September Wrap-Up!

So September’s over, and now it’s time for me to pretend I know how to write a wrap-up post… I mean… Now it’s time for me to write a wrap-up post!*

September was a pretty good month for me… It was a bit hectic, with all my classes starting, but since I don’t have school, I wasn’t nearly as busy as most people have been.

Also, it’s fall now, which means it’s starting to get cold! Which I really shouldn’t be complaining about, because I hate being hot, but I’ve discovered I only own about ten long sleeve shirts… I swear I had more, but I can’t remember where on earth I would have put them. So it’s very possible I gave them away… Or they’re lost somewhere in my house, which isn’t really much more helpful.

*I totally haven’t been procrastinating this for the past three months, because I still have no clue what I’m doing. Definitely not. At all. Nope.

[su_heading size=”20″ margin=”10″]Books Read[/su_heading]

I read a lot of books this month… I’m not really sure how it compares to how much I normally read (I only really started keeping track half way through august…), but I read twenty-seven books in September… Um, apparently I read a lot more than I thought, I would have guessed I read sixteen or seventeen books in a month…

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – This is probably the most relatable book I’ve ever read! Cath said something about ‘Being active in the fandom’ and her friend was just like, ‘The what?’ and I was cracking up, because that is completely how my family and friends react when I get started talking like that. – 5 stars.

The Declaration by Gemma Malley – This book has a really interesting premise, and I’d like to read the sequel, because cliffhanger! It probably wasn’t really all that amazing of a book, but I just really enjoyed it anyway. – 4 stars.

Home Child by Barbara Haworth-Attard – This* was a really interesting historical fiction, about an event in Canadian history most people seem to be unaware of. It was a ridiculously quick read, and the MC acted really young, but it was sweet. – 3 stars.

*I really need to stop starting my sentences with ‘This’.

The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron – The Forgetting had such a cool premise, and I think it was really well executed! I really, really enjoyed it, and it is so worth reading. – 4 stars.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this. I was just barely curious enough to pick it up, but I am sure glad I did! It was so good! And super funny! Also, the main character likes Harry Potter, and there was this one conversation he had with his sister, and I swear I’ve had the exact same conversation with my brother.

“What’s a dementor?”
“Nora, you are no longer my sister.”
“So it’s some Harry Potter thing,”

Perhaps not about dementors, but we’ve definitely had that conversation. Many times. – 5 stars.

Raven’s Gate by Anthony Horowitz – I think this was supposed to be scary… It wasn’t. Like, at all. It probably would have been sort of interesting when I was younger, but definitely not scary. – 2 stars.

You Can Run by Norah McClintock – These books honestly are sort of mediocre, but at the same time, I think they’re mildly addictive. Also they have hideous covers. Absolutely hideous. – 3 stars.

Nothing to Lose by Norah McClintock – Basically the same… Honestly I can really only half remember what happened in which book. – 3 stars.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan – This didn’t really live up to my expectations… I’m glad I read it, and it was definitely well written, it just wasn’t my thing. – 3.5 stars.

Witch Week by Diana Wynn Jones – Witch Week was a fun, quirky, random book (That’s probably a whole lot less random now that I realize it’s book three in a series). I felt way too old for it, and was quite bored, but for a younger kid it would be fun. – 3 stars.

How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller – This was super good! It took me waaaayyy too long to get into it, but once I did, I loved it! It was so interesting, and really exciting, and just great! – 4.5 stars.

Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard – Gah! Why did I read this?! I now need to wait desperately for the gazillion* people with holds ahead of my at the library to finish!!! I’d managed to put this series out of my mind for a while, but reading this made me remember how desperately I need Glass Sword. Still, it was really good. – 4 stars.

*Two.

Out of the Cold by Norah McClintock – Yeah, more of this series… Once again, I don’t have a lot to say about it… – 3 stars.

Shadow of Doubt by Norah McClintock – This was definitely one of the best in the series. It actually had me really puzzled as to what was going on, and the plot twist sort of shocked me. Also it actually has a sort of pretty cover. Certainly not hideous like the rest of them anyway. – 3 stars.

Nowhere to Turn by Norah McClintock – To be quite honest, I’m not even entirely sure what happened in this one… I think it was one of the better ones… I’m not really sure though. – 3 stars.

The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows – THE ORPHAN QUEEN IS SO GOOD!!!! I could NOT put it down, and just WOW! I actually had really low expectations for this book… I’m not sure why. It just didn’t appeal to me all that much… but then I read it, and wow, it was so good! Also, it has the most gorgeous cover, it’s so pretty, and I love it. And the sequel (Which I’m halfway through right now) has a lovely cover as well, but I CAN’T SEE IT, because there’s a big, ugly, yellow ‘Interlibrary Connect’ sticker on it! – 5 stars.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan – Technically this is a reread, because a couple years ago, I read the first three, and then didn’t finish them for some reason. But I couldn’t remember what happened, so I’m reading them again, and will hopefully finish the series this time. I’m quite enjoying them this time, and they are very funny. – 4 stars.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer – This is also a reread, because I read a review of it, and was seized with a sudden urge to reread them. I love The Lunar Chronicles! They’re so, so, so good, and I just love them so much.* – 5 stars.

*And if my friend reads this (You know who you are!), READ THEM! Actually, whoever you are, if you haven’t already read these, READ THEM!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer – Also a reread obviously. Also wonderful. And I think I might just be the slowest person in the world… The first time I read this, for the first couple pages, something just didn’t seem quite right. Then I realized what it was, “Oh! She changed her name… interesting.” A couple more pages, and I realize “OH! It’s a completely different character!” I felt pretty stupid after. – 5 stars.

A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin – This is historical fiction, but, like, it’s not entirely accurate… They change some things for the purpose of the story… I’m not sure how much of it is accurate, because apparently I know nothing about french history, but it says in the authors note that it’s not fully accurate. It felt a bit young, but it was pretty good. – 4 stars.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan – I quite enjoyed this… I don’t really have a ton to say… I like the characters, and it’s funny. – 4 stars.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – WOW!! This was so, so, SO GOOD!!!! It had the most wonderful formatting, and great characters, and it was just SPECTACULAR! – 5 stars.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I decided it was time to finally read The Hunger Games… and I was a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it was great, I just had such high expectations, and then I read it, and it didn’t really feel like anything special. – 4.5 stars.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – I may have been a tad disappointed by the first book, but after reading Catching Fire, I think I’m starting to understand why everyone says these are so great. I liked this one way more, and it just impacted me a lot more. – 5 stars.

Ruined by Amy Tintera – Ruined was super good! It was funny, I couldn’t put it down, and I now desperately need the sequel! It was just so amazing! – 5 stars.

Cress by Marissa Meyer – Cress is my favourite in the series, and once I reread the first two, I just had to reread cress as well. – 5 stars.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare – OH MY GOSH, THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!!! I’ve been wanting to read this ever since I finished The Mortal Instruments, but I just had so many other books to read, so it took me a while to get around to it. Or, more importantly, to get my hands on it. I’m not even going to pretend I didn’t start reading the second I got it. – 5 stars.

Yeah, I read a lot this month. And it seems like I had a pretty good month rating wise too, I had like ten 5 stars.

[su_heading size=”20″ margin=”10″]Book Haul[/su_heading]

I’m just going to stick with listing the books I bought, because I don’t feel like listing all the books I borrowed this month. The number is somewhere up around fifty.
The ones I bought however, seem far more realistic to list.

First Test – This is one of my favourite series, and I found the first three for two bucks each at a thrift store. Obviously, I bought them.

Page – Not only was this two bucks at a thrift store, it was in practically perfect condition! I am very happy.

Squire – This one wasn’t in quite as nice condition as the others, but it’s still wonderful to have.

Terrier – This is also by Tamora Pierce, and it was also a thrift store book. I am very excited, my Tamora Pierce collection just grew significantly.

Linger – I really liked the first book in this series, so I’m looking forward to reading this.

Forever – Like I said, I liked the first book in the series, and hopefully this will be just as good. If I ever get around to reading the second book that is.

Ruined – I almost didn’t buy this, but I am so glad I did! It was really good, and definitely one that’s worthwhile to own.

Ink and Bone – I desperately want to read this, and it is so gorgeous. I don’t think I’m going to regret buying it. I would have read it by now, but I’m trying and failing to prioritize the books I’ve borrowed from people.

Illuminae – I really only half own Illuminae, because me and my friend both wanted to read it, so we split the cost.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Me and my friend also split this one, and she has it right now, so I haven’t read it yet, and It isn’t in the photo.

[su_heading size=”20″ margin=”5″]Blogging[/su_heading]

This was a really unimpressive month for blogging. I think I posted five times. And my stats were really low, probably because I posted five times. I’m going to try and post more in October, and hopefully I’ll have slightly better stats…

On the plus side, I’ve been trying to take some of my own pictures for blogging. They aren’t amazing yet,* but it’s fun!

*I have to delete half of them because they’re too blurry…

[su_heading size=”20″ margin=”10″]My Life[/su_heading]

September has been a pretty busy month for me, because:

• I was away for the first week of it.
• The day after I got back, I had musical theatre start up.
• Musical theatre is twice a week, for a couple hours, and I have to take the bus to get there.
• Busses are at inconvenient times.
• Therefore I have to be out for like five hours, plus I have to practice.
• The day after my first musical theatre practice, we went away again. Although at least it was only for a couple days this time.
• I also have drama class, and public speaking, which are inconveniently on the same day, leaving me with only fifteen minutes to get from one to the other.
• I HAVE TO WRITE A SPEECH!!! This has nothing to do with September, but I just remembered, and now I’m panicking slightly.
• Beading, beading, and more beading. Because I sell my stuff at Christmas markets, and last year I left it until the last couple weeks to make most of my stock. Then I had a very frantic couple weeks, when I could do nothing but bead. I am not making that mistake again, so I’m starting nice and early this year.
• I keep sleeping really late, and not getting out of bed till noon, so that gets rid of a considerable chunk of my day.

Did you have a good September? What’s the best book you read this month? (Yes I am aware that that is a cruel question, especially when I have at least five I can’t choose between) What’s a book you’ve read with a really relatable main character? Which do you prefer, being too hot, or being too cold?