I’m going to kick off this monthly recap with a little life update because, as I type this, I find myself in a bit of a stormy situation.

This week I’ve been visiting family and friends in Adelaide, South Australia. If you’re from these parts, or you’ve glanced at an Australian news site in the last twenty-four hours, you’ll know that I didn’t pick the greatest time for a trip home. For my OS friends, a severe storm hit yesterday afternoon and took out power across the entire state. As in, a total, state-wide blackout.

Many regional areas were without power for most of the day (some are still waiting to have power restored) and the blackout hit the city right before peak hour. Yup, it was chaos.

Hospitals and other vital services had backup generators, which was an epic sigh of relief. But traffic lights were down and most of us couldn’t get phone or internet service. It was pretty hairy. But it also reminded me why I love Adelaide. I was stuck on the other side of the city from home when the power went down and absolutely dreading the drive, but people were (for the most part) cautious and sensible and the police did an incredible job directing traffic at major intersections (thank you, thank you, thank you, for getting us all home safe!). When I arrived home, Mum had lit a bunch of candles, and Dad had cracked a bottle of red. What else are you going to do without electricity, phone coverage or internet, right? Several hours (and bottles) later, when power was eventually restored in our area, I logged on to Facebook, expecting to find scenes of devastation, people reporting damages, sharing horror stories, etc. But apparently, most people had the same idea as my folks. #thisiswhywemakethegoodwine

The storm is still raging, and the front that’s coming in tonight is supposedly going to be the worst yet. To everyone interstate who’s been sending their well-wishes: cheers, we’re doing okay *raises glass*. And to my fellow South Australians: stay safe and look after yourselves. So much for spring, eh?

Alrighty, aside from refreshing the weather radar with mounting trepidation, here’s what I’ve been up to this month:

Book Reviews

	Commonwealth Ann Patchett Genre: Literary Fiction By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking: a poignant exploration of perspective, interpretation and the ownership of stories, but also a deeply moving novel about love, familial responsibility and the ties that bind. Read the review ⇒
	Where the Light Falls Gretchen Shirm Genre: Literary Fiction An eloquent and tightly-written Australian debut. Read the review ⇒
	Siracusa Delia Ephron Genre: General Fiction A taut exploration of marriage, middle-age, desire and deception set on the majestic yet treacherous shores of the Ionian Sea. Read the review ⇒
	Mister Memory Marcus Sedgwick Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery A twisting, enchanting tale of intrigue set in Belle Epoque Paris. Read the review ⇒
	Beside Myself Ann Morgan Genre: General fiction / Psychological Thriller A compelling tale of mistaken identity and family secrets that asks: what’s in a name? Read the review ⇒
	The Darkest Corners Kara Thomas Genre: YA Thriller A sinister tale of the devastating consequences of small lies. Read the review ⇒
	These Shallow Graves Jennifer Donnelly Genre: YA Historical Fiction / Mystery An absorbing page-turner set in 1890s New York. Read the review ⇒

Blogging Tips

 

	Net Galley Know-How: Managing ARC requests and boosting your feedback ratio Have a read ⇒
	Six (Book) Blogging Time Savers Have a read ⇒
	How to Beat a Blogging Slump Have a read ⇒
	Affiliate Marketing for Book Bloggers: Is it worth it? Have a read ⇒
	20 Bookstagrammers: My September Faves Have a read ⇒

Hope you’ve also had a great month of reading and blogging! What were your favourite reads in September, and what books are you most looking forward to in October?

—Margot xo

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