September 2023 Wrap UP

September came and went. I can’t believe that we’re in the last half of the year. So, let’s get to my September 2023 Wrap Up. I had a decent reading month. I finally knocked two sequels off my tbr, so that feels like a win to me.

House of Sky and Breath

Synopsis:

Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal–they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds. The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent. In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode–and the people who will do anything to save it.

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/09/27/house-of-sky-and-breath-review/

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Hell Bent

Synopsis:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of hell—even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale. But Alex is playing with forces far beyond her control, and when faculty members begin to die off, she knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if Alex is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: Coming Soon

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Audiobooks

Rising Strong

Synopsis:  

Atlas of the Heart Social scientist Bren Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability–the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome–is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy.

My Rating: 3/5

My Review: I enjoyed this. I think Brene Brown has a lot of good insight that is helpful in everyday life.

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Decluttering at the Speed of Life

Synopsis:

While the world seems to be in love with the idea of tiny houses and minimalism, many of us simply can’t purge it all and start from nothing. Yet a home with too much stuff is difficult to maintain, so where do we begin? Add in paralyzing emotional attachments and constant life challenges, and it can feel almost impossible to make real decluttering progress.

In Decluttering at the Speed of Life, decluttering expert and author Dana White identifies the mindsets and emotional challenges that make it difficult to declutter. In her signature humorous approach, she provides workable solutions to break through these struggles and get clutter out–for good!

Not only does Dana provide strategies, but she dives deep into how to implement them, no matter the reader’s clutter level or emotional resistance to decluttering. She helps identify procrasticlutter–the stuff that will get done eventually so it doesn’t seem urgent–as well as how to make progress when there’s no time to declutter.

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: I’ve been in a decluttering mood recently. I have too much stuff. This book had a lot of great tips that helped me decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

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I Feel Bad About My Neck

Synopsis:

With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron shares with us her ups and downs in “I Feel Bad About My Neck,” a candid, hilarious look at women who are getting older and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself. Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller, and hapless parent. But mostly she speaks frankly and uproariously about life as a woman of a certain age. Utterly courageous, uproariously funny, and unexpectedly moving in its truth telling, “I Feel Bad About My Neck” is a scrumptious, irresistible treat of a book, full of truths, laugh out loud moments that will appeal to readers of all ages. Click here to see more by Nora Ephron.

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: I loved this. It was funny, but it still had some life lessons and deep meanings thrown in.

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Long Way Down

Synopsis:

A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: This is probably the best and most important book that I’ve read this month. It was astounding.

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Braving the Wilderness

Synopsis:

 Social scientist Bren Brown, PhD, MSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives–experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: Again, Brene Brown did a great job at making this funny and relatable with a lot of good advice mixed in.

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NPR Laughter Therapy

Synopsis:

This extended session of Laughter Therapy explores the history of all things funny, presenting a cornucopia of comedy from the pioneers of vaudeville and the silent film era, to the wildly creative innovators that transformed television in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, to the modern practitioners that continue to bend the boundaries of comedy today. Chronically serious? Prepare to be cured by this collection of revealing profiles and interviews with some of the funniest personalities ever. Featuring Charlie ChaplinBuster KeatonGroucho MarxSid CaesarErnie KovacsBob and RayImogene CocaMel BrooksCarl ReinerBob NewhartJonathan WintersBill CosbyPhyllis DillerJoan RiversJerry SeinfeldConan O’BrienAmy PoehlerMargaret ChoJim GaffiganSarah Silverman

My Rating: 1/5

My Review: This book wasn’t funny at all. And, honestly, I think it’s a bit pretentious of them to say that if you don’t find it funny you might not be intelligent enough to understand the jokes. I understood them perfectly well they just weren’t funny.

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So that’s my September 2023 wrap up. What did you read this month?