What I Read: September 2024

Read:

The Names of all the Flowers – Melissa Valentine (The Feminist Press, 2020)

Land of Big Numbers – Te-Ping Chen (Mariner Books, 2021)

Really Good, Actually – Monica Heisey (Harper Collins, 2023)

The Epic of Gilgamesh – trans. N.K. Sandars (Penguin Classics, 1964)

The Husbands – Holly Gramazio (Doubleday Canada, 2024)

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store – James McBride (Penguin Audio, 2023)

Small Animals – Kim Brooks (Flatiron Books, 2018)

Margo’s Got Money Troubles – Rufi Thorpe (William Morrow, 2024)

Whose Body? – Dorothy L. Sayers (Blackstone Publishing, 2004)

I Claudia – Mary McCoy (CarolrhodaLab, 2018)

Liars – Sarah Manguso (Hogarth, 2024)

Did Not Finish:

The Pretender – Jo Harkin

I thought I’d be more engaged by this historical drama involving monarchy-related shenanigans in the time of Richard III but I couldn’t get into the style and I kept forgetting who all the characters were.

Currently Reading:

Rogues – Patrick Radden Keefe

Good Material – Dolly Alderton

2024 Reading Goals

Goliath Challenge: 17, 335/30,000 (3,191 in Septemer)

Goliath Books Read: 3 (none in September)

Translated Works: 4/15 (Epic of Gilgamesh in August)

Books I Already Own: 10/15 (The Names of All the Flowers, Land of Big Numbers, and The Epic of Gilgamesh in August)

Pre-2023 TBR: 10/25 (The Names of all the Flowers – 2020, Land of Big Numbers– 2021, The Epic of Gilgamesh – 2015, Small Animals – 2019)

Current TBR: 206 (previously 213)

Thoughts: Solid show, in my opinion. I read 11 books in September and it felt like a really nice variety. I read three that seemed to fit into the “messy woman” trope (Margo’s Got Money Trouble, Really Good, Actually, and The Husbands. Maybe Liars too) but were all actually very different stories with very different women. I also crossed off some longterm TBR titles and some from my own shelf. There really weren’t any major flops this month and several strong contenders. I won’t say more here because I am hoping to review several more from September.

What’s Next:

My Fall List: (written from memory rather than checking all the authors)

1. The Book at War – a man
2. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfeld
3. 1000 Words – also a man
4. Cahokia Jazz – Francis Spufford
5. The Pickwick Papers – Charles Dickens
6. James – Percival Everett
7. The Pretender – Jo Something
8. Really Good, Actually – Monica Heisey
9. The Phoenix Crown – Janie Chang & Kate Quinn
10. Writers & Lovers – Lily King
11. Siblings Without Rivalry – Adele Faber & Someone Else
12. Pachinko – Something Lee
13. The Riches of Your Grace
14. The Moonstone – Wilkie Collins
15. Big Swiss – Jen Something that starts with B
16. Tongueless
17. The Sea – John Banville
18. Lucy – Jamaica Kincaid
19. The Singer’s Gun – Emily St. John Mandel
20. A Horse at Night – Swedish Name?