November reads
Mini reviews of everything I read last month
To quote
, November felt a lot like I was “chasing my tail”. Somehow, I managed to read five books last month but boy did it feel chaotic at times.Anyway, here’s everything I read…
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Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood
A collection of short stories.
This was hit-and-miss for me, but hear out this review...
There were some stories in here that I thought were incredible and I’d definitely want to read a full novel of (namely, Freeforall and My Evil Mother), while there were others that I struggled to get through.
There was tonnes of beautiful writing about grief and ageing. Most of the tales were about older folk so I think some of the issue was that I simply couldn’t relate to the characters’ experiences.
However, I always always read the acknowledgements of a book after I’ve read it, and in doing so here I learned that Atwood lost her husband in 2019. I did a bit of digging and it turns out this collection of stories is, on the whole, deeply personal and somewhat semi-autobiographical. I wish I’d known this before reading because it would have completely changed how I interpreted some of the stories.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Deep underground, forty women sit in a locked cage within a bunker. They do not know how they got there, and they have little recollection of the world they left behind.
Trigger warning: This book contains strong references to suicide.
This is the sort of book that will keep me up at night for all the right reasons; it’s thought-provoking in such a unique way.
It was actually my book club’s read for October and it provided one of the best discussions I’ve ever had there. We talked about community, womanhood, and what “freedom” really means to each of us - just a magical conversation among my fellow readers.
I Who Have Never Known Men is dark and reflective, so be warned that you won’t feel that uplifted after reading. It is definitely one of the best books I’ve read all year, though!
And a big winner for those who like a short read - it’s less than 200 pages!
Local journalist Kate feels lost in her life. Widower Rosemary loves the local lido more than anything. When the lido is threatened with closure, the two become an unlikely pair.
I’ll let you in on a secret - my reading in October and the start of November was heavy. Now, I love those heavier books but they can bog you down a little.
The Lido was just what I needed.
Hopeful. Wholesome. A beautiful sense of community.
Just perfection for a light-hearted, yet still emotive, read that makes you feel a little more optimistic about various parts of life.
If you feel you need a breather from everything, pick this up. It’s sunshine in a book.
She’s A Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock
Releasing April 2025. A huge thank you to Meredith Hambrock, ECW and NetGalley for the eARC.
Jessamyn is destined to be a musical theatre star, but when her nemesis Samantha gets the lead as Maria in The Sound of Music! Jessamyn is determined to steal the role. No matter what it takes.
Trigger warning: This book includes references to sexual abuse.
She’s A Lamb! has gone straight to one of my favourites of 2024. Intense, emotive, thrilling and, at times, very funny.
Jessamyn is a hilariously dark main character, with sheer delusion at the heart of it all. After reading, it’s very clear why it’s been likened to Yellowface. June and Jessamyn are very similar.
It’s heavy - being in Jessamyn’s head isn’t easy - and Hambrock has done such a great job of making this deranged woman somewhat likeably unlikeable.
My only complaint is the ending. Specifically, the last sentence. It left it all quite open-ended (for your own interpretation, I guess) but I wanted more closure. This is a very personal preference, I’d imagine!
All in all, an absolute corker of a book (hate that I just used the word “corker”, btw). It was tonnes of fun to read and I’ll be hunting down more of Hambrock’s work in the future.
Henry Turner is captain of the ice hockey team, but if his grades don’t improve that might not be the case.
Halle Jacobs is a social recluse with excellent grades who wants more of “the college experience” than she has had so far.
Could they be exactly what the other needs?
Well, wasn’t this just an absolute ball of fluffy goodness.
There are a lot of things I disliked about this book, and a lot I liked too.
Henry and Halle are very wholesome characters, and I liked both of them individually. I definitely enjoyed their friendship, too. What I did not see, however, was a real romantic connection between the two. Friends, sure, but actual lovers? Not so much.
Oh, and the tutor x jock trope? Virtually non-existent.
Hannah Grace’s writing was, as always, very easy to digest. The character development was great, even if there were too many characters (in true HG style). The story was more character-focused and I did feel a lot of the plot was “bumph”, but I enjoyed it anyway!
Icebreaker remains my favourite Hannah Grace book to date. I will die on this hill.
So that's everything I read in November. I'll be moving onto fluffy, festive reads for December and I can't wait!
What was your favourite read from last month?
Writing these down to pick up in 2025!!!