Hi Page Turners,
November was quite a good reading month for me especially in the crime/thriller genre but on the other hand my non-fiction reads were not as good. I read a total of nine books and they were really a mix between poetry-literary fiction (magical realism) crime/mystery and thriller. It also was a month in which I officially graduated and because I was reading Next of Kin during that week I think it is something that will stay with me and almost be entwined with that memory. (Even though that book wasn’t a happy one). Below is the ten books I read and a short summary of how I found the book. There is a link to some of the books I read with a longer review of how I found the book and quotes that I highlighted. If you wish to keep up to date with the books I read and instant updates on reviews etc be sure to friend me on Goodreads or if you want you can follow me instead. The link is at the bottom of the post.
The Family by Naomi Krupitsky was the first book I picked up in November. I actually had picked this book up before- well it was on my shelf- but I actually saw a friend rave about this one so I thought let me try it. Honestly it had so much potential but I didn’t enjoy it. I think it was really down to the narration of the book because the plot was interesting and like I said it had potential but it didn’t live up to the hype.
Next of Kin by Kia Abduallah was my next read and of course I picked up the day before I was graduating. I loved this book so much and because it was a slow burn I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did. A family torn apart by a tragedy but then scrutinised in court due to an accident. Or was it really an accident. The ending had left my jaw on the floor because I didn’t see that coming. I would love book two just to see how it all played out. Full review here- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5955874546
The Masnavi Book One by Rumi my next read was a poetry collection that Rumi wrote. Something that I have been wanting to read for ages because I love his interpretation to the world and the way he views things. His writing his very poetic of course and this poetry really just touched me and I have highlighted so much passages that I can’t wait to come back to and re-visit. Read my review here- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5440023459
Idol by Louise O’Neill my next thriller/crime and at first I hated it which is the funniest thing ever because after I finished this book I couldn’t stop thinking about it and ended up loving it so much. It is such a thought- provoking book holding up a mirror to society questioning the people we put on a pedestal do they deserve to be there and equally do we put pressures and expectations on them that make them destined to fail. Such a gripping and unputdownable book especially with the narration of Sam as an unreliable narrator. A must read book- my full review here- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5971680254
Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia possibly one of the books that I read the slowest because it wasn’t a fact paced thriller instead it was claustrophobic and intense in the best way possible. I didn’t give this a high rating because I guess I expected more than what it delivered and the plot was somewhat predictable but still a fun read. Review here- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5973986930
The Skills by Mishal Husain this was my first non-fiction book I picked up in November and I really was looking forward to this because I expected this to be a guide full of advice to graduates and while it did that it was more of a study and look at society’s inequalities of women and men in the workplace. Nevethless and informative read just not something I was expecting.
She will Build him A City by Raj Kamal Jha this was the next book I picked up and again with Untamed Shore I guess I wanted to enjoy this more than I expected to. It was a hard hitting book and I mean that it was emotive and really heat warming read but because of the magical realism I guess it was hard to read but a beautiful book overall.
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert admittly I found this so hard to read because I found this hard to swallow. I just want to preface this by saying I really appreciate her I guess quest to finding herself whether it be in religion or spirituality but I had to switch reading from paperback to audio book because I just didn’t find this authentic. I feel like she has glamourised and fictionalised her experience and you may point out that it is a book but I will say that a lot of memoirs and auto-bios have achived this balance. I am glad she got a happy ending but I am sad that I didn’t enjoy this book considering the hype it has got.
The Survivors by Jane Harper another slow burn crime/thriller that I absoloutley devoured. A small town fictional setting that reminds me of Home and Away (or just me steryotyping) a community that are binded together through a tragedy so what happens when the past confronts the present. Such an amazing, cleverly plotted book and another ending that left me gobsmacked but this was almost rushed so I kind of wanted it to be a bit more than what it was. Another must read though, read my full review here- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5999270129
That was my last book of the month which means that is my wrap up complete. I think this has been one of my best reading months and as always I would love to know what you have read and picked up in November and whether you have had a good reading month and please comment below what you read and whether you would recommend me any. If you have read any of the above let me know what you thought of it and whether you agree or not.
Thank you so much for reading this post. I love sharing what I have read and it is even better when they become must reads so please do pick them up or consider putting them on your tbr and when you get a chance read them and let me know if you agree with my review or if you disagree. If you want weekly reading updates subscribe to my newsletter where I always discuss the book I have read during that week. Of course you can always get instant updated via my Goodreads. Thanks for reading.
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Fiz @Every Page She Turns.
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