Book Reviews: September 2026

Another month of eclectic reading (and when is my reading not eclectic?) Here we go:

When in Doubt by Anna Harrison:

Yes, yes, I told myself I would stop picking up random romance books, but I wanted to check this out because the FMC is autistic, and I was curious as to how it is represented. Having read the book, my answer is: the FMC’s autism is just kinda… there? It is mentioned that her ex used her autism to emotionally abuse her, but this isn’t explored enough, so it doesn’t create enough of an obstacle. Throughout most of the book, the two leads just overthink and internalize everything and never talk things out with each other, and when they finally do, the issue gets resolved very easily. There’s also my usual complaint of not enough chemistry between the two leads. It’s not egregiously bad like some other romances I’ve read, it’s just boring. 2/5

Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats by Courtney Gustafson: 

 The blurb of this book mentions that it started when the author moved into a house in the Poets Square neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona, and realized it came with 30 stray cats, so I thought it was going to be a feel-good memoir in the vein of Under the Tuscan Sun or A Year in Provence or something like that. What I didn’t expect was a series of personal essays about the struggles the author went through to save those cats (and other strays all over the city) and what the cats taught her about love, relationships, motherhood, community, and just life in general. It’s funny and frustrating and moving at the same time. 5/5 (and you can follow the authors and her cats at Poets Square Cats on IG!)

The Dress Diary of Mrs. Anne Sykes by Kate Strasdin:

Now this is exactly my type of non-fiction: the author was given a notebook full of fabric samples found at a flea market and tracked down the owner, a middle-class woman born in 1812. Using the samples as starting-off points, the book then discusses the history of textiles and clothing and also gives us some insights into the lives of the owner and her friends and family (who also contributed to the diary). Most of the information is not exactly new, but it’s fascinating nonetheless. 4.5/5

Beyond the Aquila Rift: The Best of Alaistair Reynolds: 

I’ve wanted to check out this short story collection for a long time, since the author wrote the stories that were adapted into my two favorite episodes of Love, Death, and Robots (“Beyond the Aquila Rift” and “Zima Blue”). Plus, it’s been a while since I read old-school sci-fi. Most of the collection is very enjoyable, though occasionally, I find that too much attention is put on the world-building, and it weighs down the stories a bit. I expected sci-fi/fantasy short stories to be a bit punchier. 4/5