September 2026 Reads

 

September was a somewhat mediocre reading month for me. As you can see from the graphic, quite a few books landed in my “Maybe” or “No” categories. That said, I did have two outstanding reads that will almost certainly make my list of favorite books of 2026.

The Standouts

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans absolutely deserves all the hype! Told entirely through letters, the novel follows an older woman through her correspondence, gradually revealing her personality, relationships, and life experiences. If you enjoyed Theo of Golden, I think there’s a good chance you’ll love this one, too. It’s a slower, quieter read, but also deeply engaging and emotionally rewarding. Definitely one of my favorite books of the month.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett was an absolute delight! It’s the first book in a fantasy mystery series, and I loved everything about it: the fascinating world-building, the political intrigue, and, above all, the characters. I’m already eager to read the next two installments. The audiobook is excellent, too, so I highly recommend that format if you enjoy listening to your books.

The Disappointments

The Coven and The Cursed by Harper L. Woods are installments in the same paranormal romance series, and unfortunately, neither worked for me. I found the writing weak and the plots lacking, with little to compensate for either. These were definite misses, and I wouldn’t recommend them.

I also read The Power of Beliefs by Shawn Achor after hearing him as a guest on Oprah’s podcast. I found what he shared during the interview intriguing enough to want to explore his ideas further. My advice, though? Watch the podcast episode and skip the book. The interview was more than enough for me.

The “Maybe” Pile

This was by far my largest category in September, and the books here fall into two distinct groups: titles that are widely loved but didn’t quite work for me, and nonfiction books that I picked up out of particular interest.

Others love these, but they weren’t quite for me

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is a classic feminist dystopian novel, and I went into it expecting to love it. Unfortunately, I found the plot somewhat lacking, and I struggled with it for much the same reason that Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro didn’t work for me. We see the world almost exclusively through the limited perspective of the protagonist, which leaves a great many questions unanswered. I understand that this approach may be intentional, and if you enjoy ambiguous, open-ended stories, you may appreciate the novel more than I did. Personally, I wanted a little more context and a broader understanding of the world in which the story unfolds.

I read some short stories by J. G. Ballard for my book club, and opinions within the group were quite divided. Some members absolutely loved his work and consider him a foundational science fiction writer. I found some stories more interesting than others, but here’s the thing: a month later, I can barely remember any of them! Perhaps Ballard’s work simply isn’t for me, although I can appreciate why his writing inspires such strong reactions.

The Bookbinder’s Secret by A. D. Bell is a historical mystery set in nineteenth-century England. The protagonist is a female bookbinder who discovers a series of books containing secret letters hidden in their bindings. If you enjoyed The Lost Apothecary, you might like this one, too. I had some fun with the premise, but the story requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief, and a few of the plot twists felt far too implausible. Still, this is the first book in a series, and I think there’s potential here. I already have the sequel and plan to give it a try before making a final judgment.

Special interests

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker tells the story of a family with twelve children, six of whom were diagnosed with schizophrenia. The family's experiences and the genetic material they contributed to research have been invaluable to our understanding of serious mental illness. It’s a fascinating but difficult read, and I found the treatment of some aspects of the subject insufficiently nuanced. Mental illness is a topic of particular interest to me, so I was especially invested in the book. That said, this is a heavy subject, and I recognize that it may not appeal to everyone.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari was one of those nonfiction books that seemed to be everywhere when it first came out. If you enjoy sweeping, big-picture overviews of human history, it’s worth considering. Harari covers an enormous amount of ground, offering a broad perspective on how our species developed and shaped the world. However, I sometimes found his tone a little too authoritative, as though he had a definitive answer to every question. That know-it-all quality was off-putting in places, even when I found the subject matter interesting.

Final Thoughts

September was a reminder that a book’s popularity doesn’t necessarily mean it will resonate with me. Ultimately, two outstanding books are more than enough to make a reading month worthwhile. I’m especially glad to have discovered The Tainted Cup, as I can’t wait to return to its world and characters.