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What did you read last month?
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What did you read in November -- 2025
I had a good month. All three books were enjoyable and entertaining. I enjoyed reading every page.I finished the last 2 books of the Understanding Ursela trilogy":
Thriving: 1920–1939 (4-star)
Choosing: 1940-1989 (4-star)
The saga takes this family through the decades.
Review of Thriving: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review of Choosing: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I also continued in the St. Mary's Chronicle series with:
A Second Chance (4-star) - I'm really enjoying this series. It's quirky in a real sort of way (except the time travel bit). The characters are interesting, the stories amusing and plotted well.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Petra wrote: "I had a good month. All three books were enjoyable and entertaining. I enjoyed reading every page.I finished the last 2 books of the Understanding Ursela trilogy":
[book:Thriving: 1920–1939|21404..."
Very nice, Petra. It's nice when a trilogy holds up for all 3 books. Also glad to hear the series continues to be good.
Here are my November reads. It was a very nice reading month for me. I also enjoyed the eclectic mix. --
-War and Peace by Leo TolstoyFiction
Rate: 3/5 good
I did an immersive read. I listened to the audio and read along with the eBook. Over at our Buddy Read Thread we started discussing this large novel in January and will discuss it though the end of this year. It was an interesting read. I learned a lot about Napoleon and that period in Russian history. I also learned about Russian society through the various characters. Thank you to all who participated.
--
Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat by Kim JiyunFiction
Rate: 4/5
This is a heartwarming Korean novel. It's translated by Shanna Tan.
The story takes place in Seoul. At the laundromat someone leaves behind a notebook. Various people begin to write a few sentences about their feelings and troubles. They write about things they are unable to share with others for various reasons.
As the author notes at the end, "the hardest thing to do is to open up to others, and that to have someone who listens to your heart is the greatest blessing."
Martyr! by Kaveh AkbarFiction
Rate: 4/5
This is a literary fiction novel. Therefore, it emphasizes "character development, style, and themes over a fast-paced, plot-driven narrative".
This fictional story revolves around a true event. The 1988 airplane tragedy where a US Navy warship accidently shot down an Iranian passenger plane. All 290 people on board were killed.
In the novel the mother of the main character, Cyrus Shams, was on that plane. Cyrus feels his mothers death was pointless. He is contemplating suicide but wants his death to have meaning.
I don't want to say more and give any spoilers. I thought this debut book was very well written.
*Trigger Warnings: addiction, suicidal ideation, touches on themes of cancer, racism, xenophobia, and homophobia. The book explores queer relationships and includes some moderate content warnings related to sexual content and infidelity
Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership--Edward J. LarsonNon Fiction
Rate 4/5
In 1998 Larson won a Pulitzer for his other book Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion. I have it on my TBR list.
For this book on Franklin & Washington I did an immersive read. I read the eBook as I listened along with the audio book. The audio was very well done by Andrew Tell.
The book begins with the French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763.
The book explores the close relationship between the two men, despite there being a twenty-six year age difference. Larson also explores the two men's individual accomplishments as well as their faults
I think anyone interested in the founding of the United States and learning about Franklin and Washington would enjoy this book. I also found it easy to read and for the most part didn't get too bogged down in minutia. The audio narration added greatly to my enjoyment. The book also had many photographs and images of documents which i enjoyed viewing.
The Passengers on the Hankyu Line by Hiro ArikawaFiction
Rate: 2/5 Did not meet my expectations
Translated to English by Allison Markin Powell.
This novel is a series of vignettes that take place on a commuter train. It captures the everyday lives and struggles of its characters. The stories were too simplistic for me and had little depth.
I think the novels concept was a good one. However, for me, the execution didn't work. Perhaps it was the translation or maybe it's aimed at a younger audience.
Alias, congratulations on finishing War and Peace. I enjoyed it, too, years ago. Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat sounds like a relaxed, heart-warming read. I enjoy books where people connect and heal together.
Except for The Passengers on the Hankyu Line, you've had a very good reading month.
Thank you, Petra. I was satisfied with my November reads.
Alias Reader wrote: "Petra wrote: "I had a good month. All three books were enjoyable and entertaining. I enjoyed reading every page.I finished the last 2 books of the Understanding Ursela trilogy":
[book:Thriving: 1..."
Great to hear you had such a good month!
4 star reads:March
Imagines the story of the absent March family patriarch of Little Women, who is a civil war chaplain. Or, in the novel, running a school for former slave children, having been dismissed as chaplain because his moralizing annoys everyone
60 Songs That Explain the '90s
Doesn't explain anything but still a fun musical tour of the decade and interesting interpretation of song lyrics
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays
Fun, erudite essays on a variety of the off the wall topics.
3+
War and Peace
Incessant moralizing downgraded the rating. 5 stars for the "peace" sections on the various families, 4 stars for the "war' especially scenes among the soldiers
3 star reads:
The Pumpkin Spice Café
Rating is based on comparison to other books of its genre. Typical small town romance that might also be a cozy mystery. The characters have it the comparative 3 rating, they are unique in their quirkiness
The Portrait of a Lady
Interesting psychological portrait of a young woman and her questionable life choices but too dang long
A Secret Sisterhood: The Literary Friendships of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot & Virginia Woolf
Investigates little known friendships with other writers by literary icons, some primarily by correspondence. Some biographical episodes of the title women included
Six Days in Bombay
Young sheltered half-Anglo nurse breaks out of her shell, pushed by her deceased painter-patient who has tasked her with delivering some paintings...to Prague, Paris, and Florence.
#2 Petra wrote: "I had a good month. All three books were enjoyable and entertaining. I enjoyed reading every page.I finished the last 2 books of the Understanding Ursela trilogy":
[book:Thriving: 1920–1939|21404..."
Interesting saga, Petra. It sounds as though it called to you. I'm glad you've been sharing this with us.
I'm a fan of time travel but have never read a series of books about them. I suppose that once you know the travelers, it makes the books even more appealing. It's intriguing.
#4 Alias Reader wrote: "Here are my November reads. It was a very nice reading month for me. I also enjoyed the eclectic mix. --
-War and Peace by Leo TolstoyFic..."
Alias, congratulations on completing W&P. I guess i missed that you had completed it, too. Well done. What a great one to have under your belt.
Overall, you had a great reading month. Ending on a clunker is disappointing, no doubt, though.
Thanks for the recaps of each selection.
#8 Denise wrote: "4 star reads:March
Imagines the story of the absent March family patriarch of Little Women, who is a civil war chaplain. Or, in the novel, running a school for former slave children, ..."
Nice month of reading, Denise. Thanks for sharing your titles and placing them in "star order". (If that's a word/thing.) I hope the upcoming month is even better!
Denise wrote: "3+
War and Peace
Incessant moralizing downgraded the rating. 5 stars for the "peace" sections on the various families, 4 stars for the "war' especially scenes among the soldiers.."
I like how you organize your post by star ratings. It's very helpful.
I agree with your assessment or W&P. Dare I say an editor would have bumped my rating up. :) That said, the book was done in installments so some repetition probably helped. The philosophy parts were a bit convoluted. He totally lost be in the second, and unnecessary, epilogue. I would tell anyone wanting to read the book to skip the second epilogue.
I like your eclectic mix, Denise.
madrano wrote:Alias, congratulations on completing W&P. I guess i missed that you had completed it, too.
Since we have 1,195 posts and counting in the Buddy thread on the novel, I decided to skip a review here.
Here are mine ...
by Gill Hornby ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
by Jenny Erpenbeck ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
by L.P. Hartley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Alias Reader wrote: "Here are my November reads. It was a very nice reading month for me. I also enjoyed the eclectic mix. --
-War and Peace by Leo TolstoyFic..."
Major congrats on War & Peace! I've enjoyed a couple of Chekov plays, but reading Russian literature seems beyond me. Will consider the Korean story, and thanks for your input on the Japanese one.
Denise wrote: "War and PeaceIncessant moralizing downgraded the rating. 5 stars for the "peace" sections on the various families, 4 stars for the "war' especially scenes among the soldiers, ..."
These are my thoughts on War & Peace as well. It could easily have been written as two books. I preferred the Peace sections and also thought it was the 5-star portion of the novel.
John wrote: "Here are mine ...Things That Disappear by Jenny Erpenbeck by Jenny Erpenbeck ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.."
I see the author is the winner of the 2024 Booker International Prize.
This from the synopsis sounds intriguing.
“Is there some kind of perpetrator who makes things that I know cherish and disappear?” These things disappear, and yet do they really? Do they remain in our memories more fully than if they continued to exist?
Thanks for the title, John.
Alias Reader wrote: "Since we have 1,195 posts and counting in the Buddy thread on the novel, I decided to skip a review here..."Wow, that's an impressive number. I've only read a few of those, even though i click on it, so i can get it off my "unread" list. lol
madrano wrote: "I'm a fan of time travel but have never read a series of books about them. I suppose that once you know the travelers, it makes the books even more appealing. It's intriguing..."Deb, the travellers are, in actuality, Historians. Their purpose is to go back to moments in time where it's unclear what actually happened....and, of course, things can go awry. It's a humorous series with an interesting and developing storyline of life and relationships.
Alias Reader wrote: "He totally lost be in the second, and unnecessary, epilogue. I would tell anyone wanting to read the book to skip the second epilogue...."
LOL.....my sentiments, too....and mentioned in my review. LOL
My review of War and Peace: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
John, as always, I enjoyed your reviews. Jenny Erpenbeck's essays sound interesting. I'll see if my library system has a book of hers in the catalogue.
John wrote: "Here are mine ... by Gill Hornby ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
..."
What an interesting selection of reading, John. I appreciate the introduction to each. It is interesting how many Austen fans know of Cassandra, yet we know so little of her. This could help many become familiar.
I've not heard of the other two authors, despite Hartley having been around for decades. Thanks for the introduction to him. And the suggestion on where not to start. :-)
I really like the cover for the Erpenbeck book. It looks as though it speaks to the contents very nicely.
Thank you for sharing about them here.
John wrote: Major congrats on War & Peace! I've enjoyed a couple of Chekov plays, but reading Russian literature seems beyond me. Will consider the Korean story, and thanks for your input on the Japanese one..."Thank you, John.
For some reason W&P has a rep of being a difficult read. It really isn't. It's long at around 1400 pages and can get repetitious, but on the whole it's very straight forward. Well, except for Tolstoy's philosophy rants, that can get a bit much. But it's a small part of the book overall. Reading it with a group over a year was a nice way to tackle it. Simon Haisell has a group that does just that. There is a fee to join.
https://footnotesandtangents.substack...
I first heard the idea to read the book with him on the Gretchen Rubin podcast. Since it wasn't based in the U.S. I took a pass. I did purchase but have not yet read, Give War and Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times I think he relates the book to our lives today. I hope to tackle this book in December.
One thing I would caution, if you are Buddy Reading the book, each edition of the book is set up differently. Chapter length is not the same in all editions. We ran up against this problem in our Buddy Read as we all had different editions. I ended up having to post the opening/closing lines of each chapter so we could be in synch with each other.
Most of my November reads were for my 1950s challenge. My first 3 reviews are here--
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... POST # is before the title.
Post # 344 The Demolished Man--Alfred Bester Police detectives are telepathic, so can "read" the thoughts of people, including suspects. Police Procedural.
#340 The Space Merchants--Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth. The tv program Mad Men on steroids. Having more children means More Consumers!!
#348 Snow Country--Yasunari Kawabata This was actually a substitute, because i couldn't locate any copy of the '50s selection. Same author, earlier decade. A wealthy dilettante visits a part of cold Japan for a vacation. His geisha falls in love with him.
The next two are reviewed on this page/link.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
# 379 More Than Human--Theodore Sturgeon. While rather confusing in the beginning, we realize that characters depicted are finding their way toward one another. Those characters are all under 15 and have special psychic abilities.
#388 Molloy--Samuel Beckett. What a difficult first half, told in a long paragraph, by an unreliable narrator. The second half, while easier to read, was told by a disagreeable man, who has been assigned to locate & follow the first man.
Meet Me at the Museum--Anne Youngson. Epistolary novel between a farmer in England, musing about her life, and a Danish museum curator, whose province is The Tollund Man, a well-preserved body found in a Denmark bog. In essence, both are lonely. He due to the loss of his wife, she because she feels alone, even with her family.
Jumping Through Hoops: Performing Gender in the Nineteenth-Century Circus--Betsy Golden Kellem. A look at the Circus of the 19th century and how it appeared to the citizens then and people today. I would have preferred more biography on each performer but, as she points out, PR men were in charge of advertising & Pamphlets, so they are very unreliable.
I liked how Denise organised her books read by the number of stars she awarded them, so I'm taking a leaf out of her book.Victorian Psycho- 5 stars
I liked the contrast between the elements of the writing, which reminded me of some of the Victorian books I've read, and the subject matter. I also enjoyed the dry, very black humour which appeared from time to time. I admired how the author used jarring sentences to illustrate that the main character was deranged, although I wonder how effective they would be if someone had read more horror than I.
All that being said, I spent much of the book feeling faintly nauseous and suspect I would not have finished if it was much longer than it was. I admire how cleverly it was written, so it gets 5 stars, but I’m not sure I would read anything else by this author.
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society - 5 stars
This was a fun, light book. It started out as a comedy and took a slightly darker turn when the demon was introduced (but think "Buffy" rather than "The Exorcist"). Then it lightened up somewhat again and moved irrepressibly to the proper cosy ending. Naturally, thiswas with all the suspects collected together so the detective (the librarian) could explain how she solved the crime, in best Agatha Christie fashion. Along the way there were plenty of references to horror books and cosy crime books and authors, which were often humorous. Sometimes the books or authors are named, sometimes you'll pick up the references if you know the books but they'll go over your head otherwise.
I'm really hoping there'll be a sequel and although this came to a satisfactory conclusion, it was set up so a sequel is possible.
Also madrano (remembering a comment you made earlier in November) the author (C.M. Waggoner) has also noticed that some fictional villages and small towns have murder rates that should have their inhabitants running for the hills, but inexplicably no one seems remotely concerned about it.
The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness & the Love of Words - 4 stars
Edited to add: Thanks to AliasReader I've found out this book also has the title The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
This was interesting, but I became more interested in reading about the creation of the Oxford English dictionary than the two men who were the focus of this book. The writing style was a lot more engaging than I expected (but I've not read a book by this author before), so that was a pleasant surprise. The non-fiction books I've read before tend to be a bit dry even though the subject matter was interesting. To find an author who writes interesting non-fiction in an engaging way is quite a find. I wasn't looking for a book about the OED, but this one sparked my interest in how it was compiled. I'd taken it for granted up until now. The histories of the two men were also interesting, but for me the "star" of the book was the OED and there wasn't enough about it to satisfy my interest. If there had been, I would have probably rated this as 5 stars.
Wrong About Japan - 3 stars
While reading this, I was focused more on the relationship between Mr Carey and his son than the various interviews he'd set up with Japanese creators of manga and anime. He wanted to explore Japanese culture which he seemed to think he understood because he'd read manga and watched anime. Instead of going to Japan ready to learn, he went with a bunch of theories that he wanted the Japanese people he interviewed to confirm. He got frustrated when he was gently told that his theories were wrong and his unwillingness to learn got irritating. I would have rated this lower, but about half-way through the book there was a very moving description of a Japanese person's experience of the Tokyo fire-bombing. This was difficult to read but added gravitas to what had up until then been a pretty superficial exploration of some aspects of contemporary Japanese culture.
Victorian Tales of the Weird: A curated anthology of Victorian and Edwardian weird tales, supernatural horrors and uncanny fiction- 3 stars
This is a collection of short stories and as usual, I liked some better than others. I'd only come across one before (Man-sized in Marble) but luckily I like that so I was quite happy to re-read it. It was particularly interesting to read the science fiction-based stories written when, in my opinion, science fiction really began to take off.
I’d not heard of most of these authors before and the stories probably demostrate why. The prose often plodded. It was OK since these were short stories, but I will not be seeking out full-length novels from the majority of authors.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - 3 stars
I really enjoyed the first third of this novel, which was poking fun at the British civil service (and possibly government departments everywhere). Then the "atmosphere" of the book changed abruptly as it started to introduce some more serious themes. For a while I was slightly bored, I think by the way the themes were introduced, but my interest revived and I read to the end, although I never regained my initial enthusiasm for the plot and the characters.
Some of the characters were caricatures, or little better. Sometimes this worked (view spoiler) other times not so much (view spoiler). There were some aspects of the plot that bothered me too (view spoiler). I know this book was humorous fiction, but even so, I thought it would have been slightly more palatable if some negative aspects of the plot were acknowledged.
I'm debating whether to add The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society and The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness & the Love of Words to the books about books list. I probably will add The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society but I'm still undecided about The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness & the Love of Words.
madrano wrote: "Most of my November reads were for my 1950s challenge. .."Seven books ! You had a busy reading month.
Deb, did you keep a separate list of the 1950s books for your challenge? I couldn't find it.
KeenReader wrote: The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness & the Love of Words - 4 stars
This was interesting, but I became more interested in reading about the creation of the Oxford English dictionary than the two men who were the focus of this book.
I enjoyed reading your reviews, Keen. You had a nice eclectic month.
Keen, this one may interest you.
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon WinchesterThe Professor and the Madman is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary—and literary history.
The making of the OED was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, was stunned to discover that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. But their surprise would pale in comparison to what they were about to discover when the committee insisted on honoring him. For Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.
Masterfully researched and eloquently written, The Professor and the Madman “is the linguistic detective story of the decade.” (William Safire, New York Times Magazine)
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Alias Reader wrote: "Keen, this one may interest you.The Professor and the Madman A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester"
I've just checked it and it's the book I just read! It has two different titles . Maybe it's "the Surgeon of Crowthorne" in the UK and "The Professor and the Madman" in the USA. I'm going to add both titles to my post. Thanks for telling me about it, I'd have been interested if it was another book on the same topic.
But Simon Winchester has written another book, just about the Oxford English Dictionary: The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary. I am definitely going to get my hands on that, but I don't know when. Next year is the year of reducing my TBR - I mean it this time! 😂
madrano wrote: "Most of my November reads were for my 1950s challenge. My first 3 reviews are here--
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... POST # is before the title...."
Quite a selection, madrano! I'm tempted by Snow Country, but would likely be too subtle for me. Museum letters sounds interesting.
KeenReader wrote:The Professor and the Madman A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester"I've just checked it and it's the book I just read! It has two different titles . Maybe it's "the Surgeon of Crowthorne" in the UK and "The Professor and the Madman" in the USA..."
That's odd. I've seen different covers but not different titles ! Good catch.
Good luck reducing the TBR. I've given up on that. :)
Alias Reader wrote: "John wrote: Major congrats on War & Peace! I've enjoyed a couple of Chekov plays, but reading Russian literature seems beyond me. Will consider the Korean story, and thanks for your input on the Ja..."I agree that it was not a difficult read, just long. But the short chapters make it friendly and it was easy to tackle in 10-15 intervals every day. The only part that was difficult was Epilogue 2, and as you said it's not necessary to read it. The book can easily end with the wrap up of the characters' stories.
KeenReader wrote: "I liked how Denise organised her books read by the number of stars she awarded them, so I'm taking a leaf out of her book.Victorian Psycho- 5 stars
I liked the contrast between ..."
Have you seen the movie version of Salmon Fishing? I liked it. I have the book but your review is not encouraging
Hello everyone! For November, I read four books.First up was Game by Barry Lyga. I go into significantly more detail about it here.
So this is the second entry in the I Hunt Killers series. Unlike the previous entry where Jazz chose to solve a murder mystery in his home town and bring a serial killer to justice, this time, Jazz is roped into solving another mystery in New York City, with his girlfriend Connie joining in.
I'm just gonna come out and say it. This entry was not as good as the last one. But that doesn't mean it's bad. Far from it.
One thing that I can definitely say this book just nailed was the character development! It takes previously established facts about the characters and raises the stakes, fosters genuine growth, allows the reader to better understand why a character is the way they are, and so on. Speaking of stakes, it does what a great sequel should do by raising the stakes in a way that's not too over the top or unbelievable. I was also very much blown away by the twist regarding who the killer was and what was really going on. Without giving too much away, it very much goes hand in hand with the raised stakes and the sheer amount of thought and effort the author put into it really shines through.
However, the multiple non-Jazz POVs were certainly a double-edged sword. There's no doubt that provided some excellent character development and insight. But they do make Jazz feel rather sidelined in his own story and even spoil some crucial information about the killer.
Also, this novel did Howie dirty. So Howie is Jazz's best friend and in the last entry, he was this brave and cunning guy who loved basketball, wanted tattoos but couldn't have them at all due to his hemophilia, and knew how lonely and painful being an outcast could be. He also got his share of badass moments. Guess what this entry does to him? Makes him little more than "Perv who occasionally babysits Jazz's senile grandmother and has a crush on Jazz's aunt." Yeah, you can see why this rubbed me the wrong way.
There were also some parts that felt really stupid and out of touch in the technology department, especially the ending. Oh boy, the ending. To make a long story short, much like with the last entry, the ending has Jazz acting uncharacteristically stupid for the sake of cheap drama. Seriously, Jazz has all the information he needs and a phone that is capable of calling emergency services to get out of his jam, but just doesn't bother to make that fucking call. Ugh!
Rating: B
Another book I read was The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. If you're looking for my full review on it, you can find it here.
The plot of this one is a little harder to explain, but essentially, it's a collection of stories about several Chinese-Americans living their lives and stuff.
If you love character-driven stories like I do, then you're in luck because this book absolutely delivers on that front! The comedy is also great and even some of the chapter endings were pretty cool, ranging from heartwarming to surreal and ambiguous.
The biggest problem that I had with this book is that it'll sometimes set up really interesting elements (like the titular Joy Luck Club and this plot line involving Jing-Mei Woo trying to reunite with her long lost siblings) but barely do anything with them, making me question why they were even included to begin with.
Rating: B-
The third book I read for November was The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo. Full thoughts on it here.
This book mainly focuses on a handmaiden named Rabbit telling a tale to a cleric named Chih that chronicles Empress In-yo's rise.
Truth be told, I was ready to love this book. The dynamic between Chih and Almost Brilliant was nuanced and loving. The way that it felt confident in setting itself apart from other fantasy novels by being really short and locking its focus squarely on Rabbit sharing this story with Chih was awesome. The detail of having its universe's inhabitants learn cruical life and survival skills through games was brilliant!
But, I think what really sunk it for me and where I think the book's really short length really bit it in the ass is when it came to the development of Chih and Empress In-yo. In short, Chih is quite underdeveloped even though they're basically the main character and, in an effort to stick to its very short page count and in bungled efforts to make Empress In-yo seem like this badass, Empress In-yo comes off as boring, unrelatable, and inhuman. Like, really?
Rating: C
The last of my November reads was Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. My entire review on it can be found here.
In this one, a woman named Cam discovers that her husband, Luke, is the perpetrator in a hostage situation and slowly but surely, it becomes clear why.
This book... almost works. The opening chapters were a perfect blend of character development and engaging plot, the author seemed like they really did their homework on how technology actually works and how actual people would actually use it, the approach to the way it told the story was ingenious. Hell, even Niall's therapist was an excellent character! It has all of the ingredients to make something awesome.
But one of the biggest problems that really drags it down is the cavalcade of plot holes and other things that just flat out don't make sense, especially when it comes to the big reveal. It's also clear from the moments that just spell things out for the reader and excerpts from in-universe pieces of literature that don't add anything that this really needed at least a couple more rounds of editing. Like, my God.
Rating: D
Overall, November was somewhat of a mixed bag, but it certainly could've been worse.
#25 KeenReader wrote: "Also madrano (remembering a comment you made earlier in November) the author (C.M. Waggoner) has also noticed that some fictional villages and small towns have murder rates that should have their inhabitants running for the hills, but inexplicably no one seems remotely concerned about it. ..."LOL, i appreciate this comment in your review of Village Library Demon, KeenReader. This sounds on target to fall into that group of fictional areas. I was hoping you would add this one (& the others you mentioned) to the Book/Librarian/Etc. thread. I'd like to remember it for later but it would get lost in my mile-long TBR.
Thank you for the note on the different titles for the OED. I read and really liked what Winchester wrote. (I've read a couple of other books written by him & liked what i learned in them, too.) There was a quite boring film made of this book, too, btw.
I think it was John, another Book Nook regular, who told us about Wrong About Japan. As i recall, he was less enthusiastic about the book than i was. Possibly this is because i hadn't read much nonfiction about Japan, so more of the material was news to me.
Thanks for sharing about each of the titles, Keen Reader. You've had a busy reading month!
26 Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "Most of my November reads were for my 1950s challenge. .."Seven books ! You had a busy reading month.
Deb, did you keep a separate list of the 1950s books for your challenge? I ..."
To be honest, many of the '50s books are under 300 pages, and rather quick reading. Of course, that in no way atones for Molloy, which took me almost the entire month!! And i almost returned it twice.
My 1950s list is on my Challenge Thread, but not immediately after the group Challenge. I was posting my thinking process, as well. I won't do that again and cannot remember why i chose to do so this year. lol
Post 5 here--https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
POST 7 lists others from the '50s lists which i had read in years past.
Denise wrote: "Have you seen the movie version of Salmon Fishing? I liked it. I have the book but your review is not encouraging"
No, I haven't seen the movie. I might, but I'll leave it until I don't remember the book too well. Otherwise I have a track record of whinging about all the changes from the book. This does not go down well if I am watching with others.
#29 John wrote: "Quite a selection, madrano! I'm tempted by Snow Country, but would likely be too subtle for me. Museum letters sounds interesting...."Honestly, John, i felt it was too subtle for me. There were numerous mentions of the color red--sunsets, cheeks, banners. I expected it meant something but i found nothing to echo its use. I'm sure i missed even more.
32 Denise wrote: "Have you seen the movie version of Salmon Fishing? I liked it. I have the book but your review is not encouraging..."I enjoyed that movie and agree with you about how the book sounds. I'll pass.
What a mix of titles, Hailey. That last one, while sounding most appealing ended up sounding awful, not trusting the reader and leaving holes? Pass. I appreciate the warning.I rather liked the story, written by Vo and may give it a try, as it's rather short. Thanks for sharing and letting me know about the weaker spots you observed.
It's fun to read your reviews of books you really like. Your descriptions and opinions on them, their characters and joys is delightful.
Thank you for sharing with us here, Hailey.
# 33 Hailey wrote:Hello everyone! For November, I read four books.
Interesting selection of books, Hailey. I enjoyed reading your reviews.
I read The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan years ago. Along with The Kitchen God's Wife. I also read her recent non fiction book The Backyard Bird Chronicles Which I gave a 3/5 Good. Especially for those that feed and care or birds.
What a shame about Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. It sounds like a little more work and editing and it could have been a real winner.
# 35 madrano wrote: My 1950s list is on my Challenge Thread, but not immediately after the group Challenge."
Thank you. I didn't realize it was in the same thread as our 2025 challenge. I didn't scroll down enough to post #5.
I'm really impressed how well you did on the 1950s challenge
Post #5 list. Well done, my friend !
madrano wrote: "#29 John wrote: "Quite a selection, madrano! I'm tempted by Snow Country, but would likely be too subtle for me. Museum letters sounds interesting...."Honestly, John, i felt it was too subtle for..."
Many thanks! There are other Japanese books to discover.
madrano wrote: "#25 KeenReader wrote: "Also madrano (remembering a comment you made earlier in November) the author (C.M. Waggoner) has also noticed that some fictional villages and small towns have murder rates t..."I have not read Wrong About Japan, though have been aware of its existence. Been put off by the reference to anime and manga themes as that wouldn't interest me much.
madrano wrote: "#348 Snow Country--Yasunari Kawabata This was actually a substitute, because i couldn't locate any copy of the '50s selection. Same author, earlier decade. A wealthy dilettante visits a part of cold Japan for a vacation. His geisha falls in love with him.#388 Molloy--Samuel Beckett. What a difficult first half, told in a long paragraph, by an unreliable narrator. The second half, while easier to read, was told by a disagreeable man, who has been assigned to locate & follow the first man....."
Nice selection of reading material, Madrano!
I thought Snow Country sounded familiar....that perhaps I'd read it. But I haven't. I read a similarily titled book, Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima.
I read the Molloy trilogy a number of years ago. Difficult is a good way to describe this read. It was a journey. LOL
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
KeenReader wrote: "The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness & the Love of Words - 4 stars
Edited to add: Thanks to AliasReader I've found out this book also has the title The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary ..."
Great list, KeenReader.
I also read The Professor and the Madman a few years back. It's nice to see it popping up again. It's fun to find out that it's published under a different title.
41 Alias Reader wrote: "I'm really impressed how well you did on the 1950s challengePost #5 list. Well done, my friend !..."
Ah, shucks, thank you.
I wonder if i would have done as well if there were not so many science fiction novels on the list. Many were on the TBR for decades, but i just never followed through. This time, i had an agenda, so to speak. Included were the following:
The Martian Chronicles--Ray Bradbury
I, Robot--Isaac Asimov
Foundation--Isaac Asimov
I Am Legend--Richard Matheson
And three classics i never heard of but thoroughly enjoyed because they presage many aspects of life today.
The Demolished Man--Alfred Bester
More Than Human--Theodore Sturgeon
The Space Merchants--Frederik Pohl and C M Kornbluth
The last is the one which is the tv show Mad Men on steroids.
It was instructive to read comments about later sci-fi favorites who claim the above as the pioneers of the genre.
43 John wrote: "I have not read Wrong About Japan, though have been aware of its existence. Been put off by the reference to anime and manga themes as that wouldn't interest me much..."My error, John. I barely remember the anime and manga themes, only that the son liked it. If he got into it more, i've forgotten. lol
42 John wrote: "Many thanks! There are other Japanese books to discover..."True. What i liked was reading older novels from Japan. Not ancient, of course, but from the 40s & 50s. The pacing seemed good and explanations fresh.
#44 Petra wrote: "I thought Snow Country sounded familiar....that perhaps I'd read it. But I haven't. I read a similarily titled book, Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima...."I would like to read more novels written by him, Petra. This year, as part of my '50s challenge, i read his The Sound of Waves, which i liked.
Re. Molloy. What a piece of work! I'm not sure i'll ever be up to the rest of the trilogy, but i do intend to reread Beckett's Waiting for Godot.
#45 Petra wrote: "I also read The Professor and the Madman a few years back. It's nice to see it popping up again. It's fun to find out that it's published under a different title..."Perfectly stated, Petra. It's a delight to see titles i've read mentioned here. Neat just to see that someone else has read the words/ideas i truly enjoyed.
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