Rewind and Fast Forward: September 2015

No, no, no, no, no. I will not accept that it is October. Probably why I've been procrastinating on writing this September wrap-up post. Because that means that September is over. Which means October is here. Which means fall is here. Which means...

I will not accept this. Summer just went by way too fast. And it feels like fall here. October 1st hit and all of a sudden it got cold. And wet. Hurricane Joaquin is affecting us in the DC area - although not as crazy as everyone thought... Seriously people were freaking out and it's literally just been raining here. But with that rain has come cold. Even now, I'm sitting here typing this in a sweatshirt under a blanket. Where's my cup of tea? Summer, please come back. For real. I'm not ready for this. 

Anyway, after I got back from vacay in September I finally got back into my normal blogging routine and it feels so good to be back! 

Reviews:

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas: 3 Stars

Another Day by David Levithan: 4 Stars

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott: 3.5 Stars

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: 5 Stars

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: 4.5 Stars

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis: 3.5 Stars

The most notable book on this list is Queen of Shadows which I did not like. And yes, it still hurts to say that out loud and in my head and on this blog. My heart still hurts thinking about that book. The review is chock-full of spoilers though so if you haven't read it, don't click. 

Book of the month was... I would say Six of Crows, but I actually read that a long time ago, my review just posted now. But seriously that book is amazing and everyone should go read it. I bought the finished copy and it is GORGEOUS. The edges of the pages are black. Yep. Black. And with the black, gray and red color scheme it makes the book look so badass. Seriously you need to buy it just to have that beauty on your shelves. 

But aside from Six of Crows, book of the month was definitely Illuminae. That book was so incredible!! The most unique sci-fi I have ever read. Told through a dossier of classified reports, transcripts of conversations between people, recordings between the ship's AI and the main character. Charts and graphs and visuals. So. Freaking. Good. If you like science fiction you should most definitely read this book. 

Other Posts:

I made a list of fantasy series I want to binge read. Help me decide where to start! I wrote a discussion post on rereading which was directly inspired from my reread of the entire Throne of Glass series I did with Wendy (best reread ever btw, until we got to QoS that is...). And I wrote one of my favorite TTT posts to write, seasonal TBRs! For fall of course. And I started a new feature called New to the Nest where I'll be sharing books I've recently added to my TBR/wishlist. 

In My Real Life:

I mentioned that I was on vacation at the beginning of September so I wrote a two part recap post, one on our time in London and the other on our time in Paris. The whole trip was so amazing, but it feels like a blur now. It went so fast and I can't believe it's over. And I still can't quite believe we were there. Good thing I took lots of pictures to prove that I was in fact in both cities. After I recapped both trips I wrote an honest post about my anxieties on traveling and how I forced myself to step out of my comfort zone and do it. 

After vacation though we didn't really do much this month. I had my company picnic where my team claimed the championship volleyball trophy. Obviously. I mean, was there ever a doubt? Yes. There were lots of doubts. But we surprised everyone, even ourselves and took the glory home. Yes, I got that intense about company picnic volleyball....

I also found out some very sad news after we got back from Europe. While we were gone, my family had to put our dog, Hannah down. She was a 12 year old German Shepherd and the best dog anyone could ask for. The sweetest, most patient thing in the world. I can't tell you how many times she would let me bury my face in her fur while I cried. Or how many times she would come cheer me up when she could tell I was feeling down. How she would growl at all the dumbass boyfriends I used to bring home, instinctively knowing they were all idiots (she loved Phil from the start, smart dog). I remember when she was a puppy and we used to give her a bath and then she would run around the house like a crazy dog trying to dry off. The time she ate two pounds of raw ground beef that was defrosting in the sink and then just laid around like a beached whale for hours (don't worry, we called the vet who said she would be fine). Mostly I remember all the joy she brought to our family. She was truly a part of our family and will be missed every single day. I love you, Hannah. Thanks for being the best dog a girl could ask for. 

Fast-Forward:

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston: October 6, 2015: About a girl who marries a man in her sister's place, to save her sister's life. But the prince (or king? synopsis doesn't really say...) isn't what she expected. Magic ensues and what's sure to be a stunning plot. 

The Rose Society by Marie Lu: October 6, 2015: The sequel to The Young Elites which was amazing! I love that the main character is an antihero. This series is deliciously dark and I am dying to know what's going to happen next! 

Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith: October 6, 2015: About a girl who can walk into people's dreams and uses that ability to gather intelligence for her government. 

The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas: October 13, 2015: OMG I am so excited for this book! In fact, as you're reading this I'm probably either finished or in the middle of reading it. I love this fantasy series by Sherry Thomas - so much so that I reread the first two books in preparation for this one - and you all know how rarely I reread books these days. 

The Queen by Tiffany Reisz: October 27, 2015: Oh god the series is ending and I can't even handle that thought. I still haven't read book 7 because I plan on rereading all 8 of them. But seriously, how is my life going to go on after this series is over? Kelly and I are going to have to form a support group I think... 

How was your September? What was your favorite book you read? What October release are you most looking forward to?