Blogmas Day 2: November Reading Wrap Up!

November literally flew by, I have no idea what happened! December? We don’t know her.

If I’m being real though, December is probably one of my favorite months of the year and I am so excited to dive into some fun holiday themed books and also finish up some books I wanted to finish by 2021. You can find my December TBR here.

I didn’t read as much as I normally do in November for a few reasons. First, there was the election and so I was unable to focus pretty much that whole week. Second, I discovered that I really like silent films so my free time has been going towards that a bit. I have also been splurging on some Hallmark films as well, which cuts into my reading time.

But no matter, I still read 15 books this month which I think is pretty good!

Stats

Books read: 15
Physical Books read: 4
Audiobooks Read: 9
E-Books read: 1
DNFs: 1

5 stars: 2
4 stars: 4
3.5 stars: 2
2 stars: 4
1 star: 1
no rating: 1

In the order I read them (and if you want a full review, click on the title of the book):

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune / 5 stars- Wow! This was such an incredible read, possibly one of my favorite books of the year. Going into it I had no idea what to expect, but this book surpassed any expectations I may have had. It is a story of found family, finding love, and finding yourself. I asked for a physical copy of this book for Christmas so I can reread and annotate it myself!

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta / 4 stars- This was another story that was just so heart warming. This is a coming of age story written in verse about the author as he learns to express himself through drag. I have never read a story about drag so this was an interesting topic of a story. This author’s writing style was super captivating and overall this was such a good read.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager / 3.5 stars- This was a leftover book from my October TBR, and I still wanted to read it so I just pushed it to November. This is the first thriller I have ever read, and overall I enjoyed it. I liked this it wasn’t too scary, but it was fast paced and I was never bored. I did guess the killer though, so I was a bit disappointed about that.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia / no rating- I wasn’t a huge fan of Mexican Gothic, but this book looked super interesting and has a beautiful cover. However, I just couldn’t get into it. I tried picking it up on two separate occasions, but I just didn’t care very much. So unfortunately, this was a DNF.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika and Maritza Moulite / 2 stars- I am so sad I didn’t love this one! I was so excited to read this book because I have never read a book set in Haiti. The setting and culture was super interesting, and I learned a lot about Haitian culture through this story. But I wasn’t really engaged with the characters and their lives, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the magical realism element.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson / 5 stars- Okay so wow! This is probably my favorite book of the year. Tiffany D. Jackson really just let her writing shine with this one. This book was so heavy and difficult to read, but it was such an important and necessary story to tell. I will literally never stop gushing about this book because I know it will change lives.

A Torch Against the Night by Sabba Tahir / 4 stars- Even though this book took me some time to get through, I still really enjoyed it. This is the sequel to An Ember in the Ashes, which I read earlier this year and loved! I felt like the pacing was a bit off in this sequel and I found myself a tad bored at times. But the ending definitely made up for it and I can’t wait to read book 3 soon!

Macbeth by William Shakespeare / 2 stars- This is the final Shakespeare play I have to read this semester (thank goodness!) and it was my least favorite. The dialogue in this play was just so riddling and Macbeth spoke in so many metaphors that I just could not wrap my head around. At least it was short.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary / 2 stars- I don’t know why this book didn’t mesh with me! I read The Flatshare earlier this year and thought it was so cute, and this one had even better reviews. But I was just bored and didn’t really connect with either of the characters. The romances were forgettable and the side plot lines didn’t interest me.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville / 1 star- So, full disclosure, I barely read this. My professor gave us an abridged version to read for school, and I read it through a mix of the audiobook, ebook, and online summaries. But I was just miserable. Maybe I didn’t give the book a fair chance, but this was just not for me.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco / 3 stars- I have very conflicting opinions on this book. On one hand, I absolutely loved the romance. It was angsty and I adored it and the love interest. However, that’s really the only part of this book I loved. I wasn’t super invested in the murder mystery and guessed the killer about halfway through. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series.

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong / 2 stars- I am so heartbroken by this book. It was one of my most anticipated releases for the second half of the year and I just couldn’t get into it. I was bored and had no motivation to pick this up, which put me in a pretty slumpy mood. I know others have loved this, but it was not for me. I won’t be continuing with the series.

Well Played by Jen DeLuca / 3.5 stars- This was such a charming book! I loved the Renaissance Fare setting and actually just made plans to go to one next summer, solely because of this book. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the catfishing plotline, and the main character was way too forgiving way too fast. But it was still such a fun read and I will definitely be picking up book 3 when it comes out!

Fairest by Marissa Meyer / 4 stars- I am so happy I read this in preparation for Winter. This really gave me so much backstory on Levana and Winter, and it was just so refreshing to be back with these characters! I don’t know why I put off reading this for so long!

Dear Martin by Nic Stone / 4 stars- This is a great read if you are looking for more Black literature. There are so many important conversations about race and police brutality. It reminded me a lot of The Hate You Give, which is a huge compliment because that is one of my favorite books! It is also a short read, so this is a great book if you are trying to boost your GoodReads goal.

And that concludes this month’s wrap up! Leave me your wrap ups in the comments below!