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I had three (THREE!) five star books this month. I count that as a huge win.
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11/1: The Color Purple by Alice Walker (book I own, 1982) - It is as good as they say it is. 5/5 stars
11/5: Love Letters by Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West with introduction from Alison Bechdel and edited by Louise DeSalvo and Mitchell A. Leaska (university library, 1926) - This book is now my identity. Brilliant. 6/5 stars
11/9: Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (library, 2022) - Look, I just don't know if I'm the right person for graphic novels. I sort of wish this had just been a memoir. 3.5/5 stars
11/9: Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen (library audiobook narrated by the author, 2024) - Terrifying. Brilliantly reported and written, but terrifying. 5/5 stars
11/14: Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels by Hannah Ross (book I own, 2020) - So much interesting historical material in this book I did not know! Fascinating! But sort of disorganized. 4/5 stars
11/14: Hurricane After Dark (Gansett Island #24) by Marie Force (library, 2023) - Sometimes you read a romance novel in a long-running series because you've read every book in the series and you realize that the author has forsaken your favorite characters and you vow never to read any more of these books, but you know you're lying to yourself. 3/5 stars
11/16: Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee (library, 2011) - I have checked this out from the library so many times, but I finally read it this time. It was...fine. 3.5/5 stars
11/22: Euphoria by Lily King (library audiobook narrated by Xe Sands and Simon Vance, 2014) - Lily King is not for me. 2.5/5 stars
11/24: The Brides of High Hill (The Singing Hills Cycle #5) by Nghi Vo (library audiobook narrated by Cindy Kay) - What even happened in this book? Confusing. 2.5/5 stars
11/24: Calamity (Uncharted Hearts #1) by Constance Fay (library ebook, 2023) - I liked this one! Fun space adventure. 4/5 stars
11/27: Wrapped in Ink (Montgomery Ink: Boulder #1) by Carrie Ann Ryan (book I own, 2019) - I am out of library ebooks, so I pulled this one out of my own personal library and reread it. I like the Montgomery Ink books because Ryan writes about working class people and I like that it's not a millionaire book or about a florist who can apparently afford rent in a New York City penthouse. Because even us plebes deserve a happily ever after. This isn't one of the best in the series, but it does address complicated issues, particularly having a relationship with someone who has a chronic illness. 3.5/5 stars
11/27: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (library, 2023) - Fun romp on the Indian Ocean in medieval times and magic. 4/5 stars
Average star rating: 3.86/5 stars
Did Not Finish:
Agents of Dreamland (Tinfoil Dossier #1) by Caitlin R. Kiernan - This book felt like a fever dream. What in the world was even going on? It's a 128-page novella and I read almost half of it before I gave it up as bad job. DNF at 46%.
The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee - I tried to listen to this audiobook, but I got lost really quickly. It's not a book really intended for the layperson unless the layperson is willing to put a lot more work into it than I am willing to do. DNF at 29%.
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What's the last five star book you read?
I just looked and I had two five star books in November! Long Island Compromise and Margo's Got Money Troubles. Right now I'm reading a memoir and it's pretty meh.
ReplyDeleteOur taste in books is so different, but I think you would enjoy Love Letters!
DeleteI really want to read all your 5/5 books!
ReplyDeletePlease do! I would love to hear your take on them, particularly Nuclear War. It's so scary.
DeleteI also really liked The Color Purple, and did not read it until later in life (maybe 5 years ago). I had Nuclear War on loan, but it lapsed before I could get to it. I have never heard of the Virginia Woolf book! I did not read as much in November, but I had one five star, The Mountians Sing about Vietnamese in Vietnam during the war.
ReplyDeleteI should add The Mountains Sing to my TBR!
DeleteThat's quite a recommendation for the Virginia Woolf book! I guess my last five star book was really three books- the Ken Follett Century Trilogy. Let's see, how did I even find out about those books? Just kidding... thank you, Engie!
ReplyDeleteYou should read the Kingsbridge trilogy by Follett, Jenny. They're SO GOOD.
DeleteLooks like a pretty good reading month. The love letters book is only 21$ on Amazon, so I'm getting it for my husband to give me for christmas, or possibly to read next week because he is gone for the first two weeks of December which is bullshit. I loved the color purple too (I'm not trying to be edgy with no caps, just on a stupid work computer that is finicky about them).
ReplyDelete