September has felt like such a long month for some reason. I’m not sure why but it has just dragged along. To try and pass the time (and ignore the new lockdown measures), I’ve been reading some new books. If you hadn’t guessed, the majority of my reading in September has come from the library.
The librarians (like most people) have been struggling with cuts and lack of a job for months. Even though I could buy all of these, I wanted to support my local library in the best way I knew. I was shocked to see so many new books there but I guess there was a backlog that they needed to go through.
No complaints from me!
Sword Art Online: Progressive
Yuuki Asuna was a top student who spent her days studying at cram school and preparing for her high school entrance exams–but that was before she borrowed her brother’s virtual reality game system and wound up trapped in Sword Art Online with ten thousand other frightened players. As time passes, Asuna fears what will become of her life outside the fantasy realm–the failure she might be seen as in the eyes of her peers and parents.
Let me introduce you to one of my favourite animes of all time: Sword Art Online!
I’ve been a fan of this series ever since 2012! It’s stunning, heart-breaking and makes me wish I could play the game…without getting stuck there for 2 years. I’ve slowly been making my way through the mangas and was so excited to discover that Reki Kawahara had written a POV for Asuna! I always wanted to know what she’d been like before entering the game since she was a mystery at the start.
I’ve gotten Vol 2 and 3 ordered and just heard that they’re turning this into an anime!!
Good Girl, Bad Blood (Holly Jackson)
Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective anymore. With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her. But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing.
Jamie Reynolds has disappeared but the police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way… and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it’s too late?
If you haven’t read the first book to the Good Girl series, then you don’t necessarily need to but it would help! I adored The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder which is a surprise! I don’t usually love crime YA but this and its sequel were just so well-written! Holly has an incredible way with words! I have a bunch of review for most of these books coming soon so I’ll go into more detail then!
The best way to read Good Girl, Bad Blood? Listen to a true crime podcast while you read! It adds an extra chill!
Clap When You Land (Elizabeth Acevedo)
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…
In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance – and Papi’s secrets – the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.
I vowed to myself that I would read more books by black authors and this was one that had been on my list since last year! I’ve heard so many amazing things about it and know that it won the Carnegie Medal. After reading The Black Flamingo last month, I really gained an interest in reading other novels in verse form. It’s such an interesting concept and surprised me by adding an element.
I’ll be honest and admit that poetry/verse tends to bore me, but Elizabeth Acevedo made it less of a chore! I loved Camino and Yahaira as characters and it broke my heart reading the plane crash chapter. You don’t read many YA novels dealing with mass grief like this but this was perfect!
Wonderland (Juno Dawson)
Alice lives in a world of stifling privilege and luxury – but none of it means anything when your own head plays tricks on your reality. When her troubled friend Bunny goes missing, Alice becomes obsessed with finding her. On the trail of her last movements, Alice discovers a mysterious invitation to ‘Wonderland’: the party to end all parties – three days of hedonistic excess to which only the elite are welcome.
Will she find Bunny there? Or is this really a case of finding herself? Because Alice has secrets of her own, and ruthless socialite queen Paisley Hart is determined to uncover them, whatever it takes.
Alice is all alone, miles from home and without her essential medication. She can trust no-one, least of all herself, and now she has a new enemy who wants her head…
I first heard of Juno Dawson after reading a Doctor Who novel she wrote called The Good Doctor. Her writing style caught my interest so I checked out Margot & Me, Torchwood: The Doll House (audiobook) and What’s The T. She seems to really have a great knowledge of how teenagers with struggles work. If you hadn’t guessed, Wonderland is a unique twist on Alice in Wonderland and focuses on very difficult subjects such as mental health, drug use and more.
Don’t let that put you off though!
You may have to read this in multiple sittings due to some graphic elements, but it really makes you think. I was triggered a few times and thought I wouldn’t be able to finish but I’m really glad I did! I love that Juno wrote Alice as a trans character to look at the way that the trans community can be treated. It ripped my heart a few times to read and made me to hug all of my friends!
Where The Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens)
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say.
Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life – until the unthinkable happens.
I’ll be honest: Where The Crawdads Sing wasn’t my favourite book to read. I know that it has incredible reviews from readers such as Reese Witherspoon but I wanted to give it a go. The main character Kya has such a difficult time growing up from her mother abandoning her and her siblings, dealing with her drunk father and is left to look after herself. Things turn from back to worse when she is blamed for the death of a man due to the prejudices of her being both poor, a little different and female.
Delia brings to life what Kya goes through and you do really feel for her. I just wish it could have clicked with me more.
RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant (E.C Myers)
Fans of Rooster Teeth’s hit animated series RWBY will want to pore over every page of this gorgeously illustrated collection of twelve short fairy tales! In addition to classic tales from the show, such as The Story of the Seasons and The Tale of the Two Brothers, readers can immerse themselves in eight never-before-told stories from RWBY’s show writers.
It will be no surprise that I have the latest book based on RWBY on this list!
What can I say? I’m a fangirl to the franchise!!
This book is a must-have for any fan of the show. As mentioned above, it contains a bunch of short fairytales from the World of Remnant. It looks at two stories that we already know such as one about The Maidens and the Two Brothers. It also looks at stories that are completely new to us with helpful little mentions from Professor Ozpin.
My review for this is coming tomorrow so stay tuned!!
What books have you been reading in September?