September Reading List

Lots of books about art, plus the best YA series I've read in a long time.

A Lady Reading by Gwen John

Storygraph tells me I read 6 books in September, which feels impressive to me, but I also prioritized reading a lot this month - in my never-ending quest to spend less time on my phone, I was actually carrying books around with me like I did when I was 8, and it was fun to just let the reading-obsessed part of my personality go as crazy as I wanted. Did a bring a book to our friends’ Labor Day party and spend 45 minutes laying beside their pool reading it? Yes, I did, and it was fabulous.

What I Read

Greenwitch, by Susan Cooper - The Dark is Rising Sequence #3

This was my first finished book of the month because early in September, I listened to the audiobook - and finished it all in one day. This is a YA fantasy series from the 70s that I discovered at the beginning of summer and have quickly become obsessed with. It is…so good. I wish I had known about these books when I was ten, I would have gone absolutely buckwild about them. Mixing high fantasy with King Arthur vibes and some good old-fashioned mystery-type adventures, they are fun, instantly engaging, and really magical to read. Each book in the series also has a slightly different feel and focus to it; this one, which closely followed the only female main character, was excellent. (I also recommend the narrator of the version I listened to, Alex Jennings.)

The Passion, by Jeanette Winterson

This was the inaugural book for my ‘Very Short Books Club’ and it was a brilliant one to start out with. Genre-wise it’s hard to describe, combining literary fiction and historical fiction, with a little bit of magical realism too. It’s only 160 pages, but I read it slowly, savoring each sentence. My book club (it’s literally just me and two of my friends) was overwhelmingly approving of this book, especially the latter half, which has less Napoleon in it and more of the female main character instead. Certain scenes have lingered with me, and I still find myself thinking about the characters. Highly recommend this one.

Life with Picasso, by Francoise Gilot (with Carlton Lake)

I finally finished this one (it was long!) and I loved it so much I wrote about it already. I won’t add much here, except to say that if you are at all interested in art, or being an artist, this is an excellent book to read. It gives such a fascinating insight into Picasso’s artistic process, as well as Gilot’s own practice, and touches on plenty of other 20th-century artists, including Matisse.

The Fortnight in September, by R.C. Sherriff

As I suspected, this was an excellent book to read in September. It really wrapped up the summer for me, and helped me transition into autumn (mentally, if not physically - it’s going to be 80 degrees in Buffalo tomorrow). It’s a charming story, easy to read and surprisingly compelling. I really fell in love with all of the characters, who are a family of very normal, middle-class Brits, taking their annual holiday in the same house at the same beach as they have for twenty years; they’re ordinary but very endearing. However I will say, as a US resident who has spent quite a lot of time in England over the past few years, I think this novel might be slightly better suited to British audiences than Americans.

Self-Portrait, by Celia Paul

I borrowed this from the library on a whim while I was waiting for my other ebook holds to come in, and it really grabbed me. Celia Paul is an incredible painter, but I also adored the way that she writes - she is brutally honest, while still being thoughtful and deliberate. The book is aptly-titled; while at times near-microscopically detailed (she often carefully describes her clothes), it isn’t a comprehensive memoir. Instead, it seems to give a general sense of the artist, rather like her famous work Painter and Model, which can be seen in this Guardian article. It also includes many photographs of her paintings, which the writing helps to contextualize.

The Story of Art Without Men, by Katy Hessel

Once I realized that I was on a roll with reading books by women artists, I realized that I wanted to put this information into context. I have a degree in agricultural sciences, not art (though I did take two history classes on Renaissance art and there were no women covered in either of them), so I decided to educate myself on the subject. This book does exactly what it says on the cover: tells the story of women in art history, beginning in the 15th century. It is very good. I’m also listening to the podcast now - Katy Hessel is truly doing the Lord’s work here. I borrowed this as an ebook and as an audiobook at the same time, so I could get through it in the 7 days my library allowed me, and I highly recommend doing this. Hessel narrates the audiobook in thrilling fashion, and the book includes tons of photographs of artworks, so having both was a really enriching way to encounter the book.

Did Not Finish

I’m sorry to say this but I DNF’d Coventry. It was just not the right book for me to read right now. I’m sure I’ll revisit it, but for now I’m leaving it half-read.

Currently Reading

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr

I’m finally reading this! It’s slow going, as this is my bedtime book, but I’m enjoying it so far. Wouldn’t go as far as to say I am loving it though, which somewhat surprised me. We’ll see how I feel once I get further into it/finish it. My main issue right now is that it feels very stylized - I was explaining to my boyfriend that though the book alternates chapters focused on each of the main characters, the voice is exactly the same in both. This is clearly a narrative choice, but having just read The Passion, where the sections for each character felt distinctive, I’m not feeling it so much. Would love other people’s thoughts on this so please chime in if you’ve read this.

Peacock and Vine, by A.S. Byatt

Another ebook I borrowed without knowing too much about it, because it was available from the library. So far I’m enjoying this tremendously. I read Possession (Byatt’s Booker Prize winning novel) around ten years ago and was completely obsessed with it, so I had an inkling that I’d like this and I was right. It’s very much focused on the textiles of Morris and Fortuny, which is obviously right up my alley. Coincidentally, this week’s edition of A Narrative of Their Own, a newsletter about 20th century female writers, featured A.S. Byatt and her sister Margaret Drabble, and I highly recommend giving that a read.

TBR

L.A. Woman, by Eve Babitz

This is the next book we chose for my book club, and I’m very excited about it. I read Sex and Rage last year and really liked it - I think Babitz can be a polarizing writer but I enjoyed her sass.

On Weaving, by Anni Albers

I was really surprised that the NYPL had an ebook of this available, so I placed a hold on it and I’ve just received my copy. I am SO stoked to read this. This will be the top priority title as soon as I finish Peacock and Vine, and I cannot wait. Hopefully this will also inspire me to pick up my backstrap loom again!

Francoise Gilot: An Artist’s Journey

This is an out-of-print book that I was shocked to find available in my local library’s closed stacks. It’s mostly photographs of paintings from Gilot’s career up to 1987, when this was published, but also contains an interview with her (in English and in French!). I’ve been flipping through it for the past couple of days, but am planning to sit down and study it at length when I have a bit more time.

Well, that’s my month in books! I’ve really been on a roll these past couple of weeks and am excited for what’s ahead. Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think of them? What are you reading right now? I’d love to know.

Best,