🎄 Happy Holiday Month 🎄

Holy moly it’s finally the month of endless holidays, delicious feasts, and basking in the glow of a million lights strung up everywhere 😂 I am absolutely floored by how many books I managed to read in November… What a month! I read 17 books and listened to 2 audiobooks. Granted, there were a lot of graphic novels and manga, but I think this was my best reading month out of the entire year! I can’t wait to get to all my Christmas and holiday reads this month though. I’ll be posting a holiday book post collab with @princessreadsalot, @sushisrainbow, and @2nd2lastunicorn, so keep your eyes peeled for some great holiday reading recs! Do you have any favourite holiday books that I should check out? How was your reading month in November? Let me know down in the comments!

My Library

A Shadow in the Reaping by Brynne Weaver

Review:

Shoutout to Brynne for writing another freaking epic book! I really enjoyed The Diviner and so I was psyched when she released a new book for a brand new series. So first just a disclaimer, there is a LOT of swearing in this book and I mean a ton of f-bombs etc. If you don’t like books like that, then you might want to skip this book. However, I thought it was super awesome and refreshing to have a character who swears as much as regular people do…or maybe just how much I swear LOL. All the swearing really added to the main character Lu’s epic attitude. Like her sass levels are off the charts. I also freaking loved Ashen and his whole tattooed bad boy self but OMG the ending I didn’t see coming AT ALL, so maybe I’ll have to reconsider how much I love him 😂 One of my fav scenes was the “oh, one more thing” scene because GODDAMN IT WAS SEXY AF. Speaking of sexy af, those xxx scenes were lit. I thought they may have been a tad unrealistic for regular people since Ashen seems to need no recovery time for round 2 and there’s not much foreplay, but I’m just going to assume they are sexually superior beings because they are immortal, being a reaper and a vampire 😂 Anyhoo, I highly enjoyed the worldbuilding and it was so fascinating to read about! I also liked how Lu and her sisters are named after the Greek sirens! Also y’all will not be ready for the ending because HOLY GOSH that freaking cliffhanger! I nearly threw my book across the room. So I need book 2 asap now thanks 😂 Overall, this book is one hella wild ride and I enjoyed every minute of it! Oh and there’s also lots of great quotes. If you like W.A.P by Cardi B then I also recommend this book to you.

4.5/5⭐

Whisper Me A Love Song Vol. 3 by Eku Takeshima

Review:

I am still super obsessed with this series! Absolutely love it! I procrastinated reading this volume because I didn’t want it to be over so soon, but after I read it I learned that volume 4 is already available so I bought it ASAP. I love how Yori and Himari’s relationship progresses in this volume! I was a little worried about their relationship in the beginning of the volume, but the story was so cute and satisfying and I’m rooting for them forever. Yori’s declaration of love is just so freaking precious. It was nice to see a focus on how love is not just physical and if you don’t know if you want to kiss someone, it doesn’t mean you don’t love them. Less physical romantic relationships are just as valid. I love this story so much that I was smiling while reading it for like 90% through. I highly recommend this series and can’t wait to see what happens next!

6/5⭐

Netgalley eARCs

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea by Katherine Quinn

Review:

Thank you City Owl Press and Netgalley for the eARC! This was such an awesome book and I enjoyed reading every page, even though it took me forever to finish reading 😅 I wasn’t a huge fan of Margrete in the beginning, but I grew to love her and her bravery throughout the story. What mostly held my attention though, was her chemistry and sexual tension with Bash. I could not handle that knife-to-throat scene. SO HOT. I thought the plot was interesting and I loved the worldbuilding! The ending was pretty satisfying and I’m intrigued to see how the sequel will turn out!

4/5⭐

Devil on Her Shoulder: The Bruja is Missing by Cédric Mayen

Review:

I thought the premise of this graphic novel was pretty interesting, but I ended up not loving it as much as I expected. I really loved the art style and how the devil could change forms. I found the story a bit hard to follow though, with the font style and trying to follow how the bruja was related to what was happening with the devil. I read this on my kobo so the black and white made the font a bit difficult to read. I’m a little bit curious about what happened to the bruja though, and I’m tempted to check out the next volume. This volume ends on a cliffhanger so I was left wanting to know more. I’ll probably read the next volume as a physical copy so it’ll hopefully be easier to follow the story.

3/5⭐

Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost Vol. 1 by Kaori Yuki

Review:

TW: Verbal abuse from a parent, body image issues, and gore.

This was such a fun manga to read, mainly because of the Beast’s character. He was so sassy and brutally honest and I really loved how his character spoke. Belle’s father was very verbally abusive to her and just a terrible person to her in general, so it was nice to see her treated a little bit better by the beast—key words being “a little bit better” because he’s not much nicer to her either. He’s has a very rough personality but has a tiny tiny soft heart hiding somewhere lol. The plot of the book was fascinating and I liked the idea of there being two beasts, one imitating the OG beast and essentially giving him a bad rep. Omg though, the gory scenes I was not expecting at all. It’s like someone is in trouble with a beast and then SQUISH goes their head. The situation went from 50 to 100 real quick 😂 Either way, I mostly want to continue this manga because I love the beast’s character and want to see where this story goes. I hope Belle eventually manages to heal from the verbal trauma her father put her through and how she thinks she’s so ugly.

4/5⭐

You’re My Cutie Vol. 1 by Nakaba Harufuji

Review:

I absolutely loved this manga! It had me laughing and “awwww”-ing many times while reading it. The two main characters, Madoka and Shikura, were just so precious and I loved their relationship. I like how they grow closer the more they work together and I really liked how Madoka was very cautious about asking him about his personal life because she knew girls treated him very badly before and weren’t respectful of his personal boundaries. The way she defended Shikura in front of his classmates was so sweet but what he did next just murdered my heart. They are seriously such a freaking cute pair and I love how her parents are the ones who are shipping their relationship. I 100% will be continuing this series because that cliffhanger completely blindsided me. I NEED MORE. I also had someone ask me what I was reading because I could not control my emotions in public while reading this 😂

6/5⭐

Doing His Best to Confess Vol. 1 by Satoru

Review:

This was a pretty fun manga. Natsuaki-kun is just such a freaking precious potato. He’s so cute and his overwhelming crush on Nashida-san was so adorable. His reactions to everything she does is just so cute. I honestly have no other words for this manga because it’s just a whole load of cuteness. He struggles so much to confess to Nashida and there’s a cliffhanger at the end of the manga where you think he might finally make some progress and tell her. His interaction with his friend is fun to read. I love the artwork of the characters because their emotions are portrayed so well and in such an enigmatic way. I definitely want to continue with this series because it’s just so cute and is such a lighthearted read 😍

4.5/5⭐

You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

Review:

Oh boy this book. You definitely have to have some tissues nearby because you’ll probably go through an entire box of them. This book will make you cry and tear your heart to shreds because it’s just packed with emotion. I literally stayed up late just to finish this book because I couldn’t put it down. I read a review that said they felt sad more because of the themes of grief etc. instead of Sam and Julie’s actual relationship and I kind of agree with that. I kept imagining how I would feel if I lost my bf like Julie did and I cried more because of that 😅 However, I think that flashback scenes with Julie and Sam helped the reader empathize more when their relationship was broken because of Sam’s death. I also liked how there were different portrayals of grief, or kind of like two different ways of grieving. Julie was more like throw everything away and lock herself away from the world whereas everyone else was going to the funeral and planning memorials etc. I didn’t really like how people guilt-tripped her for not attending the funeral and not being there for them after his death, because she was grieving in her own way and it just made it harder for her getting all the blame and guilt. I also didn’t really understand the phone calls because Sam said he would be around until she was ready to say goodbye, but then they started having a limit on their phone calls. Also how did they know when was an acceptable time to call because they planned their calls and ended up spacing them out more and more each time. I also didn’t really get why their connection would be affected if Julie shared Sam’s phone calls with anyone. Aside from those plot points I did enjoy the story and recommend it if you’re in the mood to cry.

4/5⭐

Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson

Review:

So I totally thought this would be a long book to read, but boy was I wrong. I read this in around 30 minutes because it was such an easy read. There’s so many pictures and only small bits of text. The book is divided into two sections: the village and the manor. Each section includes a mini section about the buildings, the people, and a short quiz to see if you’ll survive. Spoiler alert—you won’t lol. I found the descriptions of the places and people to be pretty spot-on. So if you are ever considering taking a trip to a quaint English village, you’re probably better off to read this guidebook as an alternative and stay safely at home.

5/5⭐

Shelter: Homelessness in our Community by Lois Peterson

Review:

I think this was a really great book to educate young people about homelessness. The writing is easy to understand and there’s a glossary at the back of the book. There’s little facts and myths and stories scattered throughout the book that were really interesting to read. I think Peterson did a good job of explaining homelessness with empathy. I like how she lists plenty of ways to help the homeless as well and includes a great list of resources and sources at the end of the book. This book does a really good job of debunking myths and prejudices about homelessness and the homeless. I would highly recommend this book and I think it’s a nice start in opening a conversation about homelessness.

4.5/5⭐

Magic: The Girl With Purple Hair by Lylian K

Review:

I really loved the artwork and colours in this graphic novel! The character design kind of reminded me of a character from a show or kid’s toy—I can’t remember exactly, so if you have any idea what I’m referring to, please comment below. The plot of this story was pretty straightforward and easy to follow. I think kids would enjoy this, especially the antics Evelyn gets up to. Holy moly though, Evelyn’s father was a grade A a-hole and I can’t believe he did that to her mom. Also the part where Evelyn grows up with the nuns really reminded me of the “how do you solve a problem like Maria” part of The Sound of Music 😂 I don’t think I’ll be continuing with this series because I found it to be a bit boring as I didn’t really have any feelings for the characters, aside from Evelyn’s mom lol. I would recommend this for kids though!

3/5⭐

When Will Ayumu Make His Move? Vol. 1 by Soichiro Yamamoto

Review:

Omg I thought this was such a cute and fun manga! I love Ayumu and Yaotome’s conversations and how Ayumu says things so bluntly about his crush to Yaotome without ever fully revealing that he has a crush on her. He drives her up the wall with how he’s essentially confessing without ever actually confessing, so she never fully knows his true feelings. I didn’t really have any interest in the shogi gameplay pages because I was mostly enjoying Ayumu and Yaotome’s interactions with each other. This book does teach you a fair amount of shogi though, so if you are interested in the game, then I highly recommend that you check out this manga. I’m definitely going to be continuing the series because I want to see how long it can go before he finally officially confesses to her 😂

4.5/5⭐

Little Sister by Johann G. Louis & Susie Morgenstern

Review:

I thought this was a cute story. This is basically like a memoir of Susie Morgenstern’s life in graphic novel format. It’s set during her life around 10 years after WW2 and how Jews were experiencing lots of racism and prejudice towards them. Susie’s relationship with her sisters was fun to read about and I bet it’s very relatable for people who have sisters. I still can’t believe they threw her out a window though 😂 This was a very interesting story told in like a slice-of-life way. It feels very mundane to read about but there’s so many details and nuances here and there that made it interesting.

3.5/5⭐

Other (e)ARCs

The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker

Review:

Thank you Harper Collins for the eARC! I binge read this book in a day and absolutely loved it. I am a huge fan of death mythology and Japanese mythology and culture, so this book was just perfection. I am also bi-racial so I could relate to some of Ren’s feelings about never fully belonging to the Reapers or Shinigami. I thought she was a very morally grey character because her actions near the end were so questionable, but you could totally see where she was coming from. I thought Neven was such a sweetheart but it was kind of hard to picture him taller than Ren, because I kept thinking he was a small child because of his attitude. I loved the worldbuilding in this book and thought it was so fantastical. I also thought the idea of death in different cultures was so fascinating. I also loved all the yokai folklore and I had lots of fun googling who every yokai was. Overall this was a great story and I can’t wait to read more by Kylie 😍

4.5/5⭐

Between Snow and Wolf by Agnes Domergue

Review:

Thank you Edelweiss for the eARC! This was an ok graphic novel. I absolutely loved the artwork and thought it was very cute and whimsical. I got a bit confused with the plot though. Jk I don’t think “confused” is the right word, but I just didn’t really empathize with the character or what was happening. I just read the story and it didn’t really make me feel anything aside from “aww this art is cute” and that the dad was a bit mean. I really liked the Japanese fairytale elements and the jizo, especially the poetic way they spoke, but overall this story just fell a bit short for me.

3/5⭐

Fine Print Vol. 1 by Stjepan Sejic

Review:

Content Warning: Sexual content, nudity, coping with alcohol,

I never read anything by Sejic before and the cover is what drew my attention. I read the synopsis after and it sounded really interesting! The story from the synopsis mainly happens at the end of the book so the beginning is just building up to what happens in the synopsis. I was a bit confused at first with the two different worlds and how the cupid and succubi related to Lauren's story, but it all made sense near the end. This was a very interesting storyline and the artwork was beautiful. This story is pretty explicit but I think it was well done. I can't wait to read the next volume along with other works by Sejic! Oh and I also thought it was neat that he included Hades from his wife's comic, Punderworld. Also if you’re into tentacles there’s something for you 😅

4.5/5⭐

The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly

Review:

TW- Death and grooming/sexual abuse of a child

Thank you Simon and Schuster CA for the eARC! I love historical fiction and this was based on a topic I never knew much about. It was so interesting to read about the world of the debutantes and see all the glitz and glamour while also seeing the contrast between the women who supported each other or put each other down. I really liked the Imperfects and thought they were a great supportive group of friends. Katherine was also such a sweet character and I like how she was always there for Lily. Plot-wise, I wasn’t too sure where this book was going and I had no idea how it would end. This story seemed to be a mystery, a romance, a historical account of the last debutante season, and a book about empowered women.

4/5⭐

Audiobooks

Crime and Carpetbags by Julie Berry

Review:

This was such a fun audiobook. I absolutely love Jayne Entwistle as the narrator and will listen to any kid or teen book narrated by her. I enjoyed the first book in the series and was so excited to get more of Maeve’s story. This sequel did not disappoint. I loved the plot and there was never a dull moment while listening to this story. I really love and appreciate Maeve’s dad because he is just so supportive of her and accepts her troublemaking ways and loves her for them. He believes everything she tells him, no matter how bizarre and that’s so great. Tommy and his father are such a cute pair too and I like how there’s adoption rep in this book. I think this is a great, fantastical middle-grade series and I highly recommend it to kids and adults.

4.5/5⭐

If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell

Review:

I didn’t like this audiobook as much as I thought I would. I’ve previously enjoyed Rowell’s holiday short stories, but this one hit just a little too close to home with the covid part of the plot. I think she did a good job of touching on how starved people were for human contact especially if they were quarantining for a really long time. Given how diligent Reagan was about sanitizing and following covid guidelines, she really throws all caution to the wind real quick for a moment in her backyard (I won’t spoil what she does but I thought that was a little bit hypocritical especially after she looked down on her own family so much for not following the guidelines). Overall this was an ok story, but I’m really curious about how their jello salads taste…

3/5⭐

So that’s a wrap for my wrap-up! Did you find any books you want to check out? What was your fav read this month? Let me know down in the comments 😊

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!