Category: wrap up

August 2021 Wrap Up
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August 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

Guess who just had her best reading month (both in quantity and quality) in August?? Yup! This girl! Not only did I read a whopping 16 books (!!), but I read not one, not two, but four 5 star reads! Let’s take a moment to appreciate this because it won’t be happening again 😂 I have to give props to the Trope-ical Readathon and my competitive nature for bumping them numbers, lol. Though I didn’t finish all the books on my TBR, I read more prompts than I ever have before! After a kind of lackluster July, I’m happy that August really brought its A game. I read so many incredible books (and a couple of duds…) and found a couple of new favorites.

But enough chit-chat, let’s get to what I read in August!

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: The Rivers of London readalong continues and, this time, I went with an audiobook! Which, I have to say, I really loved. The narrator was top-notch! This is a novella that I quite enjoyed, especially since we get to see a lot of Abigail. She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in this series.

Book: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Rating: ★★

Thoughts: This one hurt, I have to say. This was one of my favorite books when I was younger. The adventure! The love story! I remember falling for this book so hard. And then I re-read it with TWR book club and yiiiiikes. The fatphobia! The sexism! It was just… not it. Nostalgia is the main reason this got a two star instead of a one. I think I’ll just stick with the movie 😅

Book: The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: And then came my first five star read of the month! My goodness, this book was incredible! This is the first book in the Singing Hills Cycle and it completely captured my imagination. Nghi Vo has beautiful writing that pulls you into the story in the best way. I loved the cleric and their talking bird and I loved hearing Rabbit’s story. This book made me want to read everything Nghi Vo ever writes!

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July 2021 Wrap Up
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July 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it to a new month, which means it’s time to wrap up my reading for the last month! July both flew and dragged by and, though I’m happy we’ve moved on the August, I’m also shocked that it’s already the eighth month of the year. I will say, though, that July was definitely a much better reading month than June! I ended up reading 11 books and I found myself really enjoying all of them! I also got away from the weird reading mood I had been in all of June. I think the fact that I was, for the most part, reading whatever I wanted certainly helped with that. I even picked up a couple books that weren’t for blog tours or buddy reads!

But enough rambling. Let’s take a look at what I got to read in the month of July.

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: My Rivers of London readalong with some of the TWR gang continues! This was the most recent full-length novel I read in the series since we’ve started diving into the graphic novels and novellas. I really liked it, though I wish there had been more Nightingale. What can I say? He’s my favorite! Still, this was a solid addition to the series.

Book: Rivers of London: Night Witch by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Speaking of Rivers of London graphic novels, this was the next book I completed in July. Though I found myself not loving this one as much as Body Work, I still had a fun time with it. The story just felt a bit disjointed, but, once I got into the flow, I enjoyed the ride. Also, it was interesting learning a bit more about a certain Night Witch.

Book: Gargantis by Thomas Taylor

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Aaahh, I loved this book!! I honestly can’t decide whether I enjoyed this one more than the first book in the series, Malamander. It was such a fun, eerie, exciting read and it made me anxious to snatch up the third book once it comes out. I need more Herbie and Violet adventures!

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June 2021 Wrap Up
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June 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’re over halfway through July, so I figured it might be time to throw up my June Wrap Up, lol. I’m not gonna lie, June was kind of a rough reading month for me. Not only did I not read as many books as the three previous months and fail hard at Pride month, but I found it so hard to get into most of the books I picked up. Not saying I didn’t enjoy the books I read. I didn’t rate anything below four stars, it was just getting myself to actually pick up the books felt like such a chore 😅 I don’t know what brought it on, but it lead to June feeling like a very odd reading month!

Still, it’s not about quantity but quality right? Like I said, I didn’t rate anything I read last month under four stars and I had two five star reads! So why don’t we get to the post so you can see what I loved in June.

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: I read this YA contemporary for a The Write Reads tour and I absolutely loved it! I went into this expecting a light-hearted story about young love and relationships, with a dash of magic. What I got was so much deeper and more emotional than that! This book ripped my heart out, but then gave me a warm hug afterwards. Ugh, I want to read it again and that’s always a mark of a great book to me! You can read my full review here.

Book: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was another The Write Reads tour book and another hit. I don’t know why I’m also so nervous to go int space opera books because I always end up loving them. This was the beginning to a new epic sci-fi and it was a wild ride! I had a lot of fun reading this book, even though it was a thick one, and I’m eager to continue the series when the next book comes out! You can read my full review here.

Book: Rivers of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I’m currently buddy reading this entire series with some bookish friends and we’ve gotten to the moment where we’re diving into the graphic novels. I found myself really enjoying this story and seeing characters I’ve been following for awhile come to life. Also, Nightingale is just awesome and I love when he gets to show off, lol. This was a fun, quick read and a great addition to the series.

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May 2021 Wrap Up
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May 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

Somehow, we have already made it through May and my mind is legitimately boggled. Like, how is it already June?! Of course, I’m a happy girl because summer is when I ✨thrive✨! I’m a creature of sun and warmth, so summer is my favorite. But, before we go full force into the summer vibes, I still need to wrap up our last full month of spring.

May was a month where I read quite a bit, but wasn’t as into the books I managed to read. It wasn’t like anything was particularly bad, but I could feel a reading slump gnawing at the edges of my consciousness and I think that affected my reading enjoyment. Still, I managed to read 11 books last month and I’m astonished about that! That’s impressive when I was starting to feel slumpy.

But enough rambling for now. Let’s see what I managed to read in the month of May!

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: I finally made it all the way through the second book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy! This was the book that stopped me from completing it years ago because I could not get over the long, drawn out descriptions. Something about listening to it on audio, though, made it vastly more enjoyable. I will say, I didn’t enjoy it as much as Fellowship of the Ring but it was still a good time.

Book: The Gallery of Wonders by Marc Remus

Rating: ★★

Thoughts: Sigh… this book had so much potential. It’s a story that follows a young girl and her friends who get sucked into a magical painting. They get to attend a school that teaches you how to wield magic paintbrushes and it’s all super fantastical. Unfortunately, it’s also basically Harry Potter, but make it about painting. Seriously, the comparisons where vast and, after awhile, it took me right out of the story. The writing was also stilted and just… not it. I’m sad cause it sounded so good!

Book: Things to Do Before the End of the World by Emily Barr

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: I read this book for a blog tour hosted by The Write Reads and, quite honestly, I had no idea what I was going into when I picked it up 😂 It was categorized as a thriller, though lots of people where calling it a contemporary, so I went in with an open mind. I found myself really enjoying following our main characters journey as she came into her own while the world was literally dying around her. You can read my full review here!

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April 2021 Wrap Up
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April 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

Hello, reader!

It’s time once again for another monthly wrap up. Which makes no sense because didn’t April just start? I swear, I blinked and it was May! This year is already going much faster than 2020 which, hey, I appreciate it. April was a pretty stellar reading month, with most of the books I read being four stars. I even found a new favorite book! I’m excited to share with you all the books I managed to read and some thoughts, so let’s jump right in!

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes by M.R. Noble

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: I read this book for a blog tour and, for the most part, I had a good time! It was an intriguing and fast-paced paranormal romance that definitely kept my interest! I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance and I would have appreciated a little more world-building, but I still had a fun time reading it. You can read my full review here!

Book: What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: What an absolutely beautiful book! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went into this novel for a blog tour and I was blown away! This is a dark and enthralling young adult thriller that will chill you to the bones. The writing was my favorite part, it was so lyrical and hit me in the feels. You can read my full review here!

Book: Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: In April, I was trying to bring my Netgalley ratio back up after getting a bit behind on reviews. Which meant I need to re-read this book because I never got around to reviewing it when I read it the first time. I didn’t mind, though, because this book about two dragonriders with a lot of secrets was incredible! I adored our two main characters, Annie and Lee, and the world-building was *chef’s kiss* You can read my full review here!

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March 2021 Wrap Up
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March 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

Now that we’re in the middle of our first week of April, I figured it was time to do my wrap up for March! I’m also trying to be more punctual with my wrap ups than I was in 2020, lol. March was quite the reading month for me, what with buddy reads and participating in the Trope-ical Readathon. I read the most I have all year and I thoroughly enjoyed most of what I read! I also realized that I am super behind on my non-blog tour reviews 😅

But let’s not focus on that right now! Let’s talk about what I read in the month of March.

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: Ranger’s Oath by Blake Arthur Peel

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: This was one of my blog tour books for the month of March. I ended up enjoying this one, though it could be a bit info-dumpy. The characters were interesting and the world was easy to get lost in, so it made for a quick read! You can read my full thoughts here!

Book: Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This book made me realize that I don’t dislike all werewolf stories. This was so good and not at all what I was expecting! For the Trope-ical Readathon, I was on Team Mystery/Horror/Thriller and this was one of the choices for the team book. I’m so glad it was because I probably would never have picked it up otherwise! I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

Book: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I’ve finally decided to give the Lord of the Rings trilogy another go with a little prodding from some of the Write Reads gang. I… was not a fan when I first tried these books, to state it mildly. However, I’m going the audiobook route this time and, I have to say, I’m absolutely loving the experience! It helps to have friends to talk to about the story as we go 💕

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February 2021 Wrap Up
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February 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd10 Comments

Hello, reader!

Look at me getting to my monthly wrap up before the middle of the month 😂 One day, I’ll be a blogger that is actually on the ball. One day…

Anyways! As you can tell by the header, today I’ll be going over my reading from the month of February. Though it is the shortest month of the year, I somehow managed to read the most books I have in a long time. I got through nine books and, though that probably doesn’t seem like much, it’s a ton for me! I also rather enjoyed my reading, which is always a great thing. This is also turning into the year of the buddy read and I ain’t mad about it. But more on that later! For now, let’s get to the wrap up.

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: Bad Habits by Flynn Meany

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I read this book for a The Write Reads blog tour. This was a fun and interesting look at feminism at a Catholic boarding school. It made me legit laugh out loud, though I do wish more time had been spent showing the main character’s growth. Still, I had a good time with this one! You can read my full review here.

Book: The Darkwater Bride by Marty Ross

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: This was an Audible Original that I picked up awhile ago. The cover looked creepy and it has a full cast, so I was in! This ended up being… fine? Nothing spectacular, nothing terrible. It was overall pretty meh, if I’m being honest, but the full cast made it much better than it would have been if I had read this physically!

Book: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: After reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd with some of the Write Reads gang last month, I jumped at the chance to join their Hercule Poirot buddy read! The book for February was The Murder on the Links but, to catch up, I had to read this one first. I enjoyed it, though it’s not my favorite Christie. It was fun seeing Poirot in his first book appearance, though.

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January 2021 Wrap Up
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January 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’re into the second week in February, so I figured it was about time I wrapped up my reading in January. I’m planning on doing things a little bit differently this year. I’m not going to be including my year-long reading challenges in my wrap ups anymore because all it did was cause me stress 😅 It felt like I was barely doing anything because I would only have one or two books a month in that section! I’ll be keeping track of that separately and talk about it in a dedicated post, I think. I’m also only going to focus on my best book of the month as opposed to doing highs and lows. This is because what may be a low for me might be someone else’s favorite book and I always felt bad drawing attention to the fact that I just didn’t jive with it. We’re focusing on the positive in this blog! Of course, that’s not to say that I’ll never talk about books I didn’t like (it’s part of being a reviewer… you can’t enjoy every book!) but I’m not going to make it such a feature, ya know?

Alright, enough blabber. Let’s get to my first wrap up of the new year!

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: This book was as good, if not better, than the first one in the series! The Poppy War hurts and this book was no different, but, for some reason, I welcome the pain. Rin’s story is just so compelling and it’s interesting to watch her rise and descent.

Book: Fly Free by Allison Rose

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: This was a quick, enjoyable read that throws you into the land and intrigue of the land of fae. I really enjoyed the plot and the world-building, though the love interests (and the romance, in general) fell a little flat for me. You can read my full review here.

Book: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Ahhhh, this was so CUTE! I absolutely loved the romance between Dani and Zafir 😍 This was the perfect mix of adorable and steamy. I can’t wait to get my hands on the last Brown Sisters book!

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December 2020 Wrap Up
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December 2020 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it to 2021 and I, for one, couldn’t be happier! I know the changing of the year on the calendar doesn’t instantly mean all the bad things from last year are gone, but I still feel like a weight has been lifted. It’s a fresh new year with fresh possibilities and I’m excited to make the most of it! Before we can move on to 2021, however, it’s time to wrap up my last reading month of 2020.

December was a busy month that had me going a mile a minute. Work was a mile a minute, getting ready for the holidays had me stressed, and we got a new puppy who has been keeping us busy! Thankfully, though, the books I read really ended the year on a high note!

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

  1. The Cousins by Karen M. McManus::★★★★★::My review
  2. Check Please Book 2 by Ngozi Ukazu::★★★★
  3. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston::★★★★★::My review
  4. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia::★★★★★
  5. Winterling by Sarah Prineas::★★★
  6. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton::★★★★

Challenges

Popsugar Challenge prompts completed: 1

  • A book with a pun in the title (Check, Please Book 2: Sticks & Scones)

Not a strong end to the year, is it 😅 I’ll be going over my 2020 challenge stats in a later post!

Highs and Lows

This is a tough one because I had three five star reads in December! It’s hard choosing the one that I loved the most. As I think about them, though, there is one that stands out just a bit from the other two. They were all incredible, but this book had one of my new favorite characters of all time! My high this month is…

Tristan is such a phenomenal character that I just have to pick his book to be my favorite of December. I’d been wanting to read Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky for quite some time and I’m glad I finally did because it’s now a new favorite. I adored Tristan and I adored seeing legends that featured Black people being retold in this contemporary middle grade fantasy. It was interesting and beautifully written and I really need to write my review because there’s a lot I want to say! I’m so thankful to Middle Grade Marvels for finally compelling me to read this fantastic book.

Funnily enough, my low for the month was also a Middle Grade Marvels read, heh 😅 It was my only three star read last month and, while I enjoyed it, I think it suffered from being read in a month of truly incredibly books. My low this month is…

Like I said, I did enjoy this book, but it didn’t love it as much as I had imagined I would. I liked the story, I thought the plot was fine, and Fer was a great character. At the same time, I wish we had gotten to see more of the magic and been able to see more of Fer after she figured out who she was. The fae magic was the most interesting thing in the book and I felt like we didn’t get nearly enough. Still, since this is the beginning of a series, I am interested in continuing as I think we’ll get more of that in the subsequent books.

Reflections

2020 was… a year and I feel like December was a concentrated dose of all the insanity we’ve experienced throughout the year. I’m so glad that, overall, my reading was an incredible escape! I read so many fantastic books in the last month of 2020 and I’m thankful I ended my reading year on such a high note.

Now, I didn’t do so hot with the challenges this month and I didn’t read a ton. And I may have headed into January feeling a little burnout and slumpy, but that had nothing to do with the quality of the books. I think that was due to my trying to do ALL THE THINGS at the end of the year. Though I never officially stated I was doing Blogmas, I was trying to post every day before Christmas. I almost got there, too! I pushed myself a little more than I probably should have and, as a result, I entered the last week of 2020 and the first week of 2021 not wanting to write anything. I think I’ve rounded the bend and am feeling the blogging love again, though! Going into the new year, I need to find a posting schedule that will keep my blog lively, but won’t make me want to hide from my laptop 😂

Overall, I think this was a pretty stellar reading year. I read a ton of great books and I became more active in the bookish community. I met some fantastic people and discovered the joy of buddy reads. Although 2020 was a bit of a dumpster fire, I will always be thankful for the books and the bookish community because they made this year pretty great 💖 Now on to 2021!

How was your reading in December? Did you find a new favorite? Make any progress on some challenges? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

November 2020 Wrap Up
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November 2020 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

Can you believe that we’re almost done with this hell year? We’re so close to 2021 I can taste it! Before we dive completely into December and looking into the new year, though, it’s time to talk about my reading in November. After coming off a pretty dismal reading month in October, I’m happy to report that November treated me much better! I fell back into my reading grove and it felt really lovely. I also read some incredible books 💖

So, without further ado, let’s get to the wrap up!

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

  1. The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter::★★★★★::My review
  2. No Truth Left to Tell by Michael McAuliffe::★★★::My review
  3. Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee::★★★★
  4. The Black Sky by Timothy D. Minneci::★★★::My review
  5. Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin::★★★★
  6. Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu::★★★★
  7. Shadows of Winterspell by Amy Wilson::★★★★
  8. Through the Woods by Emily Carroll::★★★★
  9. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier::★★★
  10. Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol::★★★★

Shout out to the graphic novels for the fact that I managed to read ten books this month! They’re the real MVPs 💕

Challenges

Popsugar Challenge prompts completed: 2

  • A book about a subject you know nothing about (Check, Please)
  • A book published in the 20th century (Rebecca)

Look, we have one month left and I think we all know I won’t be completing these challenges 😂 Still, I like to keep y’all updated!

Highs and Lows

Though I read a lot of great books this month, there is definitely one clear winner that stands out. Funnily enough, it was the first book I finished in November! That book is…

What can I say? The sequel to one of my favorite books of 2019 just blew me out of the water! It was filled with action, incredible characters, and a hard look at what can happen when you treat people as the ‘other’. The writing is captivating and completely pulls you into the story. Absolutely loved this one and I can’t wait until the next book releases!

As for my low, this was a book that was sent to me by the publisher that I took a chance on and, through no fault of anyone, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I mean, I ended up giving the book three stars. It definitely had it’s merits. But it made me realize that there might be more genres than just Westerns that aren’t my thing. That book would be…

Like I said, this book was enjoyable, for the most part, but there’s a reason it took me almost all year to read this fairly short book. I just got so bored with the courtroom and police procedural stuff. I could not have cared less. But, plus side, I know now that kind of thing is just not for me.

Reflections

First, how is November already over? I remember thinking in March that this year was never going to end. Now we’re into the last month of 2020! It’s… been a weird one. But we’re talking about my last reading month, not the dumpster fire that was this past year. I’m so happy that I seem to have gotten back into my reading grove. The Poppy War legit ruined me for the entirety of October and it feels nice to have gotten back on the wagon.

Though I am planning to finish The Dragon Republic this month, sooooo… 😬

I also finally got a library card for our local library and my access to books has sky-rocketed! Well… books I don’t want to buy, lol. I had been spending way too much money on books after breaking my book buying ban shortly after lockdown happened. I had been doing so well and then the dam broke, lol. Now I have even more books chilling on my TBR bookshelf that I promise to read… eventually! I’m stoked that I can now satisfy my need to read books that I’m interested in but don’t necessarily want to own. And this will hopefully help me stick to my new book buying ban 😅

I also discovered a robust graphic novel collection at the library and got back into reading those. I love graphic novels, but I don’t tend to buy them. I don’t know why… I think it’s because I remember buying manga when they started becoming more widely available in the United States and being aggrieved about spending ten bucks on a book I could read in half an hour! Especially since I’m not big on re-reading books! So it’s nice to have access to graphic novels and manga again because there are a lot of books and series that I’ve wanted to check out. They certainly help bump up those end of year numbers, as well!

As for my reading challenges… it’s been a good run, but I don’t think I’ll be completing either the PopSugar Reading Challenge or the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. Mostly because I stopped trying to squeeze in books that fit the last few prompts I needed, lol. What with book/blog tours, ARCs, and my tendency to mood read, there just wasn’t room to fit a book just to fulfill a prompt! Still, I’m pretty stoked with how far I got with both of those challenges! And, who knows, maybe whatever I read in December will help me check off a few more. Either way, I had fun and I’m not overly stressed about it 😊

All in all, November was a fun reading month and, hopefully, December will shape up to be the same!

How was your reading in November? Did you find a new favorite? Make any progress on some challenges? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!