Four (Really Good) Books I Read In September

Happy Saturday! The weather is so gloomy today – it’s actually perfect to snuggle up on the couch with a good book.

With this in mind and the fact that I read some really good books recently, I thought I would share what I read during the last month.

Each book was uniquely different but each of them had me turning pages like crazy!

Four (Really Good) Books I Read In September

Animal By Lisa Taddeo

september reads

This was a really well written book. Wow! But at the same time, I don’t think I’ve read anything as dark. The main character, Joan, is such a complex being and as the story unfolds, there are many acts of rage, abuse, control and power.

It starts off quite abruptly…

“I drove myself out of New York City where a man shot himself in front of me. He was a gluttonous man and when his blood came out it looked like the blood of a pig…” – Lisa Taddeo, Animal

Here’s a storyline summary if you’re keen to give it a read:

Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruel acts of men. But when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past. In the sweltering hills above Los Angeles, Joan unravels the horrific event she witnessed as a child—that has haunted her every waking moment—while forging the power to finally strike back.

Junx by Tshidiso Moletsane

september reads

With September being heritage day month, I had to make sure I read something by a South African author. I was sent a review copy of this one from Penguin Books and once I started reading this one, I couldn’t put it down. In fact, this book has no chapters – its 148 pages straight of one crazy party night that courses from Soweto to Joburg CBD. There is lots of drugs, sex, some politics thrown in between and a lot about life and death.

It’s quite a story!

Here is a sneak peak:

It starts normally enough. In Dobsonville a few hours before the party of the year, a guy shares a joint with his friend Ari. Ari is always right. Ari is also imaginary And winged. In a few hours, while Ari plays both angel and demon on his shoulder, our man will end up joyriding to a brothel in a snatched tourist rental car. But the police and the burly tourists are in pursuit At some point, when you’re a hunted man and there’s a gun tucked in the waistband of your pants, things come to a head. Will he be okay? Ask Ari Ari never lies.

This Is Yesterday by Rose Ruane

September reads

They say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but I was drawn to the beautiful pink flowers on this one and was immediately drawn to it.

The book is in fact Rose Ruane’s debut novel and ultimately tells a story of how women define and express themselves. Ever felt like an outsider? Then you will hard relate to this book.

Here’s a summary:

Peach is alone and adrift in London’s sprawl, with a stalled art career and an unhappiness she knows won’t be cured by a boyfriend or baby. Then she gets a shocking phone call that brings her face to face with her fractured family, and sends her spiralling into her past, to a scorched summer years ago in 90s suburbia . . .Back in 1994, Peach longs to flee the stifling nowhere that makes her a misfit. Hot listless days and sleepless drunken nights have awakened in her a latent, destructive curiosity; she haunts airless attics, unlocks sealed doors, pries into private affairs and finally unearths a secret that rips her family apart, disrupting everything and setting the course for the rest of her life. Now, facing this new crisis, Peach and her sister set out to confront a past they have avoided for two decades and meet a future they have no idea how to navigate.

This is Yesterday is a book about beginnings and endings, about adolescence and ageing, failures, families, love and loneliness. It is the story of how the girls we once were shape the women we become.

The Consequences of Love by Gavanndra Hodge

september reads

This book was probably my favourite read of the month – albeit the saddest. It’s non-fiction which makes it even more heartbreaking, however the ultimate message is that is never too late to face loss and find hope! It’s actually so brilliant.

What’s it about?

Her father was a hairdresser to the rich and famous – he was also their drug dealer. Her mother was an alcoholic fashion model.

Her days and nights were non-stop parties – she spent them taking care of her little sister and putting out naked flames.

And when her sister dies aged nine, Gavanndra is left alone with her grief. Growing up in the dazzling days and dark nights of her parents’ social lives, surviving means fitting into their dysfunctional world, while stopping the family from falling apart . . .

I have a few new books to read this month and I hope they are as good as these!

All of these books are available at leading book retailers including Loot – which is where I purchased these (excluding Jute, which I received as a review copy – but is also available at Loot).

Happy Reading

xxx

Hayley


1 Comment

  1. […] recently shared the books that I read and loved in September and seeing that Alyssa and Aidan have been loving a few good books too, I thought I would share them […]

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