September Wrap-Up and TBR

September was a GREAT month for reading. I've managed to get back into the flow of things, and have been really enjoying the books that I've read. This month, I mostly read a bunch of shorter books to ease myself into it, but it's definitely worked well for me. This was really my last month of non-horror books (although to what extent is questionable). There were definitely some grim reads this month, but I'm really looking forward to diving back into horror for autumn. Without further ado, I present this month's wrap-up:

little scratch by Rebecca Watson (★★★★.75)

little scratch follows an unnamed narrator, who goes about her day-to-day life, most of which focuses on her work life and relationship with her partner. This book was such a good one to start off with. It is a very realistic stream of consciousness, but it was also quite difficult to read (not just subject matter, but also visually). The words were all over the page and there is no real set way of reading it. I really enjoyed this book, but it did give me a migraine (literally), so that's why it wasn't 5 stars.

Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again by Katherine Angel (★★★.5)

Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again is a deep-dive into sex and sexual politics in the age of 'Me Too'. A lot of the information in this book isn't particularly new, especially to a modern audience. Whilst I enjoyed a lot of the sentiment behind it, there were points where I found that it was too inaccessible, and overcomplicated things a LOT. Having said that, I still enjoyed it, but it only gets a 3.5 from me.

Tampa by Alissa Nutting (★★★★★)

Tampa follows a high-school teacher in Florida who holds a deep and perverted obsession with pre-pubescent boys. The depiction of paedophilia in this was so grotesque, and I found it difficult to read, but even more difficult to put down. The descriptions of sex in this book are graphic and revolting and the writer does a really good job of getting under your skin.

Send Nudes by Saba Sams (★★★★★)

Send Nudes is a short story collection (mostly) about sex, but entirely about the female experience. I've never read any of Sams work before, but I believe she has a new collection soon that I will definitely be checking out. These stories were enticing, devastating and her writing style is amazing. If you're looking for a quick read, this is it, I flew through it in one sitting and I'm still thinking about it weeks later.

Peach by Emma Glass (★★★)

Peach follows a young college student and how she deals with a traumatic situation. I enjoyed the narrative of this book, it felt very raw and authentic and was deeply upsetting. However I just couldn't get into the writing style.

rest and be thankful by Emma Glass (★★★)

rest and be thankful follows a paediatric nurse and her day-to-day experiences both at work and at home. This book took a lot longer to get into than peach did, and again I think a lot of it is due to the writing style. Having said that, it was equally as devastating, and I would love to read more of Glass' work.

Hagstone by Sinèad Gleeson (★★★.5)

Hagstone follows a young artist on a remote island who is commissioned by an all-female commune to write a book about them. I definitely enjoyed this book, and it felt really easy and pleasant to read. I felt attatched to the characters and if you enjoy folk horror then I really believe you'll enjoy this. There were a couple of gripes I had with it that lead to it's low review. The first is that the main 'villain' or 'antagonist' of the book (unnamed for spoiler reasons, but if you've read it, you know), if you can even call them that, has no redeeming qualities. I love to hate, and I love hating characters, but I feel that all characters should have SOMETHING likeable about them, and this one, in my opinion, did not. When I finished it, I felt satisfied to an extent, until reading a review that changed how I felt. It talked about how the book was great... but there was something missing. It's hard to describe, but when thinking about it, it's true. I feel like the ending was rushed and there was a lot left unresolved, and a lot that leads to nowhere. I do, however, recommend this book. It was a fun read, and great for folk-enjoyers.

As for next months reading, I'm going to remain ambitious and choose ten books. Of course, as it's Halloween, I'll be choosing exclusively horror, and that will likely be the case for the rest of the year. Listed below are my current favourite competitors for next months reading, but I'll have to see how I feel. The list is as follows:

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix

The Rats by James Herbert

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

Rouge by Mona Awad

The Glutton by A. K. Blakemore

A Darker Shade edited by Joyce Carol Oates

The Dark Half by Stephen King

The Tooth by Shirley Jackson

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Ambitious, I know. As quite a few of these books are over three hundred pages, I highly doubt that I will get through the whole list. I've been really satisfied with my reading over the last month, and I really hope it continues.

Happy Reading!

All the best,

Talia