November was a pretty good reading month. I tried to take it a little bit easy because I knew that I had report cards this month, but I still managed to get a lot of reading done, which felt pretty good. I also got some pretty exciting books in the mail. Overall, I really can’t complain.
Books I hauled in November:
- This Spells Love by Kate Lobb
- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
- Vengeance of the Pirate Queen by Tricia Levenseller
- The Haunting Moon by Susan Dennard
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
Books I read in November:
1. The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I loved this book and had so much fun reading it. I liked reading from both Grayson and Jameson’s perspectives and seeing their storyline continue. It was also nice to see the other brothers and Avery. I liked the general premise of the dual storylines, and I am excited to see where this story will go next.
2. The One by John Marrs
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I have been eagerly anticipating this book and I was not disappointed. It was well-written and incredibly twisty. The story kept me guessing, and I just didn’t expect the where the novel ended up. It was really interesting to see each of the character’s perspectives and to read about the unique premise of the story.
3. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a cute romance. Although, in my opinion, it was also pretty smutty. I liked getting both sides of the couple’s perspective on the story. It was fun to watch them fall for eachother. I liked that it wasn’t instant love, and that the conflict didn’t necessarily come from their relationship.
4. The Deep and Dark Blue by Niki Smith
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This graphic novel was great. It was well-written, with a very interesting storyline. I liked the fantasy elements; they were very subtle and unique. The art style and the use of colour was really quite lovely. I did find it was occasionally hard to tell who was who, but overall I loved the story.
5. Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven by Kathryn Lasky
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: It was fun reading this story. I don’t know a lot of Japanese history, but I liked the storyline and learning more about Kazunomiya as a historical figure. She seems like a really interesting historical figure. The storyline kept me interested. There were some parts I would have liked more development on, but it was well-written.
6. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really like the way that Lisa Jewell throws your expectations out the window. This book really kept me guessing on who I could trust. I liked the structure of the podcast and the birthday twin thing. There were complicated family dynamics, which provided an interesting layer to the story. It was a great read.
7. Burned by Ellen Hopkins
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a heartbreaking story. You definitely feel for Pattyn as she tries to cope with her father’s abuse and her religious trauma. I loved the development of the romance between her and Ethan, and it was devastating to see the end of it. I’m curious about the sequel. Ellen Hopkins is such a great writer.
8. Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was just okay for me. I suspect that if I were a teenage girl then I would have loved it, because as a teen I loved Lurlene McDaniels’ books. However, it felt kind of insta-love-y to me and I wanted more development out of the romance. Also why would they risk their lives that way?
9. We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I read this upon the recommendation of one of my students. It ruined my day in the best way possible. I cried a lot and I really felt for Marin as she coped with her grief and coming to terms with her grandfather’s death and other things. It was beautifully structured, and I was pleased by the arc that it took.
10. Watership Down: Graphic Novel by James Sturm
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **Disclaimer: I recieved a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have never read Watership Down, but I really found myself enjoying this graphic novel. It’s beautifully adapted with absolutely lovely art. I found the stroyline intriguing. I don’t know a lot about rabbits as a species, but there was a lot more violence than I expected.
11. Brynmore by Steve Niles
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **Disclaimer: I recieved a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I liked stories about complicated family histories and dynamics, and aisolated settings, and supernatural, so this book hit a lot of sweet spots for me. It was well-written and really interesting to me. The art accented the story well, and really helped to bring the story alive. My only complaint was that I wanted the book to be longer so that I could have more of it.
12. The Hunger and the Dusk, Volume 1 by G. Willow Wilson
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **Disclaimer: I recieved a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this story. It gave me Dungeons & Dragons vibes. I had a lot of fun with that. I liked seeing the characters interact with eachother, and the way they had to interact with the world. It had some interesting worldbuilding. I would definitely continue on with the series.
13. The Lucky Poor by Mazie Lovie
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **Disclaimer: I recieved a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this graphic novel memoir. The author did a lovely job telling her story and discussing the concept of ‘the lucky poor.’ It was interesting to see it from her perspective and to learn more about Habitat for Humanity. I liked the art style as well. It suited the story.
14. Cat Fight by Andrew Wheeler
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **Disclaimer: I recieved a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I liked how this book ended, but some of the details at the start of it were a little bit confusing. I did end up enjoying the twists and turns. The art style was very detailed, which was pretty cool to look at. I had a hard time keeping track of the characters at first though.
15. Winx Club Volume 1: Welcome to Magix by Rainbow Spa
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **Disclaimer: I recieved a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute colelction of stories. It felt like the show, which was likely the point of it, but it’s been a long time since I watched it. The art was really nice and got the story across well. It introduced you to the characters well, which was good.
16. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Holy moly, that was one heck of a ride. I really enjoyed seeing the characters come back together, and I also really enjoyed seeing the world at a deeper level as we got a wider view of it in this novel. I enjoyed the elements of politcal intrigue, and how vast this book was. Thee was a lot of really interesting different conflicts going on. I had a solid good time reading this book, and I need the next one now please.
17. Open Book by Jessica Simpson
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I liked this memoir. I didn’t know a whole lot about Jessica Simpson, so it was really interesting to get an inside look at her life, and also at her marriage to Nick Lachey. I enjoyed her narration as she brought her stories to life, and I could really feel her emotion at certain points of the story.
18. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was so sweet. It was warm and cosy like a cup of tea. I loved the main character and the way she interacted with the world. It was great to see her grow as a character over the course of the story. It just made me happy. It’s a very interesting book.
19. Pages to Fill by Travis Baldree
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I quite enjoyed this short story prequel. It was interesting to see some of the character’s origins and learn more about her life before she opened her coffee shop.
20. Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was interesting though not my most favourite. There were some parts of this collection that I liked a lot better than others, like the Nancy Drew bits. Others, I didn’t find nearly as funny.
21. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was an interesting read. I have to admit that I didn’t really like it at the start. It was very slow and I didn’t like most of the characters. I will admit that the ending was really interesting, once it started getting twisted. But it did take me awhile to even get to that point. I don’t know if I would necessarily recommend this one to people.
22. Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: See my review for Hark! A Vagrant above.
23. Kiss Her Once For Me by Alice Cochrun
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a super fun trope-filled romance. The characters were really lovely, and I quite enjoyed reading about them and seeing them interact. I had lots of fun exploring all the various tropes that were included. The author did a fantastic job.
24. Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I had fun reading this mystery book. It was well-written and had an interesting premise. The characters were well-developed and it was interesting to see the character’s perspectives and how they all interacted. I also really liked how it taught me some new words. I knew very little about the world of competitive Scrabble, so this was very unique in field and scope.
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