November: What I Read

 Reading Goals:

Read the new Anthony Doerr

Read the new Kimberly McCreight (and for the love of god remember to pick it up from the library)

Read the new Liane Moriarty

Listen to the new Ruth Ozeki

Read the Karin Slaughter on my nightstand

How did I do? NOT TOO SHABBY, if I do say so myself.

The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis: Meh. **Audio

Love on Lexington by Lauren Layne: I like chick lit fluffy romance novels. THERE I SAID IT.

Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morganthaler: I read The Tourist Attraction earlier this year, and both of these rom-coms are darling. I would for sure watch the Hallmark movie of this one any day.

Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne: My favorite of the Central Park Pact trilogy. **Audio

Enjoy the View by Sarah Morganthaler: My fave of the Moose Springs trio. **Audio **2021

The First Mistake by Sandie Dennis: This was a good action-y thriller that kept me guessing and made doing the dishes/putting away the laundry more fun. **Audio

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard: A friend of mine texted me to tell me to read Count the Ways, and YES it is WONDERFUL, and then I realized I had never heard of Joyce Maynard before, and I placed a ton of holds. This book is lovely, and, of course, now I want to watch the movie. **Audio

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner: I think maybe I was expecting too much from this book, which was really hyped. It was good, but I did not love it. The last chapter was magical, though. She talks about being with her aunt after her mother died and how she is not quite her aunt's sister, and her aunt is not quite her mom, but they are trying to be the next best thing for each other, and that was such a lovely description. **2021 **Audio

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout: Just catcHing up on Amgash before the new one. **Audio

One Day in December by Josie Silver: Oooooh, yesssssss. Chick lit at its best read by a lovely British narrator. **Audio

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager: SO SCARY and twisty-- loved it. **Audio**

The Deadzone by Stephen King: This book is aaaaalmost as old as I am, but James Franco's narration makes it fresh as can be. Loved it, and I loved starting my month with a spooky listen. **Audio

Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart: Maybe I am not smart enough to fully appreciate this book? I liked it bu did not LOVE it like all the reviews and best-of lists say I should. **2021

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout: Goodreads tells me I read this almost exactly 4 years go, but I needed a refresher before Oh, William! *Audio

Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard: I love when a book stays with me when I am not reading it AND when I can imagine how the story keeps unfolding after the last pages. What I really liked about this was how much we didn't see about Eleanor and had to infer. If we only went by what the narrator told us, she was a total victim, but obviously, she did some bad stuff, too-- off camera. A very interesting choice. **2021 **audio

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty: I LOVED THIS ONE. She's one of my very favorites, and this book did not disappoint. Funny, touching, kept me guessing-- all of the things. **2021

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout: Every word was perfect. **2021

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr: Do not be put off by the books summery.It is SO GREAT, you guys. Sometimes I hate books that jump timelines and POV, but this one is so well done and fascinating. Please read it, and tell me what you think.

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki: OH WOW. This book was incredible.  I loved her last book The Tale of the Time Being, and this one is similar in a lot of ways: It's expansive but also granular. It's about a sad, smart kid. It features a zen Buddhist priest. There's a normal plot that wraps up pretty neatly alongside these giant philosophical questions that can never be answered. It's funny, too. One of the story lines is about a zen Buddhist nun who makes money for her order by writing a Marie Kondo-like clutter clearing book, but Ozeki declutters Kondo's title. The book in her book is simply Tidy Magic. I loved everything about this book, including the narrators. **2021 **Audio