It’s time for my first half of September 2026 book review post! I am sharing what I read in September so far, although I am skipping my 5 star reads to share later in the month. 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! To see all of these links at once, visit my storefront!
Title: Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt
Author: Ben Reeves
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Avid Reader Press, 7/7/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt included the strange depiction of death in human form. Travis visits people when they are about to die, unable to intervene, but able to comfort them. He gets to know a family including Dalia and her two kids and begins to wish he wasn’t death in human form.
“Travis is Death in the modern world. He lives with his cat in a small, gray town. His job is to offer people comfort in their final hours of life, which he does without complaint or judgement. He’s stoic, gentle, and a little naive, despite who he is, but he never tries to change anyone’s fate. He is responsible for maintaining the balance of nature, and every life must eventually end. Then Travis meets Dalia, a midwife, and her boisterous eight-year-old daughter Layla, who live across the hall, and despite his best attempts to keep his distance, he finds himself wholeheartedly embraced by other people for the first time. So it is with this seemingly unremarkable family that Travis begins to understand what it means to be truly alive—and what might be irrevocably lost in death.”
I thought this was an interesting look at the various moments in a life but some of the sections seemed to be there in order to turn a short story into a book. There were many run on sentences as well, making the book an interesting style. The message of the book is to do what you’d wished you’d done before it is too late, which is a message that I liked.
Title: Dare You To Dance
Author: Rebecca Mock
Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
Publisher: Random House Graphic, 7/28/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
The middle grade graphic novel Dare You to Dance by Rebecca Mock was about Gracie, who attends a competitive summer dance program in New York City.
“Gracie is ready to take on the ballet world — starting with the Young Dancer Summer Workshop in New York! It’s a two week summer course, and while she misses her family in Ohio, she is ready to show this ballet school that she has what it takes. Too bad none of the other students got the memo and now Gracie feels like she’s already being left in the dust! Luckily, she knows the best way to get herself motivated is with a good rival and who better to pick than the star of the class, Sariah! Except Sariah doesn’t seem interested in a fun competition with Gracie. In fact, she’s so serious that it seems like she barely enjoys dancing at all? Can Gracie break through to Sariah and find the exciting rival she wants? Or is this rivalry, and Gracie’s future in ballet, both doomed before it can even start?”
I enjoyed the illustrations and the various personalities of the dancers that are depicted even in this short format story. I liked that Gracie is interested in forming a rivalry, but realizes that being friends is even better. The story focused on her dance challenges as well as on her adjustment to life in New York.
Title: Sister Stardust
Author: Jane Green
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Harlequin Audio, 4/5/22
Source: PR for Author – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4 Stars
From my 26 in ’26 list, I listened to Sister Stardust by Jane Green. This is the kind of historical fiction that reimagines a real person in history and provides a story for them. This is told in the point of view of Claire, later called Cece, who enters the world of rock stars and meets Talitha Getty.
“From afar Talitha’s life seemed perfect. In her twenties, and already a famous model and actress, she moved from London to a palace in Marrakesh, with her husband Paul Getty, the famous oil heir. There she presided over a swirling ex-pat scene filled with music, art, free love and a counterculture taking root across the world. When Claire arrives in London from her small town, she never expects to cross paths with a woman as magnetic as Talitha Getty. Yearning for the adventure and independence, she’s swept off to Marrakesh, where the two become kindred spirits. But beneath Talitha’s glamourous facade lurks a darkness few can understand. As their friendship blossoms and the two grow closer, the realities of Talitha’s precarious existence set off a chain of dangerous events that could alter Claire’s life forever.”
This contained all the sex and drugs of the era and was a bit boring for me!
Title: The Matchmaker’s Cottage
Author: Kat Sloane
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 8/11/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
The Matchmaker’s Cottage by Kat Sloane is about estranged childhood friends Julia and Ethan. Ethan works for a celebrity PR firm and he brings his latest clients to Julia’s cottage in order to portray a relationship for them.
“Julia Schaeffer might run the most romantic little bed-and-breakfast in Upstate New York, but as far as that infuriating Ethan Duchamp is concerned, this older, wiser Julia has a strict ‘no vacancy’ policy. Sure, she’s teetering on the edge of a financial cliff, and his half-baked plan to pair up his celebrity clients at her inn will undoubtedly be good for business…but how much forced proximity with the man who abandoned her is she supposed to take Ethan needs this to work. The dreamy, autumnal—and blissfully secluded—cottage from his childhood summers is the ideal setting for playing matchmaker to Hollywood’s next power couple. It’s the only way to save his PR career from the tabloid toilet. He knew that the inn and Julia’s warm, comforting homemade touch would inspire real feelings—he just didn’t expect them to be his. Again. But as old wounds reopen, and their connection rekindles, Julia and Ethan are forced to confront the truths they’ve both tried to bury. In a town where nothing stays hidden for long, they’ll have to decide if they can rebuild what was lost—or if their second chance will be derailed by scars that have yet to heal.”
There was a lot going on in this book including mental health issues, family histories, and the celebrities and their own relationships and I found it hard to connect with the main characters. The best part of the book for me was the scenery depictions of upstate New York!
Title: Wish You Well
Author: Jamie Sumner
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Atheneum Books For Young Readers, 9/1/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Wish You Well by Jamie Sumner is about Violet, who is dealing with macular degeneration. At a picnic for kids getting treatment for various diseases, she meets Wyatt, who has had heart surgery, and Noor, who has cancer. The three realize they have all been contacted by a wish granting foundation and they agree to accompany each other for their individual wishes, which will allow them each to have three wish experiences in total.
“Violet Marino doesn’t want sympathy. And she definitely doesn’t want friends. She just wants to play soccer and deal with the whole slowly-going-blind thing on her own terms. Then she witnesses a boy choke on a hot dog at a hospital picnic. Enter Wyatt: dangerously charming and full of terrible ideas, especially for a kid with a newly transplanted heart. Add sharp-as-a-blade Noor, who is always armed with excellent snacks she can’t eat, thanks to chemo. Other than their illnesses, the three don’t have much in common—except for the fact that a wish-granting foundation keeps calling. Ever the optimist, Wyatt has a plan: team up to game the foundation, even if it means faking friendship. One wish is fine, but three sick kids on three epic adventures? That’s history-making. The scheme starts off as a distraction. But soon the stakes feel real. Because when you finally let someone in, there’s more to lose.”
While the wish idea didn’t exactly make sense in that it assumed the kids would all appreciate each other’s wishes, I enjoyed reading about the three kids forming a friendship and supporting one another. Violet was an interesting character in that she did not want to admit that her vision was worsening and she was having trouble reading, as well as playing soccer, which she loved. I was a little concerned about 13 year olds dating, but I may be showing my age with that!
Title: The Braided Prescription
Author: Dr. Beth Ricanati
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: She Writes Press, 9/1/26
Source: PR for Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
In The Braided Prescription by Beth Ricanati, the author shares how making challah weekly can be a ritual and ways that she has turned it into a prescription. There are seven steps to this prescription: act with intention, stop and breathe, embrace imperfections, be authentic, share the challah, prepare ahead, and engage in social connections.
“In her beloved first book, Braided, Dr. Beth Ricanati shared how making sacred bread, challah, every Friday for over a decade transformed her life. Now, in The Braided Prescription, she shares insights from her subsequent challah workshops with groups all over America and even abroad, distilling what she’s learned into seven attainable and powerful practices for managing stress in our daily lives. Blending personal stories, scientific research, and timeless wisdom, Ricanati demonstrates how these seven practices can restore presence in a distracted world, strengthen bonds with family and community, and teach resilience through imperfection. With warmth and wisdom, she shows how the weekly ritual of making challah bread can help us mend what feels frayed, anchor what feels uncertain, and create space for what truly matters.”
As I read, I was reminded of a few things – my kids doing zoom challah bakes during Covid (and acquiring the recipe I most often use), a person in my community who bakes many loaves to share every week, and the different types of challahs one can make at different times throughout the year. Today I will be making my apple challah for Rosh Hashanah, but I love that this book includes the author’s recipe. I am inspired to make challah more often in this new year.
Title: Perfect Life
Author: Meredith Lavender & Kendall Shores
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Bantam, 7/7/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
Perfect Life by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores was the first book I’ve read that I actually thought could be written by AI. At least, it seemed AI could have been used to insert the random italicized sentences that showed up every few paragraphs! This was the sequel to Happy Wife, which I read and enjoyed. It is about Este, whose husband is suspected of killing her friend Gemma and how their past life in CA has now followed them to FL.
“Este Walker didn’t move to Florida to make friends. Five years ago, she ghosted her life in California to reinvent herself among the lakefront estates of Florida’s elite. With a cocktail in hand, more money than she could ever spend, and a past she intends to keep hidden, she’s finally content—or, you know, close enough. Her husband, Beau, and her best friend, Nora, are the only company Este needs. But when someone she’d much rather forget resurfaces, the past begins to close on her. And then a mysterious death turns Winter Park upside down—and Beau, who’s keeping secrets of his own, is implicated. Thrust into a high-stakes murder investigation, Este must unravel a web of lies and deception to answer the question: What exactly happened in California, and has it come back to haunt her? More important: How is she going to get herself out of this mess?”
This book was boring for me and I should have DNFd it, especially when I put it aside to read an entire other book!
Title: The Unusuals
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Publisher: Quill Tree Books, 9/8/26
Source: PR for Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Unusuals by Gail Carson Levine is about an unusual friendship in medieval England between two girls (Chera and Joan) and a boy (Lummie), two who are Jewish and one who is Christian. These children meet an outlaw in the forest and start bringing him food. When Chera’s wealthy grandmother is murdered along with her servant who is Joan’s mother, the children come up with a plan to catch the murderer before Lummie’s grandmother is killed as well.
“Chera, Lummie, and Joan are unusual in medieval Winchester, England. Two girls and a boy, and two Jews and a Christian are not supposed to be friends. Most days, after their studies with Rabbi Baruch, they enjoy scaring themselves in the greatly feared nearby forest, home to ne’er-do-wells and sprites, where they make another unusual friend, a starving outlaw. But the trio’s fun is shattered when Chera’s grandmother, a wealthy widow, and Joan’s mother, her maid, are murdered. Jurors name a suspect, who flees the city, and he may not have killed them anyway. Almost anyone could have, so just investigating isn’t enough. What’s more, the Unusuals are sure Lummie’s grandmother will be the next to die. They concoct a perilous plan, which needs allies to succeed, but everyone else thinks their idea is dizzy—crazy. With lives in the balance, this trio of friends must band together against the odds and call on their unusual bonds to help seek justice.”
This book was an adventure story with lots of characters and a cast list and map included! Some of the characters are based on real people, which is explained in the author’s note. I haven’t read a book set in this time period and found it an interesting read, though maybe a little dark for the intended age range as it includes murders and violence as well as the antisemitism of the time period. This is definitely a book that you can learn from!
Title: Stories Carry
Author: Dena Schusterman
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Mercer University Press, 9/1/26
Source: PR for Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Dena Schusterman’s memoir, Stories Carry, is about her life growing up as a Chabad emissary in Berkeley, CA and her current position in Atlanta, GA with her husband and 8 kids. The book is ultimately about she and her husband being fired from their official position and their choice about whether to fight for their job back, but it also includes stories from throughout the author’s life.
“STORIES CARRY is a personal memoir about faith, belonging, and the inherited stories that shape us. As the daughter of Chabad emissaries in 1970s Berkeley, California, and now a shlucha herself in Atlanta, Georgia, Schusterman, mother of eight, has spent her life straddling two worlds–deeply rooted in Hasidic tradition while fully engaged in modern society. Through interwoven narratives of her parents’ journey and her own, STORIES CARRY explores the beauty and challenges of faith, the struggle to belong within a community, and the tension between tradition and individuality. It offers a rare, intimate look inside the Hasidic world, one often misunderstood or stereotyped, inviting readers to step beyond assumptions and see a vibrant, complex community from the inside. At a time of increasing polarization, STORIES CARRY is a reminder of the power of shared humanity. Through warmth, honesty, and humor, this book welcomes readers into a world both deeply personal and universally resonant.”
I liked reading about the author’s personal history, including that of her grandparents and the generations that held onto religion over time. I think she did a good job of explaining various religious customs and showing how Chabad is able to interact with all types of Jewish people. I would have liked to be able to better understand the devout following of a leader, as it is explained that the Rebbe is deeply admired, but I still did not truly understand that admiration.
Title: The 1619 Project
Author: Nikole Hannah-Jones, etc.
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Mercer University Press, 9/1/26
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
My 26 in ’26 Backlist pick for Non Fiction was The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones, etc. This book is a series of essays and poems that describe the history of Black people in America from their forced arrival in 1619 through 2020.
“In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty people stolen from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the source of so much that still defines the United States. The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning 1619 Project issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This book substantially expands on that work, weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 reaches into every part of contemporary American society, from politics, music, diet, traffic, and citizenship to capitalism, religion, and our democracy itself. This book that speaks directly to our current moment, contextualizing the systems of race and caste within which we operate today. It reveals long-glossed-over truths around our nation’s founding and construction—and the way that the legacy of slavery did not end with emancipation, but continues to shape contemporary American life.”
While quite long, the audio for this book was well done, often with the essay’s authors and poets reading their own words. Black American contributions and the legacy of slavery are described in essays on topics including politics, music, diet, traffic, and religion. Some of the essays can be repetitive from other essays and this might be a book better digested in chunks, but I found it all to be very interesting and well written.
This post includes ten of the books I read this month. Eight were print books and two were audio. Seven were adult books and three were Middle Grade. Genres included literary, graphic novel, historical, rom com, contemporary, non fiction, thriller, and memoir.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
