SEPTEMBER 2025: Best and Worst Books of the Month

Hi everyone. Today, I’ll be talking about the best and worst books I read in September. In this post, I talk about 5 books, two of which I already in my monthly wrap up. However, I talk about why these books made it to my best, worst, and DNF lists. Here goes:

1. WORST BOOK OF THE MONTH:  The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

I didn’t like this book because D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos are not likeable characters. They’re ultimately vigilantes who perform justice by their own hand. Every crime they commit, which includes murder and rape, is disguised as brave and honorable as long as they do it against the Cardinal or one of his allies. I do not condone this. I know that the story takes place in a different time and place but that doesn’t matter. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Alexandre Dumas but I realize now that he is not an author for me.

2. BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH: Odyssey by Homer, translated by Stanley Lombardo

This month I didn’t have a favorite read, but Odyssey by Homer and translated by Stanley Lombardo was my highest rated book in September. This is a reread for me, but I hadn’t picked this book up in over twenty years. And because it’d been so long, I knew that the right translation to read it in mattered a lot. I picked up the Lombardo translation because I’d already had the experience of reading his translation for The Iliad and I had enjoyed it. Also, because I knew his work would be easy to read and accessible to someone who hadn’t read the poem in twenty years, so I was basically a first time reader. And I wasn’t disappointed. This is a very good translation for people who are just dabbing their toes in the waters of Homer’s epic poetry.

3. CLASSICS AND YOUNG ADULT (DNF): La Casa en Mango Street (The House on Mango Street) by Sandra Cisneros

I picked this book up because I saw it in a recommended modern classics reading list, but it was boring. I only made it to the 50% mark before I decided to DNF it. I was not enjoying it at all, and I didn’t want to dedicate an hour of my life (which was the amount of time left on the audiobook) to finish it. I tried, but no. Sorry.

4. CLASSICS AND POETRY (DNF): The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Daniel Mendelsohn

I didn’t get very far into this translation of The Odyssey before I DNF’d it. My main issue with it was the structure of the verses; it was too convoluted and long.

5. MEMOIR AND TRUE CRIME (DNF): Black, White, And Gray All Over: A Black Man’s Odyssey in Life And Law Enforcement

I tried to read this book at least 5 times before I finally decided to give up. The author kindly sent me a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review, but I couldn’t get into it. Frankly, I thought that I would love this book. That is why I tried so many times to read it, but now I know why I couldn’t get into it. The writing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t engrossing enough to hook me into the story despite the fact that I was very much interested in the author’s life story and I ultimately got bored with it. My apologies, but I will no longer try with this one.

That is everything for this post. Thank you for stopping by.