Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in September 2024. (I’m running a bit behind schedule due to Rosh Hashanah – I’ll already be sharing October’s books early next week!) I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I actually do have two more 5 star read to share here as well! The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: How To Hide In Plain Sight
Author: Emma Noyes
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley, 9/10/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
How To Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes was a highly anticipated read for me because I loved her previous book. This one was just as well written and raw, as it is about Eliot, who has OCD with intrusive thoughts. Eliot separated herself from her family and her best friend Manuel three years ago, but now they are reunited for her brother’s wedding. Her whole family has been through a lot, having lost a child when he and Eliot were young.
“On the day she arrives in Canada for her older brother’s wedding, Eliot Beck hasn’t seen her family in three years. Eliot adores her big, wacky, dysfunctional collection of siblings and in-laws, but there’s a reason she fled to Manhattan and buried herself in her work—and she’s not ready to share it with anyone. Not when speaking it aloud could send her back into the never-ending cycle of the obsessive-compulsive disorder that consumed her for years. Eliot thinks she’s prepared to survive the four-day-long wedding extravaganza—until she sees her best friend, Manuel, waiting for her at the marina and looking as handsome as ever. He was the person who, when they met as children, felt like finding the missing half of her soul. The person she tried so hard not to fall in love with… but did anyway. Manuel’s presence at the wedding threatens to undo the walls Eliot has built around herself. The fortress that keeps her okay. If she isn’t careful, by the end of this wedding, the whole castle might come crumbling down.”
My main issue with the book was the family’s resistance to treating OCD with medication, as I remember learning that it is highly treatable with anti anxiety medication. Also, Manuel and Eliot love each other and while I would not classify this book as a romance, it almost seemed to state that their getting together at the end of the book would be a cure for Eliot. I did find the ending to be a bit abrupt as well. Without this few issues, this was a great read the whole way through.
Title: House of Glass
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, 8/6/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen was was a quick thriller which was a fun read. It is about Stella, an advocate for children who are involved in custody cases. She agrees to represent Rose, who is not speaking after seeing her nanny fall out a window and die. There is a question about what caused her to fall, as well as which parent Rose should live with. Stella herself went through trauma as a child and this case brings back memories for her.
“On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie. A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was she pushed? A nine-year-old girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer. But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying? Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny – in the midst of her parent’s bitter divorce – and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She never accepts clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood, but Stella’s mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help. From the moment Stella passes through the iron security gate and steps into the gilded, historic DC home of the Barclays, she realizes the case is even more twisted, and the Barclay family far more troubled, than she feared. And there’s something eerie about the house itself: It’s a plastic house, with not a single bit of glass to be found. As Stella comes closer to uncovering the secrets the Barclays are desperate to hide, danger wraps around her like a shroud, and her past and present are set on a collision course in ways she never expected. Everyone is a suspect in the nanny’s murder. The mother, the father, the grandmother, the nanny’s boyfriend. Even Rose. Is the person Stella’s supposed to protect the one she may need protection from?”
I thought this was a creepy and interesting read as we learn about the things Rose isn’t saying – and why there is no glass in the house!
Title: Master Class
Author: Christina Dalcher
Genre: Thriller / Dystopian
Publisher: Berkley, 4/21/20
Source: Publisher (Print), Library (Audio)
Why I Read It: Waiting on my shelf
My Rating: 4 Stars
This month I listened to Master Class by Christina Dalcher, which was a book I had waiting on my shelf. This wasn’t on my 24 in ’24 list so I guess I’m getting ahead for next year! This book is about Elena, a mom to two girls in a world where children are assessed and placed into schools based on their scores. Elena’s daughter Freddie is sent to a state school in KS and Elena follows her there and uncovers what is actually happening at the school and in the country overall.
“Every child’s potential is regularly determined by a standardized measurement: their quotient (Q). Score high enough, and attend a top tier school with a golden future. Score too low, and it’s off to a federal boarding school with limited prospects afterwards. The purpose? An improved society where education costs drop, teachers focus on the more promising students, and parents are happy. Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the state’s elite schools. When her nine-year-old daughter bombs a monthly test and her Q score drops to a disastrously low level, she is immediately forced to leave her top school for a federal institution hundreds of miles away. As a teacher, Elena thought she understood the tiered educational system, but as a mother whose child is now gone, Elena’s perspective is changed forever. She just wants her daughter back. And she will do the unthinkable to make it happen.”
This book was somewhat sad and it kept me listening. There is a scary connection to eugenics and the Holocaust in it as well.
Title: Puppy Kindergarten
Author: Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Random House, 8/27/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I keep reading books about puppies and feeling sad I don’t have one! Puppy Kindergarten is about the studies done on raising puppies at Duke, where student volunteers help raise puppies who go on to become service dogs.
“What does it take to raise a great dog? This was the question that husband-and-wife team Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods hoped to answer when they enrolled one hundred and one puppies in the Duke Puppy Kindergarten. With the help of a retired service dog named Congo, Brian, Vanessa, and their team set out to understand the secrets of the puppy mind: What factors might predict whether a puppy will grow up to change someone’s life? Never has cuteness been so cutting edge. Applying the same games that psychologists use when exploring the development of young children, Hare and Woods uncover what happens in a puppy’s mind during their final stage of rapid brain development. Follow the adventures of Arthur, who makes friends with toy dinosaurs; Wisdom, the puppy genius; and Ying, who fails at cognitive games that even pigeons usually pass with flying colors. Along the way, learn about when puppies finally start to retain memories for longer than just a few seconds, or when they finally develop some self-control. Raising dozens of puppies on a college campus means you get pretty good at answering big questions, such as: When do puppies sleep through the night? How do you stop them from eating poop? How can we help our puppies grow up to be the best dogs they can possibly be? Whether you are a new puppy parent or a perennial puppy lover, Puppy Kindergarten will answer every question you’ve ever had about puppies—and some you never thought to ask.”
I enjoyed reading about the individual puppies and their personalities. Some of the science and research results were a bit harder to get through. The end of the book includes information on what supplies you need for a puppy as well as a puppy schedule.
Title: Worst Case Scenario
Author: TJ Newman
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Co, 8/13/24
Source: Library
Why I Read It: Enjoyed her previous books
My Rating: 4 Stars
As a fan of the previous thrillers by TJ Newman, I was excited to read Worst Case Scenario. I listened to the audio which was narrated by Joe Morton. This story is about a small town in Minnesota which is home to a nuclear power plant. When a plane crashes into the town, the effects are devastating. The situation around the power plant could lead to something catastrophic and the town’s people unite to try to stop this from happening.
“The International Nuclear Event Scale tracks nuclear disasters. It has seven levels. Level 7 is a Major Accident, with only two on record: Fukushima and Chernobyl. There has never been a Level 8. Until now. In this heart-stopping thriller, ordinary people—power plant employees, firefighters, teachers, families, neighbors, and friends— are thrust into an extraordinary situation as they face the ultimate test of their lives. It will take the combined courage, ingenuity, and determination of a brave few to save not only their community and loved ones, but the fate of humanity at large.”
While Joe Morton’s narration was good, he has a certain way of speaking that occasionally brought me out of the story. The scene changes also were jarring in the audio. The story itself reminded me of an episode of 9-1-1. This could definitely be a TV show or a movie!
Title: Tiger Daughter
Author: Rebecca Lim
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Yearling, 2/2/21
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim is a middle grade novel is about immigrants from China living in Australia. Wen and Henry both have difficult home lives as they each adapt to their new lives after moving to Australia from China. Henry faces a family tragedy and Wen and her mom start bringing food to Henry and his father. This is against the wishes of Wen’s father, who is strict and controlling. Wen’s mom begins to do more for herself and to protect Wen from her father’s anger.
“Wen Zhou is a first-generation daughter of Chinese migrant parents. She has high expectations from her parents to succeed in school, especially her father whose strict rules leave her feeling trapped. She dreams of creating a future for herself more satisfying than the one her parents expect her to lead. Then she befriends a boy named Henry who is also a first generation immigrant. He is the smartest boy at school despite struggling with his English and understands her in a way nobody has lately. Both of them dream of escaping and together they come up with a plan to take an entrance exam for a selective school far from home. But when tragedy strikes, it will take all of Wen’s resilience and tiger strength to get herself and Henry through the storm that follows.”
There is a lot that these characters face from bullying to grief and depression and both Wen and Henry are strong and worth rooting for. I could see this being discussed in middle school classrooms.
Title: Out of My Dreams
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 9/3/24
Source: Audio Publisher
Why I Read It: Part of a series
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4
Out of My Mind is an excellent middle grade read and I also read Out of My Heart a few years ago, so I was excited to catch up with Melody again. If you don’t know Melody, she is a young girl who has cerebral palsy and cannot walk or talk. She does have a communication device, and when she sees that her neighbor has fallen outside, she uses it to call for help. She is awarded a trip to London to take part in a symposium for kids with various disabilities.
“When Melody saves an elderly back-in-the-day actress’s life, the woman is so grateful—and impressed by Melody—that she nominates Melody to be a US spokesperson at an international symposium for kids with different abilities. To Melody’s utter shock and delight, she and two friends of her choice are chosen to participate—and this year’s symposium is in England! Melody finally gets to fly on an airplane, and even the airline’s somewhat clumsy handling of her wheelchair can’t dampen her excitement to be in London. There, Melody meets kids from all over the world who are rallying for greater accessibility and more thoughtful planning on how to make the world more equal for every kid, no matter the unusual challenges they face. As Melody’s time to speak approaches, she hopes she can find a way to make every word count and make an impact.”
Most of the book focuses on Melody sightseeing in London and the symposium doesn’t happen until the end. I would have liked to read more about Melody coming up with ideas to make things more accessible for kids like her. Melody has very few problems getting around in London, until she encounters one place that is not accessible. Mostly, her dreams come true.
Title: Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat
Author: Lauren Appelbaum
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Forever, 9/24/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat was amusing and I could imagine it as a sitcom. Rachel and her friends are pretty obsessed with finding the right person to date. Rachel meets Christopher Butkus, who is always called by his first and last name, and instantly hates him. For some reason, he keeps popping up wherever Rachel goes! Her overbearing mom wants her to date him, so she obviously has to turn away. At one point I remembered that this is a Pride and Prejudice retelling, which explained the focus on dating! However, I wouldn’t classify the book as a romance as it really focuses on Rachel herself.
“The year is already off to a bad start. It’s not enough that Rachel Weiss is stuck in a job she despises and has an unfortunate attraction to men who disappoint her. It’s the Year of Turning Thirty . . . and now her mother won’t stop trying to set up Rachel with the millionaire buying the house next door. Luckily Rachel has amazing friends and their juicy group chat to keep her going. But amid work-mandated therapy, her thirteen gray hairs, and biking in the buff, she can’t help wondering why she isn’t moving forward like everyone else. As Rachel’s life—and circle of friends—begins to fall apart, she confides in the last person she expects. The uptight, irritating—yet surprisingly funny and thoughtful—tech bro next door may be the one person who sees Rachel for the woman she wants to be. After random DMs turn into confessing letters, she begins to realize perhaps it was she who had him wrong all along.”
Rachel was a somewhat difficult character to like. She wasn’t a great friend – but she realized that and tried to fix it! Even worse are her younger twin sisters who are 16 but act about 8. I appreciate that this book was sent to me as a Jewish reviewer since it includes Jewish representation – but I hope Rachel’s mom wasn’t supposed to be a typical Jewish mom – she was way over the top!
Title: 10/7: One Hundred Human Stories
Author: Lee Yaron
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, 9/24/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
10/7: 100 Human Stories by Lee Yaron is a collection of stories about what people went through when a terrorist group entered Israel with the intent to harm anyone they encountered. Whether they were senior citizens on their way to the Dead Sea for the day, Bedouin families, peace activists, foreign workers earning money for their families, parents trying to protect their children and the children of their neighbors, or young people enjoying a concert, there was unspeakable violence committed against them all. People were captured and taken hostage. Over 100 people still remain in captivity one year later.
“On October 7, 2023―the Sabbath and the final day of the holiday of Sukkot―the Gaza-based terror group Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on the people of Israel. Crashing through the border, attacking from the sea and air, militants indiscriminately massacred civilians in what became one of the worst terror attacks in modern history, and the most lethal day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. A radically passionate work of investigative journalism and political critique by acclaimed Haaretz reporter Lee Yaron, 10/7 chronicles the massacre that ignited a war through the stories of more than 100 civilians. These stories are the products of extensive interviews with survivors, the bereaved, and first responders in Israel and beyond. The victims run the gamut from left-wing kibbutzniks and Burning Man-esque partiers to radical right-wingers, from Bedouins and Israeli Arabs to Thai and Nepalese guest workers, peace activists, elderly Holocaust survivors, refugees from Ukraine and Russia, pregnant women, and babies. At a time when people are seeking a deeper understanding of the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how internal political turmoil in Israel has affected it, they predominantly encounter perspectives from the powerful―from politicians and military officers. 10/7 takes a fresh approach, offering answers through the stories of everyday people, those who lived tenuously on the border with Gaza. Yaron profiles victims from a wide range of communities―depicting the fullness of their lives, not just their final moments―to honor their memories and reveal the way the attack ripped open Israeli society and put the entire Middle East on the precipice of disaster. Each chapter begins with a portrait of a community, interweaving history with broader political analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to provide context for the narratives that follow. Ultimately, 10/7 shows that the tragedy is much greater than the violence of the attacks, and in fact extends back through the entire Netanyahu era, which propagated a false image of Israel as a technologically advanced, militarily formidable powerhouse so essential to the region that it could continue to ignore and undermine Palestinian statehood indefinitely.”
We are still in mourning and this book shows why. Describing people’s family histories in Israel makes the reader connect with them and care about them as individuals. The author expresses frustration towards government failures and covers stories we heard in the news as well as many we did not. It is sad and hard to read, but so important to do so.
Title: Stronger At The Seams
Author: Shannon Stocker
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Blink, 10/1/24
Source: Storygram Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I loved this YA book about Twyla, who begins struggling with health issues the doctors dismiss as minor. She finds herself searching for answers on her own, while also dealing with friendship fallouts and the lingering effects of her mother’s death as she navigates her freshman year of high school. Twyla lives with her dad and her younger brother Wolfie. They are all dealing with the death of her mom and Twyla wonders if her extreme nausea could be related to something her mom had too. Twyla is a field hockey player and she begins to struggle in the game as well.
“Twyla enters high school sure of three things: Her best friends will always be there for her, the next four years will be amazing, and her mom was right when she said there’s a reason behind everything. Then she gets extremely nauseous and has trouble concentrating during a field hockey game. The doctors say it’s only a mild digestive issue, but Twyla is convinced they’re wrong. Making things worse, her friends start ghosting her outside of school, even though they tell her everything is fine, and her dad is becoming more distant each time she asks about her mom’s life before she died. As Twyla’s illness intensifies and her diagnosis stays the same, she finds herself feeling like her world is unraveling. It’s not until she begins researching her symptoms herself—and discovers something in her mom’s old records that could hold the answer to her condition—that she believes there could be some sort of reason for everything she’s facing. But will anyone listen to her in time?”
It was so frustrating to see Twyla’s concerns dismissed and her friends seem to abandon her when she needs them most. Her new friend Angela seems to be there for her though! I really liked this book but I will warn that it is sad and scary and deals with illness which may be hard for some to read about. While the characters are on the younger side of YA, it will be appropriate for older readers with its subject matter.
There you have it, the rest of my September reading! This post included 10 of the books I read in September. 8 of these books were in print and 2 were audio. Genres included contemporary, thriller, and non fiction. 7 were adult reads, 1 was YA, and 2 were Middle Grade.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
