… And a few you can probably pass up. November started slow and quiet and I’m thankful that I took the first half of the month to soak in the calm lull between Halloween and Thanksgiving. My month ramped up when I decided to write detailed instructions on how to make the viral book ornament. You can find that tutorial and free template download here.
It didn’t take long before I was convinced to offer a few handmade ornaments in my Etsy shop. Although time consuming, taking on this limited project has aided some much relished audiobook listening.
Thanks to this extended reading opportunity, I read 11 books in November. Below are my thoughts on each of them, including which ones you should definitely add to the top of your list and suggestions on who to gift these to this holiday season.
Quick note: You can stay up to date on all of my ratings on Goodreads!
Let’s get to it!
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Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
5/5 stars
I was shocked at how much I loved this story. I’d fully expected it to be a solid story, but nothing to write home about. I was so pleasantly wrong. The unlikely friendship between Tova and Marcellus (a giant Pacific octopus) gave me the coziest feels. Marcellus is extremely observant and insightful beyond human understanding. This is also a story of second chances and reckoning with the past. What a debut novel!! It reads as if Van Pelt is a seasoned writer.
It’s a book that leaves you feeling as if you’ve been hugged. Hopeful and promising.
This book is perfect for those that love a gentle character and witty humor!
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The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
4/5 stars
This was the perfect way to jump-start my holiday reading!! It’s been patiently sitting on my shelf for the better part of a year just waiting for holiday vibes to roll around. I knew it was the perfect read to pick up when The Bookcase Beauty Backlist Club chose cozy reads this month- and it lived up to my expectations!
Put this one on your “right now” TBR. Don’t wait a year like I did! It was so much fun!
Add it to your cart here:
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
4/5 stars
This was a wild, entrancing story that I could not stop listening to! It was weirdly a mix of Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wison and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Women spontaneously turn into dragons en masse. Women hiding their traits for fear of being outcast. This story follows Alex, a young girl in 1950’s America who is navigating The Mass Dragoning of 1955. This story is a breath of fresh air! So original and mesmerizing!
This book is for the reader who loves an empowerment story and the path to self-discovery.
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Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
4/5 stars
My holiday reading continued with this precious friends-to-lovers romcom. This was sugar cookie sweet and exactly the kind of easy holiday listening I was looking for. I’m so glad this is the first book in a series of three (soon to be four). This will definitely be one I continue in December!
This would make a great gift for a holiday book swap or book club pick!
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The Cloisters by Katy Hays
4/5 stars
Woah! This was fun! It gave me some National Treasurer vibes with a flair of magic and mystery. Lots of ancient artifacts and a deck of 15th century tarot cards that predict the future! Of course, with that kind of magic, there are those that will do anything to harness it. I was all in!
If you’re looking to buy for an inquisitive reader, a fan of magical realism, or a history buff with a soft spot for fiction, you can’t go wrong with this one!
Add it to your cart here:
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
4/5 stars
Mad Honey was the Bookcase Beauty Book Club pick for November ‘22. I’m a huge fan of Picoult and was thrilled when the club voted to read her latest novel! This book had me feeling a range of emotions! There are chapters that feel soft and comforting, chapters that feel inquisitive and witty, and chapters that evoked anger in me. The story is told from three points of view, which seemed to fit the idea that two writers were collaborating on the novel- the perspectives are so clearly different and developed. You can definitely go searching if you’re looking for spoiler alerts, but I won’t share those here. I will say that Picoult is no stranger to taking on big social topics and examining them fully.
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The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
This book was recommended to me by my Mother-in-law, who read it with her group of high school students in a book club. They all loved it and I knew I needed to see what the fuss was about, especially after seeing it make the rounds on social media! This is the first in a series of three and I’m hooked! Money, mystery, love interests, and high-stakes games all make for an enthralling YA read.
If you have a teen or young adult that needs to reignite their love of reading, share this one with them. For the record, I’m 30 and fully enjoyed it!!
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When in Rome by Sarah Adams
4/5 stars
Ask me if I’ve read the Tiktok breakout book, The Cheat Sheet and my answer is still no… but after reading Adams’ newest release, I’m prioritizing it because When In Rome was magic! I don’t know if it’s just the colder weather or the time of year, but this story reads like a holiday romance- without the holiday. Does that make sense? Where everything is just so adorable and perfect and fun. There’s a mild amount of spice, keeping this one a sugary sweet celebrity-to-small town romance trope. Eeek it was wonderful!
This book is perfect for the low-heat romance fan and readers that love buzzy books!
Add it to your cart here:
The last three books were just okay to me. All of them were three stars. I finished them. I can see who others will enjoy them, but they didn’t blow my socks off. Take my opinion with a grain of salt and don’t shy away from them if they sound interesting to you!
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
3/5 stars
The premise of this book had me intrigued- childhood best friends, storyline spanning decades, video game creation- it all sounds great to me! Ultimately, it fell kind of flat for me. I followed the story, but at the end just felt like I’d read a book. It hadn’t impacted me or left a lasting impression. I’ve also heard rave reviews! I’m always in favor of reading something to find out for yourself.
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The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
3/5 stars
I think I’ve determined that Rachel Hawkins is just not the author for me. I wanted to love it, I really did! I wanted redemption for hating Reckless Girls so much, but this was just meh. The synopsis sounded promising: eerie, old house, unsolved scandalous murder, friends with hidden agendas. If you enjoyed her other books, definitely give this one a go! If you weren’t a fan of her previous books, this one will probably fall right in line.
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Sign Here by Claudia Lux
3/5 stars
This was a “just okay” read. I heard others rave about it, so I was excited to finally pick it up. It, unfortunately, fell flat for me. If you’re a fan of underdog reads, you may grasp onto this one!
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If you made it all the way to the end, thank you! I’d love to hear from you. Have you read any of these? Are any of these books on your TBR?
Happy Reading!
