November Wrap-Up

Ahhhh, here I am again…after another couple weeks of no posts. Work and my attempts to reach my goal of 250 books finished by the end of 2020 (while trying to stay awake thanks to the sun going down by 5PM everyday) has been where most of my focus has been. I have 136 out of 150 books done as I write this post! I am getting excited about getting back on track with this blog and posting more frequently again this month. For now, here are all the books I read last month by rating!

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Lui: Flawless, perfect, mind-blowing, life-altering. Can you tell I loved this book? Definitely a favorite of 2020. Anyone that likes sci-fi absolutely needs to read this. Check out a longer review here.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger: THIS WAS EVERYTHING. It’s a book that I would have enjoyed reading as a kid. It brought me back to when I used to read Goosebumps and Fear Street, except this had much more depth. The author also wove her Lipan Apache culture so beautifully into the story. *Chef’s Kiss!*

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko: WOW. Read this asap if you are interested in a YA Fantasy inspired by West African tradition. I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but the magic system and government of this world was so different from other books I’ve read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova: Just the book that I needed at the time that I read it, a simple and entertaining romantic fantasy. It probably helps that I’ve never read any other elf-related YA book to compare it to, but I truly enjoyed reading this one.

Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Chimamanda is one of my favorite authors, so I had to read this when I accidentally forgot to cancel my Kindle Unlimited Trial last month. I love her books, I loved this story, I love her.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson: This was such a difficult and impactful read, which tells the story of a girl who has been groomed and abused by a famous singer. Considering it’s source material was so much worse than what occurred in this book was even more horrifying to think about. The book’s discussion around how black women are treated by the public and those they know when they are the victims of violence was so well executed.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo – 3.5 stars: I truly did enjoy the experience of reading this book. However, upon reflection I had a few problems with it. It was extremely heavy-handed with its purpose, which became grating. I still enjoyed it and would recommend it, but there were a few things that occur that were a bit unrealistic and took me way out of the story. *Cough* that son-in-law thing and that huge lesbian commune in Northern California. So many questions.

I Think I Might Love You by Christina C. Jones: This novella totally did make me laugh out loud a few times, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m glad I finally read it, but I probably won’t finish the rest of this romance series.

Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid: A super quick read with a good twist.

It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas: Probably my least favorite historical romance so far. I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between the hero and heroine. I mostly just didn’t like hero and couldn’t get past how much he annoyed me.

Act Like It by Lucy Parker: A romance without a ridiculous misunderstanding that drags for a few chapters? Sign me up! I didn’t like the hero of this book (again), but it was an alright read.

Little Weirds by Jenny Slate: All those Jenny Slate aesthetic tumblr posts had an impression and I finally read the source material. All I’ll say is that Jenny Slate is wonderful, but this was not my thing.

Didn’t Rate

People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry: This is a true crime story that I found while searching for Japanese horror/true crime/thrillers. It was quite dark and disturbing, but focused more on the victim’s family than anything. I didn’t rate it since it was based on real murders. I honestly don’t have much to say about it. I learned a lot about the Japanese legal system, so there’s that.

• Gilmore Girls: Shout out to Morgan @ Morgan is Reading Again for being the main reason I am rewatching this show…three days in and I’m already on the second season. I am really in it to watch Lane’s story and to see if I feel differently about Rory’s relationships from my first watch. I remember really disliking Logan for some reason. We’ll see.
• The Happiest Season: I didn’t love where this movie went, but it was a good time. Also, I am obsessed with Dan Levy and the world must know.
• The Crown Season 4 & Diana In Her Own Words: I honestly don’t care about the Royal Family except for Diana (and Meghan+Harry). In November, my mom and I became completely consumed by our love for Diana by watching these shows when I went back home to visit. I think I’ll be reading books about her soon, she was such a fascinating and beautiful person.
• Love Ridden & Werewolf by Fiona Apple: I listened to both of these songs endlessly this past month. The feeling! The yearning!

• Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus: How sad for me that I had a “do-not-like-Miley-Cyrus phase” because she is such an amazing artist and this album is perfect. The Prisoners music video with Dua Lipa is just so good, too! Catch me at the next Miley concert (whenever that is) screaming my head off.

That’s about everything for now, thanks for reading (or skimming)! What are you planning or watching or reading in December? Let me know in the comments ♡