Hi folks!,

Somehow August is over and we are cruising into September. This year is going way too fast for my liking!

Somehow (also) I managed to read 26 books in the month of August – I think there were a few more graphic novels than I would normally read. But I’m pretty happy with that outcome!

I talked about some of my favourites in my last post. Some others I really enjoyed:

Bright is the first book by a Thai woman to be translated into English. This is a series of vignettes about a 5 year old boy who has been abandoned by his parents and is being cared for by the community. Poignant and often sad it’s a wonderful look a community and culture.

Frankissstein is Jeanette Winterson’s latest offering, and I really enjoyed it. Winterson takes us back and forth between Mary Shelley and her relationship with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron and the writing of Frankenstein, and into the future where Ry helps Victor by supplying him bodies for his experiements. I would like to acknowledge the problematic nature of a cis woman writing a trans story. (If you are trans and have read this book I would love to here what you thought!)

I have been a fan of Ben Folds Music since I heard Song for the Dumped back in the 90s. Rocking pianos and musical humour have always been some of my favourite things in music. (And yes, I love Weird Al Yankovic, thank you for asking.) Folds reflects on his childhood and upbringing, his misspent youth, his multiple marriages and divorces and his musical career. If you’re a fan of Fold’s music, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one.

And on to September! September happens to be my birthday month, so I’ve decided to treat myself and spend the month concentrating on my favourite genre – science fiction. Turns out there are a couple of readathons happening in September to encourage me. Space Opera September is exactly what it says on the tin and sounds like a heap of fun. Then there is also Tome Infinity and Beyond which is happening in the second half of September.

I’m not sure if I will stick with the prompts provided by these two, simply because I have a sci-fi stack that is pretty impressive, so I’m hoping to chip away at that. Hell, I may decide to read mainly sci-fi for the rest of the year!

I’m going to be starting today with Claire G Coleman’s new release The Old Lie which I’m really excited for. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because her debut Terra Nullius was amazing and listed for the Stella Prize, and I haven’t really shut up about it. I’m going to see her at the Brisbane Writer’s Fest this week, so I want to make sure I’m finished before the event!

What are your reading plans for September?

Cheers,