September Round Up!

Monthly Feature- rounds up all the books I've read, progress on challenges and reviews my blogging!

It is kind of an expansion (?) of my favourite memes hosted by the lovely Shelia over at Book Journey!

September in numbers!

Total posts= 15

Books read= 11

Books listened to= 2 ½

Reviews Posted= 5

Meme Posts= 4
Other Posts= 6

Total days spent in the UK= 12

 

What I read in September!

*Plus*
The Lost Son by Preston Norton and Tamra Torero
 
What I Reviewed!
Frozen by Mary Casanova.
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan.
Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide To Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling.
Because of Low by Abbi Glines.
Matched by Ally Condie
Stronger review month! I seem to be reviewing my books accidentally in order which is handy!
I'm hoping my scheduling will make the number of reviews a month higher and more consistent from now on..
 
What I Posted!
Reviews- A post clarifying my personal approach to reviewing.
Bloggiesta- Brilliant event which really helped me with my monthly goals! Check out my goals post to see what else I cleaned up blogwise.
Autumn TBR- What I plan on reading this season!
Cover Reveal- Check out the beautiful cover on Abbi Glines' next instalment of Sea Breeze!
Series I need to finish!- This top ten kind of works as a 'to read' list for my series challenge.
 
Did I achieve my goals?
To post 15 posts.
Just achieved this one! I think I managed it, thanks to my holiday forcing me to schedule posts in advance. However my short notice holiday stopped my hope of 8 reviews as I didn't have time to write them up and schedule them before leaving for France.
To improve the standard of this blog.
I think I've achieved this one but it's an ongoing process. My review policy is clear and concise. My ratings system has made me think more about my reviews, which I hope has made them better. Bloggiesta gave me the chance to improve it further with the mini challenges.
To learn more about blog design.
I've tried but I think this goal will take longer than a month! The Bloggiesta mini challenges were so helpful for this one so it's an ongoing process.
  
What I hope to achieve in October!

• To blog to a schedule.- I created a proper blog schedule for bloggiesta which I will be posting later, I'm hoping to keep to it in order to give this blog a clearly defined structure and reliability.
• To make progress on my challenges.- I've been slacking on the majority of my challenges, in particular finishing the series. I'm hoping to make a lot more progress in October.
• To post two non meme/review posts.- This was originally last month's goal until I realised I wouldn't be able to write them up before going away! I've got a least one written up ready so hopefully this will be an easy goal!
• To tweet every blog post.- I used to do this all the time and it generated a lot of traffic! Need to get back into the habit.

September was an odd blogging month as I was away for the majority of the month so I wasn't actively blogging! I will be posting my Bloggiesta wrap up with my schedule so hopefully this month will be run smoothly!

How was your September blog/book/life wise?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Frozen by Mary Casanova

Sixteen-year-old Sadie Rose hasn't said a word in eleven years-ever since the day she was found lying in a snowbank during a howling storm. Like her voice, her memories of her mother and what happened that night were frozen.
Set during the roaring 1920s in the beautiful, wild area on Rainy Lake where Minnesota meets Canada, Frozen tells the remarkable story of Sadie Rose, whose mother died under strange circumstances the same night that Sadie Rose was found, unable to speak, in a snowbank. Sadie Rose doesn't know her last name and has only fleeting memories of her mother-and the conflicting knowledge that her mother had worked in a brothel. Taken in as a foster child by a corrupt senator, Sadie Rose spends every summer along the shores of Rainy Lake, where her silence is both a prison and a sanctuary.
One day, Sadie Rose stumbles on a half dozen faded, scandalous photographs-pictures, she realises, of her mother. They release a flood of puzzling memories, and these wisps of the past send her at last into the heart of her own life's great mystery: who was her mother, and how did she die? Why did her mother work in a brothel-did she have a choice? What really happened that night when a five-year-old girl was found shivering in a snowbank, her voice and identity abruptly shattered?
Sadie Rose's search for her personal truth is laid against a swirling historical drama-a time of prohibition and women winning the right to vote, political corruption, and a fevered fight over the area's wilderness between a charismatic, unyielding, powerful industrialist and a quiet man battling to save the wide, wild forests and waters of northernmost Minnesota.

I recieved this book courtesy of Netgalley after the blurb intrigued me! It was different from anything I've read before and I loved that!

What I loved:
Subtlety- I loved how mystery of Sadie Rose's past built and intertwined with her future. I loved all the added surprises and red herrings which kept me guessing and surprised!
Setting- I really enjoyed the setting of North Minnesota- it was different to anything I'd read before. The description was beautiful and realistic.
Characters- The characters portrayed such a range of small town society from politicians and businessmen to middle class families and immigrant servants to brothel owners. I loved the diversion and all the characters were so well written!
Romance- I liked that the romance aspect was in the background and slow burning. It was sweet and uncomplicated compared to the rest of the book. ,
Themes- This book had so many different interrelated themes mixed in. It explored mental health and treatment alongside small town politics and big businesses. I especially enjoyed learning about the early wilderness conservation idea and exploring how it was developed and viewed in the book.  
Epilogue- Perfect ending, it wrapped up all the loose ends but also left it open for interpretation on the future.

What I didn't love as much:
Justice- Despite all the revelations no one was ever truly punished. People seemed to have suspected or known about these revelations but accepted due to their position or they viewed the perpetrator as untouchable. It was realistic but I hate when criminals go unpunished!

This book surprised me with how much I loved it and how many layers it had!

Have you read Frozen?
Any similar books you'd recommend?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx