lately with lila september 2025 | autumn aspirations

Hello again, dear friends! I hope all is well with you and if it is not, then I hope brighter days head your way soon! Well, friends, I’m happy to say that September was a good month for me! It kicked off with a super fun event and ended with me finishing up an amazing book! So, let’s take a look back on what went down during this past month for me…

Tiny Sidenote: I recently updated the design of my blog (which I’ll talk more about in my upcoming October 2025 wrap up) and I’d like to give a special thank you to Pypah Santos, who is the artist behind my beautiful new header icon!

On the last day of August, I picked up The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson on a complete and total whim, and, friends, I cannot express just how much of an excellent decision that was. Because ohmygod!! I finished this book right at the end of September, and I can say with certainty that it is a new all-time favorite book of mine!!! I received an audiobook ALC (advance listener’s copy) of The Raven Scholar about a month before it released, but because it wasn’t already on my radar, I didn’t immediately pick it up. Boy am I glad I finally have righted that wrong! If you enjoy political fantasies with complex plots and an equally complex cast of characters, intricate worldbuilding, and poignant themes, then The Raven Scholar is for you, my friends! The basic premise is that Neema Kraa, who is the high scholar of an empire, becomes embroiled in a set of trials to choose the next emperor after a contestant is killed suspiciously and Neema must prove her innocence. But that’s only the surface level plot and trust me when I say that there is so much more to the story. It’s such a brilliantly laid out novel in every way and I’m shocked that it’s Hodgson’s first ever fantasy novel (prior to writing The Raven Scholar, Hodgson had only ever written and published historical fiction). So, I implore y’all: if you take one thing away from this wrap-up, let it be that you need to read this book ASAP!!!

Rating: what i’m currently reading

I’m still in the middle of reading Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood, which is the perfect contemporary cozy fantasy for autumn! It’s such a fun read, and I’m only about a quarter through it so far, so I have high hopes for the rest of the book.

After finishing up The Raven Scholar, I felt like I was on a roll with wanting more political high fantasy, so I’ve picked up The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino. This novel is the first of the Adult fantasies releasing in Fall 2025 that feature lady knights as main characters, and I’m sooooooo excited to see Bovalino’s take on the archetype! I will say, I think the romance in this book is a bit more of a focus, although I don’t believe it’s a straight-up romantasy. Regardless, I really can’t wait to find out what The Second Death of Locke is all about.

for readers

• Sumedha gushed about ten bookish jobs she’d do for free
• Shannon talked over the rise of fanfiction in traditional publishing
• Kristin recommended cozy books
• Eleanor told us how to create a cozy reading afternoon for autumn
• Smitten for Fiction talked understanding dark academia in R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis
• Tasya highlighted books from her favorite genre
• Lou wrote a love letter to communal reading
• Robin showed off romance novels for autumn
• The reader at Bookishcore talked about books that made them feel strong emotions
• Shannen discussed thirty books that have shaped who she is in celebration of her thirtieth birthday
• Tree and Bree spotlighted autumnal books of various vibes
• Sophie shared her summer 2025 reading diary
• The gals at The Smut Report ranted and raved about the musician archetype in romance novels
• Courtney laid out some cozy fiction books to curl up with this fall

for fun

• Sumedha recapped her experience of weeks 5 – 8 of The Artist’s Way

The highlight of my September 2025 was going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival with one of my good friends. Neither of us had been to a renaissance faire before, so it was really special to go to one that is apparently one of the best on the East Coast of the US. We got all dressed up in costumes and everything! And it was so much fun! There were all sorts of local artisans selling their (thematically appropriate) goods, tons of great food, several booths where you could do activities and play games, and a ton of different stages set up where various performances were happening. We stayed from the time we got there (around 4:30 p.m.) until closing at about 7:00 p.m., and the grand finale of the whole event was a jousting tournament which turned into a comedic duel between all the parties on the field. It was sooooooo, soooooooooooo, soooooooooooooooooooooo fun, and I’d definitely go again. The only downside was the traffic when we were heading there, because, due to the way the parking was arranged, we got locked in three hours of traffic only two miles out from the location of the festival. Regardless, now that I know there’ll be that much traffic, I can plan ahead next time!

The only other notable event that happened in early September was that my Race & Ethnicity sociology course started. So far I’ve really enjoyed it, although there’s a lot of required reading and associated coursework. But even still, the topic of the course is really interesting and is highly relevant to my own major (anthropology), so I don’t mind the level of work too much.

I honestly don’t have anything planned for this coming October yet. I’d love to get together with friends and maybe do some fall activities, but between classes and work and life, my friends and I have all been really busy lately. There are actually a lot of really fun events and activities in the DMV this October, so in addition to the “standard” autumnal activities (apple picking, visiting a pumpkin patch, going on walks through cemeteries, etc.) on my “activity wishlist,” I’m also hoping to find a few local events and activities to engage in. Some possibilities include: outdoor spooky movie nights, Halloween-themed Profs & Pints lectures, local autumn-themed arts and crafts festivals and markets, and concerts, among others. I’m hoping to check at least four of these local activities and events off of my list, and I’m hoping I can rope some friends into taking part with me too! That said, nothing is set-in-stone yet, so we’ll have to see how the month pans out.

How was your September of 2025? Did you read anything memorable? Is there anything you’re looking forward to coming up this October? What’s on your TBR for the month?

Learn more the author of this post:

Lila @ Hardcover Haven

Lila is a 30 year old anthropology student and lover of literature who's been book blogging for an eternity. Her hobbies include reading, singing, writing, arts and crafts, and snuggling her two cats, Snoopy and Clementine.