November was a slightly slower reading month for me as I picked up some slightly longer books and my life took over a little more than usual (I actually had plans). However, two of the books from this month were up there as some of the best books I’ve ever read and have gone right into my top five books of all time. Despite not reading quite as many, I feel like this made November one of my favourite reading months! But what were the four books I actually read?
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So what are the seven books I read? Let me know if you’ve read any of them or whether you decide to pick them up as a result of reading any of my reviews below. If you’d like to purchase the books, there is a link to each book on Amazon below each of the summaries.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
My summary of Daughter of Smoke & Bone: “I loved Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. The plot was intelligent, the characters were genuinely likeable and I’m excited to jump into the sequel and the rest of the series. It’s given me just enough to make me want to find out more about this world and involve myself more with these people.
If you’re a fan of fantasy, I’d definitely suggest picking up this book – it’s got such an interesting concept and a world you’ll want to explore more of.”
- Read my full review of Daughter of Smoke & Bone here.
- Get your copy of Daughter of Smoke & Bone here.
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
My summary of The Burning God: “Though The Burning God is an improvement over The Dragon Republic, the lack of character personalities and depth just stops this book short of being one of the great epic fantasy books. However, I do love the world and the plot is full of some fantastic action scenes, described very well.
“I would recommend this series to almost any fantasy fan as it offers so many fantastic fantasy elements, however, if you’re a general reader who reads for poetic prose or deep characters, this isn’t a book I would recommend.”
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
My summary of We Begin at the End: “I loved We Begin at the End. I loved the story, I loved the characters and I loved the wave of emotions it made you feel. Chris Whitaker has written a simply stunning book here that incorporates the best of all ingredients of making a really good novel – it’s believable, enjoyable, emotional and written in a way that makes you truly appreciate the English language.”
If you’ve not read We Begin at the End, I genuinely can’t think of any reason why you shouldn’t. If you like words, read this. I mean, even if you don’t like words, I implore you to pick this book up and read it.”
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
My summary of A Man Called Ove: “I adored Ove and so I adored A Man Called Ove. There were moments in this book that really made me take a look at life, there were some lines about love and loss that you can’t help but get tingles from reading. Your heart will be warmed by Ove’s actions and the actions of those around him.”
A Man Called Ove is one of those books that I’ll recommend to everyone. I can’t see anyone picking this up and not finding it funny and heartwarming.”
To summarise…
November was a quieter month for me when it came to books I actually read. However, with three five-star reads and the finale of a trilogy, I feel like it was one of my favourites this year!
We Begin at the End and A Man Called Ove have shot themselves into my top books of all time – they both had heart, they both gripped me and they both were written with humour and intelligence. A Daughter of Smoke & Bone surprised me after not expecting it to be quite as good as it was and I’m glad I’ve finished the Poppy War trilogy with The Burning God – a great fantasy trilogy hampered by some underwhelming characters.
Let me know what you read throughout November! Which book was your favourite this month? Did any surprise you? Let me know on social or via the comments below. If you’d like to track what books I’m reading, I try and keep my Goodreads and Storygraph accounts updated (Storygraph is more accurate than Goodreads as Goodreads appears to have duplicated some of the books oddly…)
