I only finished 1 book in the month of September for a total of 46 books this year.
It wasn’t a great month for reading, but here’s why that doesn’t bother me:
- It’s NOT about quantity. I like to keep track because I enjoy it. That’s the same reason I set reading targets and goals, but I don’t feel like I have “failed” if I don’t reach those targets or achieve those goals. I just love to read and I enjoy keeping track of my reading. I’m weird like that.
- I had the joy and privilege of preaching multiple times this month and so much of the time I would have spent reading I spent studying for and writing sermons. There is ZERO regret in that.
So, here is my one single book for September 2025…
RED SIDE STORY by Jasper Fforde.
Fforde is one of my favorite authors. I will read absolutely any novel he writes, and I have. His creativity, originality, and general oddity make his books nearly impossible to categorize and that’s part of their irresistible charm.
This book is a long-awaited sequel to SHADES OF GREY. It is a dystopian novel that takes place in the Land of OZ, and that’s about as much as I can really tell you about them both.
The world Fforde created in these two books is so complex it makes them difficult to explain. Basically the characters that populate this world live in a society that is based on a class system where your class is determined by what you can see on the color spectrum. Purples occupy that highest level and Grays (who can see no color at all) occupy the lowest. And no, I did not misspell the title of the first book.
Like all of his books, the prose here is imaginative, humorous, and engaging. Once you’re in, you don’t want to stop reading.
If you want to start reading Fforde, the Thursday Next series, specifically THE EYRE AFFAIR is the best place to begin. I have recommended this book to MANY people and anyone who has ever read it has enjoyed it.
I love finding a writer whose work I enjoy so much, I would read everything they ever wrote. That’s a short list for me, but Jasper Fforde is near the top and he has never failed to delight.
Reading List for October
I’d like to finish the year strong, so I will ramp up my reading for October.
- A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is a book I am re-reading for the book club I am a part of.
- Lead by Paul David Tripp is for another book club I am in.
- Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls edited by Gary W. Moon is one I have been reading through slowly, because it’s that kind of book.
- The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass I am reading to help my craft for the novel I am SLOWLY writing.
- Hideki Smith and the Omuhade by A.J. Hartley is a sequel to one I enjoyed earlier this year.
- Encouragement by Larry Crabb is nearly finished, but I didn’t want to rush it just so I could add it to this month’s list.
Joseph McBee 