I thought November was a productive reading month right until I realized it wasn’t. I only read 13 books in November, which is less than my monthly average.
I’m pretty sure I dropped seven books last month. Maybe that’s why I thought I’d read more. I was reading the beginnings of a lot of books.
Either way, it’s impossible for me to reach my 2024 reading goal of reading 200 books this year. I’ll come close, but I won’t quite get there.
Despite missing my goal, I’ve still read a lot of amazing books.
My Favorite Books of November 2024
I gave three fiction books perfect grades in November. Here are my reviews.
Daydream
I don’t know that this has ever happened before. I read a series and gave all three books perfect grades.
You may remember that I loved the first book in the Maple Hill series, Icebreaker. I didn’t expect to like it because spicy rom-com is not my typical genre, but I found the characters a lot deeper than expected.
I certainly didn’t expect to love Hannah Grace’s second book in the series, mostly because I rarely like the second book in a series as much as the first. But Wildfire surprised me too.
I had high expectations for the third book in the series. A couple of members of my book club who encouraged me to read it had told me that Daydream was about the character who comes to be your favorite. I knew immediately who they were talking about and was so excited to read it. Then, it was kinda like an overhyped movie. It took me a while to get into it. But when I did, I loved it so much.
Daydream is about Henry Turner, everyone’s favorite quirky member of the Maple Hills hockey team.
Henry was nominated to be this year’s team captain and is putting a ton of pressure on himself not to fail at the task. He’s also struggling in one of his classes, making junior year a real challenge.
To make matters even more complicated, Henry meets Halle Jacobs, a literature nerd who just might be the answer to his class problems and the cause of a lot of other life drama.
The Last Love Note
When I started The Last Love Note by Emma Grey, I wondered why it had so many amazing ratings on Goodreads. Then, I suddenly understood.
Cameron and Kate have a once-in-a-lifetime love. They are the type of couple others envy. And their adorable son, Charlie, rounds out the perfect little family.
Then, Cameron gets early-onset Alzheimer’s and dies, making Kate a widow with a toddler.
When we meet Kate, it’s been two years since Cameron died, but she’s still a mess. She’s trying to hold it all together, but she barely gets through the day because of her grief. Her goal is to survive and take care of Charlie. She never considers that she should be taking care of herself too.
When a storm messes with a ton of flights, Kate is left stranded for a weekend in Australia with her boss and greatest source of support, Hugh. Once Kate is away from her day-to-day responsibilities, her grief hits her strong and she’s forced to process it and consider what the future might hold for her.
What Does It Feel Like?
I haven’t read a Sophie Kinsella book in years. I read a bunch of her “Shopaholic” books back in the day before I transitioned into reading mostly thrillers. But when I read that What Does it Feel Like? was a fiction version of Kinsella’s real-life diagnosis with brain cancer, I felt called to read it. When I tell you that I consumed this book and it changed my life, it’s no exaggeration.
Eve is a successful novelist who is walking the red carpet at the movie premiere of her most recent book. The next thing we know, she wakes up in the hospital with little memory and no idea why she’s there.
Eve has terminal brain cancer. The doctors removed a tumor from her head, which means she has to relearn basic things like walking, rebuilding her short-term memory, and coping with her diagnosis and its impact on her, her husband, and their five children.
But what happens in the process is that Eve is able to focus on what’s really important in life. She celebrates all she has while mourning what she may not experience in the future.
Happy Reading!
There they are, my favorite books of November. I had a bit of a sad theme without even realizing it. I learned while researching for this post that Emma Grey’s book also was inspired by real-life events. She lost her husband to a heart attack in 2016. She decided to write a novel about grief and felt more comfortable with fiction.
I hope you find something on the list to read and love.
As always, Happy Reading!
