What I Read in September 2023

In September 2023 I was meant to be undertaking a 30 Books in 30 Day Challenge. However, this month has been incredibly exhausting. I found myself struggling to read, so I only managed to read six books, most of which weren’t even on my book list.

So, what did I manage to read in September 2023?

What I Read in September 2023

Different Aspects by Michael Ball

Me and my co-worker are marketing this incredible memoir for Bonnier Books UK and it is just as good as you’d expect from the West End legend. Full of joyful anecdotes and a pinch of gossip. The perfect gift for any theatre fans out there this Christmas.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

I picked up Small Things in a charity shop a few months back. It was one of the only books on my 30 Books in 30 Days challenge I managed to read. It’s so short I read it on a train journey to Richmond for a softball tournament and gave it to one of my teammates. A literary story about a man who helps a woman escape a Magdalene laundry at Christmas.

Seventeen by Joe Gibson

Written under a pseudonym, this is a memoir from a now-thirty-something-year-old man who was groomed at seventeen by his female school teacher. The events happened in the mid-90s, at a prestigious boarding school and the memoir is startling as it reveals that many at the school were aware of the affair and did nothing. In fact, you could say they supported it by ignoring it. Harrowing and shocking.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

This short story and Halloween classic was very slow, in my opinion, but atmospheric. Instantly forgettable but still a solid Autumnal read.

French Milk by Lucy Knisley

A graphic novel from the early 2000s, about a young woman and her mother’s New Years holiday in Paris. It’s a coming-of-age and relatable story about an impressionable young woman afraid yet excited to enter the world as a fully-fledged adult.

The Thing at 52 by Ross Montgomery

And finally, a sweet little children’s book about the loss of a family member. This story is about loneliness, friendship and ultimately loss. I’d say that ‘Thing’ represents grandparents and is really about preparing young children for the potential loss of a grandparent. It’s moving, sweet and memorable. Would highly recommend it.

What did you read in September 2023? Let me know in the comments below.

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