September 2023 Wrap Up // A Letter from Coco

hi, hello, my angels! i hope september was kind to you and filled with a lot of great reads! happy “i wake up and it’s october, the loss is yours” month to all who celebrate 🤍

september started off strong for me — i went to a local arts & music festival (bumbershoot), up to vancouver, and went to a mariner’s game, and was making good progress on the readathon my friend jamie and i lowkey made (we called it “new septembers readathon”) but reading was waylaid by a lot of health issues (a two week migraine, and then incredibly stubborn bronchitis that still hasn’t cleared up). despite it being ailing girl autumn, however, september’s been the best reading month in terms of quality in a long while.

this month, i read 18 books, with the seven year slip by ashley poston (you can read my review for it here) and the wake-up call by beth o’leary being two strong, strong immediate favorites. i listened to six audiobooks this month (a personal record for me), and i’m hoping to continue this momentum throughout the rest of the year. 

here’s a full list of what i read in the last month:

1. beta read (★★★★★)
2. dogs of summer by andrea abreu lópez (audiobook; ★★☆☆☆)
3. in these hallowed halls: a dark academia anthology edited by maria o’regan and paul kane (ARC; ★★★☆☆)
4. together we rot by skyla arndt (★★★★☆)
5. stay with my heart by tashie bhuiyan (ARC; ★★☆☆☆)
6. before we say goodbye by toshikazu kawaguchi & translated by geoffrey trousselot (ARC; ★★★★★)
7. the dead romantics by ashley poston (★★★★☆)
8. the seven year slip by ashley poston( ★★★★★)
9. you, again by kate goldbeck (★★☆☆☆)
10. serpent & dove by shelby mahurin (gifted; ★★★☆☆)
11. harlem after midnight by louise hare (gifted; ★★★☆☆)
12. witch of wild things by raquel vasquez gilliland (gifted; ★★★☆☆)
13. the luis ortega survival club by sonora reyes (gifted; ★★★★☆)
14. blood & honey by shelby mahurin (audiobook; ★★★☆☆)
15. the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde (audiobook; ★★★★★)
16. for the throne by hannah whitten (audiobook; ★★★☆☆)
17. the wake-up call by beth o’leary (★★★★★)
18. the book eaters by sunyi dean (audiobook; ★★★★☆)

i’m going into next month without a strong TBR, but hoping to make some good progress on current annotation projects, and trying to climb up under the massive, massive pile of books i’ve committed myself to reading (ARCs, gifted reads, etc.). 

this month, i finally watched the second season of heartstopper (which i absolutely adored; i’m constantly blown away at how good of an adaptation it is, and how amazing the cast is), and finished why didn’t they ask evans! i also watched theatre camp — which was really everything i love and hate about theatre people in a movie. we love molly gordon, around here! 

i’ve been listening to a lot of different things lately; GUTS by olivia rodrigo (and i snagged tickets for her tour, i’m super excited to see olivia next summer), maisie peters’ there it goes (acoustic) but really all of the good witch, del water gap’s i miss you already + i haven’t left yet, bleachers’ modern girl, and ed sheeran’s autumn variations. i’m eagerly awaiting holly humberstone’s paint my bedroom black, and also 1989 (taylor’s version) next month! 

next month, i’m really looking forward to seeing renee rapp in concert, and also going to the eras tour movie (twice!). i’m also hoping to go up to vancouver again, but we’ll see how things turn out! november is crazily busy for me so october is mostly going to be a resting month! 

in case you’ve missed it, here are some posts i wrote this month:

• july & august wrap up
• arc review: before we say goodbye
• review: the dead romantics
• review: the seven year slip

and some posts i loved reading:

• i’ve been really excited for a study in drowning, so i’m so glad to see that loreofthebooks loved it! 
• abby’s autumn almanac is autumn personified, and has impeccable recommendations, from books, to music to tv shows!
• i’m incredibly picky about my book to screen adaptations, so reading genieinanovel’s post on book to screen adaptations — and ones they’re excited for was really fun for me! 
• nothing makes me happier than seeing other people love books i did, and onebookmore’s review of the wake-up call by beth o’leary made me beam!