September 2025 Wrap Up – a full happy month

Hello Readers! I hope you all are well. September 2025 felt like a full happy month — a little chaotic, a lot joyful, and balanced perfectly between life and reading.

September 2025 in Life

It was a busy one — between a planned 3-day trip, the Navaratri festival, and juggling routines around it all, reading took a back seat. So honestly, I was surprised I still managed to hit my average book count by the end of the month!

The first school PTM went great — positive feedback, fewer complaints, and it’s nice to see the school putting genuine effort into making the kids’ time there happy. I did try to get my kid into a Kathak class, but after a bad first day with a stomach bug and some scary vomiting, she’s been hesitant to try again (can’t really blame her). The silver lining? She was all in for Navratri this year — from getting dressed up to actually trying some garba steps!

September 2025 in Reading

Books Read

Happy Place (★★★★★) is a beautifully layered second-chance romance about love, friendship, and finding happiness on your own terms. It perfectly captures the messiness of adulthood—where expectations clash with desire, silence breaks hearts, and healing begins with honesty. Heartfelt, warm, and emotionally rich—Emily Henry at her finest.

Jane Eyre (★★★★.75) is a story of love, integrity, and fierce self-respect. It is slow but deeply powerful feminist classic about a woman who refuses to compromise her dignity, no matter how cruel the world—or her lovers—get. Jane’s journey from a lonely orphan to an independent, self-assured woman is timeless, raw, and quietly revolutionary.

The Battle for Baramulla (★★★★★) is a haunting and powerful historical fiction that brings Kashmir’s beauty and tragedy to life through twelve-year-old Zooni’s eyes. It’s a story of war, loss, courage, and resilience that blends fact and fiction with aching humanity. Emotional, evocative, and unforgettable.

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone (★★★★.5) is a dark, emotional vampire fantasy of love, redemption, and defiance. Mische’s descent through the underworld with Asar is brutal, beautiful, and utterly heartbreaking—a battle between light and shadow, faith and freedom, love and loyalty. A slow burn that shatters, heals, and leaves you desperate for the next book.

The Rainfall Market (★★★★) is a heartwarming middle grade to YA fantasy filled with magic, mystery, and wisdom. It follows Serin, a girl desperate to trade her misery for happiness, as she discovers that true fortune isn’t in success or wealth—but in love, friendship, and the people who make life worth living. A beautiful, imaginative tale about finding joy where it truly matters.

Such a Bad Influence (★★★★) is a heartwarming and chaotic small-town story about grief, second chances, and unlikely friendship. Felicity and Alex’s revenge-fueled bond turns into something deeper—healing, hilarious, and full of heart. It’s fast-paced, emotional, and the kind of book you’ll finish in one sitting with a smile (and maybe a tear).

October Plan

It’s my birthday month, so here’s me hoping for a great one!

I’m planning to dive into more horrors and thrillers this month, basically all the fall vibes in book form. The second half of the month brings Diwali vacation at school, which means we’ll be swept up in festivities and social gatherings again. It’s going to be a mix of spooky reads and sparkling celebrations.

Have you read any of these or plan to? 
How was your September and what was your favorite book of the month?
What do you plan to read in October?

Just in case you missed,,,

• Lady Susan / The Watsons / Sanditon by Jane Austen – fun and dramatic rare stories of Austen
• How to Be Happy with Who You Are by Sudha Murty
• Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison – dark and atmospheric cult horror

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