Book Report Vol. 09

Books I read in September, October releases, and book-to-screen news

Hi book pals,

September was an unintentionally “literary cool girl” month of reading—someone get me a soapy teen boarding school drama as a palette cleanser, stat, because I am not that reader—but it was also a great month of reading. I didn’t DNF anything, there wasn’t a 3* book in sight (though there was one that’s either 5* or 1* and I’m still unsure which). Let’s get into it:

September Books:

Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney

Who is this for? Readers who love reading about writers and writers who love publishing drama.

Despite loving Conversations with Friends and Normal People, I initially skipped Rooney’s third novel. I’d heard it was about climate change and the dire state of the world, and, honestly, no thank you. I live in said garbage fire of a world, I don’t need to know what Sally Rooney thinks of it. I prefer my fiction filled with magical chance encounters and happily ever afters. I’m reading for hope. But then I read a newsletter where

Elif Batuman

said the book “consisted largely of real-seeming emails and texts, sent or received by a Sally Rooney-like writer and her friends.” Now, that I was interested in. Auto-fiction about a famously reclusive writer? Sign me up.

The book follows two couples—one a famous novelist who moves to the Irish countryside and meets a fulfillment center worker on Tinder; the other a struggling literary magazine employee and her older, well-to-do childhood crush—and deals with class and power dynamics in relationships. In between, the women, who are ostensibly best friends but also seem to hate each other, trade thinky, somewhat masturbatory emails about the state of the world and their place in it. For the first 50 pages, I loathed this book, but then I ripped through the remainder, spurred on by my fascination with the Rooney stand-in character. Who is Alice to Sally? A fun house mirror version of what she could have been had she actively participated in the literary/media industrial complex? The on-page portrayal of her least charitable inner-thoughts? Per her recent New York Times interview, Rooney claims she NEVER borrows from her personal or emotional life for her characters, but this book makes me want to call bullshit!

I’m positive I either loved or hated this book, and I cannot for the life of me figure out which. But I will say, I’m still thinking about it, so it certainly made an impression.

All Fours by Miranda July

Who is this for?  Perimenopausal women in creative careers.

This book about a 45-year-old woman who embarks on a cross-country road trip, but pulls off the highway 30 minutes from home, checks into a motel, and willfully destroys her life was our September BOP book club pick, and wow was it polarizing! This is the best kind of book club pick IMO. Love it or hate it, the conversation is interesting. Personally, I fell into the love camp. Despite the character’s selfishness and frequently bonkers decision-making, the book was chocked full of wise observations about aging and identity. I especially appreciated the on-page portrayal of menopause beyond the stock character with hot flashes. Plus, I never had even a whiff of a clue where the book was headed, making for an extra engaging reading experience.

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstien (out May 13, 2025)

Who is this for? Readers who love Elin Hilderbrand’s multi-POV dramas but wish there were more lobster rolls.

If you follow

Hannah Orenstein

on Instagram, you’re familiar with her summers spent at a family cabin on a lake in Maine rating sunsets and watching for loons. This book takes that serene setting and infuses it with a heaping dose of family drama, following two half-sisters—previously unaware of each other—who are brought together by the sudden death of their father. This was an especially interesting reading experience because it was my first time reading both a WIP draft and the final version of what it became, which I found hugely inspirational as I toil through a heavy edit of my own WIP novel. But even without that background, I think you’re going to love this one, which feels both more dramatic and mature—stylistically and emotionally—than Orenstien’s past books. And if you judge books by their covers, this one has one of my all-time faves.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

Who is this for? Anyone who has an infuriating but cherished sister (or wishes they did).

I’ve been deeply intrigued by this book ever since multiple publishing people told me it was among their faves for this year, but I also had a mental block against reading it because I knew the subject matter was heavy. When is the right time to have an book-induced emotional breakdown? Apparently, the answer is September! The book follows the three Blue sisters—a high-powered lawyer, a model, and a professional boxer—a year on from the unexpected death of their fourth sister. The book is about sisterhood and shared trauma and grief, but also very much about substance abuse (check triggers). As an author, I was awed by the meticulous character-work, but as a reader (and only child) I was sucked into the sister-dynamic which is the beating heart of this novel. I have something more (and experimental) coming surrounding this book next week, so stay tuned.

New Release Radar:

The new releases are slowing down as we get closer and closer to the election. Personally, I’m excited to use this relatively quiet new release quarter to catch up on older books I missed. Look out for more about my “backlist fall” reading project mid-month.

• Oct 1 - Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London: Campy vampire adventure romance! This is the distraction I need from the news cycle!

• Oct 1 - Showmance by Chad Beguelin: Chad and I share an editor whose taste I trust implicitly and this M/M romance about a disgraced playwright who stages a production of his work in his rural hometown sounds like such a fun romp!

• Oct 15 - Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark: A queer Christmas ensemble rom-com at the coziest upstate house with the most-eccentric Hollywood matriarch. I got a sneak peek at this one and it’s a total blast!

• Oct 29 - This Motherless Land by Nikki May: A Mansfield Park retelling set between the English countryside and Lagos, Nigeria from the author of Wahala.

Book to Big Screen News:

Here’s the latest book adaptation news on my radar. Publicists, producers, bookish insiders: if you have tips for next month, my inbox is open (beccafreemanbooks@gmail.com).

• The trailer is here for Nightbitch starring Amy Adams and based on the novel by Rachel Yoder. I’m worried this will be too scary for me, but I’ll admit the director pitching it as “a comedy for women, and a horror movie for men” has me intrigued.

• Also file this under things that are too scary for me, but I’m excited for anyways: the creator of CSI (Anthony Zuiker) and Charlize Theron’s production company are partnering with horror heavyweight Blumhouse on an adaptation of Clémence Michallon’s The Quiet Tenant, which was a BOP book club pick last year.

• The People We Meet on Vacation adaptation has added some names to its supporting cast including The Good Place’s Jameela Jamil, Emily in Paris hottie Lucius Laviscount, and White Lotus rimjob recipient Lukas Gage.

  • Also, filming is officially underway, these stills of stars Emily Bader and Tom Blythe recreating the cover were all over the bookternet this month.

• Michelle Pfeiffer joined the cast of the Margo’s Got Money Troubles adaptation playing Margo’s mom, which is super confusing because I thought it was previously announced that Nicole Kidman was cast in that part (she’s still involved, but no idea how).

• The adaptation of Three Women arrived on Starz last month. I was obsessed with this book, but haven’t heard anyone raving about this show. Have you watched? Should I? What do you think?

And that’s this month’s book report. Until next time.

Becca

PS: In September, the Bad on Paper book club read All Fours by Miranda July. If you read along with us (or just read this book in general), you can check out the book club episode here. For October, we’re digging into the book archives and reading Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. We’ll discuss the book in the Oct 30 episode.