November Reading Wrap-Up (2019)

I honestly cannot remember the last time that I did a monthly reading wrap-up.  There is a good chance that I haven't done one at all this year.  I would love to get back in the habit of it just because it's nice to look back on my month of reading (or lack thereof).  November was a really solid month of reading for me.  I was able to finish seven books total which ended with me hitting my Goodread's goal of 60 books read for the year and then surpassing it by one.  I also participated in #NetGalleyNovember this month and managed to finish two books for it (I'm also about 30% into another book which I didn't finish by the end of the month).  There is one thing that I think that I would like to do a bit differently in regards to my monthly wrap-ups.  On the blog, I don't share star ratings of books when I write up my reviews.  I've always struggled a bit with comparing a five star read to another.  I think though with my monthly write-ups that I will include my star rating.  We'll see if it works for me or not if I do start sharing my wrap-ups on a consistent basis.

In November I read the following:

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager - A creepy and slightly terrifying read that I just could not stop reading!  It was making me anxious, I knew bad things were going to happen, and yet I loved every minute of it.  My full review is here if you are interested but I can highly recommend this author (having read two of his books and loving them both)!  Five stars

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - Wow!  Now I finally know what everyone was talking about in regards to this trilogy and how amazing this book is!  I was in the mood to just sink into a long book and new to me world which is exactly what I did with this one.  And it was absolutely AMAZING!  I'm honestly at a loss for how I'm going to talk about this one but expect my review shortly because it deserves a gushing post!  Five stars

The Wife and The Widow by Christian White - This is my 1st finished 2020 review copy (courtesy of Minotaur books) and what a book it was!  I absolutely flew through the pages of this book!  I probably won't share my full thoughts on this one until closer to the release date but it was such a good read.  It was unexpected but I won't say how for fear of spoilers.  I am really looking forward to discussing this one with other readers! 4.5 stars

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny - This is the 2nd book in the Inspector Gamache series and was a delightful addition to this mystery series.  These character and Three Pines itself are already becoming fast favorites of mine - I'm going to have to pace myself or I will burn through the entire series before I know it.  Review to come. 4 stars

The Cost of Honor by Diana Muñoz Stewart - This is my 2nd book in this romantic suspense series and just as enjoyable as the first (which is actually book two, this is book three in the series).  I've already shared my thoughts on this book here if you are interested. This was a review copy courtesy of the publisher. 4 stars

Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert - This book is getting ALL of the hype on bookstagram and it really does deserve it in my opinion.  It features a chronically ill, woman of color main character and I was here for ALL of it.  This book was one of those books where I found myself smiling while reading.  It was just that delightful and I cannot wait to read more by Hibbert.  My full review is here if you are interested.  This was a review copy thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. 4.5 stars

Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan - This book begins a new detective mystery series that I am absolutely planning to continue on with.  I wasn't sure how I felt about Josie (our main character) at first but before long I was absolutely hooked on the mystery that she was investigating.  This book was much darker than I expected but really good!  I hope that more readers find this series because it is one that I'm very excited about!  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. 4 stars

What a solid month of reading that November turned out to be!  I'm still in the middle of two books that will carry over into my December reading.  I would love to carry my reading steam into December and finish out the year strong.

What books did you read and love this month?

October and November in Review

This is me still attempting to get a lovely picture of all three kiddos...see how I struggle.)

December is here already and I'm left wondering where the year went. This is the time of the year when many of us mull over and make blogging goals, reading goals, and personal goals for the upcoming year. I'll admit that I've been thinking about it as well as I look forward to 2012. Is everyone else looking back on their 2011 reads and wishing that they could have fit a few more reads in?? There are SO many books that I want to read that came out in 2011 that I haven't had the chance to get my hands on....and there are even more that I am looking forward to reading in the next year. Craziness I tell you :)

October and November were both pretty lousy months of reading for me. It's to be expected though with school, activities, and all of the other fun stuff that comes with this time of year. My kiddos are super excited for Christmas and are having lots of fun looking at Christmas tree lights. I'm thinking that next weekend we might just take a drive to look at all of the lights :) Anyways, here is what I was able to finish in October:





A pretty solid month of reads even if I didn't finish that many books. My favorite of the month was Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent. Her new urban fantasy is dark and gritty....just the way I like it which is why it easily became a new must read series for me :) In November I read the following:






November was also a pretty good month of reading for me in terms of enjoying books. There wasn't a bad book in the bunch during either of these months! My favorite read of November was Dead on the Delta by Stacey Jay. This book was knock my socks off good....another gritty enticing world of urban fantasy that I couldn't get enough of. The 2nd book is coming out in 2012 and I cannot wait to get my greedy little paws on it!

Here is to hoping that December is a great month of reading. I'm looking forward to reading all of the best of 2011 lists and posts that will be coming up in the near future. Hope everyone finishes off this year with a bang!