NEW RECORD NOVEMBER- 13 books!!! I've hit my high score for the year! Most pages and books read in a month. Now, I'll admit, that I picked a few shorties to help speed me through my goals (we are SO close to hitting 111 books for the year). I am feeling activated and ready to finish the year strong.
The odds were ever in our favor! I had 4 5-Star books!
Who's That Girl - la la la la la la- Eve's that girl la la la la la la la; yes she is! This one is for all the girls and ladies of the millennium. If there is any universal truth, it is this, "Easy come, easy go, E-V gon' be lastin" and this book is confirmation that Eve has a place in rap history. Listen to this one on audio, Eve has such a smooth voice, it's truly a luxury to hear her tell her story. Then, go and watch all of her music videos. A time was had.
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton was a balm for those of us who also had a magical childhood because of Harry Potter. Now, I think it is safe to say that many of us also irrationally hated Tom Felton (muggle) purely because of his convincing portrayal Draco Malfoy. However, after this book, he is easily my favorite muggle castmate. Tom is honest about his shortcomings and humble about his strengths. My only gripe is that I wanted more, but I'm also a greedy little goblin from Gringotts.
Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was the hug I needed as I continue on my grief journey. Grief is truly the price we pay for loving deeply and Ngozi Adichie made me feel less alone. Her writing and audio narration is so warm despite the profound sadness.
If you're like me, you've been waiting for YEARS to hear from Jandy Nelson again. She took a 10-year hiatus since writing her blockbuster I'll Give You the Sun (one of my favorite books of all time, tbh), and I was scrambling to get my hands on When the World Tips Over. This book requires you to suspend reality. There were points that I was even confused if the book was categorized as magical realism. I read this as a part of my book club, and we haven't had our discussion yet, but I have so much to speak about! However, without spoilers, what I can say is that this book is compelling and complex; there are so many layers despite being YA fiction. The premise was completely unique and you might even finish this book wanting to dye your hair into rainbow colors ;)
Loved (Recommend to anyone for any reason)
Who's That Girl?: A Memoir- Eve
Beyond the Wand- Tom Felton
When the World Tips Over- Jandy Nelson
Really Liked (Top choice recommendations)
Notes on Grief- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (5 stars, but recommended for those who are experiencing grief)
Pretty Good (Recommend lite)
Brokeback Mountain- Annie Proulx (55 page short story, but counts as a book! Not to miss!)
A Love Like the Sun- Riss M. Neilson (I would be ranking this lower if it weren't for the ending. Sobbing.)
Christmas Shopaholic: Shopaholic #9- Sophie Kinsella
Okay (Fine- Liked enough) - turns out all of these books were YA thrillers and just OK. They were all compelling and moved quickly, but they lacked either the payoff or development that would've made them recommended stories.
A Genuine Fraud- E. Lockhart
The reappearance of Rachel Price- Holly Jackson
Five Total Strangers- Natalie D. Richards
Not For Me (Wasn't the intended audience or did not like)
All the Colors of the Dark- Chris Whitaker (this one came highly recommended, but it just didn't hit for me)
The Wedding People- Alison Espach (why on earth are people obsessed with this book?)
The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties: Aunties #3- Jesse Q. Sutanto (this marks my official end with the series, whether Sutano continues or not. I'm just so sick of them)
DNF (Did Not Finish)
The Christmas Tree Farm: A Christmas Novella- Melody Carlson
Boy Swallows Universe- Trent Dalton
Clark and Division- Naomi Hirahara
You in Five Acts- Una LaMarche
When We Were Silent: A Novel - Fiona McPhillips
Final Reflection:
This month was a confidence builder. Now I just need to finish strong for December.
If you have any reccos, let me know!
For further reviews of each book, check out my Goodreads account or my StoryGraph!
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