November Recap

Life lately

November somewhat felt like a long month because Thanksgiving was so late but because of that, it also feels like Christmas is right around the corner now! Which is why I've been shopping like crazy to finish buying presents. (Be proud, I'm nearly done!) But looking back on these last few weeks, November was pretty great. My bestie Carina and I went away for a spa weekend, celebrated DJ's birthday, visited the Bryant Park Holiday shops with Alexa and Kristin, Black Friday shopping with my cousins, family dinners, plenty of me time and more.

To be honest, the holidays are bittersweet. I can't help getting into the spirit of things and I love the extra time with family and friends but of course I also can't help but miss my mom amidst all the festivities. I was really scared to share such a personal post about her this past week but the outpouring of messages from everyone really meant a lot. I'm glad I decided to share and it felt very cathartic for me to put my emotions and experience out there. To everyone, who reached out -- thank you <3

This month's ...

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On the blog

Book Reviews A Constellation of Roses by Miranda Asebedo The How & the Why by Cynthia Hand Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren Bookish Blog Tour | Where Winter Finds You by J.R. Ward

Features Links + Loves Stacking the Shelves (74) What I'm Watching | Violet Evergarden, The Boys, Burden of Truth What I'm Listening To | November What's in My Bag | Alexa of Alexa Loves Books Personal Living Room Update Life Lately | Bestie Weekend in Rhinebeck, NY My Mom

Read but not reviewed

• The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory - 4 stars
  Philippa Gregory really is the queen of historical fiction! Even though this did feel long at times, I was so invested in Jacquetta of Luxembourg's life and involvement in the court. Not to mention her family interest and epic romance. I had never heard of her before so I went into the series totally blind as to what her role was in The Plantagenet/Tudor times. 
• The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3) by Holly Black - 5 stars
  The Queen of Nothing far exceeded my expectations! I gave The Cruel Prince 4.5 stars, The Wicked King 3.5 so I read this literally just to finish the series. Who knew it'd end up being my favorite! I just felt like all the characters were in their element, the plot twists kept coming and I was shipping Jude/Cardan like never before. I actually want to own this one!  
• Just Kids by Patti Smith - 4 stars
  I've been wanting to read this before a while, but not because I was a fan of Patti Smith or Robert Mapplethorpe. To be honest, I knew practically nothing about either. But I heard the writing was great and that it was like a love letter to New York and being an artist at a very specific period in time. I'm so happy I read it. It's a surprisingly fast read and her writing is beautiful. I found myself immersed in it almost like I would a fictional novel. I ended up listening to Patti Smith's debut album afterwards and going down google search rabbit holes on them two. They both led such fascinating lives. 
• Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo - 2 stars
  I wanted to love Ninth House but it ended up just being an okay read to me. What kept me going was the concept of the story. This idea that college secret societies possessed and guarded magic was really cool but I wasn't a fan of the execution. The beginning was tough to get into and it took me some time to get my bearings with the world and the magical system and who these people even were. And even once I did get to know the main heroine Alex, I didn't feel that invested in her? My favorite character ended up being someone who did not get nearly enough page-time but I'm hoping that will change. Despite how I feel, I think I may end up reading the next book just to see where it goes. (But I'll borrow it, not buy.)
• King of Scars (Nikolai Duology, #1) by Leigh Bardugo - 3.5 stars
  I don't know what's happening but this is yet another 2019 Leigh Bardugo book that didn't totally work for me either. Leigh is one of my auto-buy authors so I'm just going to call it and say this year was a fluke. That said, I did like this book. And if it had been written completely from Zoya's POV or if it was just her and Nikolai, it would have gotten a 5. Because their ARCs were compelling and I loved being back in the Grishverse. But I wish Nina's POV had been left out completely. It dragged to the point where I'd skim through her chapters and her journey never got interesting to me. 
• Down Too Deep (Dirty Deeds, #4) by J. Daniels - 4 stars
  I did not expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. It's about two single parents, Nathan Bell and Jenna Savage, who become friends through their children. He's in over his head with his 2-year-old daughter but she has twins and is more than capable of helping him out by becoming his baby-sitter for the summer. Except sparks fly between them, the children are insanely adorable and it starts to feel like they're family. Half the scenes involving the kids made me smile. The chemistry between Nathan and Jenna was hot. Basically, I was here for all of the sweet and sexy moments. 

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How's your month been?