September’s Reads
Running total books/audiobooks/short stories read in 2025 by month end: 113. That’s right, I’m over 100 books for the year so far. I really feel this is a huge achievement.
The wind has picked up, leaves have changed to the loveliest of colours and started falling, and although it is still warm in the day, the nights are shorter and cooling down. We are at the start of Autumn, a favourite time of year for me. I have had a difficult month thanks to an empty nest sensation, with another of my children off to University, but I have read a lot this month as a result; 15 books including a doorstopper.
Firstly I have to mention reading a classic that is also a doorstopper. I admittedly started “The Stand (Extended & Uncut Edition)” by Stephen King at the end of August, but most of it was read in September. Stephen King is not really known for short novels, and this was no exception, it felt like an undertaking after so many months speed reading. This is my first time reading any version of The Stand, and I have to say I really enjoyed it, as I do anything really by Stephen King. This also felt soothing, partly because his style is so very recognisable, and partly because growing up there were always King novels hiding around our house and I would sneak-read sections as a child. I still prefer the Dark Tower series, but the characters in this one were (as always) both memorable and relatable.
The highlight of the month was a short novel; “The Empress of Salt and Fortune” by Nighi Vo. If you don’t mind my saying so, this was absolutely bloody brilliant, one of the best things I’ve read this year, and easily the most beautiful. I listened to the wonderfully narrated Audible version, and strongly recommend it. The narration highlights the alien sensation of the world and story, drawing you straight in. Don’t rush it, it’s not overly long, and I found it flowed better if it was not sped up.
At this point, I am going to make an honourable mention of “The Boys: Deeper and Deeper” by Matt Berns. This is an official addition to The Boys television show, in which The Deep is interviewed podcast style. The Deep is an understandably popular character, and this short addition was no exception. It is not very long, but it is great fun if you have watched the series. I listened to it with other family members who are The Boys fans and we were all chuckling along.
I am making another honourable mention here of “Hag”, a podcast that collected short stories that were folkloric retellings by various authors. The podcast is available free through Audible Original, and these stories are not available through any other means, so if you are not aware of it, please do have a look.
Yet another honourable mention, this time to “Pages to Fill” by Travis Baldree. If you have the second edition of Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree then this appears at the start as a prequel, but if you have an earlier edition, or have been reading the series since fairly early on, you may not be aware that this (very short) prequel exists. It is available to read on various websites, and can be picked up as a standalone ebook. Try looking it up on an internet search if you’re not sure whether or not you have read it. The story provides background on the character Viv, so is worth picking up if you’re a fan.
Now for the best read of the month; “If You Tell” by Gregg Olsen. An absolutely horrific retelling of a true crime case, this book highlights the impact on the families of those who kill, a sadly neglected area of true crime. This is a brutal story and the book pulls no punches, so do not read if you do not have a strong stomach, it really is not for the faint hearted. I am a hardened true crime reader, and I struggled in places with this one, and had to put it down in the middle and lighten up with a piece of fiction. This was one point where my habit of reading several books at once helped me out.
Finally, I want to mention that, contrary to last month, I had no books in this months line up that I did not enjoy. There were some really great books in the line up, not least “The Sleepwalkers” by Scarlett Thomas, a riveting thriller told through the means of items such as letters that have been collected together. I raced through this one, and found the whole read fascinating. Similarly audiobooks such as Dave Barry’s Bad Songs; this is something I turned to when the horror was getting a little heavy, and I found it easy to laugh along to.
As always, my thoughts on everything I have read are available in brief on each of the book pages in my read list. Here I talk about books that have stuck out to me for some reason, but that does not mean I have not loved and enjoyed everything I have read, so if something suits you, feel free to take a look at the book pages or ask me about it.
