September has been a bit of a blur – I’ve felt like I’m running to try and catch an accelerating bus in most aspects of my life, and it’s not my favourite. Add in the endless uncertainty of the world at the moment, and I could really do with some quiet time a long way away from everywhere. But first, October.

Reading Round-up

September got off to a slow start – one of those annoying reading funks caused by exhaustion, stress and the anxiety that you should be writing reviews of things you’ve already read, not reading more things you’ll then need to review. Thanks, brain.

Still, it all got a bit easier when I turned to an old favourite for a reread and then got started on recent releases from authors who always snag my attention. Thank you Sarah Moss, Jen Williams, Anna Stephens and J Y Yang for being so good at what you do.

• Cold Earth – Sarah Moss  ★★★★
• Bloodchild – Anna Stephens  ★★★★
• Foxfire, Wolfskin and other Stories of Shapeshifting Women – Sharon Blackie  ★★★★
• Bite-size Books: The Ascent to Godhood – J Y Yang  ★★★☆
• Bite-size Books: Adrift on the Sea of Rains – Ian Sales  ★★★(★)

Review Round-up

To deal with the brain weasels, I declared an amnesty on older unwritten reviews, and compromised on just writing up my outstanding ARCs. Hooray for a clear(er) conscience!

• Brightfall – Jaime Lee Moyer  ★★★☆
• Once Upon A River – Diane Setterfield  ★★★☆
• Turning Darkness Into Light – Marie Brennan  ★★★★☆

Stacking the shelves

Yes, really, I bought some non-fiction! It’s been ages since I read any, and I want to make more of an effort on this front again. The rest are a combination of ARCs, which I was delightfully inundated with this month, and unexpected windfalls (books I’ve had on my wishlist that suddenly went on sale this month. More yay!)

Reading statistics

My goal – always – is to read diversely and to love every book. This year, I’m determined to read more books I own, but I am taking it one book at a time.

Books read: 51 / 75 | Game of Books: 292 / 400

• 6 / 22 off the shelf (i.e. not bought in 2019)
• 17 ARCs / Hugo packet
• 14 bite-size (excl. short stories)

Authors: 14 male (8%) / 33 female (65%) / 3 trans, non-binary or genderfluid (6%) and 1 collaboration

• Authors of colour: 10 (19%)
• LGBTQIA authors: 13 (25.5%)
• Non-US / UK based authors: 4 (8%)

What else has been going on?

The Winnowing Flame read-along has begun its final leg – we started The Poison Song in September – we’re halfway, but if you’re a fast reader with the book on hand it’s not too late to join us (and if you’ve already read it, you can come laugh in the comments at our flailing).

Coming up soon – the Wyrd and Wonder mini-event Spooktastic Reads will be back for the last 13 days of October. This is a low-key event (no sign up required) to read, blog, tweet and generally enthuse about the darker side of fantasy as we approach Hallowe’en: bring out your ghost stories, grab your grittiest urban fantasies, and scream into the void with us if it gets too nerve-wracking.

SciFiMonth will be back in November. We’re stashing tea, books and plenty of blankets in the hold. The galley is filling up with all the food we might dream of. You can sign up to join the crew of the annual SciFi celebration – sign up before November 1st and make a post in the first week of November to be included in the draw for the Sign-up Giveaway.