In Alanna: The First Adventure, some of the pages gather together and bemoan the non-existence of free time. (Correct me if I’m wrong—it’s been years since my last reread.) This scene captures my September, with the never-ending list of tasks that I had to do. Then there were the two weeks or so where I struggled with depression and insomnia, which only made it harder to keep up with everything that I was trying to do. And I fell behind on my blog.
My word for October is rest. While work is important, I can’t function without rest. I’d like to go on more walks with my dog, spend more mornings, afternoons, evenings—a whole day even!—with a good book. I have some exciting books on my October TBR: The Once and Future Witches, The Ikessar Falcon, Oathbringer, to name a few. And I want to get excited about writing again.
Change takes time, but I’m hopeful.
My Favorite Reads
I read some AMAZING books in September. (I loved all of the books that I read outside of my classes) It was hard to pick only two to share. In the end, I decided to share about two lesser known books. I’ll write a wrap-up review post to share my other September reads later this week.
Darknesses (Corean Chronicles #2) by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
The youngest Captain in the Iron Valley Militia, Alucius faces challenges, both military and magical. Though he only wants to return to his wife and to his life as a herder, Alucius will once again have to step up and use his Talent to protect his home.
My book club loved book one so much that we decided to read this one. L.E. Modesitt, Jr. expands the world that he set up in book one, building upon characters and countries already mentioned and introducing the history behind Corus. (And, wow, I was not expecting that turn of events!) Along the way, he thoughtfully explores the ways that greed, power, and magic affect the human heart and natural world.
His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik
Captain Will Laurence has a life he loves serving in His Majesty’s navy. When his ship captures a French frigate and seizes the cargo, a dragon egg, his fate becomes entwined with that of the soon-to-hatch dragon, Temeraire.
When I asked Twitter to recommend books featuring dragons, Caroline @asweetdevouring introduced me to His Majesty’s Dragon. And to one of my new favorite friendships: Will and Temeraire. Although Will was reluctant to leave His Majesty’s navy and enter the Aerial Corps with Temeraire, he goes above and beyond the call of duty to understand Temeraire, educate him, and make him happy. Their interactions put many a smile on my face.
On the Blog
While I somehow managed to read seven books in addition to the ones that I read for class, I fell into a bit of a blogging slump. It’s hard to motivate myself to write one more thing after I get through my work for the day. I’ve been tweaking my schedule to make room, in my schedule and in my headspace, for blogging. Hopefully, I’ll post more in October!
American Born Chinese: Tour The World in 30 Books
The Beast Warrior by Nahoko Uehashi
10 Forthcoming Science Fiction & Fantasy Releases to Read in 2020
Challenges
In September, I finished 9 books, which places me at 77 books towards my goal of 100 books in 2020.
Discussions: 18/20 (Creative Conversationalist)
I wrote 2 discussion posts in September. This puts me on track for my goal of 11-20 discussion posts.
Best Books I Read In 2019: Patterns & Aging Out
Starting a Book Club & Legacies Discussion Guide
How I Organize My E-Reader
10 Fantasy Books to Read This Spring
Can a Book Have Too Many Points of View?
12 Signs to Identify a Bibliophile
10 Series to Start This Spring
10 Book Titles That Would Make Cool Band Names
10 Reasons to Read Speculative Fiction
A Conversation with Mark Siegel: The Transformed World and the Transformed Individual
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey: Book-to-Film Comparison & Discussion Guide
Black Lives Matter: 12 Fantasy Books by Black Authors
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter: Discussion Guide
12 Science Fiction Books by Black Authors
Best I’ve Read in 2020 So Far
5 Books I Love . . . Here’s Why
American Born Chinese: Tour The World in 30 Books
10 Forthcoming Science Fiction & Fantasy Releases to Read in 2020
Other Ongoing Challenges:
Modern Mrs. Darcy: 7/10 [dropping—decided to focus on r/Fantasy Bingo]
r/Fantasy Bingo 2020: 19/25
Puppy Shenanigans
Let’s Chat
How was your September?
What were your favorite reads?
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) says
I’m very impressed that your dog posed for you. The minute I get my phone ready to take a picture, they immediately move out of the position I wanted to take a picture of them sitting in or whatever. lol. I actually did a discussion post last week even though I’m not doing the challenge. And now I have another I need to maybe do! Hope October is going well for you.
Lisa Loves Literature’s End of the Month post
Amber Elise @ Du Livre says
Such a cute pupper! I think I read 9 books this month, majority of them audio!
Sam@wlabb says
What a great picture of Skyler. Sits better than most people I know. I hope you get the rest you need this month.
Aj @ Read All The Things! says
I hope you get some time to rest! I also need to slow down in October. Spending a whole day with books and snacks seems like an excellent idea.
ShootingStarsMag says
Aw, your dog is so adorable. I love that she posed for you. I had a pretty bad reading month in September – just numbers wise. I’m hoping this month will be better because I want to read lots of mysteries and thrillers. I love this time of the year!!!
-lauren