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Behind Her Books

Book reviews, recommendations and stories of literary life.

September Wrap Up
Monthly Wrap Ups

September Wrap Up

September 30, 2020

Another month of reading over! We’re sneaking into Autumn a little more every day and I’ve got a pumpkin banner ready to go up the minute it’s October. But! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because first, it’s time for my September wrap up.

I’m pretty happy with my reading this month. I got through six books, one of which was hefty, and I read a variety of genres.

Romance, contemporary fiction, fantasy, a graphic novel AND a re-telling of a classic. It is all happening here, my friends.

And for an extra bonus, I actually read something I said I would last month (this never happens). So an all-round winner this month, I would say.

September Wrap Up Reads
BUY ON HIVE
ADD TO GOODREADS
The Flat Share 
by Beth O’Leary

Was I the last person on Bookstagram to read this?! It’s one of those books that I would (to my own detriment) not pick up because it looks too… happy? Which seems ridiculous. Anyway, consider it a lesson learned!

The Flat Share is a will-they won’t-they story of two flatmates whose living arrangements mean they should never see each other.  I loved Tiffy and Leon and the way that the chapters split between them – the change in the writing style really worked here I thought. I was completely invested in them and couldn’t read it quick enough. A perfect feel-good, romance.

BUY ON HIVE
ADD TO GOODREADS
Heartstopper Volume One
by Alice Oseman

This should come with a warning and the warning should be: BUY ALL THREE VOLUMES AT THE SAME TIME OR YOU WILL LIVE TO REGRET IT.

I bought this graphic novel after again being influenced by bookstagram (yes, I’m easily influenced and no, I have no self-control) and I read it in one sitting. It is so, so good. I didn’t know anything about this or the other stories that Charlie and Nick have been in, so it was all a wonderful new experience for me. Young love, teen angst, great artwork – just loved it. Need to buy the next two volumes as a priority.

BUY ON HIVE
ADD TO GOODREADS
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
by Christy Lefteri

I picked this up on a whim and as part of a bargain deal. Since then it’s been everywhere I’ve looked! The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a heartwrenching and powerful tale based on the author’s experiences of working in a refugee centre in Athens.

Told through the eyes of Nuri, the story follows him and his wife as they are forced to leave their home in Syria and escape the horrors of the civil war. Together they take on the long, difficult journey to reach safety in the UK.

This is a moving, sweeping story – it reminded me a bit of Khaled Hosseini but not quite as rich. Having said that, it’s told in a simple way and conveys the emotions of the characters beautifully.

BUY ON HIVE
ADD TO GOODREADS
Sense & Sensibility
by Joanna Trollope

I have had this book on my shelf for about, oh, 10 years? Ages! My mum bought this all that time ago and for no particular reason I haven’t picked it up.

This is a modern re-telling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. I am a big fan of Jane Austen’s novels, so I was curious to see how someone would bring it into the modern-day.

Like the original, the Dashwood’s are unceremoniously kicked out of their grand house and are forced to move to more humble dwellings. Here they must learn to navigate their new life and of course, love.  The story is fun and the characterisation was good – I believed Marianne to be a tortured art student and Elinor was suitably self-suffering – but some of it fell slightly flat. Still, a harmless read!

BUY ON HIVE
ADD TO GOODREADS
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by Neil Gaiman

I decided I wanted to read more fantasy books so I trawled Pinterest to find recommendations. The Ocean at the End of the Lane popped up on a lot of lists and was dubbed as ‘entry-level’ which sounded perfect!

This book is a magical, haunting tale about a young boy who meets a family of three women (daughter, mother and grandmother) who live in the farm at the end of the lane. When a tragedy occurs and a dark force is unleashed into the world, Lettie Hempstock, the youngest of the three women promises to look after the boy.

It’s short and sweet, magical and real full of childish innocence and age-old wisdom. So, so good. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to dip my toe into the fantasy book ocean.

BUY ON HIVE
ADD TO GOODREADS
Shadow of Night
by Deborah Harkness

Witches, vampires, and daemons. Elizabethan London. Romance. Guest appearances from Marlowe AND Shakespeare. I mean, I don’t think I need to say any more than that…

The second of the All Souls Trilogy, the story of Diane and Matthew (witch and vampire who are breaking all sorts of covenants with their relationship) continues as they go back in time to find out more about the manuscript that binds them together.

Honestly, I have very little to benchmark this against but I love it. I left too long between books one and two, so I will be completing this trilogy pronto.

What’s On the TBR List

Oh to-be-read, the list I love to make and break. I do have some certainties though…

One that’s new on the list, one that’s been on there for months now.

I hope you’ve had a lovely September and I’d love to know what your favourite book has been this month. Let me know in the comments or send me the link to your September wrap up!

See you soon,

Pin this September wrap up post and add these books to your tbr

Disclosure: Please bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission, at no cost to you.

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The Flatshare – Beth O’Leary

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Megan | Behind Her Books
Currently reading Ghosts and I am already (to use Currently reading Ghosts and I am already (to use the parlance of The High Low) ob-sessed. Such beautiful writing and I find myself nodding along in agreement and so many bits, my head is at risk of coming off. Hopefully finish this afternoon then on to uni reading.

What's your plans for Sunday?

#igbooks #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #ghosts
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse ✨ This The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse ✨

This book is the perfect salve to January the l o n g e s t month of the year (I think there's around 300 days in it). Warm, wise, and full of friendship and kindness, I can see why this book was so popular when it came out. With pages full of beautiful illustrations and messages of love, I implore you to read this book. Then lend it to your friends, your family, your neighbour, anyone who needs to remember how much kindness there is in the human heart.

My favourite quote: "When the big things feel out of control ... focus on what you love right under your nose." ♥️
I've had 'catch up on book reviews' on my to do li I've had 'catch up on book reviews' on my to do list for weeks now and I've finally got started 🙌🏻 Yay for progress!

I've not seen many people talking about Slack-Tide on here but I enjoyed it / was frustrated by the characters so I wanted to write up some of my thoughts!

There's a new post up on the blog that I'd love for you to read ♥️

#bookblogger #Bookstagram #bookreview #slacktide #igbooks
First book of 2021 - what do you mean, you didn't First book of 2021 - what do you mean, you didn't start with some Willy Shakespeare? Weird 😜

Had to read that as part of my uni reading as we are exploring what makes certain texts a 'classic' and the cultural impact of them. Finding it really interesting (coz I'm unashamedly a nerd) and also have a deep urge to watch Shakespeare in Love because I feel like it will count as research, right?
⭐ 2021 Reading Goals ⭐ Like most people I can ⭐ 2021 Reading Goals ⭐

Like most people I can't help but start the year by thinking about my plans, goals and dreams for the next 12 months. Can't help it I love a cliché and an excuse to write a list. I've written about my 2021 reading goals over on the blog - would love if you gave it a read. Link is in my bio, luv ya.
Here's to new beginnings, new books and a fresh ne Here's to new beginnings, new books and a fresh new year ahead of us.

I don't come to you with big reading goals for 2021 because if last year taught me anything, it's to find pleasure in the things that I love. So this year my focus is on finding new authors, genres, or voices to fall in love with, along with revisiting some of those that I already cherish.

Happy New Year to all my book friends, it's nice to be back.
Hey friends, it's a been a hot minute. What's goin Hey friends, it's a been a hot minute. What's going on with you all?

The past week or so has been busy with uni tutorials, work, getting back into the gym (finally!), and most exciting of all prepping for a little fluffy addition to the household 🐶

Photo is completely unrelated but still so pretty. This was my first from the @mrbsemporium subscription I got for my birthday and they nailed it! Sounds glorious.

How's your week been? Let me know what's going on with you!
Books goals for the last couple of weeks of 2020 ☝🏻

I know right, doesn't feel weird that we're almost at the end of 2020. Life gets busy at this time of year (even in the current situation!) but that doesn't mean I can't squeeze in a few more reads right.

Here are some books I'd love to read before the end of this year. Some new, some I've had on my shelf a few months.

What's on your reading list for 2020? Have you read any of these? I'd love to know what you thought!
Wouldn't expect anything less than this dreamy cov Wouldn't expect anything less than this dreamy cover from Lana Del Ray. I don't read a lot of poetry but I am looking forward to jumping into this one.

2020 Reading Challenge

2020 Reading Challenge
Megan has read 26 books toward her goal of 30 books.
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26 of 30 (86%)
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2 Comments

  • Tiffany Giovino says:
    September 30, 2020 at 13:47

    I love The Switch and Heartstopper!

    My Bookish Fantasy

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  • taylor says:
    September 30, 2020 at 15:55

    Not the most important thing but I love a pretty book photo and that stack of books just looks like they were all made to sit together! I’II definitely need to get round to reading Heartstopper, hopefully this is the final prompt I needed x

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