November 2020 Wrap Up

November brought a book slump and it also brought a lot of existential dread and anxiety. But I did read a lot in November as a result of said dread and anxiety so can I really complain? Yes, of course I can, BUT I am not going to, I am gonna talk to you about the books I read in November! 

Goodreads 

I was a huge fan of  Mascarenhas’ first novel and so I definitely wanted to be a part of the blog tour for her second. The Thief on the Winged Horse was quite different than The Psychology of Time Travel, but it was really unique and I had a lot of fun with it. I did not like it as much as the author’s debut, but it was still a very enjoyable read that I would recommend. You can read more of my thoughts HERE, because I did a full review on it. 

Goodreads | Buy on Bookshop: The Duchess Deal | The Governess Game| The Wallflower Wager

November was also a month of revelations in which I discovered I actually LIKE historical romance? I hate historical fiction in general, and I was convinced the same would be true for historical romance, but I read the whole Girl Meets Duke series by Tessa Dare this month and I LOVED them all. It was the most fun I had with a romance book this year basically, and I am so glad I decided to pick these up. My favorite of the three is still The Duchess Deal, the main character is really fun and spunky, and the hero is such a grouch who just wants to be loved and I can’t handle it. But overall all of these have fantastic characters and the relationships always have a great dynamic to them. I will say that I have found all of the conflicts at the end entirely ridiculous, to the point that The Wallflower Wager is actually a 3.5 read because the conflict made me dislike the male lead a bit. BUT IT WAS STILL A LOT OF FUN. I also think that the final book in the series will be my favorite, it has all the stuff I love. Definitely wholeheartedly recommend this and I AM open to recommendations for more fun historical romance reads. 

Goodreads | Buy on Bookshop

This was amazing. I never would have picked this up if it were not for Rachel, but I am so so glad I did. Say Nothing depicts the Troubles and focuses mainly on the IRA and its three key figures. But on a larger scale the book explores revolution and revolutionary acts and feelings, and especially on the human cost of revolution. I think about this book constantly. I think it’s such a brilliant piece of narrative non fiction, but it also tapped well into my own political interests which was a great bonus. I also love the way Radden Keefe wrote this. It did not feel biased in a way where I felt the author was imposing his own views on me. I do feel that the account of the Troubles is biased here, but that is acknowledge and it can be argued that the book sets out to do precisely that. PLEASE pick this one up, it’s definitely going to be one of my favorite reads of the year!  

Goodreads | Buy on Bookshop

I absolutely love Frida, I think she was a remarkable figure and a remarkable artist. So I did enjoy reading about her life. This is incredibly detailed and focused, and covers Frida’s life from birth to death and in that it feels really authentic and well-researched. However comma. This made me dislike Frida. I think the author’s portrayal of Frida is very biased and I think the author often sidelines Frida to highlight Diego. And overall, I think this ignores Frida’s revolutionary nature and beliefs and the fact that she was quite political. It goes there in the beginning but then the hugest portion of this novel revolves around Diego. And not that he was not a huge part of her life, but she did not feel like the main figure of her own biography. So not my favorite read, although I did enjoy reading about her and her art nonetheless. 

Goodreads | Buy on Bookshop

One of my projects for this year is rereading the Percy Jackson books and I am on track to finish it! I loved The Battle of the Labyrinth and it’s my favorite of the reread so far. It was so action packed and I loved that we got more of Nico (he is my fave) and I generally enjoyed the characters and the story so much. It was a lot of fun. 

Goodreads | Buy on Bookshop

Finally, I read the Burning God and it put me in a reading slump. I have been reading so consistently throughout this year and I was not once in a slump and not in a mood to read, but then I read this and it’s been like 10 days and I have not finished a book. I am unable to finish a novella. The Burning God was not a perfect book but it was a perfect conclusion for this series and it was incredible. This series is so complex and so intelligent and TBG just crowned that and wrapped it up in a really appropriate way. I really loved it. You can read more coherent thoughts HERE. 

I would love to hear from you! Tell me your favorite November read, I would LOVE to know.

In the meantime, happy reading

 

 

*If you want to buy any of the books I talked about, you can use my Bookshop affiliate link if you’re in the USA! You buy a book and support local bookstores, and I get a small commission! Even if you do not want to use my own affiliate link, I would still recommend using Bookshop.org since a lot of independent bookstores are struggling and this is a nice way to help them out.  You can even find your favorite local bookstore and support them directly! 

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