November 2014 Reading Wrap-Up

Hello! I think I might be ready to return, tentatively; I’ve written and scheduled a bunch of book reviews and I’ve started thinking of things to write about, which is always a good sign. We’ll try it and see how it goes. I have a had a couple of days off work which has helped a ton, and I’ve got another one on Friday so we’ll see how inspired I am to keep up the post writing.

November has been a busy month. I’ve been promoted at work (which is of course wonderful and I’m so pleased about) and spent a lot of time learning what I’m doing while still doing parts of my old job. I don’t particularly anticipate this getting much better until January when I’ve settled more into my new role, but I am still convinced it was the right choice – it just means my free time is a little bit less free than it was previously. It will be worth it in the end, it’s a big step up for me and I hope I’ll be getting somewhere with it soon. I’ve been spending a lot of that free time watching Buffy and crocheting. I’ve never seen Buffy before; I’m mostly through season 3 now and I love it. I’m a bit sorry I missed it while I was in high school, but on the bright side I can binge watch it now.

I’m pleased that I’ve done a considerable amount of Christmas shopping already, too. Everyone has something except for one person, so while I might pick up little things as I see them, the progress has been made and I’ve been happy with that progress.

I finished 9 books in November. They are (with quick thoughts underneath the ones I haven’t reviewed already, as I probably won’t get to them):

• The Epigenetics Revolution, Nessa Carey
  • This was a fascinating-to-me book about how we are made up of more than just standard DNA. I felt like the author laid everything out clearly enough for me, a non-scientist, to understand and I was kept intrigued the entire time. Very pleased with this read.
• Midnight Alley, Rachel Caine
  • Still feeling a bit meh about this series. This is the third book – I bought them quite a while ago and they’re fast, easy reads, so I’m working to get them off my shelves. All okay, but not my favourite series by any means.
• Anna and the French Kiss, Stephanie Perkins
• Smiler’s Fair, Rebecca Levene
• The Sandman, vol. 2: The Doll’s House, Neil Gaiman
  • This is (obviously) a graphic novel rather than an entire book. I love the art and this one grabbed me from the first page, so I actually read most of it in one sitting (although with a graphic novel this isn’t quite such a feat). Really looking forward to the next one.
• Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo
  • I’m not sure I’d praise this as much as others have, but I really, really liked it; loved the vaguely Russian feel of the world, Alina’s uncertainty and growing confidence, the creative idea behind the threat to the world and how it’s handled, and the way this particular book ended. Another book 2 I’m really looking forward to.
• The Years of Rice and Salt, Kim Stanley Robinson
  • This felt too long to me, and somewhat contemplative. I like the ideas behind this author’s books but I am not sure I have the patience for a book quite this long. It took me 3 weeks to read, which makes me feel impatient while I’m reading, but isn’t something I could read for extended periods of time. I preferred Red Mars.
• Heaven’s Queen, Rachel Bach
  • This trilogy is just fantastic. I should probably do a proper review of it, but seriously, if you enjoy sci fi with a fantastic heroine, this is a series to go straight to. It has all the elements I love – great story, intriguing worlds, fantastic characters, powerful and convincing romance – and feels truly epic throughout. Love.
• Boy, Snow, Bird, Helen Oyeyemi

I think my favorite is Heaven’s Queen. Space opera is my genre of choice recently, I’m quite new to it so I keep discovering amazing reads.

How was your reading November?