September 2024

My fans (ok, my dad) have been wondering where this post has been. Well, the short answer is, I got sick after my trip and I’ve been struggling with a post-viral exhaustion, PMS and migraines, all in a beautiful mix. I’ve been ditching my friends regularly to sleep out on our daily walks, and bumbling through work like a fool. I’ve allocated this Sunday for a proper solitude duvet day, and I have a facial with my beloved Rachael (Simply Beauty Liverpool, Farm Girl Facial, IT’LL CHANGE YOUR LIFE) on Friday, so there is much to be grateful for. September was also the month of my fabulous trip to Massachusetts, so I really cannot be angry.

I also had my dad and stepmom visiting last weekend, which was gorgeous. It’s nice that they’ve now been to Liverpool so many times that we can spend most of our time together chilling and chatting shit. They’re a lot of fun, really. Anyway, onto September’s reads.

If you’re in the north west of England this Saturday, my book club is hosting a book sale in aid of WHISC in Liverpool city centre. I’ll be there chatting shit and drinking coffee, so please do drop by and support us if you can.

Severance by Ling MaThis really got under my skin, but I think we’re all a little nervy post-COVID. It’s about Candace, a bored and unfulfilled staff member at a publisher. An insidious disease is slowly wiping out the world, but she continues to show up to work. It jumps between her pre-pandemic, and post-pandemic life, leaving you feeling intensely uncomfortable and on edge. A completely different type of horror or thriller, one that attacks you quietly.

Mrs S by K. PatrickThis one came highly recommended as a horny WLW read, but it left me a bit cold. It tells the story of an unnamed narrator, who joins an all-girls boarding school as a member of staff, and nurtures an intense crush on the wife of the headmaster. It was super slow, and I found it hard to get into the heads of the characters. Having said that, the writing is beautiful and you feel like you can see, taste and smell the school.

The 392 by Ashley Hickson-LovenceThis was my book club’s pick for September, and everyone hated it, myself included. The premise is really good. Set on a London bus that runs from Hoxton to Highbury, you go inside the minds of the different passengers across a 35-minute journey. Sadly, the execution is bad, and you have to listen to the gross ramblings of a bus wanker, several racists and some annoying teenagers. It also gave me anxiety remembering getting the bus in London. Would not recommend.

The Salt Path by Raynor WinnI came to own this book by accident because I told Clare that my dad would love it for his birthday, but then it turned out he’d already read it. Now I have to get him a new book from Clare for his birthday. What am I like?! Anyway, this unbelievable true story is about Raynor and her husband Moth, who lose their home, business and livelihood after an ill-advised investment by an old friend. Soon after, Moth is diagnosed with a terminal and degenerative illness. They decide to face their homelessness head on, and hike the south-western coastal path in the UK, eating noodles and sleeping in a tent, while living off of meagre benefits. They encounter prejudice along the way, but the walking oddly keeps Moth’s symptoms at bay. It’s a fascinating insight into homelessness and the healing power of nature.

Men Have Called her Crazy by Anna Marie TendlerI picked this one up in the fabulous Harvard Bookstore (signed!), having come to learn about Anna Marie Tender following her notorious divorce from John Mullaney. I have always loved her aesthetic and photography, and was interested in the memoir of a woman who said she’d been labelled crazy by men throughout her life. She checks into a mental health facility, and reflects upon her life through the experiences she’s had with several men. As a now 35-year-old, I wish I’d read this book when I was 20, and gullible to the stupid things that I fell for. She writes with tenderness and sadness, while trying to cling onto the last shred of love she has for herself. She says that “My wish for myself is that one day I'll reach a place where I can face hardship without trying to destroy myself,” and that resonated. Luckily, she manages to get there.

Nine Lives by Danielle SteelAnother month, another Danielle Steel. This one is about a woman whose father dies as a pilot, then her brother dies as a pilot, then she marries someone boring cos her mother tells her she can’t rely on men who are always chasing thrills. Then her bloody boring husband dies in a plane crash! She can’t win. Anyway, she goes on some mad round the world trip and runs into her teenage ex-boyfriend who, you guessed it, is a thrill seeker. Who knows what will happen?!

Second Chance by Danielle SteelAccording to my StoryGraph, I already read this, but I do not remember doing so. It’s about a fashion magazine editor who falls in love with an ad guy in New York. He hates that she’s got a flamboyant male housekeeper who wears her clothes, and she hates that he’s got two rude, stuck up daughters. They get married, but quickly split. But you know what they say about second chances….!

Misfits: A Personal Manifesto by Michaela CoelLike everyone who saw it, I watched I May Destroy You with my mouth agape, stunned at how incredibly Michaela Coel had managed to articulate experiences that felt both intimate and shared. She’s an incredible talent, and this short piece, inspired by her MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh festival, is rousing and inspiring. You learn about the experiences that made her, and the bigotry she while becoming the giant that she is. She’s such a unique voice and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Whips by Cleo WatsonSara had sent me a picture of the cover of this book, saying I surely had to read it. Well, she was right. I stumbled upon it in the library and picked it up. It’s really trashy and fun, and tells the story of an incompetent political party and a leadership contest following the ousting of the sitting prime minister. I found out after reading it that the author was the architect of Partygate and that she worked on the Leave campaign for Brexit, so she’s clearly got zero concern about anyone outside of herself, but it’s fun figuring out who she’s been inspired by while writing her horrid characters.

Here’s my September playlist. Love and light. We’ll see if I’m a little peppier when I’m next able to post. I hope you enjoyed this one, Jim x