books Here are the 11 books I read in November. I read a handful of books I really loved this month. Perfect for my birthday month! 🥳 I had a fun idea for the new year to add some additional identifiers to the books I read. Maybe this will help you decide if you want to read about the book or not. If you scroll to the bottom, you will see more items in the book key (🎨⭐️❤️🌈📚).

Check out my various pages for ⭐️ ratings of these books:

I hope you find something that looks interesting to you. Below are a few notes on the books this month.

Total books for the year: 160

  1. 🎧 Don’t Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders - I have no idea how I came across this one. It was ok, but I just wasn’t really into it. I found some of the characters annoying and not very appealing which made it hard to enjoy the story. The twist at the end was so-so. Just a “meh” on this one for me.
  2. 🎧 Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill - I saw this cover at the bookstore and fell in love. What a gorgeous cover! I truly am so drawn to book covers. The story was interesting and magical, but had a lot of deep themes, too. I really liked it and I’m glad I came across this one.
  3. 🎨⭐️ The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp - I think I saw this one at the library and then grabbed it for my kindle. I was drawn to the coding - the FMC is a hacker. There were some twisted things and a bit of a mystery. I really enjoyed it and have been trying to throw in a few more graphic novels here and there.
  4. 🎧⭐️ The Library Of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore - This was just a sweet and delightful read. I listened to this while I was working on projects in the basement and it was so wonderful. The characters were lovable, there were some surprises and it just made me happy!
  5. 🎧⭐️ What Happened Then by Erin Soderberg Downing - This was a great book for younger readers. I met this author last year at a school book club meeting. This is her newest novel and I really liked this story. It was a little mysterious and a great read. This would be a good book to read along with your kids.
  6. 🎧⭐️❤️ Battle Of The Bookstores by Ali Brady - This was such a surprise. I thought it was going to be silly (which it was at times), but it was also just sweet and fun, even it was a bit predictable. I just loved this book and I’m so glad I came across it!
  7. 🎧📚 Of Women And Salt by Gabriela Garcia - The book started off a little slow, but I became engrossed while painting in the basement. It was a great story spanning time, how the past influences the future, heartbreak, hardships, hope and honesty. I didn’t make it to the book club discussion, but I am sure this one sparked some good conversation!
  8. 📱 We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - This was a really fast and short read, but also very timely. It feels like something you might want to just keep in your pocket like a warm hug or reference when you need it most.
  9. 🎧🌈 A Queer History Of the United States by Michael Bronski - This was so densely packed with information. It was quite educational to learn about more of queer history - how it started, different historical events that shaped queer history, how far we have come and also how far we haven’t. There is also a Young Readers version of this book and I think I might hae been better off if I read that one.
  10. 🎧⭐️ The Page Turner by Viola Shipman - I loved this one. The FMC was so misunderstood in her family…until she wasn’t. You rooted for her, felt her pain and wanted to stand up for her and be her friend. I just found it to be an easy read and a warm, enjoyable story.
  11. 🎨 Wait Til Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn - Someone mentioned the non-graphic novel of this book, and when I went to search for it, I came across the graphic novel. I thought it would be entertaining. This author is sought out frequently when I am subbing in the middle school library. I felt like I needed to see what the fuss was about. It was creepy, but also so annoying as an adult. The general outcome and message was a good one, but the adults in the novel were frustrating and annoying. I am not sure I would have continued to read it if it wasn’t for the graphic novel. But I can definitely understand the appeal for kids who want something scary.

– Book Key –
🎧 - audiobook
📖 - paperback/hardcover
📱 - ebook
🎨 - graphic novels
👩‍👧‍👦 - read with kids
🌈 - book club pick for The Beacon
📚 - book club pick for Book Worms & Puzzle Piecers
⭐️ - books I rated 5 stars
❤️ - my favorite book of the month

Andi

Bright Book Randomness