November Reading Wrap-Up

Happy December! I am so bad about posting on here because I just spend all of my free time reading, but I read several excellent books in November, so I want to talk about them!

November: 12 books | Average Rating: 4.21

5 Star Reads

Love by Toni Morrison

After a prominent community member's death, the town he helped support and the women who knew him reflect on class, power, and, of course, love.

Toni Morrison is a literary genius. There’s a whole lot else to say, but that sums it up. No one but her could write about the hardest, most heartbreaking stuff that humanity has to offer alongside the most beautiful, and all of it in the most stunning prose you’ll ever read. This is a deeply nuanced book that I’m sure has something new for every read, yet it doesn’t feel like it has to be an English class book. Whether you just want to read a good story or you want to parse and analyze, Toni Morrison’s writing is the best you can find for either purpose.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

When Elatsoe's dying cousin comes to her in a dream and names his murderer, she and her ghost dog embark on an investigation into the mysterious town of Willowbee and its suspicious residents.

Wow. What an incredible story. Ellie is a fierce protagonist, and the rest of her family and friends make up a great cast. I loved Kirby and the idea that pets continue to be companions after death. The mystery plot was super intriguing, and it was resolved well. I worried that the magic added to a familiar setting would be too much or confusing, but I think it was balanced well. And the art of the chapter headers… without spoiling anything, I'll just say pay attention!

Gwen and Art Are Not In Love | NetGalley advance copy

Princess Gwen, short for Gwendoline (NOT Guinevere), and Arthur, a descendant of that Arthur, have been betrothed since before they could walk, and they hate each other. Gwen is more interested in Lady Bridget, the only woman knight competing in the king's tournament, and Arthur is intrigued by Gwen's brother Gabriel, the heir to the throne. Can they put aside their animosity to help each other... and possibly save the kingdom as well?

I love love love this book. The story is new and exciting with enough references to Arthurian legend to make it somewhat familiar. It’s queer and lovely and wonderful, full of hilarious banter and mysterious court intrigue and the most delightful cast of central characters. I laughed. I cried. I was on the edge of my seat.

4-4.75 Star Reads

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak | 4.75 stars

Ada Kazantzakis knows very little about her family's history on the island of Cyprus, but now that she's mourning her mother, she has questions. Told in multiple timelines and perspectives, this beautiful novel chronicles the romance between Ada's parents, one Greek and the other Turkish, in a time of turmoil on the island.

I finished this book with tears in my eyes, and that wasn’t the first time it brought me to tears. This story is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming. The characters go through so much and their stories are told with such reverence. I loved the multi-timeline, multi-narrator style of storytelling, and the writing itself was stunning — I highlighted so many passages! The unique perspective of the tree and the attention paid to the natural world throughout made this book absolutely fascinating to read.

Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni | 4.5 stars

Three sisters deal with the loss of their father, their mother's expectations, and the tension and violence wreaking havoc on their homeland in this story set during the partition of British India.

Wow, this one was tough. Beautiful writing about some heart-wrenching subject matter. Through the death and destruction around them, the three central sisters shine, each with her own unique story, personality, and perspective. Their families and friends are wonderful characters as well, and each approaches the challenges that arise with goodness and perseverance. It was super interesting to learn about a period of Indian history I was unfamiliar with, especially as told through the lens of these stories. For a short book, it has a lot of moving parts, but the important themes and threads are carried throughout and resolved nicely.

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich | 4.25 stars

A Native woman working in a bookstore is haunted by the ghost of one of its customers, a haunting that makes her think about her past and her identity. Taking place from November 2019 to November 2020, this book also explores a time of fear and unrest in Minneapolis during the COVID-19 pandemic and the movement that followed the murder of George Floyd.

I enjoyed this, though it was extremely heavy and challenging at times. Erdrich takes such a fascinating approach in this story, exploring the complexities and horrors of 2020 through the eyes of a fictional character whose own life has been filled with its own complexities and horrors. This story explores haunting both literal and figurative. It opened my eyes in many ways. Though the plot was circuitous at times, it mostly came together, supported by some excellent writing and living, breathing characters. Reading Erdrich’s author’s note about the importance of books and how people cling to them really cemented it for me.

Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America by Mayukh Sen | 4 stars

This work of culinary journalism is an informative and inspiring look at seven women who left their mark on America's food scene. In each chapter, the author profiles one of the women, detailing her culinary journey, accomplishments, and contributions to American cooking.

Mayukh Sen took a fascinating but intimidatingly broad topic and turned it into a digestible, thought-provoking read. It’s clearly thoroughly researched, and the respect he has for these women and others like them is evident. At times, the structure left something to be desired, as each woman’s story jumped around a bit, and I didn’t always grasp the through line. However, the introduction and afterword do a great job of contextualizing Sen’s work and making his intent clear. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s an excellent work of journalism, and I learned a lot.

What Would Velma Do? Life Lessons from the Brains (and Heart) of Mystery, Inc. by Shaenon K. Garrity | 4 stars

Where would the Mystery, Inc., gang be without Velma? Lost, most likely. This book takes a closer look at Velma as super sleuth, fashion icon, role model, and (obviously) genius. It looks at the Velma character's inspiration and history, finds other Velmas in real life and fiction, and gives readers advice on life according to Velma. It's a silly but very fun take on a pop culture icon we all know and love.

Reads Under 4 Stars

• Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan (NetGalley advance copy) | 3.75 stars — A curse breaker and a disgraced archaeologist go head to head against each other and a cursed(?) castle that just wants to push them together. Fun premise, decent execution.

• Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto | 3.75 stars — The second book in Sutanto's Aunties series sees main character Meddy getting married while trying to manage her aunties' antics... and the mafia. Funny and a good story, but plotting felt repetitive at times.

• Today Tonight Forever by Madeline Kay Snead (NetGalley advance copy) | 3.5 stars — Two families reunite over one member's wedding weekend, and all of the emotions come out. This read more of a character study than a novel with a plot, but it had some good things to say about grief, love, and family.

• A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli | 3 stars — A recently unemployed woman makes an uncharacteristic spontaneous decision to fly to India for Diwali and her friend's wedding — and ends up in a whirlwind romance. The holiday vibe of this book was great, and I loved the adventure of going to a wedding in another country last minute. However, as a romance novel and a story in general, this book did not grab/keep my attention.

That's all for November — I can't wait to see what November brings!