What I Read in November 2022

As I wrap up what might have been our busiest month all year with AOA, I am reminded why I love reading so much.  I swear it calms me down.  And for this Type A personality, I will take all the calm I can get.  It is my stress relief.  And bonus points is that I get to listen to audiobooks while we package up all the holiday orders!

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin (A)

In our current world of instant gratification and superficial relationships, this book and its wonderfully flawed and beautiful characters are the antithesis of that – that power of real and time-tested, complicated friendships and relationships, regardless of the ups and downs that go along with them. I loved these characters and found myself rooting for them the whole way through.  Don’t believe the comments that this book is all about video games.  While it is a common theme, even a non-gamer will appreciate and enjoy this story. It was brilliant. I will miss these characters – they felt so real to me and I have found myself thinking about them long after I read the last page.  4/5 stars

The Dinner List – Rebecca Serle (B)

Ever played the game “Name 5 people, dead or alive, that you would invite to dinner”? Well, that is what happens on Sabrina’s 30^th birthday.  Sounds like a fun and intriguing start for sure, right?  For me, this author missed a great opportunity to write something amazing. I do not understand the hype about this book.  I could not get into it all. The characters did not pull me in and I kept wanting for everyone to just get to the point.  Even who she chose to attend dinner was questionable! Abandoned about 35% in. Did Not Finish

If We Were Villians – M.L. Rio  (A)

Interesting premise with a colorful cast of characters. If We Were Villians is a story of a tight knit group of friends/thespians who seem to live and breathe all Shakespeare theatre. Then there is a murder.

If you love Shakespearean theatre, you will devour this book. However, for me, who does not quote Shakespeare into normal life conversations, I found the banter to be a bit much at times. Oh the Drama! 2.5/5 stars

The Measure – Nikki Erlick (A)

The premise of this book is fascinating – each person on earth receives a box with a string in it.  No one knows where these boxes have come from and what they mean. The growing hypothesis is that the length of the string represents how long you will live. The world is thrown into a frenzy – governments call emergency meetings, short-string support groups are made, and life as we know it changes dramatically.  This book follows 8 people as they react and adjust to this new reality.  I thought the writing was just okay and I struggled to connect to the characters.  With that said, I found it incredibly thought provoking experiment in human behavior, social norms, and ultimately what we want out of life. This would be a great book club choice for the conversation it would initiate. 3.5/5 stars  

Transcription– Kate Atkinson (B + A)

The setting is 1940 and Juliet Armstrong is recruited into the world of espionage by an obscure department of MI5. 10 years later she is BBC radio producer who is unexpectedly confronted by people from her past.  This is definitely a slow burn book. While I did enjoy the story, the novel did not pack as much of a punch as I expected. 3/5 stars

B – Physical Book

A - Audiobook

As always, you can see a consolidated list of all my book reviews HERE.

Now it’s your turn – what book have you recently read that you can’t stop thinking about?  I don't know about you, but I need some solid book recommendations to get me through the next few months.  Something that will pull me in immediately and keep me going through to the very last page.  Tell me in the comments what you are reading, what you are loving, and what book recs you have for me.

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