Month in Review: November 2023

Hello December! How is it that we are at the end of the year already, that Christmas is weeks away and the new year right behind that? At times this year dragged and then it seemed to fly by, especially these last few months!

As publishing tends to slow down in December, I am focusing on this month on reading some books I didn’t get to yet, some books from my own shelves I’ve been meaning to read and then if time allows, trying to read ahead. I’m not going to push myself…as I’d also like to try to get all my outstanding reviews done. I did make a fair bit of progress last month with the reviews – I just need to keep that momentum going, so fingers crossed I can do that.

READING STATS:

• Read this month: 20
• Year to date: 266

1. Buried Angels — Camilla Lackberg
2. If You See Me — Audra McElyea (e-book)
3. Killers of the Flower Moon — David Grann
4. Inheritance — Nora Roberts (e-book)
5. Spare — Prince Harry (audio book)
6. The Professor — Lauren Nossett (audio book)
7. Kala — Colin Walsh
8. Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal — Raquel V. Reyes (audio book)
9. The Sanctuary — Katrine Engberg (audio book)
10. The Mystery Guest — Nita Prose (audio book)
11. Beartown — Fredrik Backman
12. A True Account — Katherine Howe (audio book)
13. You Will Never Be Found — Tove Alsterdal
14. The Wonder of It All — Barbara Taylor Bradford (audio book)
15. Murder in the Family — Cara Hunter
16. The Lost Van Gogh — Jonathan Santlofer (e-book)
17. It Ends at Midnight — Harriet Tyce (audio book)
18. The Beautiful and the Wild — Peggy Townsend
19. The Berry Pickers — Amanda Peters (audio book)
20. Shiver — Allie Reynolds

MY TOP 5 OF NOVEMBER: 

***I saw this on a friend’s blog and really liked it, so I’m adding it to my monthly wrap-ups.

1. Favorite book(s) of November – these books are the ones I absolutely loved and will be recommending to everyone. They will be staying on my shelf and might even be rereads at some point in the future.
   • Killers of the Flower Moon
   • Kala
   • Beartown
   • Murder in the Family
   • The Berry Pickers
2. Biggest Surprise of November: It feels strange saying it, but how much I loved Killers of the Flower Moon. While it was a devastating and shocking story, I loved the way it read. Yes, it’s nonfiction but it read like a thriller and it kept me glued to the pages.
3. Biggest Disappointment of November: Nothing…it was a great reading month!
4. Favorite Part of Month – We were away at the beginning of the month and I took a social media break during that time. Unplugging every once in a while is so good for the soul and I found I actually got so much more reading done and just focused on writing reviews. I need to do that more often!
5. 5 Books I’m most looking forward to reading next month:
   • Us Against Him by Fredrik Backman – I finally read Beartown last month & loved it and now I need to read the next in the series ASAP!
   • Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger – After loving both This Tender Land and The River We Remember, I’m determined to read WKK’s entire backlist. Before I start his Cork O’Connor series, I’m going to read this one, which is another stand-alone.
   • Miracle Creek by Angie Kim – After loving Angie Kim’s latest book, Happiness Falls, I’ve been wanting to read her debut book, which I’ve had sitting on my shelf for a while.
   • The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Jonansen – This is a darkly magical take on the Nutcracker and seems like the perfect read for December!
   • Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson– With The Crown coming to an end this month, I’m feeling nostalgic about all things royal and I’ve had this book on my shelf for a while. Seems like a good time to finally read it!

So tell me, what was your favorite read of the month? What are you looking forward to reading in December?