1.  The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington

A surreal apocalyptic fairytale for adults about old ladies in a retirement home. I didn’t like it that much but it had its good moments.

2.  Force of Nature by Jane Harper

A good thriller about women on a hike in Australian wilderness. I loved the writing and the descriptions of nature. Most of all I liked the fact that it was a high quality thriller with an unpredictable ending. Full review here.

3. A River of Stars by Vanessa Hua

Meh. That’s all I can say about the book, briefly speaking. A disappointing read that promised some adventures of pregnant women on a run in a foreign country but turned out to be a collection of unrelated reminiscences and memories.

4. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

I loved this novel. It uses elements of science fiction to make you think about the way people’s minds work and grow. The book will be published in January 2019.

5. The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell

Oh the almighty Universe how do I EVER explain what this book is like?! I can only say that it’s something huge, uneven, unpredictable and definitely not simple. I liked some moments and hated others. The Old Drift will be published on 21st March 2019. You can now read my full review of the book. 

6. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

If I had to name the best book I read in September, Virgil Wander would get the prize. I liked it the most. Everything is perfect about it: the writing, the story, the characters. I still miss this book and I plan to read it again some time soon just to feel its beauty.

7. April Fool’s Day by Josip Novakovich

A scary, hard, funny and unusual book about a man from ex-Yugoslavia. He lives through the regime and the wars. It’s definitely not a light reading but it’s worthwhile. 

8. Checking Out by Nick Spalding

Light, silly, funny at places. If you are looking for something superficial but well written you might like this book. The full review is here.

9. Day of the Accident by Nuala Ellwood

A very well written thriller about a woman after a coma. The twists are not too guessable but the characters behave strangely sometimes. It’s one of very few recent thrillers that I actually liked. The book will be published on 21st February 2019. My full review will also be posted later.

10. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

To me this thriller was not what it promised to be. In my opinion it’s not really a gothic thriller. It’s still quite gripping and fast-paced. It’s about lives of teachers and students of a collage where bad things start happening. The book will be published on 1st November. 

That was my September list. Have you read any of those? Which one would you like to read? It would be nice to hear from you. Meanwhile I’m off for my October reading. So excited, so many Universes ahead!

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I’ve read The Hearing Trumpet, which was presented earlier on the blog by my cat.

The book is described as an “occult twin of Alice in Wonderland” but I don’t think it’s accurate. If it can be compared to any book at all then it’s probably a very drunk version of Narnia.

The author, Leonora Carrington, was an eccentric person. She would cover her feet with mustard while sitting in a restaurant and would serve her guests breakfast made of their own hair that she had cut off while they were sleeping. Thus, I’m not sure if Leonora needed the help of any substances to create this book or it came to her naturally.

The book feels like a lucid dream controlled by a fantasy loving person. The story starts with an old lady and cats but quickly progresses to a fairytale touched up by an apocalyptic approach. I’m not even sure if Leonora Carrington wanted to write the book or the book just happened accidentally while Leonora was having fun imagining her dream world.

The Hearing Trumpet has a hilarious main character and is very quotable. Here are some of the quotes:

• “The fact that I have no teeth and never could wear dentures does not in any way discomfort me. I don’t have to bite anybody and there are all sorts of soft edible foods easy to procure and digestible to the stomach. […] I never eat meat as I think it is wrong to deprive animals of their life when they are so difficult to chew anyway.”
• “If I remember correctly writers usually find some excuse for their books, although why one should excuse oneself for having such a quiet and peaceful occupation I really don’t know. Military people never seem to apologize for killing each other yet novelists feel ashamed for writing some nice inert paper book that is not certain to be read by anybody.”
• “It is impossible to understand how millions and millions of people all obey a sickly collection of gentlemen that call themselves ‘Government’. […] It is a form of planetary hypnosis, and very unhealthy’”
• “I’m sure it would be very pleasant and healthy for human beings to have no authority whatever. They would have to think for themselves, instead of always being told what to do.”

I still can’t suggest this book to anybody because I’m not sure it’s possible to enjoy the book without hitting a moment of occult overdose at some point.