Video: September Wrap-Up, Plus a Note on Imposter Syndrome
Watch this September wrap-up and other videos on my Read Remark booktube channel here.
Every month, I reflect on what a bountiful crop of literature I’ve harvested and the wonderful maizes I’ve explored within (corny analogy…get it? corny?)
September was no exception. I’ve been in reading and audiobooking overdrive, thanks in large part to the overdrive library app on my iphone. Here are some of the goodies I’ve read.
Click each title in this September wrap-up to read my full reviews.
The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh
This modern western tales place in a very small, isolated settlement called The Blinds. People who were either perpetrators or victims of horrible settle down there with freshly erased blocks of memory.
If We Were Villains by M.L Rio
A group of students in their final year of studying Shakespearean acting enact tragedies of their own. This book is great fun, weaving large bits of Shakespeare into regular dialogue.
The Child by Fiona Barton
A baby’s bones have been found. Whose baby is it? Three women are desperate to find out. I feel like I need a clickbaity attention-grabber for this book synopsis. Whose bones are they? The results will shock you.
Eat Only When You’re Hungry by Lindsay Hunter
Greg goes on the road searching for his drug-addicted son, GJ. On its surface, this is a book about a father trying to do right by his son. But as we look deeper and deeper into Greg himself, we see we’ve put the focus on the wrong person.
The Reason You’re Alive by Matthew Quick
David is almost 70 years old, has just excised a brain tumor, and still living down the traumas of the Vietnam War. He has a unique way of looking at people. He first presents as a closed-minded old poop, but then we see just how open his world is.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Starr lives in two worlds; her upper-class private school with upper-class pals, and her actual home. When her friend is killed by a policeman, her two worlds come together. Excellent book.
Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy
Families on a luxury cruise are separated from their children. It’s a scenario that terrifies me as a parent, and these kids manage to trip into a dizzying array of bad situations. It’s hard to be objective on this one; I would become
much more than alarmed.
American Fire by Monica Hesse
Over the course of a few months, a couple set fires to almost 70 structures in a small Virginia county. Their reasons are still murky. Dissatisfaction with each other, their life situations, their love lives, boredom; all of it gone to ashes.
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Louise strikes up a love affair with her boss and a deep friendship with his wife. Sounds like a recipe for success!
OK, enough of my September wrap-up. On to the pep talk.
A word about the imposter syndrome…
I’ve seen a few videos with booktubers who have doubt of their own worth. They feel they read too few books, know too few literary terms, have too few subscribers, on and on and on with all of the insecurities that can trip us up.
I get it because I feel it pretty acutely, myself. And it sucks.
All of you booktubers out there: you’re awesome! It takes a lot of courage, time, dedication to make these videos. Don’t ever feel like you have to live up to some imaginary barometer.
That extends to all readers. You don’t have to look a certain way, read a certain quantity, or stick to highbrow literature to be a true reader. You have nothing to prove.
Consider this your virtual pat on the back and permission to identify yourself as whatever or whoever you damn well want without feeling like you have to validate it.
OK, hands in. And, GOOOOOOOO TEAM!
