That’s A Wrap! – September 2026

Reading update

I read eight books in September, two fewer than the previous month. I didn’t manage to read all my ARCs publishing in September which had been my objective. I have two left and they are both over 600 pages so that’s my excuse. October is a quieter month so I’m hoping to be able to dig into my TBR pile as well.

Here are the books I read, with links to my reviews (where I’ve got round to writing them):

• Cold Sunset by William Boyd
• Miss Veal and Miss Ham by Vikki Heywood
• The Newer World by Sebastian Barry
• Switzy by Emma Cline
• V is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death by Kathryn Harkup
• The Housekeeper by Rose Tremain
• Creatures of Circumstance by W. Somerset Maugham
• The Marchesa by Sarah Dunant

My favourite book last month was Cold Sunset, the third in the Gabriel Dax historical thriller series.

Blog update

I published 29 blog posts in September:

Book reviews/author features – 9
Memes – 9
Reading updates – 11

For those who like their stats, my blog received 10k views in September, down 10% on the previous month. All-time views now stand at 549,762. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my reviews and/or leave comments last month.

Reading goals update

• Goodreads – 74/104, still 4 books behind schedule
• Read 20 books that have been in my TBR for over 2 years – 4/20, one more than last month
• When Are You Reading? Challenge – 10/12, 1 more than last month
• Historical Fiction Reading Challenge – 36/50, 5 more than last month
• Classics Club List 2 – 5/50, 1 more than last month
• Read all the books on the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2026 longlist – 9/12, same as last month
• NetGalley feedback ratio – 98%, 1% higher than last month
• Audiobooks – 6/12, same as last month

Plans for October…

• Get up-to-date with reviews. Yes, I know that appeared in last month’s list and probably the month before that
• Read my two remaining ARCs with September publication dates – Doom Painting by A. K. Blakemore and The Weight of Angels by John Boyne
• Read my two ARCs with October publication dates – The Wolf’s Oath by Tim Hodkinson and The Farther Shore by Seth Fleisher
• Read a book for the 1949 Club Challenge, probably Head of a Traveller by Nicholas Blake
• Read my book club’s October pick – Three Summers by Karen Swan