What I read in September 2026
In September, I “only” finished eight books. But, to be fair, one of them was huge.
Now summer is (nominally) over, more has been happening to tempt me out of the house: Emotional Madness and a comedy show in September, and my customary six Colchester Fringe shows in October, two of which are plays by writing friends. I’m also having another birthday, which I’m ambivalent about.
Slow Burn, by Amal Singh - 3.5*
The Sourdough Compendium, by A. G. Slatter - technically counts as two books, as it’s three short story collections in one, and I read the second and third. 4.5*
The Hollow Places, by T. Kingfisher - 4*
The Princes of Pauper’s Pond, by Lars Elling, translated by Don Bartlett - 4*
Curious Events Lately Occurring in this Neighbourhood, by Tom Cox - 4.5*
Street Sweeper, by Bren Gosling - 4*
The Hollow Garden, by Natalie Grace Lewis - 4*
A Book of Loose Ends, by FediThing - huh, you wait coughing fit years to learn about the Southern Television broadcast interruption, then it pops up twice in three months. 4.5*
Looking ahead…
This is somewhat of a provisional list, as lots of books I want to read have come out recently, and I might get some of them for my birthday.
I’ve already started An Expert Witness, by Sue Black. As she’s recently become Chancellor of the university where I work, this reading choice makes me look like a bit of a sycophant, but I can assure you I’ve picked it up because I loved her other books, which I read way before her new appointment!
I’m a year behind on Flame Tree/Mark Morris’ annual horror anthology, as there wasn’t a blog tour for 2025’s edition, Fever Dreams. As it’s spooky season and it’s currently 99p on Kindle, it seems like a good time to rectify that.
I’ll also be continuing my T. Kingfisher odyssey with Wolf Worm.