Everything I Read in September 2021

I took a bit of a blogging and Instagram break for half of September. But looking back at my reading this month, I realise I ended up reading so much less which is odd but it might be because it included two of the Booker books. Lets get to the details.

Fiction

Summerwater by Sarah Moss

I really enjoy books like this. No real plot, different perspectives, great writing.

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

I was waiting to read this book almost the whole year – or atleast from the time I heard its being published. As a major Sally Rooney fan, it was exactly what I wanted, what I expected and what I hoped for from Sally Rooney’s third book. This book is also more closely aligned with Conversations With Friends, which is my favourite Sally Rooney book.

Its a story about four people in their thirties going about their lives and their friendship and romantic relationships. In quintessential Sally Rooney fashion, there is no real plot the book drives towards but the writing just makes you feel you are right there seeing the lives happen in front of you.

A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam

While reading this book I realised its been so long that I read a book immersed in my culture and background. Now Anuk is Sri Lankan, not Indian but there are parts of the book based in India and Sri Lankan culture is more similar to Indian culture (atleast as compared to Western culture) but it was while reading it that I realised how much I missed it. I definitely need to make a conscious effort to read more Indian or South Asian writers.

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson

Like A Passage North, I don’t want to say too much about the Booker long-listed book (although this didn’t make the shortlist) since I am definitely going to be discussing it later. I did enjoy this book very much. Its heart-warming – overused word but really works to describe this novel.

But there is a massive issue I had with this book and its a really weird complaint – the fat phobia! The amount of rude language used by atleast two characters for people who were fat was bizarre. This was especially odd since it was from one the of nicest characters so it was completely out of odds with the rest of the character. I don’t want to influence your thinking of the book but I wonder if anyone else thought this as well?

Non-fiction

The Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer

After raving about her vegan and vegetarian cookbook, I went out and got this one too. Its a little different than the

Articles

“Head-to-toe gold sequins!’: nine readers on their favourite post-lockdown party outfits” by Guardian readers

I really enjoyed this article! It was so joyful and seemed to almost cover every perspective. It also got me into a bit of a blackhole of thinking about my style and if its changed after the lockdown. What about you?

I am definitely back to blogging after my cycle ride and all of that is done so please look out for the next post! See you next week!

– Anisha