Here in Southern California Fall has arrived. Seasonal changes are usually more subtle here than other regions of the country, but not so this year. We’ve already had a rain storm, an odd and eerie thunder (no lightening) event and the temps in the early morning are in the 50s. It is wonderful to walk now, bundled up as the sun peaks up over the horizon. I hope everyone is safe, healthy and enjoying the year as it changes to warmer or cooler temps, depending on where you live.

September was one of the best reading and blogging months I’ve had in a long time. I had my second cataract surgery at the beginning of the month and it healed speedily with the result I was hoping for: the new lens matches my other eye and I still don’t have to wear glasses to read. And, of course, everything is so much cleaner and clearer and has made a difference in the ease and pleasure of reading again. Thank God for modern medicine.

Books Read
Two on a Tower, Thomas Hardy
The Burning Girls, CJ Tudor
Period Piece, Gwen Raverat
The Wild Silence, Raynor Winn
The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently, Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Brettler
The Night Lake, Liz Tichenor
Martha by the Day, Julie Mathilde Lippmann

Blog Posts
“A White Heron,” Sara Orne Jewett
The Fruit of the Tree, Edith Wharton
Sister Carrie, Theodore Dreiser

RIP
Well, I should know by now that what I say I am going to read for RIP and what I actually read are two different things. While I did start and will continue with HP Lovecraft’s, “The Call of Cthulhu” I got waylaid by other works. When The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton arrived, I had to dig in. And after I read Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron” I continued with the short story collection and found some spooky stories there. I’ll write up some next month.

October
For RIP, I’ll finish The Call of Cthulhu and I really do think I will reread The War of the Worlds, which I am really looking forward to…but who knows…!  

The “Club” is this month and Simon at Stuck in a Book has designated the year 1976 for October. My choice is Penelope Lively’s, A Stitch in Time.

I’ll be reading Shakespeare’s, The Tempest for Witch Week.

The Thomas Hardy year continues with the short story collection, Life’s Little Ironies

Hmm, that’s a pretty full dance card, but I’m sure there will be room for spontaneous reads.

Other Reading News
I have discovered a new podcast thanks to Juliana at The [Blank] Garden, who put up a post on The Lost Ladies of Lit. It is a wonderful podcast that showcases little known and forgotten women writers. I am learning so much and have already ordered a book from an episode and more are definitely to follow.

Lizzie Ross is doing daily posts for Banned Books Week that I have found fascinating. Check them out for some enlightening content.

That’s it for me. If you’ve done a September wrap-up let me know in the comments below. I wish you….

Happy Spooktober!