What I Read in September
Welcome to the new Emily’s Notebook monthly post cycle! Being the first Tuesday of the month, today’s post is about all things books. What I read, what I loved, what fell flat. Only the books I’ve actually finished count toward’s the month reading, so even though I started Sons and Lovers in July or something, it gets put on the list. And even though I’m a couple days away from finishing Olive Kitteridge (and honestly, it will probably be finished by the time this publishes), it doesn’t count until the October recap post.
Anyway. That’s that. Here we go!
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Re-read, on audio. I recently got into the Novel Pairings podcast, which is exactly what I’ve been searching for for awhile: a podcast that discusses classic literature. Sure, I can read it (see #2, below), but if I don’t understand it and/or hate the reading, what’s the point? All this to say, I loved Jane Eyre the first time I read it, I don’t even know how long ago. And I loved it this time, too. What I Loved: Thandiwie Newton’s narration of the audiobook is particularly excellent. I delighted in all her various accents. Also, I was able to understand more of the symbolism this time around. Jane, presumably mad, being locked in a room at the start of the book! What foreshadowing! What I Didn’t Love: Oh, St. John. So chilly. And also the age difference between Jane and Rochester is a liiiiitle creepy but OK. Read It or Skip It? READ. IT.
- Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence. First-time read, via Serial Reader. A mother has four kids and things get a little Oedipal with two of them. What I Loved: Honestly, not much. It took me a painfully long time to read. Like, months? But I will say, I loved a couple of the characters. Second, I hated the story and most of the characters. With the exception of Morel, who is just kind of a sweetheart in his old age…except, I’m not sure I’m supposed to think that, because he’s also an angry drunk who abuses his wife. Yikes. I also love/hated William’s fiancee Louisa Lily Denys Western. What a silly name for a silly lady. What I Didn’t Love: Most of this book? Honestly, I just don’t think I’m much of a fan of D.H. Lawrence’s writing style in general. Read It or Skip It? I’d skip it.
Hmm, was that really all I read this month? I guess so. That’s okay, Jane Eyre took a lot of time to get through. I’ve got a bunch of lighter reads on the list this coming month. Stay tuned!
If anyone out there is actually reading this, I’d love to hear what your favorite book you read this month was. Drop me a hey-o in the comments below!
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