Omne trium perfectum: September Reading
Three books I've recently read, three books I want to reread, and three books on my to-read list.
Omne trium perfectum in Latin translates to everything that comes in threes is perfect. This is a very suited title to this series, where I walk through three recent reads, three books I’d like to reread and three books that are next on my read list.
I remember in my early blogging days I, read this advice that stated you shouldn’t preemptively call anything a series before you’ve managed to write a few entries. For someone with adhd I, totally stand behind, lord knows how many ventures I’ve up and abandoned (half-knitted scarf with knitting needles still eagerly waiting in the knots jumps to the front of my mind).
However, I’m feeling bold today, so I’m going to call it a series. So hello, welcome to this new series, omne trium perfectum - a regular post where I talk through three books I’ve recently read, three books that I’d like to reread soon and three books that are next on my read list.
I spoke about my fear around writing book reviews recently, and I thought how better to throw myself in at the deep end than to commit myself to writing not one but three in a post. At least I can take solace in the fact this isn’t Goodreads, and they won’t be read by what I think might be the world’s harshest critics.
At the moment, my reading speed is pretty fast, I always find this, for some reason, I slow down on reading in the summer, but in the Autumn-Spring, I just fly through books. So, for some context, I usually would read around 3/4 books a month, depending on length, so that will be the kind of cadence I’ll be writing these posts up.
I’ve marked affiliate links with a * throughout this article, if you purchase through this link I will earn a small commission on the sale.
Three books I’ve read
I’ve read some absolute bangers recently, some of which have seen me complete them in just a day or two, which is an incredibly good sign of a book for me. It gives me great nostalgia for being a teenager and being so obsessed with a book that I could barely put it down between spoonfuls of cereal and trying to get out the door for school.
A Tidal Year by Freya Bromley
A story about how wild swimming created a space for the author to reflect and regain her sense of self. Setting herself a challenge to swim in every tidal pool in the UK, Freya explores her grief and all the elements of her life that it has touched.
My sister bought me this book for Christmas last year, which doesn’t surprise me. My sister has an immaculate talent for really understanding your personality, and she knew how much sea swimming had altered my entire self. Having been quite systematic about working my way through unread books last year, instead of eagerly picking this up, it had instead waited its turn patiently in the pile. Finally, in late June, I joyfully picked it up and started devouring it.
However, a couple of days after kicking it off, I experienced an unexpected grief of my own, which made me press pause on reading about the themes that felt a little too raw. I hadn’t experienced a lot of grief in my life until recently, losing a friend suddenly and incredibly prematurely was a journey that I felt plunged into.
After taking the summer to read other books, I finally picked this up again last week and finished the remaining three-quarters of the book. I always knew that I would come back and finish it, and I’m so glad that I have. Despite being centred around the author’s brother’s passing, it was an uplifting read in a very subtle and gradual way.
Freya’s journey plays out across the chapters very gradually, noted by coordinates and locations, usually of the tidal pools but also at times places where memory exists. When we are first introduced to Freya, you can sense this true feeling of numbness, unable to connect and exist in the lifestyle she had known. From that point, you see her form friendships, notably with her tidal pool travelling companion, Miri and start her adventure of healing.
As the book continues, you feel her becoming lighter and kinder to herself, but one thing I will note is her tone at all points of this book is incredibly human and real. She could have easily edited out moments where she was less happy with her actions, but keeping them in helped the reader understand the grief she was feeling.
Towards the end, Freya realises that it’s not all about ticking off tidal pools but the way that the journey has helped her heal and grow. Finally, being able to speak of her brother and allow herself to feel joy in her life again.
This was a real joy to read and a great exploration of grief, and I would recommend it to anyone who perhaps finds themselves shutting away in times of discomfort.
The Tidal Year by Freya Bromley * (The paperback has just come out, but equally it is a beautiful hardback book!)
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Following a comedian in his mid-thirties who is going through a tough break-up with his ex-girlfriend, Jen. Failing to understand the breakdown of his relationship, Andy works through his world crumbling around him.
I’ll be straight up and say I found it odd to be reading from a male point of view; it made me realise how the majority of the writing I read is from a female’s viewpoint, something I hadn’t considered. After reading it, I did think to myself how much energy and effort Dolly must have put into coming across from a male standpoint and being completely believable at the same time.
As we start the book, Andy has just broken up with his partner of four years, Jen and is coping with it terribly. From his point of view, he cannot understand why she would leave what was seemingly a relationship that was plodding away through the highs and lows, but where there was still love.
This book came out before Baby Reindeer, but typically, as I had watched the latter first, Andy quite literally took the appearance of Richard Gadd in my mind. I’d say it’s just the failing comedian element to it, but actually, his self-loathing side probably helped enable this. That’s the extent of the comparisons, but I always find it interesting when someone’s appearance melds together in my brain like that!
The pages just fell away as always Dolly’s writing just flows so seamlessly, and the relationships she built between a fairly reasonable size of characters felt deep and kept you engaged. It could have been easy for the reader to be pushed down the narrative of disliking Jen, but Dolly kept the female code here and allowed the reader to see Andy’s flaws and form their own decisions on how great the relationship truly was.
This book took me only a day to read, and whilst I wouldn’t describe it as a page-turner in the sense of being left on tenterhooks constantly, it was just more-ish and so easy to sip tea and let yourself melt into the story.
Good Material by Dolly Alderton*
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
Mellor’s debut novel is about an impulsive marriage between a young British painter and an American advertising agency owner, twenty years her senior, set in the bright lights of New York.
I’d seen this book doing the rounds on social channels, and with its pretty cover, it made its way into my wishlist. After seeing it was on sale on Kindle, I snapped it up and devoured it in just a few days (what is it about September?).
Cliche, I know (or so snarky reviews tell me), when it comes to writing, I hold Sally Rooney as my gold standard, and I revel in finding writers who have some level of likeness to the ease and descriptiveness of her writing.
I was incredibly glad to see a spark of that in Coco Mellors. The writing was like butter, melting into a crumpet. The first chapter had me hooked, and what a delight that was because I do find myself struggling in the first chapter of most books.
The web of characters was as beautiful as they were flawed, all intertwined in the gritty yet beautiful setting of New York. The book itself was set in 2006, which I couldn’t quite picture, but in my head, it looked a lot like the New York from Sex In The City times. Seemingly, everyone was on something, and drinking was the culture of choice.
The pace of the book felt good speed, and the switching of characters seamlessly from one to another helped keep my engagement. I appreciated that whilst our two protagonists held most of the narrative, I loved that some of the characters had just a singular chapter, it was fun to explore them through their own narrative.
There was a strong sense throughout that everyone was fighting their demons, and whilst the different characters at times clung to one another to keep afloat, the true meaning came across that, after all, they were all capable of being their own life raft.
Honestly, I was obsessed with this writing. I cannot wait to read Mellor’s second novel, Blue Sisters.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors*
Three books to reread
I always wondered why people reread books (coming from the person who only rewatches comforting TV series), but over the last couple of years that I’ve dedicated to spending more time reading, I have come to realise why. Some books offer you a lot, whether it’s entertainment, information or emotion, but the reality is our brains can only keep hold of so much information. This is something I realised when I recently watched Netflix’s Kaos, and I was struggling to recall some of the myths despite reading Mythos only a year before.
Revisiting a book is a joy because you get to almost glide through it, recalling memories and strengthening your connection to it. It’s, as my sister and I would call it, a warm hug.
Anyway, here are three books I’ll be revisiting in the coming months that have a sentimental place in my heart:
Mythos by Stephen Fry*: I’ve already partially started this, I ended up devouring 60-odd pages after watching Kaos, double-checking some of the stories mentioned. I am wildly obsessed with Greek Mythology, at no point did I learn about this in school, so I put this down to being in love with the Hercules movie as a child. Anyway, my partner, Morgan, bought me the most beautiful illustrated version of this book for Christmas last year, and it’s been fun to start reading this with all the beautiful visual additions added in.
Wintering by Katherine May*: I always feel smug reading Wintering because I get to experience the same locations (we both reside around the East Kent town of Whitstable) as May writes about within it. I read this book for the first time in January of 2023, and it feels like time to pick it up again with the colder months approaching. As someone who struggles to find the ability to slow down the pace, this is such a great gentle reminder that we need time to rest as much as the natural world around us.
Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger*: Both the books above I’ve read in the last couple of years, but honestly, I’m not sure I’ve picked up this book in nearly a decade. I remember reading this as a teenager, probably at school and found such ease in reading it. I’m not massively one for classics; I desperately want to be, but some are so long and drawn out. This is a little more modern than some classics, written in the 50s, but it is so poignant even in this day and age. I saw a TikTok talking about it more eloquently than I could ever begin to, and it made me want to revisit it and read it as an adult.
Three books that are next on my to-read list
I’m very regimented in how I pick my next book to read; I formulated this orderly way when I realised in 2022 that I bought far too many books that I simply did not read. Bookshelves adorned with beautiful covers, only for me to pick a new book to read.
To mitigate this, I put them in a physical pile and read them in the order (to the best of my knowledge) that they were purchased and worked my way through them. Flash forward to now, I worked through that original pile of 26, and now I tend to have a paperback on the go (same first come, first serve order) and a Kindle book at the same time.
Still, with a severe need for discipline, I add my to-reads to my Kindle wishlist and work through them in the order that was added. It works like a dream. I never feel on edge about what to choose to read next, I just simply work through them.
Anyway, forever with too much backstory, here’s what is next on my list:
Outline by Rachel Cusk* - I’m 17 pages in, but counting this as next on my list, because I’m seemingly reading faster than I anticipated.
Blue Machine by Helen Czerski* - A little non-fiction to break up the novels, I’m careful with non-fiction to only pick things that spark an interest outside of the idea of bettering myself (I can recommend this great piece Jodie wrote on self-help books). And well, I love the sea.
All Fours by Miranda July* - Described as a wildly sexual book about a woman approaching menopause. What’s not to love?
Phew. That was a piece and a half. Also, huge pat on the back to myself for managing to write not one but three reviews and only cringed at myself slightly.
I hope you enjoyed this first piece in my omne trium perfectum series. I’d love to know if you have read any of the books above, what you’ve read, and what you’re looking forward to. Basically, give me all the book chat, I’m very here for it (in case you couldn’t tell).
I’ll report back in around about a month’s time with how my next three books went down and what else is on the horizon.
If you enjoyed this post, it would mean the world if you could share or restack it. Thank you!
Speak soon, Allie ☁️
I really want to get into some Coco Mellers next year. I've been on a book-buying ban (self-imposed!) throughout 2024 while I save to move and actually move, so there's been plenty of rereading going on here. Love the idea of this series!