September: What I’ve Been Reading

Happy October 1st! ….one of my most favorite days of the year. October is the real beginning of fall (in my mind) which makes it my favorite month.

Lately, I’ve been feeling “a day late and a dollar short…” and this September book review on October 1st is kind of what I’m talking about.

I do feel like I’ve had less time to read lately…and by the time my head hits the pillow, I’m out! So, I hope to get back into reading a bit more soon, but today, I’ll share with you the three books I read in September.

Wild at Heart:

Wild at Heart is the follow up to The Simple Wild which I shared about in my June What I’ve Been Reading. In Wild at Heart, Calla returns to Alaska after Jonah shows up in Toronto, and they decide to give their relationship a chance in Alaska.

The plot of this story is Calla getting acclimated to the Alaskan way of life. Jonah is a pilot, so he’s gone a lot. That leaves her home alone, trying to build relationships in the community, renovating and decorating their log cabin on a huge piece of land while also trying to grow as a couple in a new relationship.

This book, like the first, could be deemed R Rated at times. I did enjoy this book, but probably liked the first book a bit better. I felt like the plot of this one moved a little slowly at some points. That being said, there’s a third book, Forever Wild, that comes out in December, and I definitely plan on reading it as well.

In Five Years:

Listen, y’all. I’d been wanting to read In Five Years since it came out in the spring. Then, the pandemic threw everything out of whack…including the library wait list because our library closed on Friday, March 13 like so much of the world.

Anyway, the library started curbside pickup at the end of the summer, and it was finally my turn to read this book. It’s by the same author as The Dinner List which is one of my favorite books…ever.

In Five Years is about the main character, Dannie, who is asked where she sees herself in five years during an interview. Later that night, she falls asleep and wakes up in 2025 to a different life. Then, when she wakes up again, she’s back in 2020. Dannie is very career driven and settled in her life with her longtime boyfriend. The plot of the book is the next 4 1/2 years as Dannie navigates the ups and downs of life and then finds herself meeting the man that she saw when she awoke in 2025.

This isn’t your average love story. This book is pretty short and a quick read. I loved it! I don’t want to give anything away, but I wasn’t a fan of the ending…until I was. I went from “huh?” to “ohhhh,” real quick!

From Goodreads: “Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.” Yep. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

I definitely think this will be a top read for me in 2020.

Two Can Keep a Secret:

One of my friends recommended Two Can Keep a Secret. I didn’t realize until I picked it up from the library, that it’s a teen fiction novel. I actually like to read TF sometimes, so I can give recommendations to my students! Also, I didn’t realize until I picked it up that it’s written by the same author One of Us is Lying which is another teen fiction fave of mine.

Two Can Keep a Secret is set in a small town. Ellery and Ezra end up there living with their grandmother while their mother works through some personal issues back in California. Ellery and Ezra always wondered about Echo Ridge, the town their mom, Sadie, grew up in, because their mom was always hesitant to go back.

Sadie’s sister, Sarah, went missing in 1996 and Sadie left town the next year. In October 2014, another girl is killed at Murderland, an amusement park nearby. In 2019, after Ezra and Ellery arrived in Echo Ridge, they are trying to get used to small town life. Then, there are anonymous threats that something will happen at the high school homecoming…and then, you guessed it, another girl disappears.

So, much of this book is Ezra and Ellery trying to get to the bottom of the missing girls in the community. I did enjoy this book and can certainly see why teens would like this mystery. I wasn’t necessarily on the edge of my seat trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle, but it was a good teen fiction read.

So…those are the three books I read this month. I’ve already picked up a book at the library to read this month and have downloaded a few to my Kindle as well. Now, let’s hope I can find a bit more time to read.

I’m taking tomorrow off, but I hope to be back with a blog post on Monday! I hope you have a great rest of the week and weekend.

Happy Reading!