September Round-Up!

This month I read a ton of graphic novels. I also read some really great books too. One of my favorites was I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. It was a hard book to read and I feel weird saying that I enjoyed reading it (I did) but I think it’s one that everyone should read. Also can we talk about how well written this book was?? Jennette really did a great job writing this and I hope that she continues to write – I would love to read more of her writing. Overall, this book was sad, and it made me angry, but it was also was a really great read.

Next up we have A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. This was such a great book! I bought this book for my birthday from Wally World and then forgot about it for two months. But I finally got around to reading it and I loved it! I’m currently reading the e-book of the second book because once I finished the first one I couldn’t wait and immediately got the second one so I could start reading it right away.

In this book we follow Pippa Fitz-Amobi as she is working on a school project. Her project focuses on the murder of Andie Bell supposedly by Sal Singh. The whole town thinks that he did it. And it doesn’t help that he killed himself right after the murder – it just makes him look even more guilty. But Pippa doesn’t think that he did it. As she investigates the murder, she encounters many twists and turns and teams up with Sal’s brother, Ravi. As she gets closer and closer to solving the murder, Pip starts getting threatening notes and messages. Will she be able to solve the murder? Did Sal actually do it? You’ll have to read this one in order to find out!

I love Grady Hendrix – I’m working on reading all of his books and last month I read Occupy Space. This book was insane but I mean, all of Hendrix’s books are so I don’t know what I was expecting. We follow Walter Reddie and his band of misfits as they try to build a rocket to rescue his cousin who is stranded on the International Space Station. They recruit a variety of people from the town (and further) who want to be a part of something historic. Throughout the book this little rag tag band of misfits overcomes many obstacles – the police, the FBI, getting supplies, actually getting the rocket to launch, etc. It was another great book by Mr. Hendrix and I can’t wait to read more of his books!

This book is perfect for Spooky Season! It’s What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. I can’t wait to read more from this author! In this book we follow a soldier as they go to visit a sick friend. There’s a spooky lake, a gothic manor house, creepy hares, and much much more. I don’t want to give away ANY of the plot because it’s such a great book. It’s also pretty short – only 176 pages – so it’s a quick read. This is a fantastic book and one I think you should definitely check out! I think it may be one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year.

Next up we have a really cute manga called The Muscle Girl Next Door by Amesuke Ano. This manga is about Daria who is in love with his muscly next door neighbor, Ruby. But anytime she talks to him he gets so flustered that he answers in short, terse sentences. Everyone at school thinks he’s so cool and aloof because of that but he’s really just anxious and nervous. Daria doesn’t think that he’s good enough for Ruby because he’s to scrawny but that doesn’t stop her from hanging out with him and eating all the good food that he cooks for her. She’s admittedly not a great cook so they bond over that and Daria likes to cook for her anyway. This is such a cute manga although I am sad that it’s just a one-shot, I would love to see more of these characters. Highly recommend this one if you are looking for a sweet slice of life manga.

Lastly, we have Dear Sophie, Love Sophie by Sophie Lucido Johnson. This is a graphic novel that is based on the author’s journal entries from when she was younger. The format has the journal entry first and then the author writes back to her younger self with accompanying illustrations. This was really sweet and such a relatable read. I really loved the art style too, it was so pretty. I loved reading this book and it’s one that I think a lot of teens would benefit from reading.

That’s all for this month folks! I hope you had a great month and have a fun and safe spooky season!