I read eighteen books in November, many of which I’d enthusiastically recommend. As you’ll see, I did have some quibbles but they were almost all minor and there wasn’t anything I read this month that was aggressively not for me. I’d love to have more of these kinds of months. Or, even better, I’d like to have that mythical month where I love everything I read. I’m not sure if it’s due to the amount of books I read—mathematically speaking, not all of them can work out—or to the fact that I can be a persnickety reader. While I have a decent grasp on what works for me in some genres, I also want to push myself as a reader and try titles I might not have noticed otherwise. One of my 2024 reading goals is likely going to be discovering the right directions to push myself and possibly giving myself permission to put down books that aren’t working for me, even if they’re popular titles that I desperately want to have an opinion on.
But it’s not 2024 yet so let’s get to my November reads:
Favorites of the month
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
A vividly rendered portrait of a community, a story about justice, and a deftly braided together narrative told by a master of her craft. One of the things that I find so incredible about Erdrich’s writing is her ability to build both rich, wonderfully alive characters and a powerful sense of the larger history they all take part in, without ever losing sight of the personal stakes for those characters, and that’s on full display here. Her prose seems effortless, flowing seamlessly from perspective to perspective and sweeping the reader up in the story. This is a fascinating and necessary look at a forgotten piece of American history and was the perfect read for me this November.
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
A forgotten princess sets out to kill a prince, aided by a dog made out of bones, a grumpy witch, a fairy godmother, an errant knight, and a chicken with a demon in it. I loved this clever fairy tale that takes all the side characters of folklore and puts them at the center of the story, from its sly sense of humor to its skillful world-building to its deeply lovable characters, including one very good dog and a tentative romance hat made me squeal with delight. It reminded me a bit of the fantasy I loved as a young reader, albeit a grown-up version that doesn't shy away from the dark side of humanity but still maintains a hopefulness. There's a decent people doing their best element to this that I really responded to.
Really liked
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas
A thrilling mix of horror, historical fiction, and romance set against the backdrop of the Mexican-American War, packed with a slow-burn sense of dread, fascinating pieces of historical detail, and an emotional will-they-or-won't-they love story. I thought this was really well paced and that the writing was lovely. Canas does an excellent job of balancing striking pieces of prose with building suspense. This was more of a romance than I was expecting, which I was delighted by, and it's a wonderfully angsty forbidden-love story that also manages to incorporate some thoughtful commentary on class and gender in 1840's Mexico.
You, With a View by Jessica Joyce
A very strong debut romance with palpable chemistry between the leads, a really moving depiction of the grieving process and the heroine's relationship with her grandmother, a fun road trip, and fully realized emotional arcs for both main characters. (Hooray!) There's a playful competitiveness and a real depth of feeling to Noelle and Theo's relationship that I so enjoyed reading. All of the plot elements, from the central romance to Noelle and Theo's late-twenties struggles to their grandparents' star-crossed romance, felt so well integrated and developed. I'm very excited to see what Joyce writes next. (Open door, high steam.)
The Lord of Stariel by A.J. Lancaster (Stariel #1)
This gaslamp fantasy set on a magical estate features an illusionist, a handsome butler, lurking faerie threats, and the perfect blend of magical intrigue and romance for my fantasy tastes. I loved the setting and world-building and felt like I understood the world really well but never got overwhelmed with info-dumping. Determined, spirited Hetta is a very winning heroine and the flirtation between her and Wyn sparkles. There's some really nice period-appropriate and voice-y writing, interesting side characters, and both a satisfying conclusion and set-up for the larger series to come. (Which I ordered almost immediately after finishing this.)
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
A sweeping, expansive modern take on a 19th century novel set in 1990's New York. It's a portrait of a sprawling society, of insular communities from a Korean church in Queens to the trading floor of a Wall Street investment bank, and of a striving but aimless twenty-something with shades of Becky Sharp and Lily Bart. It did take me a little while to get into this but after about 150 pages, I was totally hooked and ended up reading almost four hundred pages in a day. This feels dense yet readable and successfully blends 19th century writing conventions with 20th century concerns. It's dazzlingly ambitious, compelling, and purposeful.
The Rogue of Fifth Avenue and The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe (Uptown Girls #1 and #2)
Shupe’s Uptown Girls series revolves around the three daughters of a powerful Knickerbocker family and their romances with various unsuitable men. At this point, I know exactly what to expect from a Joanna Shupe romance: high and low society drama, an independent-minded heroine coming into her own, and powerful, roguish hero who’s completely undone by her. She writes historical romances with some very traditional elements but to me, her characters always feel distinctive. I really like how she always shows her central couple working together as a team, whether they’re running illicit casinos or defending a woman accused of murder. (Open door, high steam.)
A Very Lively Murder by Katy Watson (Three Dahlias #2)
This mystery series about three actresses who've all played the same fictional detective and keep on finding themselves in the middle of crime scenes is so much fun. I especially like how it evokes the atmosphere and tropes of Golden Age mystery novels, while also occasionally gently satirizing them. Here, we have three intrepid heroines, a cast of suspicious characters, and a Welsh manor house with secrets. I also quite enjoy how this series provides a satisfying self-contained mystery while still developing intriguing threads for a longer series arc. Note that these just came out in the US and could potentially make a great holiday gift for any Agatha Christie fans in your life.
Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang
In a near future where a destructive smog has killed off crops and ravaged the earth, a nameless chef finds a position at a mountaintop enclave, where her employer and his daughter plot to bring back lost glories for a select few. A really powerful take on climate fiction, a sharp examination of privilege and the illusory promises of so-called tech visionaries, and a futuristic Gothic written in stunning, visceral prose. The whole book feels both lush and grotesque, in a way that's striking and powerful. Some of the imagery in this one will make you shudder. But there's also an optimism that I really appreciated and that made this stand out among the recent crop of climate fiction. Recommended if you're looking for something weird and excellently written.
Liked, with minor quibbles
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall (Material World #1)
This opposites attract rom-com is classic Alexis Hall: funny and rambly and spiky and awkward in a very relatable way. I giggled out loud multiple times reading it and both main characters are so vivid and real. I also really enjoyed the strong rom-com vibes and how this is festive without going overboard on the Christmas elements. What I wanted to see a bit more of was how Sam and Jonathan were going to navigate being together post fake amnesia-confession, since that's a big hurdle to face at the very beginning of a relationship, but that's also in line with the rom-com style? I’m the kind of reader who loves a “let’s talk through our stuff before we get back together” conversation in romance, so I was missing that here. (Closed door.)
Old Enough by Haley Jakobson
Parts of this coming-of-age story are so rich and complicated, especially when it comes to its astute examination of friendship and being a survivor of sexual assault, but a few other parts of it seemed under-developed. The way it looks at how friendships evolve and fade feels almost uncomfortably real. It also captures the heady rush of college reinvention and the friction that results when that new self bumps up against the old one. Where it fell a little short for me was in its examination of found family. Sav has a wonderful and supportive friend group but we don't really get to see how that friend group begins and develops. Those characters felt a little flat when I very much wanted to know more about them, which stands in sharp contrast to the fully imagined dynamic between Sav and Izzie. But the good stuff is so good and so powerful that I'm absolutely keeping an eye out for whatever Jakobson does next.
A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee
A deeply emotional romance about two artists and recovering addicts that takes on a lot of hefty topics and (mostly) braids them all together elegantly. This has a really strong voice, sharp and vivid, and even the secondary characters feel well developed and real. Lee strikes the right balance between hard things and compassion and I thought the way they write about faith and Ely's relationship with her Judaism was especially well done. What I wanted was 20 to 40 more pages to really unpack the character dynamics more, especially because we get much more of Ely's POV than Wyatt's, and make the ending feel less abrupt. (Open door, moderate steam, albeit on the higher end.)
A Scot to the Heart by Caroline Linden (Desperately Seeking Duke #2)
The first two thirds of this historical romance between a duty-bound soldier and a merry widow were delightful but the final third takes a more solemn turn that I didn’t love and feels tonally inconsistent. Ilsa and Drew are such an appealing central couple, with a fun, joyful, and swoony courtship, and I was especially fond of Ilsa and her fight to carve out some joy in her life after a deeply unhappy marriage. There's a whole section that takes part at a house party that’s pure historical romance goodness. I’ll avoid spoilers here but although I can see some of the reasoning behind that final third, I wanted the ending to feel a bit more triumphant and for justice to be decisively served. (Open door, moderate steam.)
Radiant Sin by Katee Robert (Dark Olympus #4)
A fun, soapy installment in Robert's Dark Olympus series of spicy mythology retellings that ratchets up the political intrigue and seems to be serving as a bridge between the self-contained first three books in the series and what looks to be a more interconnected storyline in the next few books. I really liked Apollo and Cassandra together, especially since Apollo is a bit of a softer hero and Cassandra is wonderfully prickly, and how dramatically this one raises the stakes for Olympus. The world building in this series still confuses me a bit but I don’t think the world-building is really the point? (Open door, very high steam.)
Heartbeat Braves by Pamela Sanderson (Crooked Rock #1)
Where this contemporary workplace romance really succeeded for me was in its portrayal of urban Indian life, thoughtful look at the issues they face, and examination of the family dynamics between Rayanne and her grandfather. I'm also honestly just very happy that this is out there, since I haven't previously read any romances featuring Native characters by Native authors. The romance itself is a little underdeveloped. I liked Rayanne and Henry individually and they had some cute moments together but I never felt like the chemistry between them was electric and wanted some more of the right details to show why they fall for each other and why they're meant to be. (Open door, minimal steam.)
Quick, fun reads that I may have overanalyzed
The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman
A very cinematic Christmas story packed with New York references, an emphasis on friendship, and a lot of zany antics. I did think this was funny and well-paced and appreciated how it felt like a more modern take on the classic Christmas story but I had the same problem with it as I've realized I do with a lot of Christmas books. Theoretically, there's a lot of big feelings and emotional conversations in this book but they felt very surface-level, as the book zips past those scenes without ever really digging into the characters' feelings. I also wanted a bit more development from the secondary characters, especially a particularly bland boyfriend.
This Spells Love by Kate Robb
A fun friends-to-lovers sliding doors-esque romance that I breezed through but had some questions about after finishing. One thing to note is that the cover copy makes this sound witchy but Gemma’s wish and ensuing alternate reality are the only magical elements. What worked for me was the specificity of the Canadian setting and Gemma's relationships with her sister and quirky aunt, especially the evolution and maturation of her relationship with her sister. Where I had questions, however, was with the under-explained alternate world mechanics. I also wanted to see more of Dax and Gemma together in her original timeline, and for a more developed Dax storyline, sweet as he is. (Open door, high steam.)
Let me know your favorite read of November in the comments!
Currently reading: The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary. I started Invisalign this week and it is absolutely miserable (supposedly the first week is the worst? Please tell me the first week is the worst?) so I have decided that I deserve a weekend of reading nothing but fun romances.
What’s bringing me joy this week:
The new donut shop on the Upper East Side, which is dangerously good.
The fascinating Africa and Byzantium exhibit at the Met. One of my favorite professors in college was an expert on the Byzantines and my other favorite professor taught a fantastic class on reconstructing the African past, so it’s an intersection of all my historical interests.
Going full corduroy for the season. I got this dress from Joanie Clothing and it’s the perfect mix of cozy and put-together.
Eighteen books! I love that while we come to you for romance reccs you bring it all - still need to get to Night Watchman.
The fact that the corduroy dress is a Laura Ashley collab made me giggle.
I also enjoyed You, With a View. A really fun read.