The Stack: November 2016

To make up for the fact that I read nothing in October, I figured out a way to read a ton of books in November. Part of this was to say "to hell with it" and not review anything. A lot of them were the second or third or fourth books in a series, so I wasn't going to mess with it during the craziness of packing up nearly 600 boxes by myself atop the rest of my duties for work. The other part of reading this much in a month was a determined use of Audible. Because of the nature of my job, I had plenty of listening time, so instead of binge-watching a show or series of movies like I usually do, I listened. I'll make note of the ones I read vs listened to.

Drums of Autumn   Diana Gabaldon{Audible} As I mentioned in the October post, this was the only thing I read. But I wasn't too keen on the way my hand looked in the photo so I never posted it to IG, and used this photo to mention that I had read this the month before.
I Am Malala   Malala Yousafzai{Audible} This was a fascinating read that I absolutely devoured. I especially loved seeing the world from such a completely different viewpoint than my own. It made me more grateful for my life than I already am.

The Vault of Dreamers   Caragh M. O'Brien
{Audible} This was such an interesting concept, and though I sortof actually really didn't like the ending before discovering it was a trilogy, I really enjoyed the story. Knowing there is more to it, I am actually quite anxious to know the rest of the story.
The Spellman Files   Lisa Lutz{Audible} My best friend suggested I read this almost 7 years ago and I just got around to it, like an idiot. It was so entertaining and funny. I loved that particular slef-deprecating, dry-witted style of humor.

A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War   Joseph Loconte{Audible} I have always loved the fact that these two gigantically successful, amazingly influential authors were not just friends, but that the one turned the other onto the path of becoming Christian so full of belief that he wrote some of the best faith-based novels I've ever read. So to dive deeper into the setting and world of these two men at the time of their friendship and see what brought them together and the circumstances that led them to become the dominant forces in the writing world that they were was really cool to me. 
Fantastic Beasts   J.K. RowlingI watched the movie beforehand since this was the screenplay verbatim. It was the right choice for order, in my opinion. And I ADORED it.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue   Maggie Stiefvater
{Audible} Just as good as the other two! On to the last one!

Nevernight   Jay Kristoff


This is now one of my all-time favorite books. I was not expecting it because it took me like 14 tries to read the first few pages. Distractions everytime I picked it up made it difficult to get into, and you really need to focus on those pages to get a grip on what's going on. But it's SO worth it. I miss it already. It's almost like Hogwarts for assassins.
The Raven King   Maggie Stiefvater
{Audible} I feel like I heard people say that this was a disappointing ending but personally I loved it and felt like it totally was cohesive with the other three {another thing people said wasn't the case}. 

Find Her   Lisa Gardner

This was super creepy and I am glad my daughter is still a little thing so I don't have to stay up worrying about her being out at clubs or bars or beach parties. We have a few years still before that's an issue. Till then, I'll teach her how to defend herself from cray people.
Crown of Midnight   Sarah J. Maas
These books are continuing to grow on me. I don't know what I am resistant to just absolutely fangirling over them. I wonder if perhaps it's because I'm listening to them and I think the narrator makes Celaena sound too girly and young. Either way, my resolve is crumbling. Sidenote: I really like Manon.