No challenges completed this month – school is definitely eating up my reading time! Up to 181 books for the year, nine this month alone (no DNFs); six fiction/three non-fiction.

Completed in September:

1. The Duchess War (ebook, fiction). I asked Litsy for recommendations for snarky, witty, feminist romance like Sarah MacLean, and this was the most common recommendation. I don’t know that I’d put them in the same league, but this was definitely a fun read.
2. Wonder (paperback, fiction). This was a book club pick, and definitely not something I’d have chosen for myself. I had issues with some of it, but I can’t fault the overall “be kind” message.
3. My Plain Jane (audiobook, fiction). Nowhere near as good as My lady Jane, but still enjoyable. (I wish they’d kept the original narrator, though.)
4. The Word is Murder (audiobook, fiction). I’ve never read anything by this author before, so I’m not sure if this was a good example of his work, but I found it entertainingly self-referential. A fun mystery listen for the quieter times at work.
5. Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid the Traps, Build Common Ground, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation (hardcover, nonfiction). A solid read. I especially liked the pieces about how companies grew actual offerings through collaboration. If I had a leadership library, this would be in it.
6. Queen of the Tearling (audiobook, fiction). This was a “pick something fantasy that’s available from the library right now” choice for me, so I had no expectations going in, other than seeing it labeled as YA on Goodreads. THIS IS NOT YA. I read afterward that some people compare it to a cross between Game of Thrones and the Hunger Games, and…I guess? Yes, there’s a lottery choosing people to go off to a horrible fate. So there’s your Hunger Games, if you squint. As for GoT, well, there’s a lot of rape. So, yeah. There you go. I suppose I found it enjoyable outside of the rape, the history of rape, the sideways references to rape…I really, really want to send the author a copy of this amazing article by Seanan McGuire, because FANTASY WITHOUT RAPE IS A THING. To quote Ms. McGuire, “I do not understand—I will not understand, I refuse to understand—why rape has to be on the table for every story with a female protagonist, or even a strong female supporting cast.”
7. Word by Word (paperback, nonfiction). A fantastic book club pick! If you’re a word geek like I am, you’ll love this book.
8. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (hardcover, nonfiction). A marvelous recommendation from my sister-in-law. If you love running (or want to understand why someone you love loves running), check this out.
9. Witches of Lychford (audiobook, fiction). This was another random “it’s available” pick from the library, but a good one! I wish it had been a full-length novel instead of a novella, and I wish my library had the rest of the series on audio.

Started in September (or before) and Still Going:

There are a lot of books on this list! With the exception of audiobooks I listen to at work, which I cycle through based purely on what’s available; things I need to pick up for school; and book club picks, I’m going to try not to add to this list before the end of the year.

1. Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition (paperback, nonfiction)
2. Collaborative Leadership: Building Relationships, Handling Conflict, and Sharing Control (ebook, nonfiction)
3. The Confessions of Socrates (ebook, fiction)
4. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (paperback, fiction)
5. Hogfather (paperback, fiction)
6. Kill the Farm Boy (ebook, fiction)
7. Leader Evolution: From Technical Expertise to Strategic Leadership (ebook, nonfiction)
8. The Leadership Moment: Nine True Stories of Triumph and Disaster and Their Lessons for Us All (nonfiction, paperback, textbook)
9. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train (audiobook, fiction)
10. Night and Silence (hardcover, fiction)
11. Organizational Behavior (paperback, nonfiction, textbook)
12. Principles of Managerial Finance (nonfiction, ebook, textbook)
13. Questions of Character: Illuminating the Heart of Leadership Through Literature (hardcover, nonfiction)
14. The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling (paperback, nonfiction, textbook)
15. The Things They Carried (fiction, paperback, textbook)