I had a really good, solid reading month in September! A little heavier on non-fiction that my normal, but I love a good memoir, and this month’s were good. I had a nice mix of other books, too. Here’s everything I read in September.
Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler
This is an incredible memoir from Anna Marie Tendler. I know when it was announced, there was speculation that it would be about her ex, John Mulaney, but it’s not that at all – she only mentions him obliquely, never even specifically by name. Instead, it’s more generally about her life – how it has been impacted by her mental illness, and how it has been impacted, directly and indirectly, by men. She writes really candidly about her time in inpatient treatment, too, which is something that I feel is still pretty stigmatized. She’s also just a really moving writer, and I found myself totally engrossed while reading. I recommend checking trigger warnings before starting, but if you can handle the content, it’s a really powerful – and hopeful! – read.
Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas
(I got an ARC of this through NetGalley, but it’s out now.) This is the sequel to The Sunbearer Trials, and it picks up right where Sunbearer left off! Teo, Aurelio, and Niya have to work together to fight the Obsidians and bring back Sol. I loved learning more about the mythology and history of their world in this book, and loved the subtle political commentary about being ruled by gods / living “off the grid” and the power imbalances. And as always, I loved the diverse representation in the characters. This is definitely YA, so I had an idea where the plot was going, but still really enjoyed the ride.
The Most Famous Girl in the World by Iman Hariri-Kia
I have been waiting for this book to come out for months! It’s kind of a fictional take on Anna Delvey, if you also add in a possible cult / secret organization and potential murder. Rose was the journalist of the piece that exposed Poppy Hastings for the scam artist that she was. It’s now two years later, and Poppy is being released from prison. Rose is still stuck on the idea that she was forced to print her article too soon – that if she would’ve been able to wait a liiiittle bit longer, she could’ve proven that Poppy was guilty of murder in addition to her financial crimes. Rose promises everyone in her life that she’s going to let the Poppy story go, but she can’t, and gets completely wrapped up in finding out what Poppy is really up to. Along the way, Rose also finds help from an extremely attractive FBI agent, too. This was so much fun to read – totally over the top, but in the best possible way. I loved the pop culture commentary and satire woven in throughout the whole thing.
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
Gilmore Girls is one of my absolute favorite shows, so obviously I was going to read Kelly Bishop’s memoir! I did this one on audio, which I really recommend, as Kelly herself narrates it. I only knew a tiny bit about Kelly’s life outside Gilmore Girls before reading this, and I came away from it being completely in awe of her. She led such an incredible life, and was so completely dedicated to pursuing her dreams and putting in the work to make that happen. I especially loved hearing all her Broadway stories. She just seems to be so completely and totally herself, it’s so impressive.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
This one was a little bit of a letdown for me. June has been raised by her grandmother, with rumors around her following her mother’s disappearance and the madness that finds all Farrows in the end. June has spent her days wondering when it will eventually get her, too. After receiving a mysterious letter in the mail, June decides to try to solve the mystery of who her mother was, and learns along the way that what the Farrows have isn’t madness after all… but is magic. I liked this, but didn’t love it – I found it a bit slow in the beginning, and then didn’t really enjoy the “twist.” But if you enjoy magic in real-world settings with a hint of mystery, it might be for you.
I Never Thought of It That Way by Mónica Guzmán
I read this with a friend who was interested in reading it, and wow, I’m so glad I did! Basically, it’s all about being open and having hard conversations in what we know are increasingly divided times. I know it can be so, so hard to talk to people whose beliefs are opposed to our own. But this book isn’t really about what’s right or wrong, but about getting over our own fear, staying curious, and really, truly being open to learn what other people believe and why they think that way. I think that this is such an important book for everyone to read! It made me a lot more understanding.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
This is such a cool, beautifully written story. Maali is a queer photographer is Sri Lanka who wakes up to find that he’s died, and is in some sort of waystation. He has no idea who has killed him or why, but he’s given seven moons to direct the people in his life he loves the most to his secret stash of photographs that he believes will rock Sri Lankan politics. Over those seven moons, Maali tries to solve his murder and lead his loved ones to the photos at the same time. I learned so much about Sri Lanka while reading this, and it was equal parts informative, moving, and funny.
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
(I got an early copy of this through Libro.fm, but it’s out now.) I had really high hopes for this one, but it was a letdown – I did not enjoy it. Rae is in the hospital, likely dying, when she’s offered the chance to be transported into her favorite fantasy series, and possibly save her life along the way. When she gets there, Rae finds that she’s been placed in the role not of heroine, but of villain… and decides to roll with it and totally embrace her wicked ways. showing how villains aren’t really evil necessarily, but just doing the best they can with what they’ve been given. But this was too long, and had so many characters that it didn’t feel like any of them really had any depth. I love the premise, just not the execution.
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