It's October already? When did that happen? It's still warm here in Arizona, although our high today is only supposed to be 84. My husband and I have transitioned from doing our daily walk at a nearby mall to strolling in our neighborhood since it's been fairly cool in the mornings. We don't really get that lovely Fall briskness or the stunning changing leaf colors where I live, unfortunately, but I'll take the cooler weather. It's a welcome change after the unrelenting heat we've had this summer. 

I read a few bookish books in September. My Goodreads ratings are in parentheses and the title links to my review on that site:

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer (3 1/2 stars)—a rom-com about a Jewish writer who has a secret career as a bestselling author of Christmas romances

Like Vanessa by Tami Charles (4 stars)—stars a young Black woman who dreams of being Miss America and loves to read, especially books by iconic Black authors like Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker

The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne (4 stars)—memoir by a Salt Lake City librarian who loves books and uses weight lifting as a way to control his Tourette's 

The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin by Michael D. Beil (4 stars)—the second installment in a middle-grade series that features a group of classmates solving mysteries that always involve literary clues

I enjoyed all of these for the most part, but my favorites were Like Vanessa and The World's Strongest Librarian. Did you read any bookish books last month? Which did you like best?

With only three months left in 2023, I'm focusing on books I need to read to complete my reading challenges. None of them are particularly bookish, but I did come across two intriguing bookish books that I'll probably read for next year's challenge:

The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass—This middle-grade novel concerns the sudden appearance of a mysterious little free library in a small town. When a boy chooses two books from its depths, he doesn't realize how doing so will change his life. One of the books has to do with a past event in his town that no one wants to talk about. He starts asking questions, not realizing that he's opened a puzzling Pandora's box...

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (available March 12, 2024)—Three women from different backgrounds unite to save their London neighborhood's library after it's destroyed in the Blitz in the newest World War II novel by one of my favorite historical fiction writers. 

Do you have any bookish books on the docket for October?