September Reads
favourites, recommendations & dislikes
I didn’t forget! Here is my September round-up of books. I also hit my Goodreads target of reading 150 books this year in September, so that’s cool I guess.
Favourites
Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent
Another great book acquired through NetGalley - Always Home, Always Homesick is about Kent’s time in Iceland as an exchange student from Australia, and then how this relationship developed when she decided to write a novel about the last public execution to take place in Iceland. It is a stunning homage to a country, its culture and its people. Kent also does a great job of questioning where a sense of home and belonging comes from and whether birthright truly matters.
The Gallery of Upside Down Women by Arundhathi Subramani
A fantastic poetry collection from the National Poetry Library (membership is free!) on the Libby app. Subramani’s writing is evocative and utterly immersive as she writes about women both historical and mythological.
Recommendations
Adventures in the Skin Trade by Dylan Thomas
The foreword mentions that Thomas never intended for this to be published and it stands unfinished, because he decided he didn’t want to finish it. I understand why as come Part 3 it loses its way entirely. But, it is a fantastic text to read in light of John Fante and J. D. Salinger, as the English equivalent to the sense of freedom and opportunism explored by the American authors in the 1930s - 1950s.
Fires Which Burned Brightly by Sebastian Faulks
Less of a memoir, more of an exploration of Faulks’ craft and how he came to be the writer he is. Shaped by nostalgia, childhood experiences, and research into the war and mental health conditions, Faulks has written ten essays that provide insight into the creative process of a writer while keeping in mind the human being who holds the pen.
Dislikes
Mischief Night by Ronny Lumsden
This is very, very English of me, especially considering the Scottish blood that runs in my veins… But as soon as Lumsden’s poems turned into heavy dialect, I put the collection down. I just dislike needing to do mental gymnastics when I’m reading. The first half was good though so I’m sure Lumsden is rightfully a revered Scottish poet.
Penguin Modern Poets 1 & 2
These collections of selected poems from modern/contemporary poets are so hit and miss I have serious questions for the editor(s). I’ve read two before these two which were alright. These two, however, aside from the Emily Berry poems in one of them, were awful. The link between the chosen poets and their styles is tenuous at best and I’m sure they haven’t chosen their best poems either. And any look into reviews of these collections suggest we all feel the same… What’s the deal Penguin?
Share your favourites with me in the comments! Or even those that thoroughly disappointed you.
Image by Erika Varga from Pixabay
Currently reading Always Home and loving it. Making me want to visit Iceland