Autumn has arrived here in New York, finally, and I am thrilled! September was a tough month for me, as I was dealing with (more) medical stuff and trying to get these issues addressed before we left for a vacation abroad. We ruled out a serious issue on one of the problems, but didn’t figure out what was causing it or how to make it better. As for the other issue, my doctor wasn’t available and the providers who were available weren’t able to figure it out. It led to two emergency room visits, and thankfully the doctor on my second visit figured it out quickly and got me treated and on my way. I was especially lucky because it was two days before my trip, and I had to fight not to get admitted. It’s hard to focus on reading when you aren’t feeling well and running all over the place to see doctors and get tests done, as well as preparing for a big trip. Fortunately, audiobooks came to the rescue once again.

Here are my September updates:

• I finally made it to 850 followers! Next goal is 900.
• I’m fallen even farther behind on physical ARCs, still working through July releases. I’m also working through my September NetGalley ARCs, but am hoping to get caught up soon.
• Of the 21 books I read in September, 2 were nonfiction. One was about poisons, and the other was a new age book.
• I didn’t read any of my owned books this month.
• As far as diverse voices, I read 1 book by a Black author, 1 by a LGBTQIA+ author, 1 by an Asian/Pacific Islander author, 1 by an Arab author, and 5 by a Latine author.
• I’m still trying to read genres outside of my comfort zone, and in September I read 13 horror books, 1 science/nature book, and 1 new age book.
• I read none of my 12 in 12 challenge books, but I read 1 book for the PopSugar reading challenge, which puts me at 90% done.

Here’s my breakdown of monthly/cumulative totals for September:

September Totals:

• Books read: 21
• Books DNF’d: 1
• Pages read: 2,150
• Hours listened: 5 days, 1 hour, 0 minutes
• Average pages: 345.8
• Average hours listened: 11 hours, 0 minutes

Cumulative Averages:

• Days per book: 3.67
• Pages read per day: 142.64
• Books read per month: 28
• DNF’d books per month: 1.78

Genres Read in September:

• Fantasy: 7
• General Fiction: 1
• Historical Fiction: 1
• Horror: 3
• Mystery/Suspense: 4
• Paranormal/New Age: 1
• Romance/Erotica: 3
• Science/Nature: 1

Backlist vs. New Releases:

• Backlist books: 6
• 2023 releases: 15

Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 19
• Nonfiction: 2

Format Read:

• Print: 4
• Digital: 6
• Audio: 11

Age Range:

• Adult: 20
• YA: 1

My favorite book of the month was Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs.

Here’s what I read in September:

• The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle by T.L. Huchu (Edinburgh Nights #3) (NG ARC)
• The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren (Unhoneymooners #1.5) (ALC)
• Hex and the City by Kate Johnson (NG ARC)
• Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (ALC)
• The Kitchen Witch Handbook by Aurora Kane (NG ARC)
• The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer (NG ARC)
• Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs (Publisher ARC)

• The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young (NG ARC)

• A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them by Neil Bradbury
• Forget Me Not by Julie Soto (ALC)
• The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem (The Scorched Throne #1) (Publisher ARC)
• The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard (ALC)
• Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (ALC)
• The Pariah by Anthony Ryan (Covenant of Steel #1) (Publisher ARC)

• Bloody Summer by Carmen Maria Machado (Trespass Collection #6)

• Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (ALC)

• Wednesdays at One by Sandra A. Miller (ALC)
• The Neighbors We Want by Tim Lane (ALC)

• The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop (ALC)

• One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (The Shepherd King #1) — reread
• The City of Dusk by Tara Sim (The Dark Gods #1) — reread

How did September go for you?