September 2023 in Review
I didn’t think September could get any bigger than August but I was oh-so wrong! It was a month packed full of all the most amazing things - people, books, art, tv, games - as well as quick getaway to Bali.
Work
On the work front, it was a fun month working with writers in a variety of forms. First off, I finished a manuscript assessment on a cool piece of adventure fantasy with a killer twist at the end! I also got to interview YA fantasy author Vanessa Len about her new book Never a Hero.
You can read the interview here but here’s a little snippet to whet your appetite:
“Sometimes decisions are really hard, like maybe there’s no right decision, or maybe the right decision is going to have really bad consequences. So that was something I was really interested in for book two. It’s like all the things that Joan did, and maybe you were even on her side last time. I wanted to show the consequences this time.”
I also got to photograph some extraordinary authors in September. Their beautiful smiles lit up my computer and just made me so happy.
Reading
With my new TBR Jar in place as well as a luxurious week by the poolside in Bali, I managed to smash through a lot of reading in September. Here are some of my favourites:
One of my most anticipated reads for the year was Never a Hero, the sequel to one of my favourite books of 2022, Vanessa Len’s Only a Monster.
You can check out the full review for this book over at The AU Review but here’s a snippet just to prove how much I loved it.
“On its surface, Never a Hero is a book filled with the commonly enjoyable tropes of the YA fantasy genre. Beneath though, the story roils will issues of identity, race, morality, family, loyalty and love. The worldbuilding of Never a Hero is clever, intuitive and nuanced…I am counting down the days for the final instalment in the trilogy.”
When I reached poolside, Krystal Sutherland’s smash hit House of Hollow was the first book I picked up and now I understand the hype!
This book was fantastic! Creepy, mysterious and utterly absorbing, it’s a dark fairytale contemporary fantasy about three sisters who went missing when they were children and don’t remember what happened to them.
Something about the writing and the style and the mystery of this book meant I just couldn’t put it down. If you’ve been sitting on it, stop waiting. It’s brilliant.
I am starting to really dig the crime fantasy genre with it’s gritty contemporary feel and it’s interesting takes on fantasy and mythology.
Threads that Bind is a great blend of plot-driven mystery and fantasy worldbuilding that leaves you constantly guessing who the villain is.
Set in a world where the descendants of Gods wield their powers, Io is a private detective in the slums of the city of Alante. A descendant of the Fates she has the power to see the threads that connect people and to cut them too. When she witnesses a strange and violent murder, she’s drawn into a web of deceit and politics that force her to face her shame, fear and desire to find the mastermind behind it all.
Leisure
I was having so much fun in September that I’m not sure when I got time to sleep! September was packed full of incredible experiences.
We had a family night out at the fabulous Cirque De Soleil on ice show Crystal. I never get tired of seeing athletes in this form who make it look so graceful and easy, although anyone whose ever set foot on an ice rink knows how difficult all those stunts are!
I also took my nephew and my cousins to the AWESOME Festival to check out some of the great exhibits and shows they had on offer. You can see my nephew and my dad in the pictures below playing with lights in the Sea of Light exhibit, and my cousins having fun learning some circus tricks at Roll Up Roll Up. That cute little face on my icecream was the festival special flavour gelato from Chicho Gelato based on Ted Prior’s Grug.
I also went to Zero Latency for some VR fun with family, took a trip to Fremantle to experience the beautiful Luminarium exhibit, and enjoyed the high quality of Margaret River Chocolate Factory in the Swan Valley with my book club.
I have been a fan of One Piece since my years living in London when I used to binge-watch the show every night when I got home from work. The solitude at various stages of my travels was soothed by this quirky found-family adventure.
Of course, when Netflix announced its live adaptation, like many fans I was dubious. Let’s face it, there haven’t been many live adaptations of anime that have really hit the mark, and some of anime’s many loveable tropes don’t translate well to live-action. Nevertheless, I like to give things a chance and I’m glad I wasn’t judgemental when I went into this.
The series was fun, full of the same heart and joy as the anime, and the actors did a great job of portraying a weird and wonderful cast of characters. If it really does manage to last the full twelve seasons they want to do, I’ll be very happy. For now, I’m looking forward to the next season.
The long awaited release of Starfield happened in September and I’m not joking when I say that Fred and I were setting timers for the TV for weeks while we both binged the game.
While it’s not perfect, and there are certainly some areas for improvement that even a novice gamer like myself can pick, it’s still fun. Skyrim-in-space is an apt descriptor, with the plethora of side quests alongside the main mission, and a ton of politics and factions to keep you entertained.
There’s still plenty for me to explore in this game, and despite the gun-slinging which is not my forte, I’m still having fun. But I do hope Bethesda now get their act together on the next Elder Scrolls game!
And finally, September was also a great opportunity to sit back and unwind. Fred took me on an escape to Bali to stay in a private villa where we could just relax, read, and take some time for ourselves.
To say I needed this time is an understatement. It was nice to get away and not be able to do anything and to make some time for self-care.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading along and I hope you had as much fun as I did last month.
Toodle-oo and see you next month!
