All the books I read when I wasn't on Instagram

they deserve their own moment

This was originally going to be in my monthly wrap up, but y’all this was a lot! And took up that majority of my post so it gets it’s own little moment.

I tried really hard to pick up a book when I wanted to pick up my phone. I wasn’t always successful, but the mindset did help me read FOURTEEN books in November. My average is usually around 7.

📔The Rabbit Hutch by Tessa Gunty
rating: really liked it

A unique book that is sad, heart-warming, yet tragic & beautiful. I picked this one up because it won the National Book Award in 2022, yet it has a low rating on goodreads (aka why you shouldn’t always listen to gr ratings).

It takes place in a low-income housing facility in Indiana. It jumps between different residents of the complex, all moving towards an event that happens in the beginning of the book, but you aren’t sure exactly what happened. I thought the format lent itself very well to the story, and yet I found myself wanting to know even more about each of the characters.

📔Divine Rivals By Rebecca Ross
rating: loved it

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t want to like this one. It is so popular and immediately I have my critical lens on. But I could not put this one down. Like it was one of those, “I must continue on, work can wait, it’s fine, just like 10 more pages” books for me.

It is young adult feeling, which usually isn’t my favorite, but this one worked for me- except for one aspect, which I will put in the footnotes as a spoiler¹

📔Jane and Edward by Melodie Edwards
rating: loved it

“A retelling of Jane Eyre?! How dare you.” -My first thoughts reading about this book. But then I read it and it’s done SO SO SO SO SO WELL!

Jane is a former foster kid who works her way from being a waitress to a paralegal. She gets a job in one of the top law firms in Toronto but learns it’s because the new guy she’s working for, Edward, churns through assistants because he’s the worst. Her determination to make a new life for herself makes her immune to the treatment from Edward, which eventually makes him curious about her.

The author does such a good job of handling the power dynamic of employee/employer and she addresses these things in the Intro, which I highly recommend reading.

📔A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
rating: liked it

The twist in this one got me. I enjoyed a good ole cult setting. And the ending- did not expect. There wasn’t anything I actively disliked about this one, but it’s not one I would return to.

📔The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer
rating: it was okay

Ya girl loves a book on art and bonus if there’s a mystery/heist element. This one was solid, but felt more like a basic tale. It was like a John Grisham book, but maybe not as good.

🔘Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
rating: really liked it

Thanks, Netgalley for this one! Very much enjoyed it because again, art/archaeology.

Corrie finally gets her break to work on a dig of her possible ancestor, but OF COURSE, the head of the dig is her professional nemesis. Yes, yes a good enemies to lovers, but the depth of this one and the acknowledgment and handling of miscommunication was a chef’s kiss.

📔North Woods by Daniel Mason
rating: loved it

The ONLY reason I took a second glance at this one is because the beloved Maggie O’Farrell blurbed it. She if she loved it, I had to at least try it.

I keep thinking about the format of this one- it’s geography-based rather than character or plot-based. It takes place on a specific plot of land in Massachusetts & every chapter or few chapters, the new tenants are the focus of the story. Sometimes the past is acknowledged, and sometimes the past is a mystery, but they all intertwine through their home.

Stunning book.

🔖My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
rating: loved it

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. Oh my gosh. This is my true, original, taste in books. I see why it’s so popular, but I also could see how much it isn’t for everyone.

Y’all can look up the description, because it’s an older book, but here’s what I loved about it: I could see it. This book is so vivid in it’s characters and setting that I could not only imagine every second, but I feel like I could predict how the characters would make decisions or live their lives.

The win of this one is that I feel like it really, really sticks with you. You find yourself thinking about the characters and their dynamic, your mind wanders to the streets of Italy. It’s a masterclass in setting and character development. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. WHICH IS A BIG DEAL BECAUSE I DON’T DO SERIES.

📔Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
rating: really liked it

I couldn’t put this one done. I have read Lager Queens and liked that one a tad more. But I love how this author ties characters together and makes you feel tender towards them.

📔Georgie All Along by Kate Clayborn
rating: really liked it

A very sweet romance and story about being yourself. And of course, a grumpy x sunshine plotline never hurts. What the conflicts would be were pretty obvious from the start, but I see this one as a great palette cleanser between serious reads.

📔Razor Blade Tears by S.A. Cosby
rating: liked it

It’s weird to write “liked it” for a thriller leaning, vigilante book. But I did like it, I didn’t find myself wanting to pick it up that often.

Two unlikely men come together when their sons, who are married, are murdered. They each lament and regret how they treated their sons and also grapple with their differences in race and life experiences.

I think the author did an incredible job balancing the plot alongside racial and lgtbqia+ issues.

🔖 Hormonal by Martie Haselton
rating: it was okay

I was ultimately disappointed in this one. I wanted to learn more about my hormones, how they work, and how I can work with my body. Instead, this was a lot about attraction and how our hormones work with “mating.” I found this book to be extremely heteronormative and reductive. I wish it focused more on individuality and hormones versus mating with the male (said in an animal planet voice).

🔖Skin Care The New Edit by Caroline Hirons
rating: loved it

This looks like a coffee table book, but its’s packed full of helpful information. I love skin care and thought I knew a lot, but this really helped me analyze my routine and my goals. I am totally going to revamp my routine….once I get through all my current products.

I also love how Hirons broke things out- by age, routines, different issues, she really covers a lot. I think this is one I will eventually buy to be my guide throughout life!

🔖Love and Fury by Samantha Silva
rating: really liked it

I LOVE Mary Wollenstonecraft and her daughter, the writer of Frankenstein. W is kinda known as the mother of feminism and did a ton in England to champion the rights for women.

This book is small and it is unique. It’s alternative timelines and POV. When it’s Mary speaking, it’s her writing down her life’s story for her daughter because she doesn’t know if she’s going to live through postpartum recovery. The other POV is her midwife telling the perspective of what’s currently happening. It’s a sweet, sad, beautiful book.

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Okay that’s what I read in November! It truly was a very good reading month for me. I read majority books I own and library books, which means I spent less. An all around win!

I would LOVE to hear what some of your faves were in November!

1. WHY GET MARRIED. I mean I get trauma bonding and “the moment” but y’all chill and wait