Monthly Book Stack Review September

Time is flying by and the

end

of the

year is fast

approaching.

I may not

quite manage my

goal of 120 books

for 2021!

We shall have to see what

the cooler weather and

fireside time of autumn

offers.

This month’s reads gave me
new favourites so I hope you
enjoy them too.

The Farthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch

This book is the perfect thing to sit wrapped up warm on a cold or water British day and disappear into. A ghost story that is a light and intriguing mystery. A journey onto the London underground and a moment to wonder what the X-Files department of the Metropolitan Police would actually be like.

I loved my afternoon with Peter Grant and have ordered another of his adventures for the next time I find myself needing a walk back along London’s streets.

Greenlights By Matthew McConaughey

If you can recall the drawl and swagger of Matthew McConaughey’s voice, then you already know a lot about how this book is going to feel. He is a great storyteller and he has more stories than I imagined that would inspire and reassure me of following the path we pick for ourselves, yet somehow always doubt while we walk it.

From his conception to his fiftieth birthday, he guides us through the choices he made, the upbringing he received, and what he learnt along the way. While he was raised religious, I would say he is a man of values and a deep spirituality and connection to both himself and the world around him, which has shaped every twist in his tale. And many, many twists there were.

I really enjoyed this. I loved the stories behind the images we’ve been fed by his media persona and being introduced to a man who took himself off to the Amazon, to Africa, and lived in a mobile home for years in the US, all to maintain a connection to who he really was rather than lose himself in the Hollywood machine. He’s not preaching or selling a cure to whatever ails you, he’s just sharing his stories around a campfire with a beer or three next to you both. I think I’ll be investing in the audiobook next as this is one I’ll come back to.

The Beast’s Heart By Leife Shallcross

 Because I am still spending a large amount of my time thinking and mulling over the layers of meaning and genius contained in fairytales, no month would be complete without a little of that to share with you. This time is it a wonderfully rich Beauty and the Beast story told from the Beast’s perspective.

A story about learning to look at yourself in the mirror and accept what you see. A story about finding yourself before you can share yourself.

This is such a beautiful retelling, I felt like I was reading an extended classic. A magical love story at its finest.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

This book is part of my ongoing small obsession with books dealing with ‘the road not taken’.

In science, there is a theory about something known as the multiverse. The concept that at every decision we make, each outcome splits off into an alternate reality that exists alongside ours.

The unknown is one of the most tantalising things for us humans, it’s what has fuelled our thirst for knowledge, exploration, and development at crazy speeds in all areas of life. It’s not crazy to think that people are trying to access these other worlds but what would it mean if we did?

A perfect blend of philosophy, science, brilliant writing, and the never endingly brilliant question… what makes you, you?