Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And I'll be honest, I completely forgot that the end of September meant this needed to go live.
But never mind that, because I am going to do my damnest to get this out today!
I have a lot of books to talk about, so I think I best get on!
I hope you enjoy.
1. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings #1), by Mackenzi Lee
2. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings #2), by Mackenzi Lee
3. The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwreck (Montague Siblings #3), by Mackenzi Lee
The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwreck had been on my TBR list on Audible for the past three years, and even though it takes place over a decade after the events of books 1 and 2, that's still no excuse for waiting three years to read it.
Along with that, I'd forgotten most of the finer points of Monty and Felicity's journeys from their own books, so of course I wanted to re-familiarise myself.
It was so nice to delve back into Monty and Felicity's stories, I fell back into the world, and in love with the characters in an instant, almost with fresh eyes to be honest, I couldn't believe how much I'd forgotten!
I loved Monty's character arc, seeing him become more caring, less egotistical but still the hilarious and amazing character he's always been.
I've always loved Felicity as a character, seeing her be pushed away, time and time again, purely because she's a woman. That may not have happened to me, because of course, different time period, different rules, but I definitely related to the idea of feeling repressed, or not listened to, for something I couldn't help.
As for Adrian, I really didn't know what to expect. The only time I'd met him was over a decade previously, when he was nothing more than a whimpering infant. But of course, because of Mackenzie Lee's amazing writing, and ability to craft a phenomenal story, I need'nt have worried. It was so easy to jump into his story, I could sympathise with him, because of his extreme anxiety. The worry that he was the sole heir for his family's business, taking his father's seat on the council, having to speak, when all he wanted was to be known for his writing.
As with all of the Montague Sibling books, Adrian is thrust into an adventure trip he is in no way prepared for. Not only that, he comes to find out about two siblings he didn't he know he had. My one critique was that he didn't have a huge character arc, I didn't see him change a whole lot in terms of confidence, but I admired his resilience, just how he was able to keep going, to find out what he needed to find out, despite how afraid he was.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed emerging back into the Montague Siblings' journeys, and finally finding out how it all wraps up.
~24 Hour Readathon- 18/9/2024~
I read a total of 5 books in my 24 hour readathon, which I am very happy with. I always aim for about 1000 pages, and I managed that fairly easily. I did take breaks occasionally, which helped with reading speed. Excited for the next one.
4. The Murders at Fleat House, by Lucinda Riley
Finished at 7:27am.
I didn't quite finish this before the 18th, so of course it was added to this as the first book to finish. Solid four stars for me. It had the same mystery and intrigue I felt when I read The Love Letter, with horrific consequences, and at some points, I felt like I couldn't put the book down, but then I got to the end, and all of it was revealed, and I just felt flat. Like, it wasn't revealed the way I wanted it to be. That's down to personal opinion, I know that, and overall it was a fantastic book, but that's why I gave it four stars, instead of 4.5.
5. Wonder (Wonder #1), by R.J. Palacio
Finished at 12:35pm.
It had been a long time since I had read this, and I'd been saving a graphic novel from the POV of Julian, for this readathon, so I decided I'd give this a re-read too.
If you didn't know, Wonder is a book about Auggie Pullman, whose facial difference has prevented him from ever going to mainstream school- until now. Starting 5th grade at Breecher Prep, all he wants is to be treated like an ordinary kid- to blend in. But what Auggie is about to learn is- you can't blend in if you were born to stand out. This isn't just a story about Auggie- you read from the POV of his friends, his sister, her boyfriend, amongst others- but they all are affected by Auggie.
It was lovely to re-read this, and here about Auggie's story, as he grows into a confident young man.
6. White Bird (Wonder), by R.J. Palacio
Finished at 13:54pm.
White Bird is a graphic novel, from the POV of Julian, who is most well-known as Auggie's bully in the original novel. It takes place after he leaves Breecher Prep, and he's asking his grandma about her time in WW II. From then on, it's her relaying the details of what she experienced, the people that lost their lives, in the hope that she might live, as a jew, trying to survive.
There is a quote in Wonder, that states: "When given the choice between being right, and being kind, choose kind." In White Bird, the quote came to mind, but this time, I was left thinking about how kindness, could mean you would be killed, simply for trying to help someone in need.
White Bird is a stunningly written, moving, powerful story and I am so glad I came across it all those months ago.
7. A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness
Finished at 15:45pm.
So, if I thought I'd gotten emotional with Wonder, it was NOTHING compared to how I got with this. It might have been because I was pooped by 2pm in the afternoon, but I was bawling by the time I finished this.
Jordan even stopped playing Sonic next to me because of the noise I was making.
If you haven't read this, go and read it. If you're not a reader, go and watch the film. I don't care, but just go and experience the story, however.
Which is what I'm about to do, as soon as I can.
8. The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill
Finished at 20:30pm.
How do I begin to describe what this book was like? I was emotionally drained from A Monster Calls, so what do I do? Jump into an intense horror book, considered one of the best horror books of all time.
I was scared out of my wits! I will say, it takes two truly great books to get me feeling something like that. 5 stars, one of my favourites for 2024.
The Woman In Black follows Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor in London, as he makes his way to Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, and organise the many papers that have been left after her death. The house is by a marsh that rises and falls, the villagers don't like to go near it, very few people even attended the old Mrs Drablow's funeral.
When Arthur Kipps finds himself alone in the home, faced with a job to do, things start to go awry...
Is Arthur Kipps truly alone, or is someone else there?
~After Readathon~
9. Boys Don't Cry (Boys Don't Cry #1), by Malorie Blackman
After the 24 hour readathon, I was left at a loss as for what to read next. I had a list of books that I was meant to choose from, that I'd selected at the start of the month. But knowing that none of those books tickled my fancy at that point, I knew exactly what I was leaning towards.
Boys Don't Cry is a book that I reach for when I want something familiar, something I can read fairly quickly. I can't remember the last time I read this, but I know I'll always be able to go back to it.
Boys Don't Cry is about Dante, a boy waiting for the postman to arrive with his A Level Results, where he hopes to go to Uni, a year earlier than all of his friends. He has dreams and ambition, and nothing is going to stop him from achieving them.
Then Melanie, his ex-girlfriend arrives, carrying a baby. His baby.
She tells him she can't cope anymore, leaves the baby and runs, leaving Dante to pick up the pieces.
This is a book that discusses teen pregnancy, teen parentage, adoption, death, grief, family, father's rights, homophobia, racist comments, violence and suicide, so it's best to be aware of those themes before you rush into this book. There are a lot of themes in this, that's true, but they're discussed in a gentle hand, and they're balanced with more light-hearted moments as well.
I always love going back to this book, and I know the urge to pick it up will be back in a few years. Highly recommend this to people interested in Malorie Blackman's YA novels.
10. The Women, by Kristin Hannah
After reading Boys Don't Cry so quickly, I was still in a bit of a runt as for what to read next. I had five days to pick up, and either get a good mount into, or finish another book before the end of the month.
The Women wasn't really a consious decision I made, it was more, I wanted to dip my toe in, to see what I thought about it. What I didn't expect was to listen to two hours worth on that first day (listened to it on Audible).
If you didn't know, The Women is about the nurses at the Vietnam war in the 1960s and 70s. We follow Frankie, a twenty-one-year-old newly qualified nurse in California. Striving to be on her father's hero war, she joins up, following her brother (who unfortunately gets shot down the day she announces her employment).
Over the next 4/5 days, I listened to a total of 8ish hours, and I always wanted to know what happened next.
There was more romance than I was expecting, given this is a war novel, but I never really got tired of reading about it. Thankfully, it wasn't a main part.
The main part was Frankie, in the thick of it, doing what she could in Vietnam when they were low on staff, high in injuries, and her relationships with her sisters- the other nurses, Barb and Ethel, who helped her long after they'd left the horrors of the war.
About half of the book is when Frankie returns to California, to her parents, and the aftermath of the war, how she feels as the war rages on.
I have a lot more thoughts on this than what I'm saying now- so much so that I will be posting a review in the next couple of weeks- so stay tuned for that.
Okay! Those are all the books I finished this month! No doubt it'll be my best reading month of the year, and I'm extremely happy with how much I managed to finish.
That is everything I have for you all today, feel free to comment below what you finished this month, and I'll be back soon with my October TBR!
I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon!
Byeeee!
-Abi xxxx
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