Welcome to my September 2024 Favorite Books post! This monthly post is where I share the 5 star books I’ve read so far each month. I had a few 5 star reads this month that I am excited to share. You can see the first half of my September reading here and I will share the rest next week. There are a few more days left this month so there is still a chance I will have additional 5 star reads, and if so, they will appear in next week’s post too. 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.
Title: The Whisper Sister
Author: Jennifer S. Brown
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union, 9/3/24
Source: Get Red PR
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This historical fiction book is set in the 1920s, which is a time period I love to read about, plus it’s about a Jewish family! This is about Minnie, who comes to NYC from Ukraine as a young child along with her parents and brother. The story follows her life as she adjusts to being American while also facing much loss and tragedy.
“The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island. Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, feels like a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She understands nothing at school. They came to America for this? As her family adjusts to this new life, Minnie and her brother work hard to learn English and make friends. When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it’s a front for Ike’s real moneymaker: a speakeasy. When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She’s determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom. At what price does the American dream come true? Minnie won’t stop until she finds out.”
There were a lot of sad parts to Minnie’s story and I just wanted her to find happiness. Surrounded by gangsters and speakeasies, bad alcohol and bad people, Minnie was a great character to cheer for.
Title: The Lost Story
Author: Meg Shaffer
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Ballantine, 7/16/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
The Lost Story was a highly anticipated read for me and I’m happy to say I loved it! This book takes place partially in the real world and partially in a fairy tale world. It is about former missing boys Jeremy and Rafe. Jeremy is now a skilled finder of missing people. When Emilie approaches him for help finding her missing sister who was lost in the same woods as Jeremy and Rafe, the former lost boys reunite to help find her.
“As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived. Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy. Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories. Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.”
The magical land is filled with beauty but also a group of fear eating killers. Through the world of magic, trauma and recovery, loss, and abuse are addressed. This book was magical, as it says “all books are magic.”
Title: Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences
Author: Brigit Young
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 9/17/24
Source: Nicole Banholzer PR
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
This book is about Rose, who has always been a good girl and has always been best friends with Charlotte. When Talia starts at their school, Charlotte is wary of her, but Rose is intrigued. Rose sees Talia at Rosh Hashanah services and Talia gives her a book to read about the SS St Louis. It turns out that the book is on a list of books being challenged at their school. Rose begins to realize that the school only teaches history in one way and that there are those who want to limit what the students learn even on their own time. With Talia and a new group of friends, Rose begins reading more books from the list and branching away from the way things have always been.
“Rose is a good girl. She listens to her parents and follows every rule. After all, they’re there for a reason―right? And adults always know best. Talia, the new girl from New York City, doesn’t think so. After only a week at school, her bad reputation is already making enemies. First on the list: Charlotte, Rose’s lifelong best friend. So why can’t Rose stop wondering what it would be like to be Talia’s friend? And why does Rose read a banned book that she recommends? Rose doesn’t know. But the forbidden book makes her ask questions she’s never thought of in her life. When Talia suggests they start a banned book club, how can Rose say no? Pushing against her parents, her school, and even Charlotte opens a new world for Rose. But when some of Talia’s escapades become more scary than exciting, Rose must decide when it’s right to keep quiet and when it’s time to speak out.”
It was interesting to compare Rose and Talia’s parents – over protective vs not very involved – and I loved the kind of friend Rose became. I loved that the kids walked dogs at the shelter and I loved that the main characters were Jewish. Banned and challenged books are disproportionately representative of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ identities – but Jewish books make the lists too.
Title: Like Mother, Like Daughter
Author: Kimberly McCreight
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Knopf, 7/30/24
Source: Book of the Month
Why I Read It: Chose as my BOTM
My Rating: 5 Stars
I chose Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight as my Book of the Month choice for August. I have enjoyed her books in the past but I really loved this one! It is about mother and daughter Kat and Cleo. Cleo comes home to find signs of a struggle and her mother missing. The story is told going forward from there in Cleo’s viewpoint and from the days leading up to her disappearance in Kat’s viewpoint.
“When Cleo, a student at NYU, arrives late for dinner at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she finds food burning in the oven and no sign of her mother, Kat. Then Cleo discovers her mom’s bloody shoe under the sofa. Something terrible has happened. But what? The polar opposite of Cleo, whose ‘out of control’ emotions and ‘unsafe’ behavior have created a seemingly unbridgeable rift between mother and daughter, Kat is the essence of Park Slope perfection: a happily married, successful corporate lawyer. Or so Cleo thinks. Kat has been lying. She’s not just a lawyer; she’s her firm’s fixer. She’s damn good at it, too. Growing up in a dangerous group home taught her how to think fast, stay calm under pressure, and recognize a real threat when she sees one. And in the days leading up her disappearance, Kat has become aware of multiple threats: demands for money from her unfaithful soon-to-be ex-husband; evidence that Cleo has slipped back into a relationship that’s far riskier than she understands; and menacing anonymous messages from her past—all of which she’s kept hidden from Cleo . . .”
There is a lot going on in this book, from a drug company who may have knowingly distributed harmful drugs, to Kat and her husband’s separation, to the secrets in Kat’s past, and all of these things might have something to do with Kat’s disappearance. I liked how the story was interspersed with journal entries, therapy sessions, etc. I think I really appreciate thrillers that also deal with parent child relationships and this one did just that!
Title: Somewhere Beyond The Sea
Author: TJ Klune
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books, 9/10/24
Source: Purchased
Why I Read It: Sequel to a favorite
My Rating: 5 Stars
The House in the Cerulean Sea was my favorite book of 2020 and I could not wait to re immerse myself in the world of Marsyas with my favorite magical characters. While the previous book was told from Linus’s perspective, this one is from Arthur’s perspective. The island is still under investigation by the government, who claim they only want to make sure the children are safe, while they may have other motives. Meanwhile, Arthur and Linus bring home another child, David the Yeti.
“Arthur Parnassus lives a good life, built on the ashes of a bad one. He’s the headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six magical and so-called dangerous children who live there. Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. And he is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth; Zoe Chapelwhite, the island’s sprite; and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children. But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve. And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home―one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from―Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart. Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.”
The children remain adorable and hilarious and it was lovely to see their growth, especially Sal, who becomes a leader among the children. The theme of the book is standing up to hate and a quote I related to was “Maybe you shouldn’t be the one to decide what is or isn’t offensive to a person in the community you are denigrating.” While the author wrote this book in honor of the trans community, this quote applies to every marginalized group. While the book was a bit wordy, I did love reading it!
Come back next week for the rest of my September reads!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?