Everything I Read In November 2022

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November was a great reading month for me! I read 13 books, DNF’d one, and found a new all-time favorite! I decided to participate in #Knowyourshelf2022, a reading challenge run by @bookswithmitch on Instagram.

The goal is to just read books that are already on your shelf, not new purchases. Of course new books are allowed, they just don’t count toward the challenge.

I have so many books on my shelf that I haven’t read so I figured this was a good way to get through some of them. My goal is 20 between November and December and I’m doing good so far with 13.

It was basically a month of thrillers, dystopias, and Nordiic Noir, which are all my favorites so I would say it was a good month even though there were some I didn’t fiinish or like very much.

A lot of these have been on my TBR for quite a while so II’m glad I decided to do the challenge and finally read them. I’ve also been trying to do a no book buy for the rest of the year and it mostly went well.

I had some PangoBooks crediits to use one day then stopped at a bunch of bookstore on my way to/from Orlando two different days for an airport run, then I got a few Kndle ones one day.

Overall not bad but my goal is none in December! Anyway, here is everything I read in November 2022!

• If you want to listen to some of these, consider trying Audible! You can get your first month free (one free book) plus tons of others they have for free.  Get that Audible deal here.
• If you’re on more of a budget, try Scribd!  You can get your first month free there. You can read books and listen to audiobooks. It is unlimited (especially the reading) but if you listen to tons of new audiobooks you may be restricted after a few. I don’t listen to enough to confirm this, but I do use Scribd myself and like it a lot. Sign up for Scribd here!
• Shop my collection of bookish goodies on Etsy! These aren’t my shop items, but other shops I’ve curated into a book-themed collection. Shop my Etsy bookish goodies here!
• If you want to read more on your Kindle but don’t want to buy books, Kindle Unlimited is a wonderful option. It’s $9.99 a month but if you read a lot and like to read more than just new releases, it could be worth it. Get Kindle Unlimited here!
• Get $5 off of $25 from BookOutlet! This is a great place to find new books for pretty cheap. They also have sales quite a bit, so keep an eye out for those. I tend to check here for books I want if they’re more expensive other places. They don’t have everything but they do have a lot. Shop BookOutlet here!
• Thrift Books has become my go-to when I’m looking for a book and want it cheap. It’s great if you like buying used books. With this you can get a free book after spending $30!
• Shop my book lists here! You can find every book list I have on Bookshop.org (except my monthly round-ups) and I add everything I can but they occasionally won’t have some. I do occasionally add extras though. If any lists are empty, they’ll be filled in shortly! Shop my bookshop.org book lists here.

The Women in the Walls

Final thoughts: From Goodreads: I liked the last 70 pages of this more than the first 200ish. I feel like Lucy could have been fleshed out a little more, along with her relationship with Margaret. I don’t know how to even feel about Lucy because we don’t see anything we’re told about her, really. And there is nothing that makes it seem like she and Margaret were friends at all at any point.

The setting was also very strange. Everything about it makes you think this is a historical telling but it’s modern. The mentions of cars and the bus feel weird and jarring and out of place based on the way everyone acts and speaks.

Overall, I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either. I did like the last portion quite a bit though.

We Set the Dark on Fire

Final thoughts: First of all, don’t read the Goodreads reviews on this because so many of them mention a fairly major spoiler but it’s uncovered. That would have been a better surprise, though it does come out of nowhere but not in a great way.

I was so excited about this one but it just didn’t do it for me. I read the first half and listened to the second half but I should have just stopped instead. I don’t even have the energy to complain about this one, it just wasn’t for me.

Internment

Final thoughts: I enjoyed this one. It wasn’t quite what I expected even though reading the description again it’s exactly what it says so I’m not sure what I was thinking. It’s been on my TBR so long I forgot everything other than wanting to read it, I guess.

I’ll admit, her fixation on her boyfriend and constantly risking everything (for herself and her parents) was very annoying but also, she’s a teenager so I can only let myself be annoyed that so much.

The dialogue was also a little weird at times but not enough to really bother me. And the middle section felt a little boring and repetitive but for the most part, I enjoyed it.

I do think the idea and topic are both great and very important, more relevant than ever (maybe) and something people should read about but the overall execution could have been a little better. Didn’t hate it by any means though. I think it’s worth reading and would still recommend it.

The Dark

Final thoughts: I definitely liked this more than not, particularly the second half, but the fixation on weed in this was really bizarre when she has a prescription drug problem herself. And the weed isn’t even relevant!

Something I’ve mentioned before on here is that I’m literally the worst at guessing the villains. Like, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve been right and I’ve read a lot of thrillers, but I guessed this one as soon as we met them with not an ounce of doubt.

I still enjoyed it though and would still recommend it, especially if you enjoy either (or both) Antarctica and locked-room mysteries.

Wanted

Final thoughts: LOVED this one! This was for sure the best book in the series so far. So much happens and the whole thing is exciting. **SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH**

The only complaint I have is that firefighter at the end who just shows up and is like Yeah, that fire was so hot she probably incinerated instantly. She’s dead. without even going in!! Like, what? You won’t even wait until it’s put out to look for remains? Just, she’s dead? No. Also, no way you could be incinerated instantly.

Fragments of the Lost

Final thoughts: DNF at page 173. I like the concept of this a lot, that as Jessa cleans out his room we get a memory related to something she finds but sweet baby Jesus was I bored.

Apparently, it picks up around page 270 but I didn’t have it in me to keep going. I have too many other things to read. I love Megan Miranda but this one wasn’t it. Cool idea, could be better executed.

I’m on a mission to read all of Megan Miranda’s books so I can do a Megan Miranda book ranking. I have a lot to go but even after this one I’m excited to read them. She’s one of my favorite authors!

This is Not a Ghost Story

Final thoughts: I loved this. It was weird. I liked the writing style (except for the random “dear reader” that we got). The setting was interesting and I was curious the whole time of what was really going on. **MAJOR SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH**

There were some complaints in the reviews that her version of heaven is with her boyfriend who wasn’t even that great but like, she’s 17. Her mom abandoned her. She has no dad. Her boyfriend was the love of her life and SHES 17! It’s not that weird that being with him is her heaven when she basically has no one else.

Cold as Hell

Final thoughts: From Goodreads: Arora is giant like a troll, but super beautiful. She goes to Iceland to look for her missing sister but mainly investigates the finances of a criminal she’s sleeping with while she has the hots for her not uncle.

I didn’t care for the Hakon storyline, it really felt unnecessary as did making Daniel her uncle who isn’t her uncle anymore? Just weird. But overall I still enjoyed this and I liked the ending. I’ll definitely read the second one.

The Woman in Cabin 10

Final thoughts: I actually really liked this one. Ruth Ware is an author I want to love but I feel like the endings are always a letdown. (I did like The Lying Game, too, though.) I didn’t really like Lo at the beginning but liked her more at the end.

I’m on a mission to read all of her books (I have three left now) so I can do a whole Ruth Ware books ranked post. Hopefully, I’ll finish them soon!

Annihilation

Final thoughts: I had no idea what genre this would really be. It’s shelved under sci-fi, horror, fantasy, mystery, AND dystopia. And a lot of each genre, not just once or twice. I would probably go with sci-fi and horror the most.

I had high expectations for this and I loved it! It’s unsettling and creepy. It’s not super sci-fi, but just enough. It’s mysterious and atmospheric. So good.

I actually got the third book, Acceptance, years ago when someone left it at the hotel I was working at and I just went to read it a few months ago and realized it’s the third book so I had to get the first two when I saw them visiting home.

Genuine Fraud

Final thoughts: I actually liked this one! My expectations weren’t too high since it has a low rating but I liked it. It feels more mystery than thriller though. I liked that it was told in reverse and actually didn’t realize the chapter numbers were in reverse until II had like, three left.

I understand why people might not like this one but I enjoyed it. Not an all-time favorite but I still liked it.

The Bird Tribunal

Final thoughts: This didn’t feel like most Nordic Noir I’ve read so far. I like the idea of it but it fell a little flat for me. From Goodreads: 2.5 I liked this enough but was also a little disappointed? You can tell something is off pretty much the whole time so I was expecting a lot more of an ending but the actual “exciting” ending is like, two pages long and exactly what I thought it would be. I’m glad it was short.

Have you read any of these? Which ones? What did you read in November?