A detailed look at November’s reading habits: 30 books, no DNFs, six books knocked off my Up Next shelf, 12 new books at the top of my want to read list–one of which I’ve already purchased–and a new read-alike recommendations category, and five new book reviews with the following themes: learning to love again, challenging “conventional” relationships and whodunnit mysteries (part 2).
Overview
Outline
November Reflection and Into December
November was quite a busy and, honestly, hectic month for me. I feel that every monthly reflection is a remark about I can’t believe it went by so fast, and while unoriginal, it’s so true for me this month. It feels unreal that December is already here. Yet, at the same time, 2020 has felt like the longest year, mostly due to the uncertainty.
Looking back at my November posts, I’m proud (and happy) that I posted two books a week for three weeks straight! While it’s always my intention to post reviews that frequently, life can get in the way… like it did during last week. However, my inability to post book reviews last week allowed me to finally start a new Recommendations category: Readalikes. After finishing a beloved book, I’m always looking for books that are not only from the same genre but also similar to its sub-genres. You can click here to read my first readalike post!
While I didn’t complete my November Hopefuls List, I realized halfway through November that I shouldn’t have included books on the list that weren’t a priority. So, for my December Hopefuls List, I’m only going to include books at the top of my Up Next Shelf. It also helps that the books on my December Hopefuls List could be the last books I read in 2020.
Finally, I’m so excited that my time spent reading and the number of books I read seems to be on an uptrend. I read 30 books this past month–I haven’t read more than 29 books in a month since April! However, despite my number of books read per month increasing these past few months and adjusting my 2020 reading goal (from 520 to 365), it’s unlikely that I’ll read 72 books in December. And, if you’re sitting back thinking in what world would 72 books ever be achievable, you can look on my Wrap Up page here to see that I read 70 books in May 2020. So, it’s possible but quite unlikely–I’ve never read that many books in December before.
*These buttons (🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇺🇸) and the Kindle Embeds contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.
Books I Read This Month
Key: 🔁 re-read | 🤓 reviewed on this blog | 📜 from my Up Next shelf
• How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi 📜
• The Champion’s Ruin (Age of the Andinna, #6) by Kristen Banet
• Lovely Neighbor (Lovely, #1) by Alexa Riley
• The King’s Horrible Bride (Royal Wedding, #2) by Kati Wilde
• Daddy’s Angel by K.A. Knight
• Highball Rush (Bootleg Springs, #1) by Claire Kingsley with Lucy Score 🔁
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle 📜 🤓
• Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson 📜
• Rage (Her Monsters, #1) by K.A. Knight 🔁
• Christmas Vow by Alexa Riley 🔁
• How To Get Over A Boy by Chidera Eggerue 📜 🤓
• Only Her by Lucy Darling
• Havoc’s Mate (Badlands Territory, #2) by Lila Rose
• The Cabin by Jasinda Wilder 🤓
• Raster City Rebel (Raster City, #1) by Jen Ponce
• Raster City Rogues (Raster City, #2) by Jen Ponce
• Seven Ways to Kill A King by Melissa Wright 📜
• The King’s Spinster Bride (Aspect and Anchor, #0.5) by Ruby Dixon 🔁
• His Pumpkin Pie by Alexa Riley
• Love’s Secret Baby by Ella Goode
• Lovely Baker (Lovely, #2) by Alexa Riley
• The King’s Reluctant Bride by Ella Goode
• His Christmas Cookie by Alexa Riley
• Her Primal Mate (Badlands Territory, #1) by Jenika Snow
• Claiming His Bride by MINK
• Pay the Hitman by Milana Cheers
Book Types: Most books were from Kindle Unlimited.
Rating Distribution: Most November reads were 3-stars.
November Breakdown
Want to Read from this month
Most Favourite and Least Favourite*
*Can’t be a re-read
Most Favourite: The Champion’s Ruin (Age of the Andinna, #6) by Kristen Banet. See why here.
Least Favourite: Pay the Hitman by Milana Cheers. See why here.
Longest and Shortest Books
Longest Book: The Champion’s Ruin (Age of the Andinna, #6) by Kristen Banet (536 pages)
Shortest Book: Christmas Vows by Alexa Riley (54 pages)
Statistics
Most Read Genre: HEA Erotica
24 New Reads; Six Re-reads; No DNFs
Most Read Author: Alexa Riley with FIVE books!
*Person of Colour includes non-white human characters in fantasy novels
Best Performing Bookstagram Posts
November Book Reviews
Theme of Week 3: Learning to Love Again
Gut-wrenching and Healing: The Cabin by Jasinda Wilder
Get the book: 🇨🇦
Quick Take: A gut-wrenching, tear-jerker of a romance novel that transforms itself into a book of healing and convincing second chance love–although, it’s enjoyability is severely limited by the frustrating characterization of its Heroine.
Heartbreaking and Moving: Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Single Sentence Review: A beautifully written book that takes its time to explore how someone can learn to trust and love again after a tremendous loss; flashing back and forth between the hours before the crash and Edward’s current reality, the author explores what it means to be true to yourself and the connections that help you overcome such heartache.
Theme of Week 2: Challenging “Conventional” Relationships
Vulnerable and Cathartic: Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Quick Take: An unabashedly honest memoir, comprised of short essays, Glennon draws on her experiences with consciously uncoupling from her husband, parenting her children in a blended-family, marrying her wife, Abby and reconciling her God with religion as an institution, to unpack the varying ways our current societies cage us. The pacing takes a while to find its rhythm; however, the immersive and thought-provoking prose makes the memoir an exceptional and cathartic read.
Liberating and Thought-Provoking: How To Get Over A Boy by Chidera Eggerue
Single Sentence Review: This is so much more than a post-break-up self-help book–while it focuses on heterosexual relationships, the book is a great introduction to how the patriarchy and internalized misogyny significantly impact how women approach relationships (and deal with moving on).
Theme of Week 1: Whodunnit Mysteries
Engrossing and Bittersweet: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
Single Sentence Review: An excellently written courtroom drama that pulls the reader in, demonstrating the malleability of the truth while unfalteringly exploring the typically unvoiced sacrifices and traumas of being a parent to a special needs child, the uncertainty of immigration and the isolation of adolescence.
Heartfelt and Forgiving: Anxious People by Frederik Backman
Single Sentence Review: While the beginning of the novel lagged a bit, the variety of strong personalities (and their quirks) as well as the unpredictable twists and turns made the not-a-bank-robbery mystery enjoyable and funny–I also appreciated how the reflections on loneliness and the emphasis on forgiveness made the book such a heartwarming read.
My December Hopefuls
My December Hopefuls will also turn out to be the books I hope to read before 2021!
I’m only including books on my December Hopefuls List that are a priority to me (mostly because they’ve been on my to-be-read list for so long).
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us by Kate Bornstein
- Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks
- I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
- The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
- For the Love of Men: From Toxic to a More Meaningful Masculinity by Liz Plank
- Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner
- The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
- The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
Anticipated December Releases
Heartless by Crystal Ash
Releasing December 4th
Floored by Karla Sorensen
Releasing December 9th
See my Upcoming Release page for more of the books I’m looking forward to in December!
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