Bookish Wrap Up | November
Hello Readers,
I can’t believe it’s already December! This year seems to have gone by so quickly and November felt like it went by just as quick.
It’s been a pretty good reading month in the amount I’ve been able to read and there’s one book I’ve read that is definitely on my top reads of the year. So without further ado, let me tell about the books I’ve read this month…
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki {audiobook / physical book}
This was my book club’s Buddy Read Book for November.
The story mainly follows Benny, who after his Dad dies, begins to hear the voices of the objects all around him. Although Benny doesn’t understand exactly what they’re saying , he understands the tone of the voices, some of them are nice and some not so much. Benny eventually seeks out the silence of the Public Library, where he meets some interesting people who help him to find his own voice. Benny also meets his own Book, which narrates his life and teaches him to listen to the things that really matter.
I found this book an interesting read and I felt the way Ruth Ozeki dealt with the conversations around grief and mental health really well. I also liked that there are a little connection to her previous book, A Tale for the Time Being {if you know, you know. I won’t spoil anything.} While I liked Benny as a character, I loved his mum much more and felt more connected to her as she navigated her life after the loss of her husband and how the grief effected her, while trying her best to help her son.
Overall, while difficult to read at times due to the subject matter, I did enjoy this book and Ruth Ozeki’s writing style is just lovely to read as it flows so well and is just so good at building the world around her characters.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare {Audiobook / physical book}
I picked this up one afternoon when I was looking for a fun, quick read and this definitely hit the mark.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s comedies which follows Hermia as she and her lover runs away from Athens, only to be pursued by her would be husband and her best friend. The four of them end up in an enchanted forest where mischief and mayhem ensue.
I loved this play so much as it was just what I needed at the time. It also has one of my favourite Shakespeare quotes in it ~ “Though she be but little, she is fierce.” In the play, this line is meant as an insult to Hermia but now centuries later, this line has become more of a compliment and I love it!
The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer {Audiobook}
After watching and really enjoying the two Elona Holmes films on Netflix, I decided it was about time I read the books by Nancy Springer and thankfully my library has the audiobooks so I can listen to them.
In this book series, Elona is the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes and like her older brother, she has an interest in solving crimes or finding missing persons, especially when her mother goes missing.
I enjoyed this a lot as it’s another kind of fun, easy read / listen and I’m looking forward to continuing with the rest of the series. Also, after watching the film and now reading the first book, it was interesting to compare the two and while the film covers a few of the books, I found the first book quite familiar which shows how faithful to the books the film is.
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas {Audiobook}
I know I said I wasn’t thinking of continuing this series and I’m really not even sure why I decided to read / listen to this one. I don’t feel I’m really that bothered about knowing how the ACOTAR series continues or ends. But I had them all reserved on my Library app when I started the first one and so when they become available, I find I’m opting to listen to them as I’ve begun to like having the option of an audiobook to listen to when I don’t feel up to physically reading and I have no other audiobooks available.
As it’s the third book in the series, I won’t go into any detail on what it’s about because spoilers… But it’s a decent enough listen as the narrator is great but I still find the story a little lacking and I skip the more “spicy” sections as they’re not for me. But the world is slowly growing on me a bit and I find I’m especially drawn the descriptions of Valaris.
So will I listen to the final book in the series when it becomes available at my library? Probably because I’m a bit of a completionism but you’ll know for sure come my January 2023 Wrap Up!
The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson {Audiobook / physical book}
The Lost Metal was one my highly anticipated reads of 2022 and it didn’t disappoint. It however, in true Brandon Sanderson fashion, break by the end!
This is the last book in Sanderson’s Mistborn Era two so I can’t tell you much about it as it’ll spoil the end of this instalment of the Mistborn Saga. But Era two is set in a more western, industrialised world than the Era one world, which is much more a kin to medieval times. You definitely need to read Era one before heading into Era two are there are numerous connections between both Eras.
Overall, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending the past year with the characters of this entire world {I began my Mistborn journey this time last year} and I’ll probably re-read them all in the next year or so while I wait for the first book of Era three to be published.
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo {Audiobok / physical book}
This is a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid in which the mermaid is a Siren tasked to retrieve the heart of the Prince of the Kingdom. When she fails, her mother, the Sea Queen turns her in a human and banishes her to the land, where said Prince {who’s also a Pirate} and his crew rescues her and together they have to find away to defeat the Sea Queen and end the war between the Humans and Sirens.
I enjoyed this book as the writing style was nice and easy to read as it flowed really well. Even though there were some darker moments, there’s also some fun moments. There’s a great cast of characters within this book and I especially loved the dynamic between the Prince and his crew.
Overall, this was a good read and I’m glad I finally had the chance to pick it up.
So those were all the books I managed to read during November. December is turning out to be a good reading month as well and my wrap up for the book will be coming either next week or at the beginning of January. I’m also planning to do a a little article sharing my top reads of 2022. I’ve also got my 2023 TBR page ready to go live on the 1st of January, so you’ll know what books I’m hoping to read in the coming year.
I’d love to know what you’ve been reading over the past month. So feel free to leave me a comment letting me know.
Stay Safe. Read a Book.
L x
