What I Read ♥ September 2025

September wasn’t the most eventful reading month for me. With the expectation of one book, I forgot what I read in September, as most of the books weren’t that memorable to me. Even though, looking back at this post (I write my reviews as I read a book) I seemed to have liked what I finished. I only managed to read two out of the four books from my Virgo TBR. I’m currently in the middle of another, but I’ll discuss that book in my next ‘What I read’ post. I also finally figured out how to properly DNF a book on Goodreads! I don’t know why Goodreads doesn’t give you an option to simply DNF a book as an option. smh

I’m super excited to start reading some spooky and witchy reads in October. Horror and psychological thrillers are some of my favorite genres! With the trees and weather slowly turning to autumn, you can expect to see me tucked away with a good cozy creepy read and a ghostie blanket and pup in tow!

Make sure to follow me on Goodreads to be updated on what I’m reading and on StoryGraph if you’re curious about my book statistics.

My star reading scale
★★★★★/5 – Loved it! Would reread and recommend it to others.
★★★★/5 – Kept me entertained. I would reread.
★★★/5 – Didn’t love or hate but would recommend to others.
★★/5 – Did not enjoy it and probably skimmed through most of it.
★/5 – I hated it and regret wasting my time with this book.
DNF – Did not finish. This will probably be rare because I like to finish every book I start.

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this post might be affiliate links. If you make a purchase with the links I provide, I may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

Meditations with Cows: What I’ve Learned from Daisy, the Dairy Cow Who Changed My Life by Shreve Stockton ★★★★★/5
An intimate memoir on the work and wonder of ranch life, critiquing the inhumane and environmentally destructive factory farm system and offering sustainable alternatives for ethical omnivores.

I’m so glad Meditations with Cows didn’t disappoint! This book has been on my TBR list for so long, and I’m glad to have finally gotten a copy! When I read the description of this book, I remember thinking, this women is living my dream life! Shreve Stockton finds herself living on a cattle farm in Wyoming after making a detour from her cross-country adventures. She buys a dairy cow, Daisy, because she wanted to raise a cow and milk her own fresh milk, and eventually ends up raising a small herd of cattle. Parts of books revolve around farm life, and it reads as if you were reading the day of a character from Stardew Valley. You can tell she loves her animals, especially her cows as she puts so much effort into protecting them while also respecting their boundaries and not getting involved unless otherwise necessary.

Stockton also discusses the importance of an ethical food system, the impact of CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations), and sustainable agriculture. While I don’t agree with everything that the author has done with her cattle, I also can’t judge because what do I know about raising and living with cows? This was such an insightful book and I would highly recommend it if you want to learn more about sustainable agriculture, the cattle industry, and obviously cows!

You can purchase Meditations with Cows here

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado DNF/5
A wife refuses her husband’s entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store’s prom dresses. One woman’s surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest. And in the bravura novella “Especially Heinous,” Machado reimagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a show we naïvely assumed had shown it all, generating a phantasmagoric police procedural full of doppelgängers, ghosts, and girls with bells for eyes.

I’ve been wanting to read something by Carmen Maria Machado, and when I saw that this audiobook of her short story collection was available, I decided to give it a listen. I DNF’d it because I got bored. lol

You can purchase Her Body and Other Parties here

The Pivot Year: 365 Days To Become The Person You Truly Want To Be by Brianna Wiest ★★★/5
If you’re in a pivot period—if you’re still bridging the space between where you are and where you want to be—remember that the person you’re becoming is already within you. The journey is convincing your mind to act consistently on what your heart already knows it wants to do.

I originally marked this a 4-star after I finished it, however, after thinking about The Pivot Year, I realized I couldn’t remember anything about this book! The past Brianna Wiest books that I’ve read have always stuck with me more, but this one was quite forgettable, so I changed the rating. I may have to give this a reread.

You can purchase The Pivot Year here

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo ★★★★/5
Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).

With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

I finally gave my closet a declutter after holding off for months. While I was cleaning, I remembered that I had started The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, so I listened to the audiobook as I cleaned, which is funny because Marie Kondo says you shouldn’t listen to anything while cleaning. I didn’t follow all her advice, obviously, but I did my best to implement her tips and did what worked best for me.

I loved Marie Kondo’s approach of not judging her clients on what they decided to keep or toss. In most of the organization books or articles that I’ve read, the authors always tell you that you should keep a certain amount of tops, bags, or whatever, whereas Marie’s simple if it doesn’t ‘spark joy’ then throw it out rule is easy to follow and less demanding. I also loved how self-aware Kondo is in her book, and I believe, in more recent news, she’s mentioned that it’s more difficult to stay tidy since becoming a mother. I love it when I person can admit their flaws, it makes them appear human and not just an “organization expert”.

You can purchase The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up here

Have you read any of these books? What did you read in September?