What I'm reading in September

Beautiful storytelling, encouraging words, and some heavy topics

“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Stephen King, “On Writing”

I finished “On Writing” in late June and made a promise to myself.

“I want to read more.”

Before that commitment, I struggled through reading a book a month. How is that possible for a full-time writer and former English teacher?

I honestly don’t know. I love reading and can quickly finish a book once I get started. If it’s a particularly good book, it’s usually only a few days until I reach “the end.”

I’ve kept my promise, and it doesn’t feel like a chore. I’ve rediscovered my passion for books.

Opening the covers of all these books has fueled my desire to get my words out.

I often don’t feel I measure up to the words I’m devouring on the pages. At least I’m writing. I can shape them into something better later. They were going nowhere, rolling around in my brain.

This month’s reading list touches on a few genres. I need to continue to expand my horizons. I’ll start that in October as I pull together titles I want to tackle next month.

Here’s my September reading list and a few thoughts on each one.

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“That Summer” by Jennifer Weiner (2021)

Synopsis: When Daisy Shoemaker receives several emails that aren’t hers due to a mistaken email address, she makes an unexpected virtual connection that transforms into the first friendship Daisy has had since the death of her best friend. However, it turns out those emails are no accident. This new friend, Diana, has a long-ago connection to Daisy’s world that will change their lives forever.

Weiner got a lot of flack from reviewers about this book, primarily due to the cover and title making it appear like a fun beach read. “That Summer” digs into some heavy topics and gets started quickly. That being said, the author weaves a compelling story worth the time. I found myself relating to both women and how the choices we make (or have taken away from us) impact the rest of our lives.

Weiner’s ending didn’t quite live up to the building tension. However, it’s not enough for me to warn against reading this book. Her character development and dialogue kept me reading, even with the different points of view (which I like in a book, as long as it’s clear.)

Grade: B

“All It Takes Is A Goal” by Jon Acuff (2023)

Anyone who has followed my health journey and writing over the years has seen my posts about Acuff’s work. I have read most of his books and always find his topics relevant, his strategies simple and effective, and his style refreshing.

“All It Takes Is A Goal” continues that winning streak. Read my full review on my Goodreads account. I expect to share some of my work in future posts as I go through this book again with my personal and professional goals.

Grade: A-

“Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett (2023)

Synopsis: In the summer of 2020, when the world shuts down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lara’s three daughters return home to the Michigan cherry farm where they grew up. As the family works on the farm to keep it afloat, Lara’s daughters press their mother to share her past at Tom Lake, a summer theater company, where she met and fell in love with Peter Duke—an actor who would go on to become a Hollywood superstar. Their idyllic thoughts of romantic love and the choices life brings may change forever as the story unfolds.

This is now one of my favorite books of all time. No exaggeration. Patchett weaves this beautiful story of love, youth, nostalgia, and loss with such simplicity and beauty I had to stop and take it in. I didn’t want it to end. I felt like the three daughters who just wanted the story to continue!

I felt like I was at Tom Lake with the sun's warmth, the flowers' colors, and the sights, sounds, and scents of an old theater. Patchett’s descriptions don’t depend on lots of fancy language. She paints her pictures with a simple elegance that makes you yearn for more.

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, narrated by none other than Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep. She captured each character beautifully, and her acting experience gave her command of a story dependent on theatrics, acting, and relationships.

Full disclosure: I have more than a passing familiarity with the play at the center of this novel, “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. I played Mrs. Gibbs back in the early 1990s in college.

However, you do not need a similar background to appreciate the beauty of “Tom Lake” and the story of love (both past and present) and how it ties a family together.

I will return to this book multiple times. It’s that damn good.

Grade: A+

“Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott (1994) - IN PROGRESS

I haven’t finished this book, yet. However, it’s a guide for writers about the craft of writing and the writer’s life. I’ll give a more in-depth review once I complete it. So far, though, it has been more than a handbook. It digs into the soul of writing as much as the act itself.

What are you reading this month? Please share your favorite titles in the comments! I need more to add to my “want to read” list on Goodreads!