With work back in full swing, my reading time and motivation has dropped. Still, I remain determined to make every reading wrap-up at least three books minimum, and I managed to make it for September.
Luckily, I bumped my numbers up by finally reading some manga I was putting off. I expect to sprinkle more into my reading for a while now, too. My typical tastes surfaced as well, like a new Warriors release and a high-school curriculum book.
I did read a manga this month that isn’t included in this list (My Student Is So Not Cute by Mottatsu Tonoka), simply because it was more explicit than I was expecting. It was pretty wonderful, though, and I will be writing a longer review later.
5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Published January 1, 1988
Rating: 4 stars
Genres: Classics, Adventure, Fantasy, Philosophy, Fiction
Summary: With millions of copies sold, The Alchemist became a classic because of the wisdom and magic imbued in the story. It follows Santiago, a shepherd boy who always yearned to discover the world and find his greatest treasure. He embarks on a quest that brings him to different corners of life. His story teaches readers to listen to their hearts, recognize opportunity and read life’s omens, and follow your dreams.
With the potential of teaching this book to juniors for about four days, I decided to give The Alchemist a re-read. I don’t remember much of it from the required reading in high-school, but as I read it for September, much of it rang a bell. I feel neutral about the story. It is wise but somewhat repetitive in its teachings. Often, I struggled to focus when I was reading, too, because I wasn’t as invested as I would’ve liked to be. There’s plenty of passages and phrases I would happily pull out for inspiration, which is most of the reason I was able to bump it up to four stars.
4. The Delinquent Girl Beside Me Dyed Her Hair Black?! written by Waka Sanada, characters by Hamu, and original story by Teika
Publishing October 13, 2026
Rating: 4.25 stars
Genres: Manga, Slice-of-Life, RomCom, Young Adult
Summary: A heartwarming slide-of-lice romantic comedy that follows regular, kind high school student Daiki Hondo befriends “delinquent” Kei Shimizu. One day, after Daiki mentions his type, she randomly dyes her hair black. Every time he talks about his ideal girl, she appears to mirror those actions. Is this on purpose?
A light-hearted palette cleanser in between books, The Delinquent Girl is humorous and cute. Daiki is an overall great guy, while Shimizu is a great tsundere character. The way she gets flustered around Daiki is adorable. I thought the plot was easy to follow and engaging enough to keep me reading. It flip flops between normal school activities and at-home interactions. The world expansion is careful, with side characters added with purpose. The deeper meaning behind the candy-like sweetness and goofiness was excellent. It should always be pressed that people are not what their appearance or rumors suggest. For my full review, check out my article “‘The Delinquent Girl…’ Vol. 1 Arrives October.”
2. and 3. Carnivore’s Suite Volume 1 and 2 by Dayoo
Published July 16, 2026 and July 30, 2026
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Manga, BL (Boys Love), Romance, Comedy
Summary: Three gay friends, Mitsushiba, Sennosuke, and Taira, meet up often to eat yakiniku, or dishes of grilled meat. They gossip and share their love lives, all of which blossom at different points. Mitsushiba is the cool and capable salesman, working for a printing company and eyeing up Shirase, a fellow employee in the publication section. Sennosuke is in love with his best friend who owns Iza, the restaurant his friends love. As a long time friendship, Sennosuke is worried about messing up with Ryuuichi. Finally, manga artist Kaoru tries his best to improve his social skills while he grows closer to another artist and writer.
Whenever food is a center of a romance plot, I just know it’s going to be juicy, and both of these volumes didn’t disappoint. Overall, I love how Volume 1 gives a little introduction to all three (possible) couples. A lot of the art was making me giggle and smile. I loved the watercolor, sketchy style and all the small details. The food looked mouthwatering every time it was on the page. Even though a majority of this is slice-of-life and lighthearted, I was happy to see some deeper themes in backstories. I ended up flying through Volume 2. I loved how easily all the main characters can interact with each other. Each of them are able to have one-on-one scenes, whether romantic or friendly. It felt like lower stakes too, and a lot of sweet moments between all the couples. I’m excited to see where their stories go!
Editor’s note: Many thanks to Yoshiko Gogami of Animate International Co. for providing digital copies of the first two volumes of this manga!
1. Warriors: Super Edition 19: Darktail’s Judgement by Erin Hunter
Published September 8, 2026
Rating: 5 stars
Genres: Fantasy, Cats, Children’s
Summary: Eagerly awaiting the return of his WindClan father, Darkpaw grows up in the Twolegplace with his mother Smoke by his side. When it doesn’t seem like the warrior will be coming, Darkpaw begins to feel hatred growing in place of hope. Darktail, moons later, is a hardened tom with tragedy, both accidental and on purpose, in his past. He rallies together a group of rogue cats and begins his vendetta against the Clans. Read the history of the infamous villain from A Vision of Shadows, Darktail!
Darktail’s POV was fascinating and highly anticipated, which made it my easy number one for September. From seeing more of kittypet life to what happened to Darktail before he destroyed SkyClan, I was hooked. He is absolutely a psychopath/sociopath. Like clinically. All of his actions are insane when you put it into perspective with other villains. I loved how persistent his thoughts of revenge were and how he characterized others as unimportant. I definitely felt uncomfortable at different moments, but still stellar writing and a fresh perspective For a full, spoiler-filled review, check out my article “Darktail’s Judgement: Best or Worst Villain?”.
Third shout-out to my continued audiobook journey with the Warriors books! I finished Forest of Secrets this month. Macleod Andrews’ voice was devastating during Silverstream’s scene in particular. The desperation he puts into the characters was tearing at my heart. It seems I’m on track to finish an audiobook a month!
2026 monthly wrap-ups: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August
2025 monthly wrap-ups: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
