It’s time for my first half of September book review! I am sharing what I read in September, although I am skipping some of my favorites to share later in the month. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments! I also read Catch Us When We Fall and As If On Cue, which I reviewed separately.
Title: The Day The World Came To Town
Author: Jim DeFede
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow, 8/24/21 (newest edition)
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review.
My Rating: 4 Stars
My husband and I both read The Day The World Came To Town in time for the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Now, our 14 year old is reading it too. There were so many things going on that day and something we may not have thought about was those people who were flying from Europe to the US when the airports closed. The planes had to land somewhere and many of them landed in Gander, Newfoundland. This small town came together to welcome people from all over the world and their kindness inspired this book, as well as the musical Come From Away.
“When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada by the closing of U.S. airspace on September 11, the population of this small town on Newfoundland Island swelled from 10,300 to nearly 17,000. The citizens of Gander met the stranded passengers with an overwhelming display of friendship and goodwill. As the passengers stepped from the airplanes, exhausted, hungry and distraught after being held on board for nearly 24 hours while security checked all of the baggage, they were greeted with a feast prepared by the townspeople. Local bus drivers who had been on strike came off the picket lines to transport the passengers to the various shelters set up in local schools and churches. Linens and toiletries were bought and donated. A middle school provided showers, as well as access to computers, email, and televisions, allowing the passengers to stay in touch with family and follow the news. Over the course of those four days, many of the passengers developed friendships with Gander residents that they expect to last a lifetime. As a show of thanks, scholarship funds for the children of Gander have been formed and donations have been made to provide new computers for the schools. This book recounts the inspiring story of the residents of Gander, Canada, whose acts of kindness have touched the lives of thousands of people and been an example of humanity and goodwill.”
I think the people of Gander represent the way people came together in the days following 9/11. There was a sense of unity that I miss in the world now.
Title: The Bennet Women
Author: Eden Apiah-Kubi
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Montlake, 9/1/21
Source: TLC Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review.
My Rating: 3 Stars
The Bennet Women by Eden Apiah-Kubi is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set on a college campus. I think I have read Pride and Prejudice, but I don’t remember it well!
“Welcome to Bennet House, the only all-women’s dorm at prestigious Longbourn University, home to three close friends who are about to have an eventful year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student. Her best friend, Jamie, is a newly out trans woman studying French and theatre. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with guy trouble. For them, Bennet House is more than a residence–it’s an oasis of feminism, femininity, and enlightenment. But as great as Longbourn is for academics, EJ knows it can be a wretched place to find love. Yet the fall season is young and brimming with surprising possibilities. Jamie’s prospect is Lee Gregory, son of a Hollywood producer and a gentleman so charming he practically sparkles. That leaves EJ with Lee’s arrogant best friend, Will. For Jamie’s sake, EJ must put up with the disagreeable, distressingly handsome, not quite famous TV actor for as long as she can. What of it? EJ has her eyes on a bigger prize, anyway: launching a spectacular engineering career in the “real world” she’s been hearing so much about. But what happens when all their lives become entwined in ways no one could have predicted–and EJ finds herself drawn to a man who’s not exactly a perfect fit for the future she has planned?”
The style of this book reminded me a bit of Anna K, which is also a classic retelling. It had less characters than that one though and Tessa wasn’t in it as much as the others were. I very much appreciated the diversity in this one!
Title: Her Perfect Life
Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Forge, 9/14/21
Source: Get Red PR
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review.
My Rating: 4 Stars
Lily is a TV reporter who seems to have a perfect life. Greer is her producer who seems to envy Lily. And Cassie is Lily’s sister who went missing years ago. When an anonymous source begins sharing things about Cassie, Lily is determined to finally find out what happened to her sister.
“Everyone knows Lily Atwood―and that may be her biggest problem. The beloved television reporter has it all―fame, fortune, Emmys, an adorable seven-year-old daughter, and the hashtag her loving fans created: #PerfectLily. To keep it, all she has to do is protect one life-changing secret. Her own. Lily has an anonymous source who feeds her story tips―but suddenly, the source begins telling Lily inside information about her own life. How does he―or she―know the truth? Lily understands that no one reveals a secret unless they have a reason. Now she’s terrified someone is determined to destroy her world―and with it, everyone and everything she holds dear.”
This book kept me turning the pages to find out what happened to Cassie, as well as to find out who the mysterious source was that seemed to know all. I thought the missing person mystery was somewhat unique, and I didn’t figure out the reveal ahead of time.
Title: These Toxic Things
Author: Rachel Howzell Hall
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer, 9/1/21
Source: Get Red PR
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review.
My Rating: 4 Stars
These Toxic Things was an interesting mystery regarding important objects. Mickie is meant to digitally archive certain items for Nadia, which leads her to find out why those items were important.
“Mickie Lambert creates ‘digital scrapbooks’ for clients, ensuring that precious souvenirs aren’t forgotten or lost. When her latest client, Nadia Denham, a curio shop owner, dies from an apparent suicide, Mickie honors the old woman’s last wish and begins curating her peculiar objets d’art. A music box, a hair clip, a key chain―twelve mementos in all that must have meant so much to Nadia, who collected them on her flea market scavenges across the country. But these tokens mean a lot to someone else, too. Mickie has been receiving threatening messages to leave Nadia’s past alone. It’s becoming a mystery Mickie is driven to solve. Who once owned these odd treasures? How did Nadia really come to possess them? Discovering the truth means crossing paths with a long-dormant serial killer and navigating the secrets of a sinister past. One that might, Mickie fears, be inescapably entwined with her own.”
Intertwined with Mickie’s own past, the mystery did keep me interested, although the reveal was a bit confusing. This is an own voices book by a Black author about Black characters.
Title: Alma Presses Play
Author: Tina Cane
Genre: YA Novel in Verse
Publisher: Make Me A World, 9/14/21
Source: Get Underlined
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review.
My Rating: 4 Stars
This novel in verse set in the 80s was a unique coming of age story about a half Chinese, half Jewish girl trying to find her place in the world.
“Alma’s life is a series of halfways: She’s half-Chinese, half-Jewish; her parents spend half the time fighting, and the other half silent; and she’s halfway through becoming a woman. But as long as she can listen to her Walkman, hang out with her friends on the stoops of the Village, and ride her bike around the streets of New York, it feels like everything will be all right. Then comes the year when everything changes, and her life is overtaken by constant endings: friends move away, romances bloom and wither, her parents divorce and–just like that–her life as she knew it is over. In this world of confusing beginnings, middles, and endings, is Alma ready to press play on the soundtrack of her life?”
Although it states right away that Alma is half-Jewish, I didn’t find much about her identity that reflected her Judaism, other than some of the foods she ate. Alma’s life as a 13 year old was full of music, Greek mythology, dreams, and her friendships. It was interesting to read her thoughts about her family and her life in general.
Title: Apples Never Fall
Author: Liane Moriarty
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 9/14/21
Source: Libro.fm
Why I Read It: Sounded good, I usually like the author.
My Rating: 4 Stars
This audio book took me forever to get through! I suppose it was due to less time to listen as well as it being quite long, but at times the story felt never ending. Apples Never Fall is a family drama surrounding the Delaney family. It is made up of Joy, Stan, and there four adult children. When Joy disappears, the family’s story is revealed through their own viewpoints, as well as the others who surround them.
“If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father? This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings. The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable? The four Delaney children―Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke―were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon. One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted. Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure―but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.”
Although said to be a thriller, this definitely read as more of a family drama, with some amusing parts and some mysterious elements. It was interesting to come to understand Joy and Stan’s marriage as seen from their children and later from themselves. The time period of the book comes into 2020 and acknowledges Covid, although that does not have a huge impact on the story. I recommend this one to fans of family drama and of this author!
There you have it – 6 of the books I read this month. Of these books, 5 were print and 1 was an audio book. 5 were adult and 1 was YA. Genres included non-fiction, contemporary, and thriller.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?