Okay, I somehow managed to leave this post sitting in my drafts, but better late than never I guess! I actually read a lot of books this month, so lets just get straight into it...
The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber ★★★★★
Okay, can we talk about this book for a second though?! I had a good feeling I would love this book, because book one in this series Once Upon a Broken Heart got me out of my reading slump back in 2021.
I enjoyed this book on so many levels. I'm not usually someone who looks for romance in books, but the romance in this series has me in a choke hold and I'm not even the slightest bit ashamed to admit it. The characters in this book are amazing, the setting is vivid and beautiful, the plot had me desperate to keep on reading, and I just want to reread it already.
Have you read The Ballad of Never After yet? Let me know what you thought in the comments!
All Systems Red by Martha Wells ★★★★☆
I picked this up on a whim, and I am so glad I did! If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I always rave about Scribd (this is not sponsored, I just love it) and it's where I read 99% of my ebooks and audiobooks. I suddenly found myself craving a sci-fi at the beginning of the month and I found the entire Murderbot series on audiobook. I'm actually slightly terrified of robots, so I'm not sure how or why I found myself so drawn to this series, but I really enjoyed book one and went on to continue the series.
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells ★★★★☆
This is book two in the Murderbot series, and while it didn't hit as hard as book one, I did also really enjoy this one. I really like that we see Murderbot interacting with other characters, and in different settings and crazy situations.
Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan ★★★☆☆
I picked this one up on a bit of a whim as well. I didn't love book one but thought I'd give book two a go. I did enjoy it a bit more than book one though. I did start book three but DNF'd it because it had a really triggering scene. I won't be continuing on with this series.
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells ★★★★☆
And then, book three in the Murderbot series! Another thing I really enjoy about this series is the representation. There are so many different characters and it is a really well developed world, especially considering how the books are all reasonably short (around 300 pages) If you're looking for a unique, entertaining, and fast paced sci-fi series, I'd highly recommend the Murderbot series, based on the first three books!
Greek Mythology by Liv Albert ★★★★☆
I'm currently working on a lot of Greek Mythology related projects, both inside and outside of uni work. I picked up Liv Albert's Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook because I've had my eye on it for absolutely ages. I really enjoyed this book. I've found that similar titles tend to be either too dense, or too vague, but this one gave me pretty much exactly what I wanted. I'm going to be checking out the author's Greek Mythology related podcasts in the future.
Circe by Madeline Miller ★★★☆☆
Okay, so fun fact: up until a few days ago I had never actually read Circe (and I still haven't read The Song of Achilles) but I can officially say: yes, I have read Circe. You're probably a little confused about how a Greek Mythology nerd can possibly have not read the two most raved about retellings... and the simple answer is that I was intimidated. I usually put off reading books which receive an overwhelming about of hype and excitement, because I don't want to be disappointed. I'm glad I finally read this though, and while I struggled with some triggering scenes I did overall like the story and Circe as a character. I'm not sure I can say it lived up to the hype, but I think The Song of Achilles is the more hyped of the two, so maybe I will be more impressed with that one. That's not to say this book wasn't good, I think it's more a case that the hype killed it just a little for me.
Bull by David Elliott ★★☆☆☆
Honestly, with Bull I think the issue is that this book read very young. It is a YA novel (in verse) but I feel like in some places it read almost like a middle grade, and it was just a little off putting as I expected it to read a little more mature than it did. Having said that, there were also parts of the book which read too mature for a YA/middle grade, which just confused me even more. Some of the words used to describe the female characters were (in my opinion) slightly inappropriate for the target market that it appears this book was written for. It was a weird reading experience for me, and I think it's partly just the case that this book just wasn't for me, as it does have a lot of positive reviews online. There were a few other readers who pinpointed the same issues I had though, so I'm not entirely sure.
Have you read Bull? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!
To Make Monsters Out of Girls by Amanda Lovelace ★★☆☆☆
So apparently I forgot that I actually read this book last year. Once I did remember that I'd read it though, I recalled that my thoughts weren't overly positive the first time round either.
I've read a few of Amanda Lovelace's poetry collections now, and some I've liked more than others. This one just wasn't for me. I can't necessarily pinpoint exactly what it was I disliked about this one. I don't know if it was the subject matter, and the fact that it felt a little too heartbreak centred for my tastes.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy ★★★★☆
If you've been following me for a while you'll know that this is one of my favourite books of all time. I like to read this book if I feel like I want something uplifting and comforting. I've spoken about this book so many times now I won't go into much more detail here, but if you haven't read The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse yet, I'd recommend that you do!
Soft Thorns by Bridgett Devoue ★★☆☆☆
I don't have too much to say about this one. Again, I think that it just wasn't for me. I didn't relate to any of the poems, and I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. That's not to say it was bad necessarily, it just wasn't for me.
Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace ★★★★☆
This poetry collection I really enjoyed. I feel like it is much more similar to her other series, and I liked the overall theme and message behind the collection. I think the fairytale theme is part of the reason I enjoyed this one so much.
Poems For the End of the World by Katie Wismer ★★★★☆
I really enjoyed this collection by Katie Wismer. I didn't actually realise that the author was in fact the Katie I have been following on TikTok for months now, so that was a nice surprise. I will be checking out her other books in the future for sure, and I think this collection gave me what I was looking for in the others I read this month, but didn't enjoy quite as much. It did discuss heartbreak and relationship breakups, but it also touched on other issues which I think is really important.
What was the best book you read in November? Let me know in the comments below!