Read:
The Guilty Dead by P.J. Tracy
#FashionVictim by Amina Akhtar
Guess Who by Chris McGeorge
Glass Houses by Louise Penny (audiobook)
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett
Snare by Lilja Sigurdardottir
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough (audiobook)
Misery by Stephen King
The Lion Tamer Who Lost by Louise Beech
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent (audiobook)
What Have You Done by Matthew Farrell
Stats:
12 books (3 audiobooks)
3,963 pages
Favorite read: The Lion Tamer Who Lost
September has been a bit of an adjustment for my reading schedule. We recently won a few new contracts at working, which means my day job just got a lot busier. I have been working crazy hours for the past few weeks because of this. Why stop here? Hubby and I also decided that September was the month we get healthier, so we’ve been hitting the gym again. I have to say it’s feeling great being back in the gym routine, but I’ve been struggling with how to fit reading in. I’m steadily finding my groove with audiobooks, physical books, and ebook copies from my library. Enough about that, let’s talk what I read this month!
I spent the first half of the month tackling the lengthy list of ARCs I had requested for the month…seriously why did I pick so many for September?? First up was THE GUILTY DEAD by P.J. Tracy, which is an installment of the Monkeewrench series. I first started with this series with the previous book and fell in love with the characters. This one was no different! I then took my murderous reading to a more luxurious place with #FASHIONVICTIM. This one is all about the fashion magazine industry and the lengths one woman will go to be on top. Loved it! Speaking of crazy…GUESS WHO is full of craziness. This is a modern take on a locked room mystery and it captivated me until the very end.
Continuing on with my ARC binge was THE 7 1/2 DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE. This book ended up being way more than I was expecting. It started off way differently than I was expecting, but once I found my footing I couldn’t stop reading. Speaking of addictive reads, THE BUS ON THURSDAY is a fast-paced journey into the mind of a woman who is recovering from cancer and starting over her life in a small town that holds a lot of strange secrets. This book is like talking to a friend and its completely engrossing! I took a break from ARCs after this, but I did pick up WHAT HAVE YOU DONE at the end of the month. This was such an entertaining read that felt like I was watching an episode of CSI.
This month was filled with excellent book club and read along selections. For starters, I finished my #pennypushers journey with GLASS HOUSES, which is the current last book in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. The next installment comes out in November, which I’ll definitely be picking up because I already miss my friends in Three Pines! My Stephen King journey continued on with MISERY this month, which was such a crazy ride! Annie Wilkes will forever be a part of some my most memorable book scenes. Even better than the book was the fantastic read along discussion we had! The September selection for the Criminally Good Book Club was LYING IN WAIT. Liz Nugent is one of those authors I’ve been meaning to read, so when I saw this selection I was thrilled. I listened to the audiobook and fell in love with the narrators, which I think made my reading experience all the better!
September gave me three of my favorite reads of the year! SNARE was an intoxicating crime fiction read focused on a woman named Sonja who is trapped in the drug trade and desperately trying to make her escape. This is a high stakes, thrill ride of a book that I could not stop reading! BEHIND HER EYES was another intense thriller read that came with a side of supernatural that had me hanging on every word. This is definitely one of those books that I should have listened to the world about and read earlier, so if you haven’t done it go pick it up now! Speaking of books you need to pick up ASAP, let’s talk about my favorite read of the month…THE LION TAMER WHO LOST. Oh Louise Beech! I love, love, love this book! It gave me all of the feels and I cried my heart out over my poor broken heart, but it was worth every tear. This book won’t be out in the US for quite some time, so hop on over to Book Depository and grab a copy. I promise, you’ll thank me later!
I’d love to know what you read this month! Have you read any of these titles? Let’s chat!
Here’s to October! Happy reading!
Disclaimer: Thank you to Orenda Books, Crooked Lane Books, Hanover Square Press, Sourcebooks, MCD Books, Gallery Books, and Amazon Publishing for providing me with free copies in exchange for an honest review.
What Jess Reads 