Everything I Read in September-October 2025
I finished nine books over the past couple of months, including seven audiobooks! I read a good mix of fiction (literary, romance, fantasy) and nonfiction (sociology, memoir, psychology, self-help). I also got a head start on a fun (backlist) holiday series that I’ll be continuing into November and December!
For 2025, my goal is to read 50 books and 14,000 pages. I’m currently at 41 books and 12,690 pages read after October. If you’re also a reader, join StoryGraph and add me as a friend: my username is cottoncashmerecathair! And please share your favorite recent read(s) in the comments.
READ NEXT: Everything I Read in July-August 2025
Everything I Read in September-October 2025
Physical Books
Worry by Alexandra Tanner
My step mom handed me this book after reading it herself and thinking I’d like it.
This is one of those books where nothing happens and everything happens. Basically, you’re reading about the day-to-day life of two close-in-age sisters living in NYC. The moments are mostly mundane, but that’s what I liked about it. It felt very relatable. One sister is obsessed with Mormon mommies on Instagram, one breaks out in hives regularly. Both sisters are trying to find their place in the world and deal with their depression (in different ways). They both have a fraught relationship with their mom.
I flew through the first half of the book, and the second half was a slower read for me. It didn’t follow the typical novel arc, and the ending was abrupt and didn’t offer much in the way of closure. But, overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend to others, especially millennial women!
Ebooks
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
This is the third book in the Fourth Wing series. There was a HUGE cliffhanger at the end of the second book, Iron Flame, and this book picks up right where that one left off. It’s another very long book, clocking in at over 750 pages (the Kindle version), so it took me a while to get through.
In this book, Violet and others in her wing set off to find allies beyond the walls of the Continent. I really enjoyed this part of the book—visiting each of the other lands and seeing what the people were like and what their customs were was so interesting (if not upsetting at times). It felt like there were fewer battle scenes in this book, and that was fine with me, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the end of the book. And, of course, it ended on another cliffhanger.
Audiobooks
Toxic by Sarah Ditum
In this book, the author takes us deep into the lives of nine female celebrities that were staples of the first decade of the 2000s (also known as the aughts or noughties, two words that it turns out I HATE, lol). It’s an important examination of how the media and the public scrutinized these women ruthlessly—and for what reason?
Each chapter highlights the life of one celebrity, which include Brittney Spears, Aaliyah, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and five others. The celebrity men in their lives were also featured extensively.
Being a teenager in the early 2000s was rough, and this book made me realize that so much of my experience (and those of other millennials) was likely due to how women as whole were perceived, and that started with celebrities.
Sounds Like Me by Sara Bareilles
I absolutely love Sara Bareilles, and I finally listened to her memoir! It’s short and sweet, and she even sings at times. Because it’s short but covers quite a bit of her life (through Waitress), she doesn’t go into great detail, but I still recommend it. I love Waitress and how she got a chance to be a part of that musical!
I didn’t know much about her life/upbringing before listening to this book, but hearing about her experience in her own words was wonderful (even if sad at times when she discusses rough times in her life, including low self-esteem), and it made me love and appreciate her even more. She brings so much light into the world.
Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
I do realize that September is a little early to read holiday novels, but the Winter Street series has four books and I thought it’d be fun to read one a month through the end of the year! (Plus, I know holiday audiobooks are hard to get through the library in November and December.)
This book was actually my very first Elin Hilderbrand novel. I had heard so many good things about her books for years, and I can see why they get so much love.
I really enjoyed this book set on Nantucket Island during the holiday season! The story follows the Quinn family; the patriarch, Kelley, owns the Winter Street Inn on the island. There are a lot of characters that make an appearance (Quinn adult kids along with current and formers partners). The point of view switches between different characters and I didn’t find it too difficult to track.
It features love lost, love found, love triangles, family love—everything you could want in a book set at Christmastime. And it may make you want to travel to Nantucket!
Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand
This is the second book in the Winter Street series and is set over the Christmas season following the first book.
It seems like some of the drama in the Quinn family is calming down as Kelley reconnects with his ex and TV personality Margaret, son Kevin and his girlfriend welcome a baby girl, and daughter Ava starts dating someone else, but the calm doesn’t last long. Other exes show up in the wings to disrupt the Quinn’s Christmas once again!
This book is another fun holiday romp. I really enjoyed being back in the world of the Quinns, though by the end of the book I wanted to shake Ava for being so annoying, LOL. The book also becomes heavy at times as it dives into some deeper themes, such as drug addiction.
Nobody Wants Your Sh*t by Messie Condo
If you know me, you know I love a good book about decluttering. I listen to a lot of them, but for some reason, my house is still a mess. 😆
I like all the decluttering/tidying books I read for different reasons. Most of them regurgitate much of the same tips, and it’s helpful to have them reinforced. I also like listening for new suggestions or things I can constantly repeat in my brain to help make getting rid of stuff easier.
I heard about this book from multiple sources, including my mom. Haha. It’s a very short read that is full of profanity and tough love, so skip it if that’s not your thing. If you need your ass kicked like I do, though, it may be worth a listen!
Please Unsubscribe, Thanks! by Julio Vincent Gambuto
I saw the title of this audiobook and knew it was something I needed to listen to. I really hate how everything is a subscription and how little of an attention span I have due to everything trying to grab my attention. Can you relate?
The author really dives into how much of our lives are affected by being tuned in to EVERYTHING. It’s all too much. He talks about how to unsubscribe from emails, yes, but also all the other bullshit—how we use technology/social media, bad boundaries, people and jobs that don’t serve us, and more.
I started losing my attention span a bit by the end of the book, but overall I thought it was a good listen. It did irritate me that he referred to the pandemic as “the circus” so as to not drum up visceral reactions in readers.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
I have not seen the TV adaptation of The Summer I Turned Pretty on Amazon Prime because I wanted to read the books first… and I gotta say, I thought the first book left a lot to be desired. It just wasn’t all that interesting to me. There wasn’t much world building or a whole lot going on besides teenage drama.
My first thought was: How did they make a whole TV series out of this?! (I have heard that the show is better, so there’s that, at least.) I will say that I did like the book a bit better by the end. I loved the relationship between the teenagers and their moms. (I also didn’t realize Conrad and Jeremiah were brothers!)
I didn’t realize the actress that played the main character in the series also narrated this book! I recognized her voice but didn’t put the two together until writing this review. She narrates the whole series, so that’s cool!
