Best Books of September

As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from September.

Big Little Truths (Liane Moriarty): As solid as the first book (Big Little Lies), so if you liked that book, you will likely like this one. The kids are older, the adults are perimenopausal, the peninsula is still the greatest place on earth to live, and everyone is so completely themselves that you would know who is talking if someone dropped you into a scene. Really enjoyed spending time with everyone again.

The Barbecue at No. 9 (Jennie Godfrey): 4.5 rounded up for allowing the reader to relive Live Aid along with the story. It’s a book about truth and lies. The family you were born into, and the family you build through friends and partners. It’s really a lovely book.

The Castle (Jon Ronson): Ronson books are always thought-provoking. This one zigged and zagged a lot, and you spend your time reading about the lives of people you would probably not want to spend time with. I don’t know if I was invested deeply in figuring out what made them tick, but I enjoyed how invested Ronson was in that process.

Time Travel for Beginners (Jaclyn Moriarty): It was a two Moriarty month. (Jaclyn is Liane’s sister.) For 3/4ths of this book, I thought it was a sweet, easy five-star read. It made me think, there was some intriguing confusion, and there were so many lovely moments. But that ending? It pushes it to six stars. Brilliant. What an incredible commentary on the enormity of love.

All In (Claire Powerll): 4.5 rounded up. It’s a bit like a paper version of White Lotus but with a moving childless after infertility plot line that weaves through the story. I read it in small bits before bed, and it made me feel a little like I was on vacation at a lovely resort. In other words, transported.

What did you read last month?