September CalendarCAT

Welcome to this month's CalendarCAT! When I think of the month of September I envision going back to school after Labor Day and watching summer slowly fade into autumn. The birthstone for this month is the sapphire, the astrological signs are Virgo and Libra. The monthly flowers are the aster and the morning glory. September is typically the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

There are many national days throughout the month, a few that are apropos to us book lovers are:

National Read a Book Day (September 6)
National Literacy Day (September 8)
September is also National Literacy Month.
In addition, Grandparents Day is September 8th and National Voter Registration Day is September 17.

A few authors born in September:

Ann Beattie
Rhys Bowen
Agatha Christie
Roald Dahl
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fannie Flagg
Kristin Hannah
Stephen King
D.H. Lawrence
James McBride
Elizabeth McCracken
Mary Oliver
Rosamunde Pilcher
Jane Smiley
Jim Thompson
Richard Wright

There are many options in addition to what I have listed, I hope you have fun with it and post to the wiki if you are inclined to do so.
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2024_CalendarCAT#2024_CalendarCAT

I'm so enjoying the Calendar Cat this year! This is one of those months that I was able to plan for by bird-of-the-month. The list I found placed 'hawk' as September's bird, and I've been meaning to read Anoka by Shane Hawk for ages, so that's my plan.

>2 whitewavedarling: Hi Jennifer I had no idea there were birth month birds ! I’ve made a note for the remainder of the year.

Author Joseph Roth's birthday is also this month and therefore I plan to read The Emperor's Tomb, which is a follow up to The Radetzky March (which I read years ago) and has been on my shelf for years!

J.R.R. Tolkien died on the 2nd of September, and it is Hobbit Day on the 22nd of the month, so I will probably read something by or about this author.

My first thought was back to school. I like the idea of grandparents' day, though. I'll have to see what's on the tbr (and if nothing with those ideas, I'll see what other "national days" fall in September.

I've been trying to get to The Hummingbird's Daughter and discovered There is a hummingbird day in September so this is my tentative choice.

September 3rd is the Australian Flag Day and in honor of that I am going to read Redemption Point by Australian author Candice Fox.

September 21st is Stephen King's birthday. This month's ScaredyKIT is Stephen King and family so you can get a 2 for 1. I will probably read the new book You Like It Darker

>8 DeltaQueen50: Good find! I'd never heard of Australian Flag Day, but have found that it was instigated in 1996 by the coalition (right-wing) government. A very weird idea! But I'm going to use it to find an Australian prize-winning book for this CAT and the PrizeCAT.

>8 DeltaQueen50: >10 pamelad: Hah! I'd never heard of it either - funny the Aussies here have never heard of it!

The Chinese Moon Festival is 17th September, so I will read Journey To The West. I absolutely loved the original Monkey series as a kid.

Since National Literacy Day is in September, my pick is Sticks and Scones by Ellie Alexander, the plot of which focuses on Taming of the Shrew.

Many thanks to DeltaQueen for discovering Australia's Flag Day. I'm planning to read Blackwattle Creek by Geoffrey McGeachin, an Australian crime novel which won a Ned Kelly Award.

>14 pamelad: You're welcome. :). I am still going with Australia but in order to fit the book into the TIOLI challenges have changed to Force of Nature by Jane Harper.

I read Condos and Corpses by Angela K. Ryan which is set in a place called Sapphire Beach and Sapphire is the birth stone for September

I completed The Emperor's Tomb by Joseph Roth. Roth's birthday is in September.

I read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway which takes place in September.

I read Towards Zero by Agatha Christie and unexpectedly discovered that it fits this CAT.
A group of characters spend some weeks at the seaside home of an elderly lady, and this is an annual visit that usually takes place in September, which is frequently mentioned.

Since September is the traditional start of the school year (and the actual start here in Seattle, though most of the country seems to start in August now), I read a book with a high school setting, Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here.

I read Night Fall by Joan Aiken. Aiken was born in September and the book won an Edgar Alan Poe Award, so this novella qualifies for the PrizeCAT as well.

For Australian Flag day I read Exiles by Jane Harper

I feel like I’ve been reading this for an eternity. It’s mostly conversation and character development, nothing much actually happens, however, in a mystery novel I expect some activity. Sadly, this is a DNF, but at more than halfway I’m counting it as read.

Sometimes Harper’s odd wording pulls me up. I collected several but this one makes me cough: “she took a bite and swallowed”.

I read A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers. Lots of tea and cakes are consumed in these two books and they take place on a moon, so they fit the Chinese Mooncake Festival, which falls on 17 September this year.

Both my grandmothers were born on 23 September, and so I read Der Zopf meiner Großmutter which features the scariest grandmother I have ever encountered in fiction.

My second September book is Stoffel fliegt übers Meer, a children's adventure story by Erika Mann. Germany observes World Children's Day on 21 September.

Another one for Australian Flag Day, I enjoyed this one better.

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
I enjoyed this book, about a girl who collects slips of paper containing words that have been submitted for inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary. As it follows her life it provided an interesting look at events and changes during that time and how language was affected.

The October thread is up : https://www.librarything.com/topic/363357

Oct 5 is World Teacher Day and I plan to read something related to teachers. I have Reading with Patrick on my shelves and may read that as a reread.

I realized, a little late, that the author of Fire from Heaven, Mary Renault, was born on September 4, so I'm calling that book for this month. I was actually reading the book on her birthday.

>29 NinieB: A wonderful author. Are you continuing with The Persian Boy?

>30 Robertgreaves: Agreed, I was really impressed with her. I will read The Persian Boy and Funeral Games but they will have to wait until next year as I'm all booked up for the rest of this year.

Read Spørg John, which starts with the protagonist leaving for university. The term starts first of September.

I have completed my read of Force of Nature by Jane Harper. I didn't really enjoy this book so I doubt that I will continue on with this series.

Grandparents' Day

Let Him Go / Larry Watson
3.5 stars

After George and Margaret’s adult son died, and left a wife and young son, they brought the two to live with them. But when Lorna fell for bad boy, Donnie, she moved in with him and his family in Montana, a ways away from George and Margaret in North Dakota. Margaret wants to see her grandson again, so they take a road trip, but Donnie’s (odd) family only allows about a 2-minute reunion before the little boy is shooed away to bed. There is something not only odd about this family, but it seems they are also dangerous.

It was kind of slow to start, and I somehow (initially) missed why George and Margaret were doing this road trip. But it did pick up when they met Donnie’s parents after they were invited for a meal while they waited for Lorna and Jimmy to return home for the log-awaited reunion with their grandson. Then it picked up even more…

I finished The Fall of Arthur, which was written by J.R.R. Tolkien who died on September 2, 1973.

I've read Locked Rooms by Laurie R King who was born on September 19, 1952.

I have finished Basil by Wilkie Collins, who died on 23 September.

I just finished Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks by John Curran. Christie was born on September 15, 1890.

I read Fatal Intrusion by Jeffery Deaver & Isabella Maldonado, published on September 1, 2024.

Today is the last day of Banned Book Week in the USA and I have read Sold by Patricia McCormick which will be our book club discussion book next week.

I read Carrie for several connections, both Stephen King and Carrie's birthdays are September 21, and it qualifies for Banned Book Week.