Monthly Wrap Up | September 2019


WHAT HAPPENED IN SEPTEMBER
  • Hurricane Dorian gave us a good scare during the first week of the month. Thankfully it stayed off the coast and passed us by. But it was a stressful week of preparing for the worst.
  • We finally finished the master bedroom makeover. I enjoy the process but I was also so happy to be done with it. It will be a while before I tackle another room!
  • My mom took her first solo trip (with a tour group) and had a great time. I was so proud of her.
  • I had a birthday. Another year older... but I don't know about wiser. :)
  • The heat was unbearable and there were several days of record-breaking high's. September may mean Fall to many people, but Florida laughs at that. 
WHAT I READ IN SEPTEMBER


September was a pretty slow reading month. Only seven books read and no 5-star reads (which isn't all that uncommon since I give out 5-stars super sparingly). Several fell into the good-but-not-great category but there were also a couple stand-outs, like Top Secret and The Burning Shadow.

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary | 3.5/5 stars
Sometimes It Lasts by Abbi Glines | 3.5/5 stars
Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec & Andi Arndt | 3.5/5 stars
Top Secret by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy | 4/5 stars
Vision In Silver by Anne Bishop | 4.25/5 stars
The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout | 4.25/5 stars
Misbehaving by Abbi Glines | 3/5 stars

FORMATS
Total Read: 7
4 physical books
2 audiobooks
1 e-book
(1 ARC: The Burning Shadow)

TOP OF THE HEAP
The Burning Shadow
I'd been waiting almost a year for the continuation of the Origin series - and The Burning Shadow was so worth the wait. I continue to love main character Evie and of course there's Luc. He of the funny t-shirts, big ego, ridiculous pick-up lines, and selfless love for Evie. So much action and so many twists - it was a wild ride! (And voice messaging on Instagram with Genesis after we'd both read the book was priceless! :)

THE ONE THAT MADE ME LAUGH
Top Secret
Sarina Bowen + Elle Kennedy together again! When it comes to writing duos these two are priceless. And their way with dialogue and great banter is one of my favorite things about them. Top Secret had plenty of serious moments, and some scenes that hurt my heart, but there were also so many lines that made me laugh out loud.

THE ONE THAT LEFT ME WANTING MORE
The Flatshare
I had been excited for The Flatshare for months before it released. And I was utterly convinced that I was going to LOVE it. Alas, that did not happen. It took me almost two weeks to get through it and while I enjoyed it, it definitely fell short of my expectations. It was a good read... but not what I expected.

THE ONE THAT LET ME REVISIT OLD FRIENDS
Vision In Silver
September saw me starting yet another re-read (well, re-listen) of The Others series. Vision in Silver is possibly my favorite in the series and I love checking back in with so many of my favorite characters. Simon + Meg, of course, but also Vlad and Henry, Tess and Merri Lee... I feel like I know these people. :) And the fact that most of them are not human? That doesn't seem to matter in the least. I adore this cast of characters.


WHAT HAPPENED ON THE BLOG

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING
I'm definitely enjoying this one but it's been slow-going just because I have not made time for reading this past week. Seems like everything else is taking precedence. Hopefully that will change soon because I really do want to get more into Tate's story.


WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE READ IN SEPTEMBER?

28 comments

  1. During fall I'm so glad that I'm in The Netherlands. The weather over here was like; October, Okay FALL! And there has been rain ever since and loads of stormy nights. I just love it and I light candles and curl up with a book....

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    1. Rain and stormy nights is my favorite kind of weather! Apparently I was born in the wrong place... The Sunshine State! LOL

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  2. Happy belated birthday Tanya darling, I hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends! My sister is currently renovating her kitchen and gosh the stress! We built our home almost nine years ago now and it's probably time for a paint soon and freshen up as well. I'm dreading it. Good on your mum, when you're older it seems so much harder to try anything new, I hope she enjoyed herself. Is she going to go again?

    Have a fabulous week of reading Tanya and happy belated birthday again lovely!

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    1. Thank you, Kelly! :) It was a nice low-key birthday (just how I prefer it). Home renovations are definitely stressful. Thankfully mine was just redecorating - less stress and more fun. My mom had such a great time on her trip - I'm certain she'll go again on another tour!

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  3. Happy Birthday!! Hope it was a good one.

    I don't miss the FL heat but it's going down into the 20's tonight and I'm not ready! Is there an in between state?? lol

    I'm having the problem you had with The Flatshare with a lot of hyped books lately. mostly of the rom com variety. They're fine but slow going and not what I was expecting.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. Talk about one extreme to another! Monday here was almost 90 and you have temps dropping to the 20's. Ack!

      That always seems to be the danger with hyped books. It's hard to really live up to all the hype.

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  4. I’m glad the hurricane missed you! September doesn’t mean fall in Colorado, either. It’s still nearly 100 degrees in September. I hope you’re having a great October and getting tons of reading done.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Wow, I'm surprised September in CO is still so hot. For some reason I imagined it would get cool/cold there very early.

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  5. I think it's like 55F outside right now, but NJ has weather-swings. Cold one day, hot the next. I like this though. Yeah for finishing the bedroom. Now you haven is complete. Yeah, hurricanes can be really stressful, and that storm was so huge and slow. The wait must have been so painful.

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    1. We're having two whole days of fall(ish) weather. LOL Go ahead and laugh but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. :)

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  6. I hope you had a great birthday! I'm so glad the hurricane didn't hit your area. It's starting to feel like fall around here, although we did have a couple days that were still super-hot.

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    1. I'll be so happy when we do finally get some fall weather. Maybe next month... LOL

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  7. I think Fall has finally arrived here, thank goodness. I've had to bust out a few sweaters because it's pretty chilly in the mornings now but them warms up to about 70 degrees.

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  8. Happy birthday!! And glad to hear the room renovations are done. It's always nice to see a project like that done. I feel your pain on the heat- I love Florida but the temps down there would fry me to a crisp! :)

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    1. Yes, it was great to finally finish up the redecorating project. And now I am DONE for a while. LOL

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  9. Happy belated Birthday Tanya!!! And I am so happy that Burning Shadow was so great!

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  10. Happy belated birthday, Tanya!! Hurricane Dorian - I mean, any hurricane - sounded scary as hell, so I can't imagine how you and your family must have felt. :(

    Ugh, it sucks that some of your September reads proved to be disappointing. I think I've commented on your blog before about starting The Flatshare and giving up on it - I hated the hero's 'voice', and that comes from someone who usually couldn't care less about the writing. But ahh, you keep mentioning The Burning Shadow, and I'm SO EXCITED, Tanya!! Hope your October has been good so far. :)

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    1. The hero's chapters in The Flatshare were definitely written in a different way. It took some getting used to. I liked Leon, and I liked Tiffy, but it was just a middle of the road kind of read for me. Oh well, they can't all be 5 star reads! :)

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  11. 7 books isn't too bad and at least they were all 3 stars or above! I'd call it a win especially with everything else you had going on in September!

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  12. Ooh - we're twinning. I also was a little disappointed by the Flatshare. Maybe my expections were off, but I thought it was going to be a rom com and it was more of an issue book with just a tiny bit of romance.
    And I'm about to start Twice in a Blue Moon!

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    1. I feel like we are in the minority, Jen. Most people I know loved The Flatshare. But you're right, it was more a issue book that happened to have a little romance. I hope you enjoyed Twice in a Blue Moon better! That's what I'm reading right now.

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  13. Sounds like September was a lot, but a lot of good as well!

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  14. I'm reading The Burning Shadow Right now and really enjoying it! Abbi Gaines books have been a guilty pleasure of mine in the past, but it's been many years since I've read a book of hers. I have Twice in a Blue Moon for review too. I hope it ends up being a good read!

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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    1. So glad you were enjoying The Burning Shadow! I'm sure by now you've finished it so hopefully it ended up being a hit for you!

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