November 2021 Wrap-Up

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog! 

Can you believe it's already December? 31 days until 2022! That's totally crazy. I feel like this year just went by so fast, I can't remember half of the things I did. I do, however, remember the books I read! What a segue, huh? 

This month, I read a lot. I completed my Goodreads goal of 250 books, and even surpassed it by two! Who knows what my final count of the year will be? In the month of November, I read 13 novels (well, technically 12 1/4, but you'll see what I mean in the list), 1 graphic novel, and 27 manga volumes. Yes, you read that right: 27 manga volumes! I know, I can't believe it either. I really went crazy, there. 

It really was a great reading month. I found a few new favorites, and yeah, a couple of duds. Let's get into it, shall we?

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Novels

1. The Burning God by R. F. Kuang 
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy, Military Fiction
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 640 pages (really only like 100 this month BUT I'm counting it)
Day(s) read: 10.09 - 11.02
Goodreads thoughts: I…You…what?????

How could THAT be the ending????? What just happened?????

This took me a month to read and all I get is THAT for an ending?????? Wtffffff how am I supposed to feel after that?!?!?!!!!

2. Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 352 pages
Day(s) read: 11.03 - 11.04
Goodreads thoughts: THIS IS AMAZING

When I first heard about Rick writing a modern 20,000 leagues, of course I immediately scooped up the source material to familiarize myself. Never would I have imagined that it would be treated as nonfiction, but Uncle Rick always surprises me with his books. I loved the Nautilus in Jules Verne's story, and I love the Nautilus now.

Rick is the only middle-aged white cis-het man I trust at this point. The diversity in this book is strong and completely normalized, like all of his other books, which makes me beyond happy. Bundeli-Indian main character, Black Mormon deuteragonist, Portuguese side character, and a character on the autism spectrum with an ESA, who is always supported, taken seriously, and never used as comic relief. Well, the dog is used as comic relief, but I feel like all dogs are. Also, our MC talks to dolphins and giant octopuses. Need I say more?

Basically, if you have ever read an RR book and enjoyed it, read this. If you like Jules Verne, read this. If you're terrified of the ocean, mayyyybe give this one a pass, but only if you're really, REALLY scared of the big wet thing.

3. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII Fiction
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 352 pages
Day(s) read: 11.06 - 11.07
Goodreads thoughts: This was very good, but not as impactful to me as Salt to the Sea. It's so hard to think about though, as this was very much inspired by true events so it feels almost like a nonfiction. And of yet another thing that wasn't taught in history class.

I didn't really find Lina compelling as a main character. She felt rather one-dimensional to me, and very passive, like all the things she was experiencing were happening around her, not to her. I found both Jonas and Andrius much more interesting, characterization wise. Lina felt very shallow, not in a sense of personality, but in the sense of I felt like I knew nothing about her, other than she liked art. It was difficult to empathize with her.

4. Servant of the Crown by Duncan M. Hamilton
Genre: Fantasy
Star rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 336 pages
Day(s) read: 11.04 - 11.08
Goodreads thoughts: This was by far my favorite of the trilogy, it moved much faster than the first two (though I suppose that could also be because I got used to the writing style and knew what to expect) and had the most worldbuilding and lore in it. I'm betting that Hamilton is planning to write another series in this world, from the way the book ended. There is definitely room for more. I look forward to it, if that is the case!

5. Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Fantasy
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 579 pages
Day(s) read: 11.10 - 11.13
Goodreads thoughts: Awwwww, this was very good! It took everything I didn’t like from the second book and turned it around. The relationships? Solid, honest, and worked on more than my own love life. The conflict? Real, messy, and hard to pin down. The jokes? Well thought out and not something you’d find written on a bathroom stall. Plus, Simon finally got closure!! I’ve been waiting for that for FOREVER. And I love the little epilogue. Of COURSE Agatha is the new goatherd, I don’t know how but it just makes sense, doesn’t it? Overall I’m very happy with this as the end of Simon’s story.

6. The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
Genre: Fantasy
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 400 pages
Day(s) read: 11.09 - 11.15
Goodreads thoughts: No, no, no, no no no NO NO NO NONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OH MY GOD WHAT

NAOMI WHAT THE FUCK

OH MY GOD WHY

HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME

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I will never be the same after that ending. What the hell, man. I hate everything.

7. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Genre: Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+ Fiction, Romance
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 416 pages
Day(s) read: 11.15 - 11.18
Goodreads thoughts: This was very good and very heartbreaking, and it will absolutely make you angry, purposefully and deliberately.

I loved Lily as our protagonist, she has such an interesting personality. I like that she sticks up for herself against her so-called friends, and that she doesn’t hide away from her obsession with space and physics (I wish I could do math like her). She knows who she is, she knows what she wants, and she’s not willing to compromise herself in order to maintain the image that people see her as.

Ahhh, the Telegraph Club! It makes me want to go there. I can picture it so easily: my girlfriend and I walking into the bar, the smell of smoke and perfume heavy in the air; taking a table right in front of the stage and ordering wine; watching Tommy Andrews strut her stuff. It’s magical!! The atmosphere that Malinda Lo created is spectacular, I can almost taste it.

And of course, the ending. I’m so mad at the ending!! Screw parents and their pressing need to choreograph their children’s lives, thinking it’s owed to them because they just so happened to give birth to them. Kids are their own people, just let them live and be gay! It’s not that hard!!

8. Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian
Star rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Page count: 384 pages
Day(s) read: 11.19 - 11.20
Goodreads thoughts: Eh? It was okay, though not usually what I gravitate towards. There wasn't a whole lot of explanation about the aliens, which okay I guess makes sense since the characters didn't know much, but I still like a little more solid world-building in my sci-fi, typically. Also, a lot of the descriptions grossed me out and that's not really a feeling I like to have when reading, so.

9. Why We Fly by Kimberly Jones and Gillian Flynn (ONE DAY READ)
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 272 pages
Day(s) read: 11.23
Goodreads thoughts: Another great collaboration from these two incredible authors, bringing higher awareness to racial injustice in the country. I liked this one more than their first book, I’m Not Dying With You Tonight. The quarrel between two best friends hit for me, as well as the love for cheerleading.

My only gripe really, is that it didn’t seem to me that Chanel was a very good friend to begin with. Obviously both girls make plenty of mistakes over the course of the novel, but reading Chanel’s thoughts in the beginning of the book had me thinking that she didn’t like Eleanor very much. She didn’t seem like she cared much about how Eleanor was feeling, physically and emotionally, and was quick to anger over things that were out of her control. I feel like that cleared up a little toward the end, but not in the way I expected.

10. Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mythological Retelling
Star rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 279 pages
Day(s) read: 11.20 - 11.24
Goodreads thoughts (SPOILERS): This is, more than anything, a love letter to Vergil. I can’t really blame Ursula for that, because Vergil was a phenomenal poet and should be recognized for centuries more. But what I truly love about this novel, what makes it unique, is that the letter is from Lavinia, who is merely a character in Vergil’s great epic. In the Aeneid, Lavinia never speaks, and she has no definable traits, other than the fact that Aeneas marries her and names his city after her. But in this book Lavinia is given a voice and a life, and she spends it in awe and in love with her poet, her Vergil. It feels very meta, describing it like that, but I can’t really think of another way to say it.

Lavinia meets the spirit of Vergil, and he tells her his poem, and because of this she obeys the poetry and lives like Vergil meant for her to live. She’s rather accepted her fictionality (something that would break me, I think) and is able to go about her life as it is entwined with Aeneas’s.

However I think it is after Aeneas dies where Lavinia’s character truly shines. She becomes wholeheartedly devoted to raising her son Silvius, to the point where she is willing to disobey and connive and plot against the king if it means she can stay with her child. And she does just that! She becomes a rather wild woman, but one that is proud and pious, and remains that way even in her old age.

Do I think that Vergil would have made Lavinia as interesting as she is in this book? No, probably not. But I think Lavinia has certainly made herself immortal in his, and Ursula’s, words.

11. The Diviners by Libba Bray 
Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 578 pages
Day(s) read: 11.21 - 11.24
Goodreads thoughts: Yeah, this was still amazing. I don't know if it's the full five stars, but I really did enjoy myself while reading. It had just the right amount of creep factor (though I remember it scaring me a lot more when I first read it. Maybe that's because I'm reading horror now? Who knows). Maybe this time I'll actually get around to reading the rest of the books in the series.

12. Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray
Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 561 pages
Day(s) read: 11.24 - 11.28
Goodreads thoughts: Yesssssssss so good!!

Ling and Henry were great characters to follow in this book, as someone who has very terrifying lucid dreams this really freaked me out, but all the other bits made me so sad and angry. I loved learning more about this world, and some more pieces fell into place while others have cropped up. Just one more part of the puzzle!

13. Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 552 pages
Day(s) read: 11.28 - 11.30
Goodreads thoughts: ASDFGHJKL YOOOOOOO

That shit was wild oh my god. This is my favorite by far of the series. It definitely had that feel that it is leading up to the finale. The stakes were the highest they had ever been so far, and we even lost a few main characters, which definitely surprised me (I totally shed a tear at one, if you know you know). All of the talk about the eugenics and the “fitter families of the future” struck a hard chord in me, as was intended of course. I feel like this story is the perfect background for that kind of stuff to be highlighted upon though, because what is America but a haunted house, with billions of ghosts wanting to be heard? I think Libba did a fantastic job showing the true, darker side of America in her fiction.

Graphic Novels 

1. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks (ONE DAY READ)
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Star rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 224 pages
Day(s) read: 11.08
Goodreads thoughts: Cute but literally zero substance. The MCs were flat and one dimensional, with the only character traits for the girl being a) eating all the food and b) making up fudge puns, while the boy was consumed with being the MVP of the patch as well as a shallow infatuation with another girl that worked there, only to completely forget about her after one conversation. This has no lasting impact.

Manga

1. Assassination Classroom vol. 1-8 by Yusei Matsui
Genre: Shounen, Science Fiction
Star rating: N/A
Page count: 1,544 pages
Day(s) read: 11.11 - 11.12
Goodreads thoughts: vol 1 - Still ridiculous, still fun.

vol 4 - We’ve got more backstory!! I’m excited to see where this goes.

vol 5 - Nagisa is definitely my favorite character.

vol 7 - Arrrghhhh what a cliffhanger!

vol 8 - ASDFGHJKL MORE cliffhangers!!

2. Kaguya-sama: Love is War vol. 1 by Aka Akasaka
Genre: Shoujo, Romance
Star rating: N/A 
Page count: 216 pages
Day(s) read: 11.11
Goodreads thoughts: Honestlyyyyy I didn’t like this, it’s a little too over the top for my taste.

3. Komi Can't Communicate vol. 1 - 12 by Tomohito Oda
Genre: Shoujo, Slice-of-life
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 2,288 pages
Day(s) read: 11.12, 11.17, 11.18, 11.23
Goodreads thoughts: vol 1 - This is so adorable!! I love Komi, I think she’s hilarious and I also love the art style used for her, with the big eyes.

vol 2 - I really do love this series, I love the almost vignette-style chapters, and I find Komi more and more adorable as I read.

vol 6 - Komi is adorable and I love her.

vol 10 - We have a new character!! I think Rumiko is really adorable, I’m hoping that she’ll be able to help pull Komi out of her shell a little more.

vol 12 - They’re all dorks and I love them all.

4. Spy x Family vol. 1 - 5 by Tatsuya Endo
Genre: Shounen, Mystery, Comedy
Star rating: N/A
Page count: 995 pages
Day(s) read: 11.11, 11.18, 11.24
Goodreads thoughts: vol 1 - This was so funny! I’ll definitely be continuing on with this series, I loved the art style and Anya cracks me up.

vol 2 - Oooooo the plot thickens!

5. The Girl From the Other Side vol. 1 Nagabe
Genre: Shoujo, Fantasy, Horror
Star rating: N/A
Page count: 170 pages
Day(s) read: 11.14
Goodreads thoughts: Hmmm, I’m intrigued!! I’ll be continuing on.

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Total page count: 11,138 pages (oh my god!!!!!)

Favorite book of November: The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

Least favorite book of November: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks

DNF's this month: The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Unfinished books this month: Heroes by Stephen Fry

November book haul: The Idiot by Elif Batuman
                                     The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
                                    Dragonspell by Donita K. Paul
                                    Dragonquest by Donita K. Paul
                                    The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

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Alright, that's the end! That was a very long post, if you made it all the way to the end, thank you so much! What was your favorite book of November? Let me know in the comments, or tweet at me @AllyEmReads.

Until next time, and Happy December!