Kira Jeanette

I know we are well into October, in fact we are pretty much at the end of October, but here’s my September wrap up!

I know I am late. I have started back at work and I am just getting used to being back in a routine. However, I am going to try and get some posts up and back into things. I do also have a deadline this month too, but hopefully it’ll work out. Bare with me.

I was in a pretty bad reading slump before September. So, I’m really proud of myself for reading five books! I also ventured into a genre that I wasn’t particularly interested. Well – I always liked the idea of this genre, but could never find the motivation or will-power to actually pick a book up and that is non-fiction. Non-ficiton always seemed really scary to me but last month I managed to read two non-fiction books!

The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy by William Strauss and Neil Howe

The full title is: The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny. It is quite a mouthful. I first heard about this book on the Chatty Broads podcast. The way they were talking about it and describing it was so intriguing to me that I picked it up straight away. Though I don’t live in America, some of the similarities between societies was so intriguing. Becuase of how much I enjoyed this book, I wanted to consume more non-fiction and it’s really sparked an interest in me. I have only read on more non-fiction book since, but I have a lot more of them on my TBR pile now!

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

I was drawn to this book because of the diversity of the main characters and the story. The main character Suzette is black and Jewish and also coming to terms with her sexuality, on top of this, her step-brother Lionel has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was a wonderful read about family, sexuality and relationships.

Five More Minutes by Shannon O’Connor

I adore Shannon O’Connor’s poetry, so of course I had to pick up her newest collection. She is a self-published poet and you can purchase her books here. If you’re interested in poetry that discusses relationship successes and failures, I definitely recommend picking up one of her books. Five More Minutes was a really fast paced read that really makes you feel all of the emotions related to the relationship breakdown.

Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz

Ever since the musical Hamilton came out on Disney+ in July, I have been obsessed with the historical period. During school, we focused a lot on American history and I really enjoyed it, so learning about this historical period is just building on top of another interest. I really like learning about the American Revolutionary War through this historical fiction book, and while Alex and Eliza focuses on the romance of the two historical figures, the back drop is the American Revolutionary War which I really enjoyed. I can’t wait to pick up the other two books in the series, as well as any other historical fiction books related to this time period.

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

This was the other non-fiction book that I read. I really enjoyed this one too. It also showed me where the gaps in my knowledge are regarding British history and race. After reading this, I got some more books related to Black British history to try and fill in these gaps and help me understand further. I listened to the audiobook for Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race and it was narrated by Reni Eddo-Lodge. It was a wonderful audiobook that felt like a clear conversation about an important subject.

What books did you read last month?