November wrap up and blog return!

Hi everyone!

I’m back! November was…..a real terrible month?!

🦁Draco is sick and we don’t know why
🦁Mental health = not great at all
🦁Nowhere near my NaNo goal
🦁Pretty much felt ill the entire month
🦁Dental emergency x 2

However, December is a new month, and I’m excited to spend some time on blogging again! This month, as well as some reviews from books I’ve read recently, I really want to focus on my extreme excitement for all of the 2020 releases we’ve got coming so I hope everyone is ready to add a TON of books to your TBR!

Today though, I’m looking back at November. My brain and body had a fairly terrible time, and whilst I’m happy with how many books I read, I was rather underwhelmed with quite a lot of them…

Books I read

This month I read 10 books! A lot of these books I expected to love a lot more, but there were a few fantastic reads in the mix!

Opposite of Always – Justin A Reynolds

I adored this exceedingly joyful book! A full review will be coming, but this book filled me with as much happiness as the cover does (the yellow makes me so happy!)

The Abyss Surrounds Us – Emily Skrutskie

This was one I wanted to love more. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, particularly the last quarter. But when I heard “queer sapphic enemies to lover pirates” I did expect to be blown away more than I was. I struggled a little with the characterisation of the main character which I think made it difficult to get fully into this book.

An Orchestra of Minorities – Chigozie Obioma

So a group at my work do a Man Booker reading group, and this year I picked An Orchestra of Minorities to read! There were parts I really enjoyed; and parts I hated. Ended up being an average read, I much preferred Obioma’s first work, The Fisherman.

We Set the Dark on Fire – Tehlor Kay Mejia

Another one I thought I would love more! Again, I really liked it, and will definitely pick up the sequel. But I just felt a little underwhelmed. I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I wanted to.

The Virtue of Sin – Shannon Schuren

Phhheeew this book is heavy. It’s about a cult in the middle of the desert, empowering female voices, and faith.

The Storm Crow – Kalyn Josephson

Oh my gosh, I loved The Storm Crow so much! In a month where I felt so slumpy and disengaged with my reads, this book really picked me up! I have a full review of this one coming!

Code Name Verity – Elizabeth Wein

This one started out great, I was really loving the setting and style of the book. The reveals and twists were fantastic. HOWEVER. I got so bloody annoyed at the Scottish characterisation – apparently the only way a Scottish person can be Scottish is if they loudly complain to Nazis that they’re Scottish when someone calls them English. 🙄🙄🙄Do…do people know Scots have other character traits??

The Hollow Girl – Hillary Monahan

This was a short, creepy read, but again…..I just didn’t get into it?! I wanted more world-building and depth.

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

Yes, I realise it’s really bad I reached almost the end of the decade and still had not read The Night Circus. But I managed! Just! And I ADORED it. This book was everything, the prose is stunning, the world is magical, the story was so full of beauty and emotion, I can’t wait to start The Starless Sea!

Sanctuary – V.V James

This book filled me with rage. And in a month where my mental health was so bad, I really wouldn’t have recommended this one to my past self! It filled me with so much stress and anger. At another time, that would have been AMAZING that a book can make me feel so impacted, but it really wasn’t the best time.

Books I bought/borrowed/magic-ed into existence on my shelf

The Raven Boys – Maggie Stiefvater

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein – Kiersten White

The Bone Witch – Rin Chupeco

The Weight of Our Sky – Hanna Alkaf

Full Disclosure – Camryn Garrett

I Hope You Get This Message – Farah Naz Rishi

Slay – Brittney Morris

Steel Crow Saga – Paul Krueger

The Starless Sea – Erin Morgenstern

Rules for Vanishing – Kate Alice Marshall

Books I plan to read in December

Now for this month! I don’t have a completely solid reading plan yet, but there are definitely a few books I need to get finished before the end of the year.

All my library books definitely read so I can return them asap – they’re due in….two weeks I think?? So definitely possible but I need to get my act together and actually start them first…