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
