And just like that, it’s December. I swear time goes by faster both in the summer and around the holidays. On the plus side, it’s cozy reading-by-the-tree season! A favorite of mine, for sure.
Here’s what we read in November.
Cathy
Peaches & Honey: These Immortal Truths and Pits & Poison: These Godly Lies by R. Raeta
In England 1184, Anna – a young girl exiled because of her vitiligo – shows kindness to a stranger who offers her the taste of a divine peach that makes her immortal. The first book, Peaches & Honey, follows Anna and the shapeshifting god who gave her immortality as they live through some of the most brutal parts of history. The second book, Pits & Poison, follows the pair as they’re on the run from a tyrannical god known as The One.
I really really really loved this duology. The characters were fantastic, I had so much time for Anna, the protagonist, and the author’s take on immortality and how life changes through the centuries was touching. The series is a little bit like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (immortality gifted by a god) but the “catch” of immortality in this case is that Anna is remembered and must watch as the people she loves in her different lives remember her even after she has to move on.
I’d give this series 5 out of 5, I loved the story, I loved the characters, and the writing was really really good – lyrical but not overdramatic.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
Pentimento Mori: An Art History Mystery by Valeria Corciolani
Art historian Dr. Edna Silvera stumbles on a painting in a junk shop that should be impossible. And her interest in the painting lands on the trail of a shadowy world of forgeries and ancient relics.
I’ve just started this book and the first few chapters have been gripping. There’s lots of detail in the story – which makes sense given the narrator is an art historian. I’ll give a full update when I’ve finished but I think it’ll be 3.5 stars for me.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
Joli
What We Sacrifice for Magic by Andrea Jo DeWerd
This was a fun, witchy read that came in for me at the library. It’s by a local author and the book is set in Minnesota, so although witchy reads aren’t something I instinctively reach for, I had to pick it up. It’s about a young witch who feels a little too beholden to her family in small-town Minnesota, and she wants to experience what life might be like if she left. Her grandmother, though, would never allow it.
Full of family drama, coming-of-age struggles, and even a good old-fashioned seance, this was a fun and entertaining read. For more thoughts, check out my full review of What We Sacrifice for Magic.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
A Little Less Broken: How an Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole by Marian Schembari (Audiobook)
Having been diagnosed with ADHD at the beginning of 2024, I’ve had more interest in neurodivergent stories lately. Also, this audiobook is read by the author, and I’m a fan of memoirs read by the author. There’s just something special about them reading their own life story.
It took Marian decades to finally get an autism diagnosis. As a child, she was just labelled as sensitive, moody, and introverted. It’s not until she’s an adult that she finally learns about the signs of autism and realizes it sounds exactly like herself. I loved listening to her describe how much the diagnosis helped her understand herself and her life, and I wished I could hug that little girl who didn’t understand why the way she experienced the world was so much different from her peers.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor (Audiobook)
I’m not sure how exactly I came across this audiobook, but it was honestly the cover that hooked me first. Then, when I saw the Goodreads rating was over 4 stars with over 7,000 ratings, and after I read what the book was about, I decided to listen to it.
This historical fiction book is, unfortunately, based on a true story. During World War II, children were evacuated to live with strangers in multiple countries across the world, like Canada, the US, and Australia. One boat filled with children never made it to its destination, having been torpedoed by a German submarine. One of the life boats drifts further than anyone expects, causing the people in it to endure a grueling 8 days floating out at sea. This is a fictional account of that story.
Told with so much vivid detail, it was easy to fall into the world of Word War II and a desolate lifeboat as I listened. I felt like I was floating along with them, desperate for a drink of water and brushing salt off my hair. I enjoyed the dual perspectives, so you can get a snapshot of how life is back at home, then back out in the boat. Sure, it’s pretty bleak, but the love that binds people together is also on full display. This one captivated me!
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
This is a pretty astounding account of a girl who’s brought up in a Rastafari household in Jamaica. I really had no idea about what being Rastafarian really meant, besides the simple life vibes you get in Bob Marley songs. So, this was all new information, and Safiya’s story is harrowing.
In short, her father is very strict and won’t let her do much of anything outside of the home. He has an erupting temper and is verbally abusive. The only real relief Safiya can find from her shut-in life is poetry, which really ends up saving her in the end. This book is enthralling, poetic, and raw. If you liked Educated and accounts like it, pick up How to Say Babylon.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
Molly
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
El-Arifi’s romantasy follows two sisters—warrior Yeeran, who fights for her chieftain and lover in the Forever War and Lettle, a pacifist who practices the dying art of divination. Exiled for endangering her troops, Yeeran finds herself on the outskirts of elven society. Lettle and Yeeran’s loyal captain Rayan follow her, only for all three of them to be captured by the fae when Yeeran unknowingly kills their Prince.
Taken to a mythical land they never could have imagined and surrounded by enemies, Yeeran has to wrestle with her feelings about having killed an innocent man, her desire to return to the battle she left behind, and her growing desire for the fae princess who holds her captive.
Overall there was some entertainment value here, but many aspects—including the romance—were underdeveloped.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Nikki is 22 and unsure what to do with her life after dropping out of university and losing her father to a heart attack. Her sister Mindi recruits her to post her details on the marriage board in the Sikh temple in Southall, where Nikki finds a job posting for a writing teacher.
What she thinks will be a creative writing course turns out to be an English class, with the community’s widows as its students. But Nikki’s pupils surprise her with their tales of romantic and sexual fantasies, ultimately providing connection and freedom for the otherwise ostracized widows and a sense of purpose for Nikki.
But as she becomes more involved in the Sikh community of West London, Nikki learns of a conservative group of men known as the Brotherhood who act as enforcers of the temple’s religious beliefs, and mysterious deaths and disappearances of several young women, including the daughter of the woman who coordinates the class Nikki teaches.
Weaving together elements of romance, mystery, and the experience of being a second generation immigrant, I found this novel perfect in every way.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi lives in a House with many halls. He tracks the Tides of the sea that covers the lower level and talks to the birds who nest among the many statues of the House. He meets with the Other twice per week to tell him about what he has learned about the House to help the Other discover the Great and Secret Knowledge.
The Other tells Piranesi he is in grave danger. A new person is coming to their halls, a person who is looking for Piranesi and means him harm. The Other also tells Piranesi that he has forgotten some things, which Piranesi knows because he has read about them in his journals. And now he is not so sure if the Other is truly his friend.
Riveting and beautifully written, I enjoyed this classic fantasy from start to finish.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
Renee
That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk
On the eve of graduation, a group of students decides to hide out in the 2nd basement of the university library, locked in with the oldest and rarest books. The plan is to hold a Greek ritual to summon Persephone, and in the morning they should all emerge free of fear.
Then one by one, they start dying.
It’s an excellent, fast-paced closed-door mystery that kept me guessing. It’s told from multiple points of view, all unreliable, and I had no idea who I could trust any more than the students did. It challenged everything they knew about themselves and each other. It also demonstrates how easy it is for the mind to play tricks on us and convince us of anything.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
I listened to this on audiobook. It starts with a bit of a love triangle. Louise is an officer manager who has an affair with a man, David. He turns out to be her new boss. Unbeknownst to him, his wife Adele also befriends Louise.
Adele slowly reveals information about her life with David, shaping the story exactly how she wants for maximum reaction from Louise. She also introduces Louise to lucid dreaming.
After that, it was a bit of a mess to me. The author leads you down a path thinking one thing is happening, but it ends up being something else entirely. Normally I enjoy a good twist, but this felt like it came out of left field. Things felt unexplained. I listened to the last half hour twice thinking I must have missed something. The longer I sat and thought about it after I finished it, the more I decided I really didn’t like it.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicenzio
This is such a beautiful book about undocumented immigrants and how they find themselves in America. Villavicencio’s first book, The Undocumented Americans, was nonfiction and on the same topic. Catalina is fiction, giving the reader more time to understand her situation – one that is reality for many.
Catalina is a senior at Harvard and uncertain of what her life will look like after graduation. As an infant in Ecuador, her parents were killed in a car accident that she survived. An aunt and uncle raised her until she was 5 and then sent her to America to live with her grandparents. Her grandparents were undocumented and never began the process for her. Now she is spending her senior year waiting on DACA (Dreamer) legislation during the Obama administration while simultaneously worrying about her grandparents and what could happen to them. The worry begins to consume her life.
This book is humanizing and important. It builds empathy and understanding. KCV is a fantastic writer.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
This book is small and easy to read quickly. The author is a Yale professor of history, and in this book, he offers 20 lessons to be learned from instances of tyranny in the past.
Specifically, he talks quite a bit about the parallels between the rise to power of certain political figures in the US (one, in particular) and the rise of figures like Hitler and Putin.
It was a bit disheartening to see how swiftly democracies have crumbled in the past. Although this didn’t make me feel better, it did make me feel better informed. It was to-the-point and a very quick read. My biggest concern is that, in a way, it creates its own echo chamber.
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads
That’s our list! What did you read in November?
