Wow, it’s been exactly a month since my monthly reading wrap-up for August. Wasn’t intending to post this this late into the month again, but life happens.
Comparing last month to the one before it, I definitely didn’t read as much as I’d wanted to. I read more books in August than I did in September. I’m hoping to change that up in October, especially since we’re getting into my favorite reading season.
But yeah, without further prattling, let’s get into my states for The StoryGraph for my September Reading 2023!
September 2023 Reading
I read 4 books and 1157 pages
😐 MOODS:Adventurous was the biggest slice of pie, as it always is. There are so many Moods here, but less than in August. The other ones were: Mysterious, Lighthearted, Dark, Funny, and Dark.
👢 PACE: I read two different kinds of paced books: slow and medium.
🔢 PAGE NUMBER: Everything I read was either between 300 and 499 pages, or it sad under 300 pages. The pie graph was split during the middle.
📖 FICTION/NONFICTION: It was once again all fiction this month.
🎭 GENRES:Fantasy, as usual, was the biggest bar of the graph. Graphic Novel and YA were of the length this time, though. The other genres on the graph were Horror and Comics.
📄 FORMAT: This little StoryGraph pie chart is incorrect. Only one of the books I read was a physical print copy.
⭐ RATING: My median star rating for last month was 2.5. It was cuz I rated four different books four different star increments.
📉 PAGES READ DAILY: I read some during the first week, but dipped down during the second week, until near the last week of September.
As I mentioned above, I didn’t read nearly as much as I had wanted to during September. Between things popping up and getting sick, I didn’t end up having the time or energy that I needed. Hopefully October will be better. 🤞🍀
And so, the September 2023 Reading Wrap-Up comes to a close. As per usual, thank you all so much for reading and have a wonderful day/night!
What books did you guys read in September? What did you think of them? What genres did you read?
Elliot Torres is kind of in a rough patch. With no career, a seemingly useless chemistry degree, and a near pathological addiction to online gaming, Elly needs something in her life to go right especially when her family asks her to start pitching in with the rent.
Enter Doctor Vlad Stein. After a series of failed part time jobs, Elly desperately answers Dr. Stein’s ancient classified ad: ASSISTANT NEEDED. But when the doctor ~who, according to rumor, is the creepiest mad scientist in human history demands an in-person job trial at his spooky lab, making ends meet might be the least of Elly’s worries. Or maybe she’s been playing too much survival horror.
Originally published on DeviantArt as a bit webcomic, and even adapted by fans into a YouTube audio drama, this is the first print collection of the hilarious series from rising star writer/artist LINDA SEJIC (Tales of Honor, Wildfire).
My Review
“I heard from a friend of a friend… that that guy… is a mad scientist!”
I’ve been kind of getting into graphic novels and webcomics recently, so when this came up on my feed it looked right up my alley. Dark, mad scientist aesthetic? Comedy-horror? Yes, please!
Alas, it just… didn’t live up to my expectations. A huge part of said anticipating was, of course, my fault, but I still had a different idea as to what kind of graphic novel Blood Stain was, as opposed to what it ended up being.
But let’s start off with what I liked about it…
Pros
The characters ▼
The characters were the star of the show here. (As they should – they’re characters! – but whatever.) Out of everything in these graphic novels, the cast was what shone the brightest. Particularly our leading lady, Elliot Torres.
Elliot Torres is a recent chemistry graduate who’s currently experiencing the first big hurdle of a young adult – finding and keeping down a job. As someone who’s been in her situation before (rather recently, in fact) she was extremely relatable. She’s also a spunky nerd who loves video games, which also helped me like her – as I too am a spunky nerd who loves video games. I also loved how her family (aka: her motivation) is always first in her mind, and how much she throws herself into everything she does, so as to help them out.
Vlad Stein – accidently christened “Blood Stain” by Elliot, hence the title – is our protagonist’s new workaholic, socially awkward boss. And no, sorry to burst everyone’s bubble, but despite his name, he isn’t a vampire. He’s a bit of a mad scientist though… At least, he has the aesthetic for it. I know, I know, I was a little disappointed as well (particularly since the covers and synopsis seem to imply supernatural connotations that don’t seem to exist). He was an okay character, one that I neither like nor dislike.
I really liked Serge though. He seems a bit out of place at first – like seriously, why is he here? But he’s a difficult character not to like, and I fell hard and fast. His purpose also becomes clear somewhat quickly in the story, which also helps. He worked as an excellent straight man to balance out Vlad’s and Elliot’s different kinds of weirdness.
The art ▼
The art is so good, guys. And the character designs were awesome. I also really liked the way that Sejic draws environments and backgrounds.
I also really liked how the panels would sometimes just change fantastically for seemingly no reason (at first). Elliot’s hyperactive imagination and weird dreams were always hilarious to witness.
Cons
The dialogue▼
I didn’t really like the dialogue at first. It felt very clunky to me. The conversations between characters didn’t always come off as natural, or how people talk at all. It did improve a little bit as the story went on, though.
The genre ▼
As for the genre… Contemporary fiction isn’t bad or anything like that, it’s just not my preference. But the covers of these graphic novels kind of like to you, and the summary is vague enough that certain things… might be inferred.
For example, I was sure Vlad was gonna be a vampire or something, and that there’d be other subtle supernatural stuff hanging around in the background. But. No dice. This is simply a very non-supernatural, slice-of-life comedy.
Final Thoughts
Blood Stain by Linda Sejic is pretty fun so far, if you like contemporary, dark comedy. Its illustrations are also beautiful – Sejic is really a talented artist.
This might also be a good comic to curl up on the couch with during October. Though it’s not supernatural, and not quite a horror, it still has a dark aesthetic perfect for spooky season.
As always, thank you so much for reading, and have an excellent day/night!
I know it’s been like three weeks since I’ve done this post, but I had stuff going on last week, and the week before I took a bit of a blogging break. But I’m back now, here to update y’all with what I’ve been reading.
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!
CURRENT FEELS: 😊🥹🤔 (it’s kinda slow but I quite like it, even though it’s made me cry)
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever – and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
From USA Today bestselling author T. Kingfisher, Thornhedge is an original, subversive fairytale about a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways.
There’s a princess trapped in a tower. This isn’t her story.
Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?
If only.
Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He’s heard there’s a curse here that needs breaking, but it’s a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…
(I’ve been getting more into graphic novels and webcomics lately… It feels nice to branch out and read a bunch of different things!)
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Mad science at its finest. Chemistry major, Elliot Torres has been unable to keep a steady job and eventually accepts a job by a rumored mad scientist Dr. Vlad Stein. Humorous hijinks ensue as their collaboration becomes epic.
What books are you guys currently reading? Have you read any of the ones on my list this week? What did you think of them, if you had? How do you feel about the book(s) you’re reading now?
Anyway, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope that you have a fantastic day/night!
