Savoring what I could in September
What I read in September
What beautiful dreams I had to #savorSeptember, a practice created by
on Pantsuit Politics a couple years ago. On September 1st, I started posting in my Instastories photos of yummy treats. I had plans to post every day as I slowed down in September before the hustle and bustle of the holidays (spooky to grateful to joyful) took over.My last #savorSeptember post was September 15th. 😳
Y’all, savaged by September would have been a more accurate description of my month. My youngest had a bad day at school that spiraled into a bad week that spiraled into a bad month. I’m coming up for air just in time for a super stressful transition at work.
Thank God I followed your recommendations for the most delightful books in my TBR pile because a couple of these books were about all I did manage to savor this September.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim
Now she had taken off her goodness and left it behind her like a heap of rain-sodden clothes, and she only felt joy.
When y’all are right, you are RIGHT. Everyone said move The Enchanted April to the top of the pile and that might have been the best reading decision I made all year. Look, I love an English novel. I particularly love a post-WWI English novel written by a woman about women. So, I’m wondering how I got to 43 without reading The Enchanted April!?
The story of four women who escape their dreary lives in London for a vacation in Italy apparently set off an Italian tourism craze in 1922 and I can see why. My only regret about reading this book is I wasn’t in Italy while doing so. I absolutely loved every character and Von Arnim’s writing is as sharp and witty as it comes. Delight doesn’t begin to cover this novel!
Funny Story: A Novel by Emily Henry
[T]hey don’t realize you don’t get to be loved by people whose hearts you completely fucking destroy.
If someone writes a better open door scene then Emily Henry, I haven’t found them yet. Her balance of rom-com banter and sensual chemistry is some of the best out there. I haven’t read all of her books but I’ve read most and this was one of my favorites. If you’ve ever had everyone else’s angel become the devil that broke your heart, then you will appreciate Henry’s ability to describe and callout that particular brand of gaslighting. Plus, the romantic leads are as charming as their heartbreakers are annoying.
I’m not a huge romance novel reader, but I find one or two a year just about right. I never regret picking up a Emily Henry novel for those spots.
Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
Pride is the rope God allows us all.
I first read this book back in 2014. I remember liking it but not much else so I was excited to reread it along with Well-Read Mom this year. Rereading has always been a struggle for me. There are so many books I want to read for the first time, going back to one I’ve read before always seemed like a waste.
How wrong I was. I started rereading one of Jane Austen’s novels at the beginning of every year and realized how special it is to reread a book you love with fresh eyes and new lived experiences. Don’t get me wrong, not all rereading is as satisfying as an Austen novel but I still make space for it in my reading life.
For this reread, I listened to it on audiobook so I could hear the story in a new way and really loved Enger’s depth of place and well-formed characters. This year’s theme for Well-Read Mom is The Year of the Father and it is not hard to see why Jeremiah Land was an excellent beginning to that journey. (Next up? The Aeneid…pray for me.)
Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage, and Survival by Velma Wallis
Within each individual on this large and complicated world there lives an astounding potential for greatness.
Another TBR recommendation from y’all. This novella was a simple but profound story of survival that put many of my stressors in much needed perspective. Plus, it made quite the location contrast to The Enchanted April!
With so much talk of longevity and aging - especially among my female friends, the story of Ch'idzigyaak and Sa' was a much needed reminder that what we believe we can do is as important as what others believe we can do.
The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning by A.J. Jacobs
I will exercise my First Amendment right to free speech—but I'll do it the old-fashioned way.
With the election approaching and a trip to Philadelphia in September, this book seemed like the natural next choice to pull out of my TBR pile.
(That makes three I checked off this month…ask me how many I got for free from publishers during the same time period…)
Jacobs exploration of the lived existence of the founding era was of more interest to me then his Constitutional learnings. However, I have to say even as someone who took Constitutional Law I did learn more about our founding document than I expected. Silly historical antics aside (and there are many!0, I did think he unearthed some great historical insights to help us make sense of the recent resurgence in Constitutional originalism.
p.s. If you read Zadie Smith’s The Fraud on my recommendation, I cannot recommend this conversation between her and Ezra Klein highly enough!
What did you read in September? Did you savor much this month?
I read a ton of romance in September because it's just what I need after long days back to school (I'm a public school teacher). But beyond the fun, the most life-changing book I read recently was 14 Talks By Age 14 by Michelle Icard, which is an excellent book for pre-teens and teens with subjects and scripts for all the tough conversations.
I loved Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller. This story, written in a style reminiscent of Fannie Flagg or Carl Hiassen, is set in a little fictional Georgia town. It deals with a lot of current issues: racism, the stain of slavery and its affect in the US today, the reasons behind white nationalism, and of course, book censorship.