My September/October Reading Wrap-up!

writer_alexandra_lee
Nov 2, 2020
8 min read

Updated: Jan 27, 2021

Hello there! If you are a regular reader of my blogs, first off, thank you! Secondly, I published an August reading wrap-up post that included all of the books I read in August. In that post, I said I was going to start doing reading wrap-ups every month.

It is now the end of October, and since I only read one HUGE book in September, I thought I'd combine these two months in order to create a fallish wrap-up!

I read seven books between the September and October months, most of which are pretty popular. So if you'd like to hear some sarcastic comments, a few rants, and my general thoughts on my fall TBR, keep reading. Make sure to leave a comment talking about your fall reads, or how you think my listed fared, down below.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Goldfinch, Looking for Alaska, and A Darker Shade of Magic

1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

This was the eight-hundred page book that took me all of September to get through, and caused me to fall drastically behind on my Goodreads goal. Yeah! The question is...was it worth it? I did enjoy this story, and I don't regret reading it, but it did take me a long time to get through. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was one of the more mature books I've read.

Young Theodore Decker was very sweet; old Theo was a little darker. The whole book was quite darker than I anticipated. I often start reading books with little to no information about the content. I enjoy doing this because it gives me the ability to discover the story for myself, and that's exactly how I went into this book. Theo was the kid you feel bad for, and I constantly felt bad for him—his childhood was tragic. His parents were divorced. He lost his mother and had to live with a family he barely knew.

There are two major criticisms I have about this book: its length and Pippa and Theo's relationship. The story starts off when Theo is in middle-school and basically follows all the way through until he's in college. I think it could have been condensed. There were a lot of repetitive scenes I found irrelevant.

Pippa was incredible, even though she wasn't in many scenes. I loved her. I loved when the author described her and painted the picture of her skin and vibrant red hair. I loved Tartt's descriptions throughout the novel. Theo was intrigued by Pippa from the minute they met, as was I, and the entire book I was waiting for the ship to sail. I thought they were perfect together—they had a history; they clearly cared about one another, and Theo was utterly fascinated by her. I was fascinated by her!

I waited...I waited some more, and I got the morphine lollipop scene, but that was it. For me, their relationship was a lost opportunity for the book. If they would've gotten together, I would've enjoyed the story more. It felt like the author was egging the reader on with this relationship. It was set up throughout the novel, but there was no resolution, which was frustrating.

2. Animal Farm by George Orwell

I read this book for my literature class for the last few months. Going into this book, I did not expect to like it, but I was pleasantly surprised. I love history, and this allegory turned out to be right up my alley. I enjoyed watching Animal Farm slowly transform from a land of comrades to a bare terrain of tyrants, if it was ever a land of comrades in the first place. I learned a lot from this book about the Russian Revolution, Marx's Communist Manifesto, and spotted a few troubling resemblances between modern-day politics and the government Orwell went so far to warn us about.

My favorite scene from this book takes place in the very last chapter between Napoleon and Pilkington. (If you read this classic, you know what I'm talking about.) I thought this scene was a genius and perfect way for Orwell to finish off this tale.

3. Looking For Alaska by John Green

We have reached the first rant of this blog post: I despise Alaska Young.

I always have a love/hate relationship with female characters. In YA literature there always seems to be a mold for female characters (there's a mold for male characters as well, but this female mold is more common and way more irritating).

I like to call this mold the "I'm a tough girl" stereotype. Now there are a few different versions of this character archetype. The main one is a Celaena Sardothien type character—very tough, unrealistically strong, terrible with men, incredibly dramatic and annoying at times. Since Looking for Alaska is more of a contemporary novel, Alaska doesn't go around wielding swords, oh no...she's way worse.

She's so emotionally cut-off that it's sad to read about her. She has a tough front, but is really broken and hurt. She doesn't want anyone to know this though, so she covers it up by being dramatic, avoiding the problem, and just getting black-out drunk. She gives off a player vibe. She cheats on her boyfriend at one point. She's rude to Miles and the Colonel. There are points where I feel bad for her, but mostly, I'm annoyed. Her death was not a surprise, but without her, the last half of the book was a little boring and repetitive.

As for the other characters, I thought they were hilarious! I didn't always love Miles, but I enjoyed reading from his perspective most of the time. The Colonel was great. Justice for Lara because she deserved so much better. She was a sweetheart and a queen, and her accent made me smile so much.

The story line wasn't bad, but it wasn't super original. When I read contemporary books, I focus more on character and less on plot, so I don't mind a simple plot as long as the story has good characters and is exciting.

I loved the symbolism. "I go to seek a great perhaps..." is an amazing line to build this story around. I thought it was brilliant on Green's part. I loved the theology class and the papers they had to write. It was a beautiful way to end the book and tie up the story.

4. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

This is one of the darkest things I’ve ever read, but I love it. I’m not always the best at understanding poetry. Thankfully a large part of poetry is subjective, but I still try to unravel what the text is truly saying in its original context.

I got the main gist of this poem the first time I read it. I loved the rhyming scheme. The version I read included some creepy and thought-provoking drawing that I absolutely adored. Lenore and Nevermore were my favorite parts. The last page also made my jaw drop.

Like I said, I got the main points of this poem the first time I read through it, but I did go back and read through it multiple times. I also looked up some information on it in order to get a deeper understanding of the content. I ended up giving it five stars on Goodreads. (You can friend/follow me on Goodreads here if you’d like to stay up-to-date with what I'm reading.)

Poe is one of the great poets. His work is gruesome, harrowing, and often full of despair, but that’s what makes it so intriguing—it’s unlike any modern poetry. I look forward to reading more of his poems.

5. Thirst: Poems by Mary Oliver

I have read three of Mary Oliver’s books now, and I love her writing style. I didn’t realize that she was a Christian until I read the blurb for this book. When people, specifically well-known authors or celebrities, say they're Christians, I often examine their work and character to see whether it reflects biblical teaching or doctrine, especially if the work has religious themes.

The blurb for this collection of poems, which I actually read beforehand, stated that a major theme in this collection was Oliver’s new-found faith. I was very excited for this book, but if I’m being honest, approached her claim of faith with quite a skeptical eye. I wasn’t sure if her poetry was going to reflect Christian doctrine or if it was just reflecting general religious ideals.

I was incredibly impressed with this collection—not only was the writing beautiful, the substance of the text exceeded my expectations. This was not the false claim of faith or the "modern Christianity" I feared, it was genuine biblical writing that forced me, not only to admire the writing and literary excellence, but the theological and spiritual themes Oliver painted throughout this collection.

6. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a fantasy novel...I’m just as shocked as you are. I had very high expectations for this book because of all the hype this series has acquired. I greatly enjoyed this story—it was exactly what I expected, which a part of me is happy about, but the other part is left wanting more.

Kell was amazing. I loved the magic system and world-building. The plot was captivating and fast-paced. Lila...she was a decent female lead, not the greatest by any means, but tolerable. She had a lot of good lines; she was loyal; she held her own and the story needed her. Kell and Lila made a great team. Rhy also had some great lines and offered some comic relief at points, but definitely got his fair-share of hardship throughout the novel.

Justice for Barron. I wanted to marry that man, and his death was so unnecessary. Why did he need to die Schwab? Why? I plan on continuing this series, and expect to enjoy the rest of the series more than the first book.

7. Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti

I loved this collection of poems so much. The star of the collection, which is Goblin Market, was quirky, intriguing, and dreamy. This cover is gorgeous and accurately represents the writing inside. The other poems were short, yet masterfully composed.

This is one of my favorite poems from the collection titled—No, Thank you, John:

I never said I loved you, John:

Why will you tease me, day by day,

And wax a weariness to think upon

With always "do" and "pray"?

You know I never loved you, John;

No fault of mine made me your toast:

Why will you haunt me with a face as wan

As shows an hour-old ghost?

I dare say Meg or Moll would take

Pity upon you, if you'd ask:

And pray don't remain single for my sake

Who can't perform that task.

I have no heart?—Perhaps I have not;

But then you're mad to take offence

That I don't give you what I have not got:

Use your common sense.

Let bygones be bygones:

Don't call me false, who owed not to be true:

I'd rather answer "No" to fifty Johns

Than answer "Yes" to you.

Let's mar our pleasant days no more,

Song-birds of passage, days of youth:

Catch at to-day, forget the days before:

I'll wink at your untruth.

Let us strike hands as hearty friends;

No more, no less: and friendship's good:

Only don't keep in view ulterior ends,

And points not understood

In open treaty. Rise above

Quibbles and shuffling off and on:

Here's friendship for you if you like; but love,—

No, thank you, John.

I thought this poem was brilliant and full of wry humor, but I'm also a little sad for John.

Thank you for reading my fall wrap-up! Make sure to visit my blog at the end of November to read that wrap-up. I will be posting throughout November as well, so subscribe to my blog so you don't miss out on those either!

It's been a pleasure writing for you, and until next time—stay weird and stay writing. - Lexi