Category: Monthly Wrap Up

I’m not sure how we’re already several days into the last month of the year, but here we are again. I had a decent reading month in November and I’m feeling more confident that I can hit my 2023 Goodreads reading goal before the end of the year (currently sitting at 47/52 books complete).

I read 6 books in November and I enjoyed all of them.

*All links will take you to the book’s Goodreads page*

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

322 pages, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #4, published in 2008 originally.

Rating: 4 stars

My thoughts: *contains light spoilers*. The first book in this series that is not set predominantly in Three Pines. We don’t get any progression of the corruption subplot from previous books. We do get more of Armand and Reine-Marie’s background, which I really enjoyed.

Genre: Mystery

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

352 pages, published in 2023, first in a series

Rating: 5 stars

My thoughts: A lot of people talk about the romance in this story, but I thought it was more of a comedy. Sassy in the best way. I will definitely continue with this series.

Genre: Fantasy

City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong

412 pages, published in 2016, first in a series

Rating: 4 stars

My thoughts: A mythical/real city in the rugged Canadian wilderness where people who need to disappear can apply to do so. This is a really intriguing premise and I flew through this first book. I’ve already got the second one from the library.

Genre: Mystery

Death on the Shelf by Allison Brook

313 pages, published in 2021, Haunted Library Mysteries #5

Rating: 3 stars

My thoughts: Really bizarre plotlines in this one made it harder to follow. The ending didn’t feel as satisfying to me. Parts have already faded from my memory. I’m still loyal to this series, but I hope the next entry has a little more substance. I’ve already got it from the library, and I’ll be almost caught up with this series at that point.

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Murder in the Books Lover’s Loft by Ellery Adams

304 pages, published in 2023, Book Retreat Mystery #9

Rating: 3 stars

My thoughts: *Minor spoilers* It’s time for this series to conclude. The blending of Adams’ former series was nice for long-time fans, but the plots of these are really flimsy now that the library is gone. It’s like she tied up the ending really well several books back but for some reason we are still going. There were some character developments that could point to an impending wrap-up, but I’m hoping it comes in the next book. At a certain point, I think we just all want the characters that we love to get their happy endings. I still love Ellery Adams’ writing and will read anything she writes.

Genre: Cozy Mystery

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

312 pages, published in 2019

Rating: 5 stars

My thoughts: This was a book club pick and I went into it not knowing anything, which I think is best. This was one of my favorite books of the year. I’m not sure, even days later, if the main theme of this book leans more towards love or more towards grief, but it is beautiful. It will also make you crave Persian food. The author has a new book that is projected to come out in July of 2024, and I will be on the lookout for it. Also, the cover is stunningly gorgeous. The picture here does not do it justice.

Genre: Historical/Literary Fiction

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Total Books Read: 6

Total Pages Read: 2,015

Average Number of Pages per Book: 336

5 Star Ratings: 2

4 Star Ratings: 2

3 Star Ratings: 2

Average Rating for November: 4 Stars

Hello Readers! This month was a little more along the lines of what I would expect a normal reading month to be.

This month I read 9 books and 3,305 pages. That means I read 2,291 less pages this month than last month.

I finished (links go to goodreads):

The Project by Courtney Summers

Crime and Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett

The Lost Fairytales by Anna James

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

The Future is Yours by Dan Frey

The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige

Two Truths and a Lie by Ellen McGarrahan

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

Ratings:

4.25 stars: The Ravens; Good Girl, Bad Blood

4 stars: Crime and Punctuation; The Burning Girls; The Future is Yours

3.75 stars: The Project

3.25 stars: Chosen Ones

3 stars: The Lost Fairytales; Two Truths and a Lie

Audience:

6 Adult

2 YA

1 Middle Grade

Genre:

Authors that were unknown to me: 3

Format

Physical: 5

Ebook: 4

Not using audiobooks definitely contributed to the drop in numbers this month, but I’ve been listening to podcasts in their stead and I’ve really enjoyed that as well.

Medievalathon ran from Jan 10-Feb 10. In that time, I read 4 books that fit the 5 prompts, and started the fifth.

Prompts:

Level 1: Read an underrated book

I read Once & Future Vol. 2. It only has 421 total ratings on Goodreads.

Level 2: A book about books

I read The Lost Fairytales by Anna James for this prompt.

Level 3: A book with a person on the cover

I read If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier.

Level 4: A book with the chosen one trope

I read Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth. This was the book that I had only started when the read-a-thon came to an end.

Level 5: Read whatever you want

I read Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb for this prompt.

While I didn’t technically complete the challenge, I really enjoyed the more laid-back nature of the challenge. Having a month to get the reading done meant that I didn’t have to drop anything else that I had planned to read, even if it didn’t fit a prompt.

Hello Readers! This has been a record-breaking month for me in terms of reading, and while I don’t expect to keep this pace up for the rest of the year, I am very pleased with what I’ve read so far.

This month I read 16 books (tied for my best month ever) and 5,596 pages (a personal best)! That means I read 2,459 more pages this month than last month.

I finished (links go to goodreads):

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke

The Bookwanderers by Anna James

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce

Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing

If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier

The Survivors by Jane Harper

Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Once & Future Vol. 2 by Kieron Gillen

Ratings:

5 stars: The Name of the Wind, Assassin’s Apprentice

4.5 stars: Killer Chardonnay, The Survivors

4.25 stars: Happily Ever Afters, The Bookwanderers

4 stars: In the Garden of Spite, Once & Future Vol. 2

3.75 stars: Citizen: An American Lyric

3.25 stars: Summer Frost

3 stars: The Bone Season, Cherry Cheesecake Murder, Key Lime Pie Murder, Carrot Cake Murder

2 stars: If I Disappear

unrated: Anti-Diet

Audience:

14 Adult

1 YA

1 Middle Grade

Genre:

Authors that were unknown to me: 10

Format

Physical: 6

Ebook: 4

Audiobook: 3

Graphic Novel: 1

Multiple formats: 2

Hello Kittens! This year is finally over! December was a good reading month for me. It was in part because there were a lot fewer festivities and responsibilities to deal with this year thanks to the pandemic. It certainly left me more time for reading, although I got in a little bit of socially distanced celebrating as well (thank you, Skype). I hope that next year is kinder to us all.

Total books read: 11

(All links go to Goodreads)

Too Much & Never Enough by Mary Trump. Rating: unrated. I couldn’t settle on a rating for this one. It was well-written and I had a lot of feelings about it, but I didn’t feel like I could evaluate it well.

Fudge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke. Rating: 3 stars

Ark by Veronica Roth. Rating: 4 stars

Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman. Rating: 4 stars

Ink & Bone by Rachel Caine. Rating: 3 stars

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks. Rating: 4 stars

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston. Rating: 4 stars

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Rating: 3 stars

Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. Rating: 3 stars

Peach Cobbler Murder by Joanne Fluke. Rating: 3 stars

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. Rating: 5 stars

Stats:

5 stars: 1

4 stars: 4

3 stars: 5

2 stars: 0

1 star: 0

unrated: 1

Format:

Physical: 4

Ebook: 2

Audiobook: 5

Genre:

Non-Fiction: 1

Mystery: 3

Sci-Fi: 2

Graphic Novel: 1

Contemporary: 2

Literary Fiction: 1

Fantasy: 1

New to Me Authors: 7

Authors I’ve Read Before: 2

Total Pages: 3,143

I had a lot of fun reading this year, and this month was no exception. I can’t wait to see what 2021 holds in terms of reading.