucky with the weather, because even though it wasn’t fully summer the entire week, it was still summer-esque and we were able to keep our jackets off nearly the entire week. Some light rain, but we ended the week on a full on 30 degrees Celsius and at the beach. My second week off work was a bit less nice in terms of the weather. However, still nice. Now I’m already back at work for three weeks and autumn sometimes is showing its face. I ended this month with my 34^th birthday. But what have I read? It’s a bit less than I’d anticipated, because I expected to read tons during my holidays. Well, that as usual went completely different. Without further ado, let’s make up the balance for this month! Links will direct you to my reviews of the particular book.

My monthly stats

In September, I read 2,331 pages and listened to 39.42 hours across 10 books. I was shocked by the amount of time I spent listening to audiobooks, but this is merely due to the fact that my current read is a literal brick with a duration of 40 hours. I read mostly ebooks this month and the thing that is most surprising is the fact that I nearly read all my books in Dutch. Except for my current read, I just read 1 other English book. This is quite unusual for me. Another unusual thing is that I squeezed in some nonfiction, a genre I normally avoid. I just wasn’t too much in the mood for anything during my holidays, but I wanted to read at least something. So, easy listens on the beach it was. In total, I acquired 12 books in September of which I already read quite a few: 3 to be exact. It took me average 2 days to finish a book, merely due to the fact that most were quite short and I had plenty of time on my hands. My average rating for this month is 3.5 stars, but I didn’t rate any of the nonfiction books, simply for the fact that I find this quite unfair to do so as you can’t judge a book on the same elements as for fiction.

My read books

1. The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig – I read this book as my first read of the month and my summer break. It was on my monthly TBR for September as well. Although it was enjoyable, it didn’t stick. For me, it felt like it had no atmosphere, no chemistry and no vibes like this author’s previous duology does. Maybe my expectations were through the roof due to all the positive response to this book, which made me hope I would enjoy it after reading a few disappointing ones back-to-back. 📱⭐⭐⭐
2. When the Fireflies Dance by Aisha Hassan – Another TBR pick. I wasn’t aware that this book would be out in English sometime this year as well, I thought it was an original Dutch one. Whenever you can find a copy, I strongly recommend it. I knew it would be right up my alley, and I have been proven right once again. Finally, a book I enjoyed again and prevented me from a possible reading slump. 📱⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Broeder Joep by Joep van Poorten – I had a whole TBR planned out for September, but that one nearly solely consisted of fantasy which I wasn’t feeling. I just needed something quick and easy, so this nonfiction audiobook about a nurse in elderly care and his work with elderly people with dementia was just what I picked. It is a short novel and therefore easy to digest. 🎧 no rating
4. Dokter, nu ik er toch ben by Rutger Verhoeff – Another Dutch audiobook as I didn’t want to get back to fantasy or fiction so soon. This one is about a general practitioner and his stories. Again, a quick read you don’t have to use your brain for. 🎧 no rating
5. Komt een mens bij de dierenarts by Joyce Hofman – Yet again, another nonfiction about a veterinary doctor, which was again a quick and easy to digest read on a day at the beach. 🎧 no rating
6. En wat dan liefde is by Lisette Jonkman – I was finally able to get back to fiction as I was back home at this point. I opted for a Dutch romance as I still needed something quick and easy to consume. I wasn’t up for a challenging book, I just came back from holidays after all. Although this was indeed a smooth read, I didn’t enjoy it too much. Not to bad, but I just wasn’t emersed into this story. I just didn’t vibe with the characters and their lifestyle, even though they show some growth at some point. However, this growth feels kind of rushed. 📱⭐⭐⭐
7. Semi-Well Adjusted Despite Literally Everything by Alyson Stoner – I wasn’t a kid who grew up with Disney Channel and Camp Rock. I even don’t know if we had Disney Channel available in my country, or if Camp Rock was in cinemas over here. I do know however that I was 16, rebelious in terms of mainstream pop culture and feeling too old for all things Disney. It was by accident I stumbled upon this memoir by Alyson Stoner and all I can say is that the film industry is toxic. There’s so much going on behind the scenes we are mostly unaware off, but Stonerr doesn’t shy away from bringing it all out in the open. 📱 no rating as it feels weird to rate a memoir
8. The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr – Another pick from my monthly TBR. I was going back to work and that means my reading mojo returned. I therefore picked up a book that has been sitting on my TBR for a longer while but really felt intimidating. It’s not an easy read and definitely not recommended if you’re not a real experienced reader. I really enjoyed it though! Even though I somehow expected this outcome, I was still a bit wary beforehand. It’s translated from French by the way. 📱⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Hoe overleef ik alles wat anders gaat dan gedacht by Francine Oomen – One of my favourite Dutch series from my youth is getting an adult reboot and this is the second novel in this trilogy. Whereas I had my concerns with the previous instalment, I still wanted to dive back into this nostalgia. I enjoyed it still, but this one doesn’t bring back the magic from my adolescence either. I will finish this trilogy though once the third book releases. 📱⭐⭐⭐
10. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi – Speaking of books that have been on my TBR ridiculously long… This one definitely belongs in that category. I ffinally picked it up and I really enjoyed it. I picked up the Dutch edition as this novel has been written in Nigerian English. My English is pretty decent, but dialects are often a bit too much of a struggle when you are reading a book in another language. 📱⭐⭐⭐⭐

My bookhaul

1. Semi-Well Adjusted Despite Literally Everything by Alyson Stoner
2. This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
3. Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
4. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
5. Alchemised by SenLinYu
6. En wat dan liefde is by Lisette Jonkman
7. The First To Fall by Kristina Moninger (not available in English, originally German)
8. Lessons in Faking by Selina Mae
9. Lessons in Forgiving by Selina Mae
10. Hoe overleef ik alles wat anders gaat dan gedacht by Francine Oomen
11. Web van angst by Arlette Krijgsman
12. Rival Darling by Alexandra Moody

As you can see, September was quite a good reading month for me. I needed a lot of palate cleansers but read some nice and challenging books as well. I hope October will be good as well, and that my annual reading slump will stay away for once.

How was September for you?