September Book Report

From Important Nonfiction to smut, all the books I loved this month. Plus, a very important question re: romance. Tell me the societal rules!

taking every opportunity to read outside while we still can 🥰

We’ve got a long one this month! If you’re reading directly from your inbox, you may need to click “view entire message” to pop out the full text, or read this post in a browser or the Substack App. 💚

Over the summer, I finished my SPL book bingo with a few big nonfiction books in a row. They were all excellent, but when I finished, I needed a palate cleanse. For my cleanse, I dove into the romance recs I’ve been seeing everywhere. 

You all know I’ve been into fluffy, joyous, romantic comedy reads for a while, but the romance spectrum is vast, and I had been living on the rom-com end; it was time to branch out. I’ve built a lengthy TBR list of romances that I *think* covers more of the spectrum, but if you have great recommendations, please share them! 

As I’ve dipped my toes in the deeper waters of romance novels, one very important question has been holding me back. When are we reading romance novels? As a society, what are the rules? 

I often listen to the audio versions and sure, weeding in the backyard alone is a great time to listen. What about driving to work, in the grocery store, on the way to school pick-up? When I’m walking the dog? What if a stranger comes up to me asking for a dog poop bag and I’m all wild eyed in the middle of a saucy scene?!

I truly need more information about how my fellow readers handle this in their lives. Audio or print versions – tell me when and where you’re reading them! 

Send me your romance recs and tell me when you read them – I need to know the societal rules!

Now that we’ve discussed that important matter, onward to the books I have read! Below is the list from August and September; enjoy! ✨📚

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August and September Reads

Dopesick by Beth Macy

Oof. This book filled my “something that scares you” square on the Bingo board, and holy moly, there was so much I did not know or understand about the opioid epidemic. 

Often, when reading hard truths, I will detach. This is the nature of my Enneagram type – avoidance of hard or unpleasant truths - and something I’m working on. But this book, largely set in my hometown and the surrounding countryside of VA, was impossible to escape. References populated in my brain while reading, with the exact images clear in my head before I read the descriptions. I recognized names of families, peers from my high school and neighboring districts, and even the local weathermen. 

The book humbled me with an incredible level of detailed research and reporting that provided a compassionate education on opioid addiction and recovery. I am mostly astonished by the fact that so much happened in my small home city while I was in high school and soon after my graduation and I had absolutely no idea. But I suppose that is one point of the book as a whole, to expose this enormous problem ravaging communities across the country while many of us have little idea.

Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond

Another big Oof. 

I listened to the audio of this and wish I had gone with the print version, instead. During my evening walks with the dog, I was hardly ever in the right mindset to digest the harrowing stats of America’s poverty. However, the narration was excellent; he portrayed Desmond’s voice incredibly well through pauses and shifts in volume to convey shock and astonishment over statistics, outdated policies, or ridiculous realities that poor in the US face. 

Like his previous book, Evicted, I loved how Desmond explained the layered problem of poverty with incredibly detailed statistics and data through real people’s individual stories. I especially appreciated the chapter at the end, which discussed what individuals can do about our nationwide poverty problem: tear down the walls and strengthen our communities. 

Plays Well with Others by Sophie Brickman

This was a hilarious, outlandish, and entirely relatable story that beautifully encapsulates the “free flowing anxiety that lives in many upper middle class mothers” as it follows Annie and her family as they navigate the kindergarten admissions cycle in New York City. It’s ultimately a story of motherhood and how when women become parents, they think they’re losing their minds but are in fact, handling all the things thrown at them in a completely reasonable way.

So many snippets made me cackle knowingly: 

They never told you that the vast majority of parenting energy would be expended at mealtime as you cajoled young children to heed a basic evolutionary directive required for survival.

And others that were unexpectedly tender:

Didn’t a parent’s role often boil down to just that? Being a warm body? On days when you’d rather be doing something else? When you had other commitments? When your afternoon was packed? Warm bodying was constantly demanding, often monotonous, almost entirely disrespected by modern society…but it, too, was a large part of a child’s foundation of love. Of that, she was sure.

I loved the audio version of this but with the epistolary style, it might actually be a better read in print. 

Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

I’m sure you’ve heard about this one and it’s for a good reason. I’m still sorting out my thoughts and takeaways as they relate to my own life (will share those soon!), but for now, I’ll say that I think this is essential reading. For everyone, really, but especially for parents and educators or anyone else raising or working with children. I also have to humble-brag that I babysat Jon Haidt’s children twice while he was my psychology professor at UVA 💁🏼‍♀️

This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley

A stunning collection of stories by the creator of @blackliturgies. Each page is lyrically composed, a gorgeous example of the written word as Art. Riley’s stunning use of words portray enormous questions of life and spirituality. I wanted to devour and savor this at the same time and am glad to have it on my shelf so I can return to sections in the future.  

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

This is the second in a rom-com duology and it was simply a delight (part one I read in July). The protagonist was a romance author which made the plot a bit meta (in a charming way) and turned the story into a love story to the genre itself. The layers of love and happiness would make anyone smile. I deep-cleaned my house as an excuse to keep listening to the audio. 

North Woods by Daniel Mason

A slow start here and I almost abandoned but am so glad I didn’t. Ultimately, I was gripped by the calm, meandering collection of stories that were a love note to nature. The people in each story were fine but what stuck with me were the vivid descriptions of birds, paths through the woods, the taste of an apple, and how the land looked blanketed in snow. 

New Nigera County by Clare Brown

A short audiobook read by a full cast – if you like @clarabelletoks, then you’ll love this. It’s just as good as all her social media videos; hilarious and convicting satire with an excellent listening experience. 

Chase Me by Tessa Bailey

This was the first step in my journey along the romance continuum and I chose it based on the recommendations here (a great read!). It was fine? The audio narrator was not excellent (I’d recommend trying the print version instead if you follow my lead) and the character and plot development were… well, not really there. The ending was entirely predictable, yet abrupt, but I was kind of into the story? It was pretty short and there was enough momentum that it kept me engaged. Perhaps character development isn’t the point of a romance novel? I’m still learning here. 

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

A Harry Potter Education

As always, Harry Potter. This month it was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. 

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That’s all for now! Share this with your best reading friends (especially those that read romance novels – I need all the crowd-sourced rules of the road I can get). 📚✨ 

Hi, I’m Liz! Thanks for being here and reading my journals on the journey. If you’re new, learn a bit more about me and this space here and here and consider subscribing to my weeklyish posts.

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