September Reading Wrap-Up 2025: Part 1

Semptember was a good reading month for me. As the seasons change and we start to get into my favorite time of year, (yes, I know, shocker) I begin to dive into my darker books. Not that I don't read horror and gothic all year round. I do. But there just seems to be a bit more of those types of books as the days get shorter and the nights linger on. I mainly focused on gothic and thriller novels, with a bit of Russian literature for good measure.

October will get even spookier, so stay tuned for that!

It by Stephen King: Ok hear me out. I'm aware this book isn't for everyone. But it is, as of right now, my second favorite book. Of all time. I dreamt about this book. I thought about it everyday. It took me months to read, and when I finished, I was depressed. Nothing will compare. It is a literary masterpiece, and you cannot convince me otherwise.

Blackstone Fell by Martin Edwards: I picked this up in Edinburgh, Scotland, and it was a fun read. It's a murder mystery set in a small, quaint English village, but something is sinister. I love that shit. It's a bit spooky and a bit gothic, but has that very traditional, vintage mystery vibe to it. If you like Agatha Christie, you'll enjoy this.

The Ghost Woods by C.J Cooke: I've read a few books by this author and really enjoy her work. It takes place in a dilapidated old home for unwed mothers who are waiting to give birth, or who already have but now have no place to go. But, yet again, something is very wrong, and women are disappearing. Oh, and what's that creepy woman doing lurking in the woods?

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov: We read this in my Ink Drinkers Book Club, and it was a hit. Everyone had a lot of fun reading this. Be warned: it's not an easy book. But if you want to know what happens when the Devil comes to Moscow during Stalinist Russia, then this is the book for you. It can be bleak, but it has beautiful moments, too. Oh, and the best character is a large alcoholic cat. So there's that.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter: Ah, the Queen of traumatising thrillers strikes again. I saw this all over TikTok honestly and I've read some of her other works (and my mother-in-law is a huge fan) so I thought why not. And yeup, it got me. I did find that it lagged a bit in the middle, but overall, very gripping and yes, I cried in the end. Please check trigger warnings. This one gets rough (although I have read worse....)

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer: Holy Shit. I was not prepared for this. I read a lot of weird stuff, and I watch a lot of horror movies. It takes a lot to get to me. I was terrified to go to the bathroom at night. I literally ran back to the bedroom. Freaked out my husband. I could not get this book out of my head. Go into it blind, would be my advice. Besides, it's almost impossible to describe. It's unsettling, uncomfortable, claustrophobic and just a lot of fun.

Imposter Syndrome by Joseph Knox: I read The Smiling Man by the same author and honestly, I would recommend that one before this newest one of his. I liked it fine, the story was intriguing but at times it seemed overly complicated and went into a direction that's just not my favorite thriller trope. But his writing is addictive and I will still read anything he writes.

Black Thorn by Sarah Hilary: This was another small-community-but-everyone-is-a-bit-weird story, and it was fun. I won't say it particularly stuck in my head or anything, but the twist was good, and the main female character was autistic which was an interesting change of pace. Went a bit into a spooky direction, but not too scary. The writing was very atmospheric which I quite liked.

I'll leave it there for now and will post part two soon.

Happy Reading!