Books I Read In November (2022)
These are all the books I read in the month of November! It was definitely an eclectic mix, but a month of interesting and entertaining reads for sure.
If you missed last month’s reads, check them out here!
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The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling
The Kiss Curse is a follow-up to The Ex Hex, which I wrote about in this post. It was so fun to revisit the charming, magical town of Graves Glen with a focus on a different couple this time: Gwyn Jones (Vivienne’s cousin who we met in the first book) and Wells Penhallow (Rhys’s older brother).
This book picks up where The Ex Hex leaves off: Vivienne and Rhys are happily married and planning their honeymoon. Gwyn is busy with the family’s witchcraft store, Something Wicked, and has started mentoring some of the young witches in town.
Back in Wales, Wells has decided to leave the family pub and with his father’s approval, travels to Graves Glen. Wells opens a shop directly across the street from Something Wicked, and this starts a shop-owners’ rivalry between him and Gwyn.
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Of course, these two hate each other at first but have undeniable chemistry. It was so fun to watch their relationship develop while they deal with other things, like a gang of evil witches who infiltrate the town and try to steal Gwyn’s magic.
This book was just as delightful as The Ex Hex, and maybe even more so! I personally found the main characters in The Kiss Curse to be more entertaining and I can definitely see myself revisiting this series come Halloween next year.
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
I had been meaning to watch the movie version of this book for some time, but wanted to read the book first. When Dickie Greenleaf’s father recruits Tom Ripley to go to Italy and bring his son back to New York, Tom jumps at the chance.
Tom has many talents–forging signatures and impersonating people, to name a few. It doesn’t take long for Tom to enter Dickie’s circle, but soon, their relationship becomes strained. Dickie grows tired of Tom and Tom hates him for it! He murders Dickie and takes on his identity.
The rest of the book is a wild ride. We watch Tom try to fool everyone in Dickie’s life and get away with it! It’s crazy that Patricia Highsmith had me rooting for a psychopathic con man haha.
I was surprised to learn that the movie is quite different from the book! They turned Dickie into way more of a jerk, and he actually provokes Tom on that fateful boat ride. It was like they were trying to justify Tom murdering Dickie. The movie also gave Tom a love interest, and was pretty successful at making me empathize with him. But Matt Damon played Tom, so how could I not?
I would say if you are looking to read the book AND watch the movie, read the book first. I think if I had seen the movie first, the book would have felt boring in comparison.
A Map For The Missing by Belinda Huijuan Tang
This is Tang’s debut novel! I’m loving discovering new Asian American authors this year.
This story is set against post-Cultural Revolution China and spans from the late 1970s to the 1990s. We follow the story of Tang Yitian, who grew up in a poor rural village in China. Yitian takes after his scholarly grandfather, and would much rather read all day than help out with farm work, much to his father’s disdain.
Yitian and his friend Tian Hanwen have dreams of attending university in the city together, leaving their village life behind. They fall in love, but we learn in present day that life is not how they imagined.
Yitian is married to someone else, and is a math professor in America. Hanwen never got the opportunity to leave China, and is a bureaucrat’s wealthy housewife. They have lost touch over the years, but Yitian enlists Hanwen’s help when he learns his estranged father is missing.
This book is deeply sad, but also beautiful. It explores complicated family relationships, the heartbreak of losing a loved one, what-ifs, and forgiveness. Only two books have ever made me cry, and this is one of them.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I watched iCarly, so of course I had to read Jennette McCurdy’s memoir. I didn’t know too much about Jennette McCurdy outside of iCarly, so it was interesting to learn about how she got into acting and her intense relationship with her mother.
Portions of this book made my jaw drop knowing what Jennette had to endure. I think not unlike other actors who start their careers young, Jennette mourns the loss of her childhood. She also writes about coping with alcoholism, an eating disorder that her own mother encouraged, and a string of unhealthy relationships.
Despite the heavy subject matter, this book was a page-turner for me. I enjoyed Jennette’s honest and deliberate writing style, and it’s clear that she is very passionate about writing. I’m excited to keep up with her work!
Those are all the books I read in November! I hope this post provided some inspiration for your reading list.
