General Books / Monthly Wrap-Up

September 2020 Monthly Wrap Up!

Dini @ dinipandareads35 Comments

Wow, has it really been a month since I did my last wrap up? Because it still feels as if I did my August wrap up last week! 😂 Is time flying for you too or is it just me? Although some weeks this month have felt longer than ever, most days have gone by in a blink and before I know it Mondays have become Wednesdays have become Fridays, and then another week is over. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing either. We’re one step closer to having this flaming hot mess of a year be over but what comes next? That’s a question I’ve been really contemplating lately because I’ve been feeling a bit directionless looking forward to 2021 and I’m hoping an answer will come to me soon!

But before I digress further, let’s take a look at what this month of reading has been like. In September, I read a (surprising) 23 books but I read a lot of romance which I tend to speed through so maybe it’s not surprising. I’m actually not sure if this is all the books I’ve read because I haven’t been marking them properly on Goodreads but we’ll roll with it! I also DNF two more books this month and although the guilt made me push on for longer than I wanted to, I ended up putting both books down because they only made me miserable.

Book covers are linked to my reviews or Goodreads pages for unreviewed books!

5 panda stars

4 panda stars

3.5 panda stars


3 panda stars


2.5 panda stars

I experienced a smo slump after finishing The Poppy War (because oof that book!) but other than that it was a pretty good reading month 😊 Although I loved all three of my five star reads, I think my favourite this month was The House in the Cerulean Sea. I gushed about it basically everywhere but it’s officially one of my top 2020 reads and it’s all the heart-warming vibes your weary heart needs to feel a little lifted this year!

In the coming month I’d really like to focus more on getting my ARCs read! I’m so bad at this and I get so annoyed at myself for it, and I want to do better. I think this is when being a mood reader is so frustrating because I know I should be reading these ARCs but my moods are just not having it–and when I push myself to read something I’m not in the mood for it unfairly contributes to my negative feelings about it. So… maybe the lesson is that I should start requesting less ARCs? 😇

I’ve also been thinking about including my fave community posts in next month’s wrap up. This is something I also keep telling myself that I want to do but I keep forgetting to bookmark the posts that I really enjoyed and my memory is like a sieve. So no dice! But towards the end of this month I did remember to make note of which posts I really enjoyed reading, and while only a few of the ones I can remember, at least it’s a start!

Lastly, if you want to check out all the posts I’ve made this month, you can have a look at my Sunday Wrap Ups because that’s where I share a link to all the posts I do weekly!

Week 1 \\ Week 2 \\ Week 3 \\ Week 4

Oof, what a month. We’re so close to the end of 2020, friends! Hang in there. As always, my messages are always open if you need to talk. Stay safe and be well! 🐼

35 thoughts on “September 2020 Monthly Wrap Up!”

    • Ah, thank you. We all have good months and bad months! I know September was probably the best reading month for me. I hope October and the remaining months of 2020 are better for you 🙂

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  4. Listen, 23 books is *totally* impressive, regardless of what form those books took! Look at you go! I’m still so glad that you enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea so much! And what took you so long reading it, after we all told you how good it was, hm? Will you listen next time?! … well, no, probably not, but you totally should! 😛

    Also, the lesson is never to request less ARCs. That’s just silly. Maybe you need more eyes? A clone? Those seem more reasonable. Thank you so much for sharing my post. ❤

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    • HAHAHA FINE. I mean, I’ll probably listen. It’ll still take me a while to listen… But I WILL TRY! 🤣 I really need a vigorous shaking now and then when it comes to reading the books that everyone loves! I’ll let you hold it against me 🤣 Haha. Gah, that book was so so good. So good, Sammie 🥰

      Yes, I do need a clone to do all the things I want to do. That’d be nice. But will I have the clones’ memories or experience of reading the book or will it just be a separate entity reading the books that I am supposed to be reading but at least the reading gets done?! 🤔

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    • I think I will write a mini-review for the first two books since I DNF the last book (I know, I was so close to the end but… I just couldn’t do it lol). The writing wasn’t bad and the world-building was interesting, but the plot was slow-moving and the heroine… She was too much for me in the end 😅

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  7. Wow, that’s a great month Dini!! 23 books is impressive. I totally feel you on the small slump after Poppy War. I had one bad after Dragon Republic.. slowly trying to climb out! haha! I am so glad that you loved Cerulean Sea!! I hope that October is amazing for you! ❤

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    • Thanks Leslie! I surprised myself with how much I read this month but it’s my best month this year and it will probably be for the rest of the year 😂 Haha okay, so I’m glad that I put off reading Dragon Republic until closer to the release of Burning God coz I don’t think I can handle the double whammy hangover slump 😅 Hope October is amazing for you too!

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  9. 23 Books is certainly impressive! The House in the Cerulean Sea is amazing :). And I totally get your problem regarding ARCs. It is one of the reasons I don’t do blog tours, because I want a little more freedom when I read them…

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    • Thank you! September was my best reading month in 2020 😊 It’s funny because when it comes to blog tour ARCs, I can read them on time (although sometimes it’s a struggle with the mood but for the most part it’s okay), but then when it comes to ARCs on my own time, I struggle so much 😂 I’m such a weirdo! Haha

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  12. You had an amazing reading month! Congrats! You should be proud~ I also loved With The Fire on High and The Kingdom. And I also agree, for me it feels like September just blinked away. I hope your October will also be awesome in books, have a good month~

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    • Thank you! I am quite pleased since my reading has not been the best since the start of the year 😅 So glad to hear you enjoyed WTFOH and The Kingdom as well! I think the latter is such an underrated title? It was so enjoyable! I hope your October is fantastic as well 🙂

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  13. What a great reading month!! And you’re not alone. It’s flying by, but I feel the same way: ready for it to be over, but scared of what comes next. We’ll all just hang in there together and keep reading, I guess. 😉 Happy Reading in October. ❤

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    • Thanks Dedra! Time has been super weird, hasn’t it? This whole year has been really 😅 But you’re right, we’re all in this together and at least we have books to escape to! Hope you’re doing well and that you also have a great October ❤️

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    • Thanks Andie! I’m trying to make ARCtober a thing for me without officially joining in because whenever I do that it never happens 😂 readathons are just not working for me this year! Hope you have a great October too 🧡

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