I took so long to get around to putting my September wrap up together that I decided to just roll it up with my October wrap up. So be prepared for lots of books!!

If you want to see more of my in-depth thoughts or find out more about some of these books, I’ve shared reviews where relevant or hyperlinked the book titles to my reviews on Goodreads. Basically, all of the links below lead to more in-depth thoughts if you’re interested in more than just a quick take!

September Recap

John Adams by David McCullough: This was an excellent biography of John Adams. He’s such an interesting person, and I think McCullough did a really good job portraying him.

Christmastime Cowboy by Maisey Yates: Alright, now that I’ve finished the Copper Ridge series, I’m giving Maisey Yates a nice long break. These books just felt too repetitive by the end, and I was getting really irritated with this distinct sentence structure that I thought she seriously overused. Definitely not one of my favorites in the series.

Topaz by Beverly Jenkins: Such a solid romance! I got really swept up in Dix and Kate’s relationship, and I loved that this was set in the historical U.S. and that I learned some about the Black Seminoles.

The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes: This was such a great addition to the Rick Riordan Presents line! I really liked Zane and following him on his adventures, and it was so cool to learn more about Mayan mythology. Check out my review here.

For the Duke’s Eyes Only by Lenora Bell: What’s not to love about a romance novel featuring Indiana Jones as the heroine?! This was such a fun read, and I absolutely adore the banter that Bell writes between her characters. Check out my review here.

Moneyball by Michael Lewis: I really enjoyed this book, and I suspect baseball fans would get even more enjoyment out of it. But the afterward, where Lewis compares the media to the “women’s auxiliary league,” left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Dating You/Hating You by Christina Lauren: This was a fun read, but not particularly memorable.

The Seven and 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton: I DNFed this one. It was just kind of confusing and taking me way too long to get into, plus the writing style just wasn’t for me. Check out my review here.

Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner: This was a bit slow and isn’t my favorite installment in the series, but I was completely caught up in it by the end and loved seeing what an amazing job Turner did at expanding the scope of this series.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: I listened to Rosamund Pike’s narration of Pride and Prejudice and enjoyed consuming one of my favorite stories in a new way. That said, I’m disappointed because I didn’t love Pike’s narration nearly as much as I thought I would! I just didn’t like the voices she did for the different characters.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds: Wow, what an impactful book. I’m not the biggest poetry fan, but I was really impressed by Reynolds’ narration of this book and highly recommend it on audio.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates: I thought I was going to absolutely adore this book, but I felt like I missed a lot of what Coates was trying to say. It just didn’t feel like that accessible of a book? I’m not sure, but it wasn’t for me, unfortunately.

October Recap

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne: This was an interesting book, and while I raced through it, I’m not quite sure I can say I liked it? I thought it was well written, but I didn’t like the heroine or how she treated the hero. I’ll post a longer review in an upcoming arc roundup.

Unbroken edited by Marieke Nijkamp: Everyone needs to read this! It’s just so important to learn about different disabilities and see people with disabilities be the hero of their own story. This short story collection had a great mix of characters, settings, genres, and writing styles, and I highly recommend it.

The Scandal of It All by Sophie Jordan: I really liked this romance! I loved the main characters and their romance, but I didn’t really think we saw them actually fall in love or develop their romance together.

Counting on a Countess by Eva Leigh: This was a fun romance, but I think there were some issues with the plot that kept it from being a standout.

Hurts to Love You by Alisha Rai: I can’t believe I waited so long to read this! I think it might be my favorite in what has generally been a really well done series (though a bit angsty for my preference). I loved Eve and Gabe together, and it was great seeing a lot of the family threads come together.

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel: This series is awesome! I was so hooked on this first book and raced right through it. I listened to it on audio and highly recommend it.

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel: An excellent continuation of the series! The mystery of trying to figure out what is all going on and the thrill of waiting to see what’s going to happen next is so addicting! I’m so glad all of these books are out so I can binge them.

Ogre Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: This is a cute prequel to Ella Enchanted! It’s not my favorite middle grade read ever, but I loved returning to Frell and getting a glimpse at some beloved characters.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin: This book was amazing! It took me a while to get into it and figure out what was going on, but it was still a really compelling read. And once I got a feel for the book, I sped through the rest of it. That ending! The hype for this one is well deserved.

Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel: I’m not sure what to do now that this series is over! This was a bit of an underwhelming conclusion for me as the mystery and suspense just weren’t there anymore, and I think that’s a lot of why I enjoyed the first two books so much, but I still really enjoyed it and thought it was a solid conclusion to the trilogy.

Playing by Her Rules by Amy Andrews: This was a fun, fast read that I enjoyed.

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee: This was so good! Lee is such a funny writer and does a great job crafting characters, and there were so many quotes in this book that really hit the nail on the head in terms of the issues women face. Such a great read!

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan: I was really looking forward to reading this diverse lesbian fantasy, but I had to DNF it. I liked the world and the writing style, but Lei’s impending rape by the king who kidnapped her to be his concubine was just not something I really want to read right now.

March Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell: Everyone needs to read this series! There’s just so much important history that everyone should know, and I seriously can’t recommend it enough.

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas: I can’t believe the Throne of Glass series is finally over! I did a rambly, spoilery review if you want to check out my full thoughts.

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As you can see, I’ve done a lot of reading the last two months! Looking back, I think the real standouts from this batch of books are The Storm Runner, Unbroken, the Themis Files trilogy, The Fifth Season, The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, and the March trilogy. I highly recommend checking all of those books out.

And of course, Kingdom of Ash! I still can’t believe the series is finally finished. I’m going to have to go back now and reread them all!

What are some of your favorite reads from September and October? Let me know in the comments!