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Monthly Books and Blog Chat Series: September Roundup
Hello again, friends! Thanks for stopping by for another monthly wrap up!
If you’re new to the blog, my Monthly Books and Blog Chat Series is a segment I do where I, essentially, give you a nice, neat wrap up of my month. Mostly, I use this series to give my book reviews for what I read over the month and to give updates on the blog (or, really, my take on how blogging life is going.)
I also give a little bit of insight into my own life and if there’s anything notable happening with me, so I think it’s a nice way for readers to get to know me a little better.
Hopefully, you all enjoy it too!
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Let’s Chat! A Wrap Up of September’s Books and Blog
Well, it’s officially October. I know some of you are probably super stoked about that, and, while there are definitely things I love about the Fall, I’m going to miss Summer.
Last month, I mentioned that I’d gotten a new job so this month I’ve been more focused on trying to balance everything in my life.
John and I have our one year anniversary coming up this month, so I’ll probably write a blog post about that in the near future (I can’t say anything else here, though for fear of jinxing it ?)
Other than that, not much is new in my life, so we’ll move on to the Reading and Blogging wrap up portion now.
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Reading Wrap Up
Every month, I try to read at least 4 or more books, but depending on how busy I am, that’s not always realistic. Still, I found time to read a few good books this month.
You Might Also Like: Best Books to Read This Summer
Here are all the books I read in September. I’d recommend all of them, but continue reading below for a more in-depth look at each.
Every Vow You Break • Peter Swanson
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Wow. Just Wow.
In Every Vow You Break, we meet Abigail, a newlywed on her honeymoon. Prior to the wedding, on her bachelorette trip, she had a one-night stand with “Scottie.” She wants nothing more than to just forget the drunken encounter, but that seems impossible when he shows up at the exclusive island resort she and her new husband are staying at.
I actually decided to read this one after seeing on a fellow bloggers recent book haul and I’m so glad I did. This book kept me up late and on the edge of my seat the entire time.
P.S. – I’ve previously read another book of his, The Kind Worth Killing which was equally fantastic. You can get the kindle version of that one for under $10 right now! Find it here.
Purchase Every Vow You Break here
The Disappearing Act • Catherine Steadman
Genre: Psychological Thriller
I almost never give a 5-star rating (in fact, there’s only one book I can think of that I’d consider a 5-star book.) So, the fact that this book is even close really says a lot about how much I enjoyed it.
For one thing, I tend to love psychological thrillers. I’m also a not-so-secret fan of celebrity/Hollywood culture and this book combines both of those elements brilliantly.
Mia is a British actress who’s in L.A. after her agent lands her several huge auditions. In the waiting room of one audition, she meets Emily, another actress, and the two seem to hit it off. But soon after, Emily goes missing and Mia is determined to find out what happened to her.
I was completely gripped by this book and could not put it down.
Purchase The Disappearing Act here
Sad, Black, & Fat: Musings From the Intersection • Tangela Williams-Spann
Genre: Non-fiction; Essay collection
I’ll start first by saying I haven’t finished this one quite yet – but there’s a reason for that!
You see, this is a very raw, very honest series of essays and poems, a lot of which deal with difficult subject matters, such as depression. That can be hard to read, especially if you’re dealing with your own emotional baggage (which you know, a lot of us are a lot of the time) so I’ve had to read through it slowly.
But it’s beautifully written and I love how Tangela has put it together. If you’re not an empath, I would definitely suggest it. (And if you are, I’d still say pick this one up, just go at a slower pace like me!)
Plus – Tangela is part of the blogging community, so make sure to show her some support! (I also had no idea that she was a fellow St. Louisan until reading this book which is fun!)
Purchase Sad, Black, and Fat here
*Note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Yearbook • Seth Rogen
Genre: Non-fiction; Humor
It’s really unusual for me to pick up a non-fiction book so the fact that I have TWO on my wrap up this month is kind of crazy!
This is a pretty typical autobiography as far as celebrity comedians go. There are plenty of funny stories with some tiny Hollywood details thrown in (I’d love a genuine celebrity bio with some seriously juicy gossip!)
So, if you’re into that sort of thing, I’d recommend picking up this book.
Purchase Yearbook here
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Blogging Wrap Up
Blog wise, September was a pretty good month. I feel like I’m definitely starting to get better at blogging stuff!
Blogging Goals
It’s been a little while since I actively set specific, concrete goals for myself when it comes to blogging. But at the beginning of this month, I decided to try it again. I figured it may help motivate me more.
Whenever I set goals in the past that I didn’t accomplish, I’d always feel really bummed out.
So, this time, I wanted to change my mindset and focus on what I did accomplish instead.
Although I didn’t quite hit the 90 email subscribers mark this month, I was able to reach all of my other goals so I’m considering that a win.
Tarot Blog
For the last few months, I’d really taken a step back from my second blog, The Tarot Bitch. It just wasn’t really doing much for me. That’s partly my fault, I know – I didn’t spend much time promoting it or anything, but it still felt like it was just an added and very unnecessary stressor in my life.
So, I got rid of it! Sorry for anyone here who followed that one, but the good news is that I’ve added my Tarot Card Cheat Sheet to the Freebies Library. I’ll also continue to post some tarot content on Pinterest and Instagram, but for now, I’m going to stick with one blog.
Monetizing
One of my biggest goals with this blog has been to eventually monetize it. It takes a lot of time and effort so being able to make some money would make it easier for me to rationalize all that time and effort.
And I’ve finally started to accomplish that! This month I had two sponsored blog posts, was able to sell some October advertising packages, and I got another .75 cents from my Amazon affiliates links.
While I’m nowhere close to being able to write up an income report blog post with that, I feel like it’s a start, at least. Plus, with every dollar I earn, I become more and more confident in my ability to monetize.
The Writer’s Job Newsletter
Along with that goal, I’ve signed up for the Writer’s Job Newsletter. Each week, I get an email filled with the best paid writing opportunities available. It was completely free to sign up for, too unlike a lot of other writing group programs. So far, I’ve enjoyed the newsletter and I look through all of the opportunities to see if any would fit with my skills and expertise.
For any bloggers or writers out there, I’d suggest checking this out. You can also follow them on Twitter to learn more.
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That’s a Wrap!
That’s it for my September Books and Blogging recap – not quite as exciting as last time, but still overall a good month for me.
What did September bring for you? Are you excited about Fall or will you miss Summer, too? Let me know in the comments below!
And, as always, thanks so much for reading.
xx
Katie
16 Comments
Nice job on those September goals! You are still killing it out here. Thanks again for the book review. It still makes me feel weird to know that people actually like my writing.
I get it – that’s just the insecurity talking. You’re very talented though so don’t let it get you down!
Well done on your accomplishments during September.
I have not heard of any of the books but they all sound amazing. I will be adding them to my list.
Thank you for sharing.
I hope you enjoy!
Congratulations bon accomplishing most of your goals for September! I hope October you do do it even better!
My major goals for September were to reach 1000views on my blog which I did and to find out what DA is all about. I was excited bto see that my DA was 9 at the beginning of September and 12 at the end of it!I must have done something right and I am happy about it?
Wow, that’s awesome!
Sounds like you had a productive September, and congratulations on making your first steps towards monetising your blog! 🙂
Thank you! I’m trying lol.
Happy anniversary!
And happy October ?
Thank you!
I’m a fan of thrillers and The Disappearing Act sounds amazing!
xoxo
Lovely
It is sooo good! You’ll really enjoy it
sounds like you had a lovely September, Katie! Congrats on an almost 1 year anniversary – that’s so exciting & can’t wait to hear more about that in a future post. those books sound very interesting! i’ll have to check them out. i especially am interested in Every Vow You Break. I’ve heard good things. Here’s to a great October for you & reaching more blogging goals. You’ve been doing an amazing job.
Thank you so much! All is exciting yes!
Wow! You had a great month. I actually was looking for your tarot blog the other day lol. It’s gonna be missed. September was a pretty slow month but I’m looking forward to October.
Oh I’m sorry! I’ll still have Tarot info on my Instagram and Pinterest though 🙂