It’s hard to believe that November has already come and gone and we are almost done with 2021.
November was a very successful month for reading; I read 8 books! The past few months I felt really behind on meeting my Goodreads goal of 50 books, but now I have only 2 to go until I complete the challenge!
Here’s what I read in November:
On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep by Robert Bucknam and Gary Enzo
As a first-time mom, I will take all and any book recommendations from parent friends. This book was super helpful and provided some great tips on how to help your baby develop a sleep routine. While a lot of the stuff in here was a little dated, I did appreciate their take and will adopt some of their practices into my parenting style.
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
This book was just alright for me. I was not a fan of Addie LaRue, but many friends encouraged me to try this series out as well as A Darker Shade of Magic. I will not be reading the second in this series, but I plan to give Darker Shades a try in January. The writing is good in this one, but I really didn’t enjoy the story and the characters. I found myself quite bored throughout … even though I read it fast.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Thank goodness for Kate Quinn. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that The Rose Code is now one of my favorite books of the year. You can read my full thoughts in my book review, but I will share that this book is fast-paced (even though it’s a long one). It is also captivating and profound. This book really delivered, hitting all of my favorite topics: historical fiction, feminism, and (recently) historical romance.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
… Eh. This book is a little overhyped. I go into more detail in my book review, but my high level thoughts are this: beautiful prose should not be used as a distraction to hide a lackluster plot and flat-as-can-be characters. I found this same issue with Starless Sea, a book that was also overhyped for its beautiful writing. Don’t get me wrong, Morgenstern can write some pretty prose, but when I am sitting there wondering where the “fierce competition” or “deep, magical love story” is, you’ve lost a lot of stars.
There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom’s Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge) by Linda Åkeson McGurk
This is another good parenting book that I highly recommend. While I skimmed through a lot of the personal stories (there were just too many), I appreciated the author’s take on getting kids outside and the importance of exposing your children (and yourself, really) to fresh air at an early age. My husband and I read this one together and we found so many useful nuggets that we will adopt with our little one.
Zen Mamas by Teresa Palmer and Sarah Wright Olsen
Another parenting book, but this one was OK. It got a little too earthy crunchy at some parts, but I did appreciate their insight and learned a lot about what kind of mom I want to be!
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
Boy. I really, really wanted to love this book. The premise was right up my alley: historical fiction, libraries, feminism … but instead I encountered a poorly written book that was lacking in insightful dialogue, likable characters, and plot development. Gosh, this was just not good. The characters were flat, the prose was choppy and messy. Cringy dialogue and a stupid whodunnit at the end. Predictable twists and turns. Just an all-around stinker.
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
When in doubt, turn to Backman. After I finished the book above, I went right to my favorite author. I started Britt-Marie Was Here and then read this novella in one sitting. This 60-ish page novella was absolutely breaktaking. Like all of Backman’s work, I was left speechless and in tears after his brilliant writing tore my soul apart. This is a great holiday read that teaches you about the importance of family and living every moment to the fullest.
What did you read in November? Share some books below!
And, see what I’ve been reading this year:
keepitkassual.com 
I’ve read The Dollhouse and The Address by Fiona Davis and I really liked both. But I’m wondering if I just liked them for the premise. There was one point in The Address when both characters had made bad decisions and I was really struggling to enjoy it.
I’m willing to give her another shot, but boy, this book just disappointed me so much! I literally wondered if this was a first draft that was accidentally published. It was just disjointed and the characters were just flat and unlikable … but not because of their choices or personalities but because of how they were written. The dialogue was so cringy!
It’s also possible you read with a much more critical eye to the writing then I do hah!
An English major’s curse lol