lately with lila september 2026 | a sad september

Hello again, dear friends! I hope you are all well, and if you are not then I hope brighter days head your way soon! Y’all, September was quite a mixed bag for me, if I’m being real. On the one hand, I spent most of the month feeling pretty depressed and gloomy. On the other hand, I managed to have at least a bit of fun, and I finally finished another book, as well as watching a movie! That said, my mood has gotten better now, and I’m trying to focus on remembering the good. So, let’s take a look at what went down…

This past September, I finished up Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, which I’d been reading on and off for a long time. And you know what? When all was said and done, I really enjoyed this book! I think it was just a tad slow in some places, but overall, it was very well-written and a fun read. I love Emily—she’s very neurodivergent coded, so in a lot of ways I could relate to her, even if she’s way more introverted than I am. I also adored Bambleby, who is a charming “menace” (at least, in Emily’s eyes), but also a caring and loyal friend to those he loves. I know that the Emily Wilde series is more episodic, with a general overarching story overlaying each book, so I can’t wait to see where the next book takes Emily and Bambleby!

Rating:

I didn’t realize that the Amazon Prime adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis released in September until I randomly stumbled across it and, well, here we are. I’ve never read any of Hazelwood’s works, so I can’t comment on how well this film adapted The Love Hypothesis. But as a movie on its own? Meh. I found it quite forgettable and kinda awkward on the whole, tbh. I felt like most of the actors were really stiff, and it felt like they were acting rather than fully embodying the characters that they were playing. I also felt like the “villain” was obvious from the start and also that their whole “villain speech” was waaaaayyy too flat and was more of a “telling” moment rather than a “showing” moment. Like, in the moment they revealed their “scheme” to the main character, it felt like they just blabbed their entire plan. We also didn’t really see the main characters wrestle with the resulting third act conflict enough, in my opinion. It felt like it just resolved way too quickly within the span of the story. Sooooo…yeah. The film wasn’t really my thing and didn’t motivate me to pick up the book anytime soon.

Rating:

high notes

♫ “Nicole Kidman” by ADELA What can I say, I am, indeed, a pop music fan and I’m not ashamed to admit it!! Honestly, ADELA’s entire new album (Prima) is really catchy, but this song and “Ain’t in LA” are definitely my favorites off of it!

♫ “UNETHICAL” by Faouzia I’ve been a fan of Faouzia since her “Tears of Gold” era (so for a while), and I cannot tell you how happy I am to see her getting more recognition by the general public, cause girlfriend definitely deserves it! Her vocals on “UNETHICAL” are just insane and out-of-this-world!!! And the raw emotion you can hear in her voice and also can see when she performs this song! Breathtaking. Just completely breathtaking. 100000% recommend listening to this track (and her other ones too)!

♫ “expectations” by Olivia Rodrigo I feel like y’all have probably guessed over the years that I’m a big fan of Olivia Rodeigo’s music, but if I haven’t stated it plainly: I’m a big fan of Olivia Rodrigo’s music! While her latest album is difficult for me to listen to due to personal reasons, this is one of the songs off of it that I can listen to without crying. It’s such a fun reminder to always know your worth and your standards when dating.

♫ “The View Between Villages – Extended Edition” by Noah Kahan Honestly, I didn’t think I’d like Noah Kahan’s music, but so far I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve heard from him. This song contains what appears to be Kahan’s signature theme surrounding his feelings about his hometown and his memories of that place and who he was there. I enjoy the song musically, but I also enjoy the song through the lens of anthropology, as it’s a great example of how place can shape culture and that culture can shape the people inhabiting that place.

for readers

• The blogger at Sequels and Scribbles gave advice on starting a book club and also hit it out of the park with some awesome book recommendation posts in September:
  • Books That Feel Like Fall: 25 Cozy, Spooky & Witchy Reads
  • Dark Academia Books to Read This Fall | Fall Book Recommendations
  • Loving Ted Lasso? 5 Books About Soccer to Read Next
• Rachel asked us to stop apologizing for what you’re reading
• Franscesca shared her thoughts as a pro-spice Catholic author on the Elizabeth Wheatley controversy (Video)
• Elle talked books and mental health
• Dina wrapped up her 2026 Hugo Awards series by giving her thoughts on the 2026 Hugo Award winners
• Shannen wondered “how important is genre to readers?“
• Emma gave a booklover’s tour of Brighton and Hove and recommended books to read after watching the Prime Video adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis
• Lauren shared books they think could define the next decade of fantasy and sci fi TV
• Kat Blaque answered whether watching the new Harry Potter show makes you a transphobe (blog post & video)
• Elaine created three free 2027 reading trackers
• Emma chatted about digital book decluttering vs. physical book decluttering for Let’s Talk Bookish
• Tasya talked about bookish accessories
• The blogger at Marked for Plot shined a light on 10 books that made ambitious choices
• The ladies at The Smut Report shared their thoughts on medieval romance
• Lynn gabbed about 7 of her bookish opinions
• Candyce pointed out books she’s started but haven’t finished
• Veronica listed a book for every year she’s been alive
• Krysta continued her American Girl book review series with Kit (another one of my favorite AG characters!)
• Amy invited us to pick a fall vibe to get a book recommendation
• The blogger at Abyssal Librarian responded to the Literary Inbox prompt about fall reading
• Tracey reviewed the Prime Video adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis
• Madeline listed YA books for Bisexual Visibility Week

for fun

• Hayley talked about 10 new things to try in September (or when you are in the mood for new beginnings)
• Elaine discussed how blogging isn’t what it used to be
• Maxx ranked all of Halsey’s albums
• Hayley mulled over how we define “romantic”

I’ma keep it a buck with y’all: this past September was one of the worst months I’ve had in a long time in terms of my mental health. I really struggled with a depressive episode, and it made me feel like there was constantly a gray cloud hanging over my head. Things cleared up for me towards the end of the month, though, largely thanks to medication, and I feel a lot better now! And, even while dealing with the depression, I did manage to have some fun moments, so that’s something.

The first fun thing I did in September was attending a Profs & Pints lecture about bioarchaeology with my mom. As someone who’s majoring in anthropology with a tailored focus on forensic anthropology, I found that I was actually really familiar with the content of the lecture. Nevertheless, it’s always good to review the basics, and it was fun seeing how interested other people were in the topic!

Then, one of my best friends and I just spent some chill time in Georgetown on the waterfront. We basically just sat there and people-watched while talking about our lives and our feelings of late. It was really nice to talk about my recent blues with someone who’s known me for a very long time and who is willing to be there for me and listen—it really meant a lot to me.

At the end of the month, I also attended a snail mail event in D.C., which was a blast! Basically, the host gave the attendees a prompt and ahead of the event we wrote snail mail letters. Then, when we got to the event, we all put our letters in a box and randomly selected a different attendee’s letter, before we discussed the topic that the prompt had been about. It was so much fun, and the people I met there were so lovely! It definitely was the silver lining on a gray month!

Of course, I also had some more quietly nice moments on my own/at home as well. I journaled a decent amount (I even journaled in the middle of the night while waiting for my clothes to dry at Laundromat, lol), and added some memory-keeping/scrapbook spreads to my journal, as well as some pages that were just writing responses to a prompt. Also, my family’s garden gave us a little harvest in September, and it was full of pumpkins, tomatoes, different varieties of greens, and plenty of herbs.

October is actually already really filled with fun events I’ll be attending! The first week of October, I’ll be meeting up with a good friend of mine who attends a university in a different part of Virginia now, so it’ll be really great to spend some time with her. Then, I’ve been invited to a local crafty event as an influencer, which is wild to me, as it’s the first time that’s ever happened!! I’m super excited for the event and can’t wait to tell y’all about it! At the end of the month, I’m attending a Halloween concert featuring local bands which was put together by a local music influencer (@carosplaylists on Instagram) and I’m also super excited for this event since it sounds so fun! Finally, on the 31st, I’ll be having another cafe journaling meetup with my friend, which I think will be a really wonderful way to round off the month. I’m also hoping to attend a lecture on folklore about faeries at my university and can maybe meet up with some other friends during October, but we shall see, as it’s a pretty busy month for everyone!

How was your September 2026? Did you do anything fun or read anything memorable? Do you have anything you’re looking forward to coming up this October? What’s on your October TBR?

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.