🌟 September 2025 Reading Round Up

Starting off strong this month with Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. As soon as I heard about this book I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, and was lucky enough to get an ARC from NetGalley for the audiobook. 

I absolutely adored this book. If I could give it six stars I would. It is a dark, heart-pounding story, and listening to the audiobook just makes it even better. There is a lot of hype around this book, and it is worth every bit of it. It is a long listen - over 18 hours, but it is well worth the time. You won't regret a second of it 

The three narrators are beyond wonderful - Julia Whelan's voice brings all the bloodlust and dangerous personality to the forefront with Sabine. Katie Leung's Scottish accent really solidifies the innocence of Alice, while Marisa Calin brings out all the emotions with her narration of Charlotte.

The book wonderfully brings out the lives of these three women, who are all from different time periods - Sabine is in 1532, Charlotte is in 1827, and Alice is in 2019. The three worlds and periods of time are beautifully brought out, making it easy to imagine them as you read. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and vampire stories, but also to anyone who loves a fantastic, beautifully written story. There is something in this story for everyone.  

This is a wonderful story that is inspired by Egyptian history. This is the second part of the Scorched Earth duology that started with The Jasad Heir, which you definitely need to read first or you will be lost. 

Sylvia is a wonderful main female character. She is very flawed, but also strong in her beliefs. The main male character Arin, is also flawed, but is more than prepared to kill those who stand in his way. The hostility between these two characters helps keep you turning pages. 

The author has a wonderful way of bringing you into the world these characters live in. She does a beautiful job of bringing it all to life. The story is well paced and builds the drama throughout. 

If you love fantasy, strong main characters all with an Egyptian landscape then I recommend this book. 

This is a beautifully written spooky house story, perfect for Halloween and cosy nights in front of the fire. 

This book is written from the points of view of two different women living in two different time periods, both of whom spend time living in Merry Hall. 

Nell is living in the present day. Her marriage has just ended, and in need of a new start, she and her teenage daughter Fern move into Merry Hall, an old home that hides a lot of secrets. Hoping that this would be a new beginning for the two of them, she tries to come up with reasonable solutions to the strange noises and happenings at the house. But soon she can't hide from the truth - Merry Hall is haunted!

Dolly Dove is living in Merry Hall in the 1840s with her boss, Abel Wenham and two fellow 'freaks' in Wenham's travelling sideshow. He is intent on making Dolly a star, and after she starts to have intense feelings for Abel, things change for the worse. But there is nothing that could have prepared Dolly for what is to come. 

Heather Davey wonderfully and heartbreakingly tells the tales of these women and the people in their lives. The scares and chills build and build throughout the book, making for a heart-pounding finale. 

If you love strong female characters and lots of scares, then I think you will love this book. It's the perfect haunted house story. 

This is a fantastic thrill ride of a book, and the amazing narration beautifully adds to the drama and suspense. 

The narration by Stephanie Cannon and Pat Rodriguez is flawless. They both capture the characters beautifully, and keep the story building and building to the jaw dropping conclusion. 

In this book we meet Martha, a down on her luck young woman who is just about making it by working in a local grocery store and living in a just about habitable hotel. She is trying to start her life anew and has arrived in the small town of Whitney Falls. When she crashes her car, the local pastor's wife, Mary, comes to her rescue. They quickly become very close, and when Mary invites her to move into her home with herself and her husband, Tim, Martha thinks her life has truly turned around. But Mary and Tim are not as they seem. Under the cover of law-abiding, God fearing people, they are hiding something, and Martha is determined to find out what it is. 

If you love a good mystery thriller with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, then I think you will love this book. 

This is a wonderful collection of short stories from some of the best authors in the dark and spooky realm of books. The stories range from spooky ghost stories to dark academia that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Each story is wonderful, but my two favourites are Tallow's Cove from Erica Waters, which is a spooky haunted church story, and God, Needy, Enough with the Screaming from Olivie Blake, which is a dark academia tale of sorts. 

This is the perfect book for Halloween, spooky season, or just if you are in the mood for a spooky tale. Highly recommend. 

I had heard so many things about this book and knew I had to add it to my tbr list. When I was looking to start a new book, but wanted something a little different than the books I had read recently I knew this was the time to get a hold of this book, and thankfully I found the ebook on Libby and the audiobook on Borrowbox, so I decided to do an immersive read. The narrator, Andrew Grace, does a wonderful job of keeping you engaged with the story. It is a fairly short book (audio is 3 hours, 30 minutes and ebook is 208 pages) so it's quick to get through, but there is so much happening you need to concentrate on it. I loved having the diagrams throughout the book of the layout of the houses in question. 

This is a very weird, and yet very engaging murder mystery. The lead character is a freelance writer who becomes involved in the case when a friend of his contacts him for advice. The friend is thinking of buying a new house and wants the writers opinion. He in turn goes to his architect friend who finds some disturbing things in the house. Strange areas that don't seem to have a place in the house. So what are they, and why did the original owners want this built? This leads the writer and architect down a rabbit hole, determined to find out the truth about the house, and what has happened to the inhabitants. 

If you like weird, but hugely entertaining reads then I can't recommend this book and audiobook enough. I found that immersive reading with the ebook and audiobook helped me enjoy the story a bit more, but use whatever method works best for you. 

The next book, Strange Pictures, is now on my tbr list as well. Can't wait. Hope there are more of these books to come in the near future.