November is a month to be thankful. This month one of my cats was seriously ill and we came close to losing her. Happily, she made a comeback. I know our time with her is limited, and I’m grateful she’s feeling better.
I spent most of the month reading ARCs, because I requested way too many all at once. I also turned to my last book for the Read Harder Challenge, which is Jane Eyre (in the category of “a classic I hated”). I’ll admit I’m still struggling to understand why people love this book. Rochester is horrible. But I’m determined to finish.
Here’s what I read in November:
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- Those Who Knew by Idra Novey
- An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole
- A Dangerous Duet by Karen Odden
- Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
- All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- The Breeding Tree by J. Anderson
My favorite read: Circe is a fantastic book for anyone who loves Greek mythology. I loved Tasha Suri’s debut fantasy novel Empire of Sand. I also really enjoyed Alyssa Cole’s Civil War-era biracial romance novel. But the most impactful book was Michelle Obama’s memoir, which is a truly fascinating look at her upbringing, her marriage, and her time in the White House.
Did not finish: I didn’t finish The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco, a book I really started out enjoying, but it dragged as the author went into way too much detail about plot rather than developing the characters.
What I’m reading now: Jane Eyre and the new Barbara Kingsolver, Unsheltered.
What’s coming up: I’ll be traveling this month to Chile and Argentina – on my Kindle for that trip I’ve got JK Rowling’s new book, Lethal White, Maggie O’Farrell’s I Am, I Am, I Am, Octavia Butler’s The Parable of the Talents, and Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend.
Added to my TBR: I added The Book of M and Severance based on a twitter post asking for dystopian novel recommendations; Milkman, based on the Man Booker Prize, and There There and The Great Believers because I keep hearing great things about these books.
Things that made me happy this month: Planning for our upcoming trip! I’m excited and nervous – it’s a continent I’ve never been to, but we’re also going with a tour group so a lot will be out of our control. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving spent with people they love. For December, I’m already thinking about my best-of lists and challenge wrap-ups for the next month. I’m working on a post about the best books I read this year and WHY I read them. Happy December, readers, and happy holidays!
The Book Stop 
A great reading month! Well chosen.
I also thought that Circe was excellent. Having just finished Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls I felt that the Miller was a far more interesting feminist exploration of Greek mythology. Both Lethal White and the O’Farrell are very fine books; I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
I’m glad your cat is feeling better. Enjoy your trip. Have a great December!
That’s a great reading month- I am hearing a good things from all over for “Becoming”. Also what are your views on “All the lives we never lived”. Thank you
The prize list and end of the year lists do some damage to our tbr lists, don’t they? I’m waiting for The Book of M from our library. I hope it’s a great read for us both!