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11/2: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tam (library audiobook read by Gwendoline Yeo, 1989) - I pretty much detested this book. Fun CBBC discussion, though. Sorry, CBBC readers! 2/5 stars
11/5: False Witness by Karin Slaughter (library audiobook read by Kathleen Early, 2021) - A fast-paced and interesting thriller, but maybe too dark for the likes of me. 4/5 stars
11/9: The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier, translated from the French by Adriana Hunter (library, 2020) - Interesting book, but I didn't love it. 3.5/5 stars
11/9: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (library audiobook read by Louis Gossett, Jr., 1853) - A firsthand account of slavery is super interesting, but I sort of wanted more? 3.5/5 stars
11/13: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (library, 2025) - I'm sort of between Sarah and Stephany on this one. I found the subplot sort of boring, but the romance was sweet. Do romance novels need to be 400 pages long? Hm. Good banter, fun heroine. Lots of hats. Too much time talking about how hard it is to be rich and famous. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO RATE THIS. 3.5/5 stars
11/16: The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff (library audiobook read by January Lavoy) - If you liked the loneliness and despair of I Who Have Never Known Men and also want wilderness survival, this historical fiction about a servant girl who ran away from the Jamestown will be perfect for you. 3.5/5 stars
11/22: August Lane by Regina Black (library, 2025) - Second chance romance. Themes of addiction and rich people complaining about how hard it is to be them. Not my jam. 3/5 stars
11/22: Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait? by Tina Cassidy (library audiobook narrated by Amanda Carlin, 2019) - Alice Paul was a true marvel. This book made me more hopeful about the current circumstances of politics than anything has in years. 5/5 stars
11/29: News of the World by Paulette Jiles (library, 2016) - I learned so much about this Civil War veteran returning a little girl to her family after she'd been kidnapped by indigenous people. 4/5 stars
Total: 9 books
Average star rating: 3.55/5 stars
Did not finish:
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (library, 2025) - I'm on page 40 and all I've read so far is about how hard it is to be a rich Nigerian, particularly during the COVID pandemic. I've read that people love this book, but I'm out. DNF at 10%.
The City We Became (Great Cities #1) by N.K. Jemisin (library, 2020) - Look, my feelings about New York City are that it smells really bad, it's loud, and there are too many people. I couldn't get into this book that is all about how wonderful it is. DNF on page 76 (17.4%).
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What's the last book you didn't finish?
Playworld was the last book I DNFed although I might try it again. It was just so long, and I was on a plane, and I just needed something lighter.
ReplyDeleteBooks for planes should be their own genre. I guess that's what John Grisham and Tom Clancy are for?
DeleteI rarely DNF a book, so I can't remember- I know I have DNF'd, but not recently. I try not to pick anything I really won't like, and once I start a book I keep thinking (hoping) it will get better. There have been plenty of books I've angrily read to the end, so I should probably make myself DNF more often.
ReplyDeleteI don't do a lot of research on books I read because I don't like spoilers, but that also means that I DNF a lot. Oh, well. I still sometimes angrily read to the end and wonder why I didn't DNF.
DeleteI DNF'd SO MANY BOOKS in November. Gold star to me for letting things go, or demerit for choosing so many books that weren't my vibe?
ReplyDeleteI really liked The Joy Luck Club, though I can totally understand not loving it. I rated The Anomaly 3.5/5. It was good, but not great for me. But I can, again, see why people loved it!
Gold stars for doing the right thing. Life's too short to read books you aren't enjoying!
DeleteI DNF'd Great Big Beautiful Life. When she brought tea to a man who had been so rude to her I was like what in the world is even happening? And then their first kiss felt so sudden and out of place? I knew Stephany did not care for it so I abandoned it. But the last book I DNF'd was "The No Show" by Beth O'Leary. The set up made no sense to me - and again it was a book Stephany did not care for. Our tastes in romances tend to align so when she doesn't like something, chances are I won't either!
ReplyDeleteI need to read that Mr. President book... adding it to my TBR now!
The ADORED The Flatshare and The Switch by Beth O'Leary and then DNFed the road trip one. She's hit or miss, I'm learning.
DeleteWe have the same exact thoughts about NYC---my least favorite place to visit!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of the ones you reviewed, but I've heard of several.
I'm in a reading slump lately; nothing is grabbing me!
I hate it when my reading life isn't very good. I'm sending you good reading vibes!
DeleteOh, I loved The Vaster Wilds! What a meditative, quiet book. Yes, similar to I Who Have Never Known Men in that way.
ReplyDeleteI felt like I was reading the same book in different settings. Both excellent books. And who needs men anyway?
DeleteI also DNF'ed Dream Count and enjoyed Great Big Beautiful Life even if it wasn't my favorite Emily Henry. My most recent DNF is Detransition, Baby. I liked it at the beginning, but then I lost interest/it felt too tense for the moment.
ReplyDeleteI cannot recall the last book I didn't finish. I tend to be the last one to read a book - and that means I generally read books that I've heard good things about. Maybe that's the reason.
ReplyDeleteI've gotta make a note to read the Mr. President how long must we wait one. Sounds great.