Hola! Guten tag! I finished my first book of the month on November 2, at which point I was on the fourth day of a raging fever, so I decided I'm tired of headings this month. We're doing book titles only, in the order that I finished the books. I'm also tired of adding book descriptions to my posts. You know the drill; all covers are linked to Goodreads. Let's do this!
The Casket of Time, by Andri Snær Magnason
★★★★
Genre: Fantasy
Release Year: 2013
This was an exceedingly strange, but also exceedingly lovely retelling of Snow White. I quite enjoyed it. Every once in a while, I love to read a book like this that's conscious of being a story. This also counts for my Fantasy/Sci-Fi Reading Challenge prompt for November, which is "A Fantasy/Sci-Fi Book by an Author You’ve Never Read Before".
The Chateau, by Jaclyn Goldis
★★★
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Year: 2023
Maybe it was just me, but I didn't find this very thrilling or suspenseful. I think this was because the author spent a lot of time on character development, which often gets left by the metaphorical wayside in thrillers and mysteries, so that was kind of nice, but it did slow things way down–and at the end of the day, I still didn't like any of the characters all that much, so maybe it was a wasted effort? A ton of time was spent on the subplot stuff too (e.g. Jade's family history), and to be honest, not a lot happened in the book. I also felt like a couple things were left dangling–I really thought the car accident that killed Arabelle's parents was going to turn out to be not an accident after all, based on some weird vibes I thought I picked up on (but apparently didn't), and I thought there was going to be a reveal about some way that Darcy failed Oliver based on something she said early on in the book that was never mentioned again. So, all in all, this was an engaging read, but I wouldn't necessarily seek out other books by this author. There were some odd word choices too.
American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky, by Sherri L. Smith and Elizabeth Wein
★★★★
Genre: Nonfiction/History
Release Year: 2024
This was such an interesting slice of history that doesn't often get talked about. I really enjoyed learning about the Black pilots of Chicago! (Side note: I read this for my church's book club.)
Everything I Thought I Knew, by Shannon Takaoka
★★★★.5
Genre: YA Speculative Fiction
Release Year: 2020
This. This is the kind of YA fiction I want to read. Not only was it well-written and the characters actually interesting, but I also have a soft spot for books that explore the idea of a multiverse. I absolutely gobbled this up. (Side note: this was from my paper TBR.)
My favorite quote: "Control is overrated, I guess. This is something I never understood before: Living, really living, demands that you give up on the belief that you're always in the driver's seat."
The Last Tiger, by Brad Riew and Julia Riew
★★.5
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Year: 2025
This was disappointing, to be honest. I was excited to read this not only because the cover is gorgeous, but because I love the concept that the authors wrote a fictionalized version of their grandparents' story. Plus, I'm always on the lookout for non-Western-inspired fantasy. However, the writing was painful. I mean, simmering green skin? Gleeful lice? Really?! There was also a pathological amount of em dashes and ellipses, and far too many paragraph breaks, making the story feel choppy. Seung's and Eunji's voices felt interchangeable and I didn't really care about them as characters. Kai was the most interesting character, and while he had potential, I felt like there was so much unexplored depth there. On the plus side, the magic system was pretty unique. Oh, but the amount of time it took for Seung to figure out about his powers was frankly embarrassing, and I often felt underestimated/talked down to as a reader while reading this. Everything was way over-explained. Okay, I'm done now.
Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones (Audiobook)
★★★★★
Genre: Fantasy
Release Year: 1986
I loved this book just as much on the fourth reading as I did on the first. Listening to it was so fun because not only was the narrator excellent, but I know the book so well that I could quote along in places. Howl and Sophie are two of my favorite book characters.
Good Spirits, by B.K. Borison
★★★.5
Genre: Romance
Release Year: 2025
This was cute. Sweet. A little cheesy. Harriet was a delight, and she had a lovely little character arc. But honestly? This was a Baltimorean romanticizing Annapolis, and it drove me absolutely crazy. There is no cobblestone street off of State Circle that has a view of the water. There are no Craftsman homes in downtown Annapolis, much less with a view of the water. The mailman thing felt more like it belonged in a small Midwest town romance. Annapolis does not smell like caramel and pine and crushed velvet and whatever at the holidays; it smells like weed. And the water you can see from downtown isn't "the harbor"; it's Ego Alley and Spa Creek. I'm also not a huge fan of open door romance, so I did skip over some scenes. Overall, though, once we got past the initial setup and the absolute murdering of downtown Annapolis as a setting, I enjoyed this read.
The Truth about Cancer: What You Need to Know about Cancer's History, Treatment, and Prevention, by Ty M. Bollinger
★★★
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Year: 2016
I went into this book with a healthy dose of skepticism, but wanting to be convinced. And now ... well, I think I'm convinced. There's a history of cancer on both sides of my family, so for a while now I've felt like my body is a ticking clock, but this book gave me a much-needed confidence boost that if I do get cancer at some point, I have tools to work with.
I was torn about the star rating, only because while the content was excellent–well-researched and fairly well organized–the writing itself was a bit of a slog.
As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
★★★
Genre: Classic
Release Year: 1930
I was surprised that I didn't hate this book, to be honest. I'd heard beforehand how confusing and weird it is, and I won't deny that I found it confusing and weird. But it was also strangely compelling. I think the short chapters helped with this, and I liked how little pieces of information were slowly made clear throughout the course of the book. I ended up hating a lot of the characters (mostly Anse), but not the book itself.
Castle in the Air, by Diana Wynne Jones
★★★★.5
Genre: Fantasy
Release Year: 1990
I can't even begin to properly express my affection for Diana Wynne Jones's books, and this is one of my favorites. The ending is one of her better ones, in my opinion.
Courting Mr. Lincoln, by Louis Bayard
★★★★.5
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Year: 2019
I guzzled this book down. It was well-researched and wonderfully written. It was a weird feeling to ship two characters who actually existed, but I wholeheartedly did ship Lincoln and Mary. Lincoln was just simply adorable 🥹
Reading Challenge Updates
Organized challenges I'm participating in:
2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge - 4 books
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Reading Challenge - 1 book
2025 New Release Challenge - 2 books
Personal challenges:
Books I Didn't Get to Last Year - 1 book
National Month - 0 books
Middle Grade - 0 books
Wow, November was a good month for you with 4.5⭐️ reviews! The speculative YA fiction with the multiverse intrigues me, I may have to give it a go
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