It’s fitting that we are kicking off December with a massive cold front here in Louisiana. It’s like a true goodbye to fall, and all of the things that come with fall (like sunshine past 5 pm and the ability to walk outside without actually growing icicles). This fall was a wild one, with school starting back up and the election and you know… *2020*. I had a rough reading month in October, but decided to dive all in on fantasy and sci-fi for November, and OOF I’m glad I planned some serious escapes from the world for this month.
Below are my eight favorite books I read in September, October, and November. Highly recommend all of them, and there’s definitely a variety of options for whatever you are looking for (except for thrillers, because the world is scary enough as it is).
Books are listed in the order they were read. For more mini-reviews, check out my What I Read tag.
Monthly Stats
- Total Books Read in September, October, and November: 25 Books
- Total Authors Read in September, October, and November: 24 Authors
- Total Pages Read: 5,808 Pages
- Total Hours Listened: 118.5 Hours
- Total Books Quit: 1 Book
- Average Days Per Book: 3.64 Days per Book
- Average Pages Per Day: 63.8 Pages per Day
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
Premise: Colin Jost, cohost and head writer at Saturday Night Live, discusses memorable moments in his life, both poignant and hilarious.
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: I picked this up on a whim, because why not? I like SNL and Weekend Update is one of my favorite parts, plus author-narrated memoir has become my favorite genre of audiobook. It truly surprised me with both its humor and its sincerity. Most impactful was his chapter about 9/11 and his mother. I may have actually cried a bit in the middle of my run while listening.
And, of course, I loved all of the behind the scenes of SNL. I didn’t watch it growing up, so I don’t really have the nostalgia that comes with having watched it for my entire life, but I had a lot of fun looking up all of the sketches he talked about. Hearing him narrate these stories with his own deadpan sense of humor was just icing on the cake. I just really enjoyed this audiobook more than I thought I would.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes Saturday Night Live. Anyone looking for a book that will make you laugh out loud. Anyone wanting an audiobook with great narration.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Premise: There was a bank robber. No, wait. It’s a hostage situation. But is it though? That’s what Jack and Jim are trying to figure out… and also… where did the bank robber/hostage taker go?
Rating: 5 Stars
Thoughts: I love Fredrik Backman and will always read basically anything he writes, so when this book went up as a Book of the Month, I jumped right on it. But, I’ll be honest, I was a little unsure of this one as it started. First, there’s a lot of second person writing, which I don’t generally enjoy. Don’t tell me how to feel! But, in this case, it felt so genuine, like I was having a conversation with the author, and I wasn’t turned off by it. There’s also a really large cast of characters and it took me a hot minute to figure out who was who and whose story I was reading.
But man. Once the story started moving, I could not stop reading. The nonlinear structure and super short chapters kept me in the novel, and I was surprised at all of the twists in the plot and connections that the story made. Plus, Backman just really speaks to the anxiety of being a living adult person in this world. He somehow made anxiety feel normal while also giving a hopeful and uplifting tone to the entire book. If I were the type to write in my books, This book would have been highlighted and underlined from start to finish (but, as it is, I have lotssss of pictures on my phone of quotes I loved). By the end of the book, I was crying. Not from anything that happened in the plot, but from the feeling of being seen and understood, and from the reminder that the world is good and tomorrow will come.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who has anxiety. Anyone who enjoys quirky writing styles. Anyone who likes stories with an ensemble cast.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Premise: Kacey and Mickey grew up in the heart of Philadelphia under less than ideal circumstances, but they always had each other. As adults, though, their lives took very different paths, and, while Mickey is out fighting crime on the streets, Kacey is struggling to keep herself high.
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: This book is one I’ve been looking forward to reading since I got it for Book of the Month back in December. With the world as it is, though, I put it off, thinking it would be a really heavy read and I wasn’t sure my brain could handle that at this moment. Luckily, it was our book club pick this month, so I was forced to pick it up, and I’m really glad I finally got around to it. While the subject matter was intense, this book never felt hopeless or heavy. Addiction, sexual assault, misogyny… this book touches on it all. But it also touches on what it means to be a family and the ways we can create our own family around us.
It was slow going for the beginning of the book (which maybe had more to do with my attention span?), and I liked the “Then” sections better than the “Now” sections… until the switch flipped. The second half of this book picks up the pace and I found myself frantically reading between classes and on my lunch break. In fact, I read the last 200 pages in one day. By the end, where I was expecting to feel dark and dismal (see: tough subject matter), I actually found myself feeling hopeful and uplifted. This book was timely and honest and a great mystery but also a great family drama. I really, really enjoyed it.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a mystery. Anyone interested in learning more about the opioid crisis. Anyone wanting a tale about sisters and family.
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
Premise: After making an offhanded comment on Facebook about a recent terrorist attack, Jiven is picked up by the police and marked a terrorist. As she sits in jail awaiting her fate, the people around her who knew her grapple with how to adjust and overcome the circumstances.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: If you had asked me 100 pages in what I thought I would be rating this book, I would have said a 3… or even 2.5. Jiven’s point of view was intriguing and easy to read, but Lovely’s broken English was not endearing, and PT Sir was just… awful. And I struggled for a bit to really connect with the characters and find a reason to keep reading.
But! Man! When the switch flipped for me, it flipped hard. Learning about Jiven’s past, watching Lovely come into her own, seeing PT Sir become who he becomes… it all drew me in. When I realized the ending (no spoilers) and I saw the message behind the story, I was all in. Being set in India, the story felt so far away from anything I know, but, by the end, I felt like I have known people in these exact situations. I felt so connected to the characters who were just struggling to find their footing and follow their dreams. This story is a hard one to describe (and not an easy one to read), but it spoke to me in a completely unexpected way.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a unique POV. Anyone wanting a story that will make you think.
Recursion by Blake Crouch
Premise: When Barry encounters a woman with FMS – False Memory Syndrome – he begins to get flashbacks. He begins investigating into the the causes behind FMS, and what he finds literally changes the world.
Rating: 5 Stars
Thoughts: I got this book from Book of the Month’s Book of the Year list, and ugh it’s been so long since I read a book that was this good. Seriously, I could not put this one down. I don’t typically read sci-fi and time travel hurts my brain, but this book was both realistic and approachable. While I couldn’t get some of the science lingo, it was largely digestible and made sense in a way that time travel/memory books don’t usually. Plus, the added benefit of having both Barry and Helena’s points of view helped me see the story from different angles, and I just got completely sucked in to the story.
The formatting of this book was what really kept it approachable. At times, the story felt rushed and fragmented, because that’s what Barry and Helena were experiencing. At other times, the story was rich with detail and imagery, especially when they were recollecting their memories. I became attached to both characters, and I needed another seven chapters about what happens after this book ended. Truly, this story impacted me and will leave me thinking for a while.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys sci-fi and time travel books. Anyone who doesn’t typically enjoy those types of book but is looking for a really good book that will push them just a bit out of their comfort zone.
lluminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Premise: After BeiTech attacks their small mining planet, Kady and Ezra find themselves refugees on a fleet that came to their rescue. But all is not what it seems in that fleet, and, because they are separated, they must figure out how to save themselves and the people they love.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: It takes a lot to distract me from the dumpster fire of November 2020 (hiiii, elections), but this book managed it. It’s written as a series of documents and graphics and text exchanges, and I would end up reading 200 pages in a sitting (so don’t let the size of the book scare you off). I looked forward to turning each page to find out what would happen next (and what it would look like). Truly, some of the ways the text was designed just surprised and shocked me.
The story itself was also really interesting. I was expecting more of a YA love story for this one, with a bit of war on the side. But this book is layered and complex, especially for such a easily-read format. It was darker than I expected, and there were parts that genuinely shocked me in their brutality and bleakness. Comes with war, I suppose… but I was glad that it wasn’t fluff. It felt raw and real, and I was rooting for Kady the whole time. Because she is a badass. Seriously, it’s nice to see the girl trying to save the guy, and using her brains to do it. This book showcased a very real teenage girl (I was almost uncomfortable reading her IM exchanges because they looked like mine in high school lol) who just so happens to be able to code well enough to save her ship from dying. Like I said… layered.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a unique, interesting read. Anyone who enjoys sci-fi and space books. Anyone who doesn’t usually enjoy sci-fi and space books but would like to expand their reading (this is a good bet).
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Premise: When Tiffy finally moves out of her ex-boyfriends apartment, she has to find a new place to live… on a very small budget. After seeing an ad for a flatshare, she jumped on it, even if it was a bit unconventional — there was only one bed.
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: I am quickly discovering that 2020 is the year for changes in my reading habits, including, but not limited to, a newfound appreciation for lighthearted love stories on audio. When I get in my car after a long day at work, or when I’m cleaning and tidying, I’ve moved away from the gritty thrillers or in-depth nonfiction books towards something that makes me feel warm and fuzzy, and where I know the main character will most likely not die. It gives me a bit of hope in this world. This novel fell pretty squarely in to that category.
Tiffy is basically the opposite of me in every way, but Leon was where I found my connection. Their relationship was adorable and a bit predictable, but, like I said, I enjoyed the predictability. Where the story dove a bit deeper was Tiffy’s relationship with Justin and her growth from that toxic relationship. I will give a bit of a trigger warning for anyone who is has been in an emotionally-abusive relationship… Justin’s manipulation tactics fell really close to home for me and it was hard to watch Tiffy struggle with extracting herself from Justin’s grasp. At the end of the day, though, this is a love story and a (not-too-steamy) romance and I’m glad for the predictability in that.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a feel-good novel. Anyone wanting a cute audiobook. Anyone needing some warm and fuzzies.
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
Premise: Jende and Neni made their way to New York City from Limbe, Cameroon. The life of an immigrant in America is not easy, but it is made infinitely more difficult when fighting the immigration system and living through the Great Recession. At what point does America stop being a home for dreamers?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: As I was flipping through books on my bookshelf, I picked up this paperback and read the first page. Then the second. Then the third. And the next time I looked up, I was four chapters in and late for work. I was intimidated by it because, you know, Oprah and various awards, and now is not a great time for reading tough books, but man. This book was approachable and easy to read. The story was simple and straightforward, but delivered a punch to the gut over and over.
This book was a study in growth, adaptation, and change. I loved Jende in the first half of the book, I loved (and agreed with) Neni in the second. Without giving spoilers, I’m going to be coming to terms with the ending of this book for a while… it surprised me with the path it took. Honestly, the whole book was not at all like I was expecting, and I think that’s part of the reason I loved it so much. The Edwards family was not what I expected, Natasha was not what I expected, the choices Jende made were not what I expected. I loved the characters, their paths, and the way this book was simultaneously about one single family’s experiences while representing the struggles immigrants face when coming to America.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who wants an immigrant’s story. Anyone looking for a quick but meaningful book.
