September started off well and jolly, but the end of the month was a real doozy for me for personal reasons. But it was a good reading month because all the books I read were books I physically own. So I’m proud about that because it allows me to decide what I want to keep or offload. Although, to be honest, I bought just as many used books, so I’m neutral in terms of read vs. unread progress! Alas. My September 2026 book blog wrap-up is a bit of a long one, so feel free to skip around to whatever section(s) interest you the most.

Book Reviews

I posted four book reviews in September. From earliest to latest they are:

• Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
• Thorn Season by Kiera Azar
• That Quail Robert by Margaret A. Stanger
• Fallen City by Adrienne Young

Blog Statistics

Every month I share some statistics from Google Analytics because I think it helps put expectations into perspective for other micro-bloggers like me who are out there. These statistics are from Google Analytics 4.

My top five posts for total page views are:

1. STEMinist Romance Books: 588 views
2. Arthurian Retellings Reading List: 264 views
3. Dungeons and Dragons Romance Books: 179 views
4. September 2026 Book Releases: 94 views
5. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke: 56 views

I sound like a broken record now, but in September I still had a decline in views. The amount of comments and likes I receive per month is still going strong thanks to my blogosphere pals. So it’s definitely SEO related and SEO is being impacted by AI SEO aka stealing your shit and not directing people to your website.

For a week or two I was also receiving a lot of views from China that were equal to or exceeded the number of views from the U.S. I know I’m not the only one this is happening to, either. So if you’re frustrated by stats, you’re not alone. AI sucks and I hope the bubble pops. Over the past week, though, I had daily viewership that was more like what I used to receive four months ago. I hope this means something is self correcting, but I’m not holding my breath.

#BeattheBacklog

I finished six books I had on my TBR prior to 2026. Those books are THORN SEASON by Kiera Azar, TOWER OF DAWN by Sarah J. Maas, FALLEN CITY by Adrienne Young, HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN by Erin A. Craig, KILLING GRAVITY by Corey J. White, and THE WOMEN OF TROY by Pat Barker. I had a great run crossing things off my TBR this month!

Other Bookish Items

I finished eight books in September:

• THORN SEASON by Kiera Azar (gifted by the publisher)
• TOWER OF DAWN by Sarah J. Maas
• THAT QUAIL, ROBERT by Margaret A. Stanger
• FALLEN CITY by Adrienne Young
• HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN by Erin A. Craig (audiobook)
• KILLING GRAVITY by Corey J. White
• EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT by Ben Reeves
• THE WOMEN OF TROY by Pat Barker (audiobook)

I went to the big fall sale my library holds this time of year and walked away with two books and a bunch of music CDs. The books I bought are Star Wars: The Crystal Star by Vonda N. McIntyre and A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry. When I was in middle school I read probably literally any Star Wars book that had been published at that time, whether it was YA or Adult. I remember almost nothing about those books now except something about Thrawn and Leia had twins and Luke loved a redhead (Mara Jade, I think?), but lately I’ve been slowly collecting them all because I hate that Disney made all of it not canon.

I also checked out a used bookstore in the area. It’s technically a museum for the town, but they take book donations and sell them to make money. Anyway, I usually find a little more there than my usual used bookstore. I walked out with a bunch of books for cheap: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, Where the Dear and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman (my husband’s choice), Pax by Sara Pennypacker, and three Warrior Cats books. So it was a good month for book buying.

I sold four books on PangoBooks. I also watch people pass over my Like New books for more expensive, less new copies and it irks me every time that happens!

Finally, if you missed it I published both September 2026 Book Releases and October 2026 Book Releases posts. Check them out to see if there’s anything you want to add to your TBR!

Other Media Wrap-Up

I don’t think I finished anything this month. But we’ve been slowly watching Pop Culture Jeopardy on Netflix as well as Will Ferrell’s latest comedy series, The Hawk.

Non-Bookish Items

As I mentioned at the beginning, September ended up sucking by the end. I’m not really okay, but I’m not going to get into details on here where I don’t know who most of the people are who follow me. Some days are better than others. I know this is super cryptic, but just sort of airing it out helps. As to be expected, reading is part of my coping mechanism. So is book buying and slowly buying more physical media.

Anyway, we’re over 100 pounds of produce harvested this year! And a lot of that consists of tomatoes. We finally tried the bitter melon I’ve been growing for the first time. It’s actually pretty good, though I’m glad I bought a varietal that is less bitter than others. I planted just one plant and it’s taken over half of my garden bed!

With respect to the fall plantings, I transferred most seedlings into the ground: napa cabbage, radicchio, beets, turnips, daikon radish, frisee, iceberg lettuce, collard greens, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts. I have a bunch of romaine seedlings I need to find a spot for. I also sowed seeds for arugula, snap peas, and snow peas, which are popping up thanks to the nor’easter rain that passed through last weekend. Autumn planting is usually a challenge for me, so we’ll see if all this effort results in anything edible.

We went apple picking in mid-September. Virginia experienced a late spring frost, which was disastrous for peach season and, for many, also apple picking season. Luckily the one we go to had plenty of apples to pick, but oddly another orchard in the same area had nothing to pick. I’ve heard similar things about some of the Maryland orchards, too. Anyway, now I have to figure out what to do with all these apples! And I’m debating going back next month for any late fall apple varieties (e.g., Granny Smith, Stayman).