November has been a weird month. I’ve been really stressed out with work and the general world, but I’ve had books to escape into which has been great. I have also officially beaten my reading record for 2019! In November, I read 28 books.
In November, I hauled two books and both of them were from OwlCrate boxes:
- The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by VE Schwab
- Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston
Now let’s jump into the books that I read this month:
1. The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I will have a full review of this up on the blog at some point soon.
2. The Toll by Neal Shusterman
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This book was chock full of information and it makes me really glad I listened to it on audiobook. It made it feel a little less info-dumpy. I loved the story and the additions to worldbuilding. I liked getting all the different perspectives and how it both picked up right after the ending of the last book and didn’t pick up right after it. I love the characters.
3. We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked this take on a Dystopian world and the world building this author put into her story. Dani was a really interesting protagonist, and I was intrigued by the underworld she got herself caught up in. I loved that this was a female/female romance and I’m definitely going to have to check out the second one when it comes out.
4. How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This story had me conflicted. I liked the premise and wanted to love it, but I just didn’t. I liked it and had fun while reading it, but there were parts that I just didn’t super love. However, if you like spooky books and curses, you might have fun reading this one.
5. Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a super quick read and I loved how it was set locally to where I live. I enjoyed our three different perspectives and the dynamics between the characters. At first I was a little uncomfortable with the parallels to the current pandemic, but it took enough of a turn that that feeling went completely away. I highly recommend this book.
6. #murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book had a really interesting concept. I have never really read anything like it and I liked how it was thriller-y and also mixed with like a slasher flick. The protagonist was interesting, and I had a hard time putting this book down. There were just some things that I wasn’t super convinced about that threw me a little bit.
7. From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I had some conflicted feelings about this one. I really enjoyed the romance and also the epistolary style, but I didn’t always enjoy Twinkle as a character. Characters are fully allowed to be unlikeable but her moments of unlikability kind of felt a little out of the blue for me. However, overall, I liked the arc she took and had fun while reading this book.
8. The Tyrants Tomb by Rick Riordan
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This audiobook was great. I love the narrator and I love Rick Riordan. This series is a really intriguing one and although it had a tendency to hit me in the feels, I definitely highly recommend it.
9. Swamp Thing by Maggie Stiefvater
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I was really excited about this one, but I have to admit I felt a little let down by it. I can’t quite explain why, but there was just something about it. I did still have fun reading it and found it really interesting, but I was just a little confused by some aspects of it.
10. The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a very interesting story. It’s simplistic in some ways, but I felt that there were lots of good bits to dig into. I enjoyed reading about how the main character had to come to terms with what happened to her and how those around her struggled with it too. She was a compelling character in that way and also because she wasn’t really the traditional likeable character.
11. Saga, Vol 1. by Brian K. Vaughan
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really interesting story. The worldbuilding seemed pretty interesting and I was intrigued to learn more. I really liked our two main characters, and how it was narrated by their child. The art was gorgeous.
The next eight books are picture books that I won’t be giving a review/rating for.
12. Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer
13. Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman
14. Red: A Crayon Story by Michael Hall
15. Introducing Teddy by Jess Walton
16. Who’s in a Family? by Robert Skutch
17. Worm Loves Worm by JJ Austrian
18. King + King by Linda de Haan
Back to the reviews!
19. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
20. Feast of Sighs by Sierra Simone
Rating: 2 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This book is super problematic for many, many reasons that I don’t even really want to talk about. I am continuing the series out of a sense of morbid curiosity.
21. Dracula Graphic Novel by Jason Cobley
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked the adaptation of this classic story. It makes it more accessible for a more modern audience and for those who have a hard time with classics. The art was really nice, and I liked the usage of the original text in the version that I read.
22. Long Way Down (Graphic Novel) by Jason Reynolds
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I loved the original of this book, and I really think that this adaptation held up. It was beautifully illustrated and well done. It brought the story even more to life. I wouldn’t say to read it in lieu of the original book, but it’s definitely worth checking out because it’s great.
23. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This story was so beautiful. Elizabeth Acevedo is an incredibly talented writer. I loved the duality of having the two sisters’ perspectives. They were both so unique and well developed. I really enjoyed reading about how they each handled the news that changed their lives forever. I highly recommend this.
24. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Re-read for my other English 9 class.
25. Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was one of my favourite graphic novels I read this month. I loved Gar as a character and his struggles were just so realistic. The structure of the story was really well done, and the art was really lovely. I definitely want to read more about him. It was also well introduced to the character, and it was easy to go in with minimal knowledge about the character and the Teen Titans.
26. Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: The librarian at the school I work at recommended this book to me. I found it really, really interesting. I sobbed, which makes sense because it’s a dead mom memoir. The art style was cute and kind of simplistic, but it was a lovely story about grief.
27. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Re-read with my second class of English 9.
28. Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really interesting graphic novel. I didn’t know anything about it but I felt like I learned a lot about a period in history that I didn’t know anything about. I really liked the art style, and loved the main character and the journey she went through. The ending felt a little abrupt, which is what brought it down a bit but overall I quite liked it.
And that’s everything I read in November. What did you read? Let me know in the comments down below! <3
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