Happy weekend! 🙂 I can’t believe the last month of the year is here. Welcome to the wrap up for November 2022! Easing back into our normal routines has been productive for both of us and Ariel and I are excited to share what we were up to. Read on for our adventures this past month!
Kriti’s November
I started the month, focusing on Chainbreaker, my first buddy read with Ariel after such a long time. Chainbreaker is the second novel in the Timekeeper series that we had started reading earlier this year. It was good to get back into a familiar world and discuss it on the blog. Check out our discussion of the first book here and learn about the series on Goodreads.
I was craving a light contemporary fiction after Chainbreaker and the fall vibe of Witchful Thinking enticed me into its world. I rarely read paranormal romance so this one felt like a treat. This ended up being a cute romance novel, set in the magical town of Freya Grove, full of fantastical characters living together in harmony in a small town. There are lots of happenings in this book that I related with, from being 29 and reflecting on life, finding a house, making a home, volunteering around the town to standing up for oneself. At its core, Witchful Thinking is an ode to living fully, saying yes to things that scare us and catching opportunities when they come our way. Read my full review on Goodreads.
New no-end-date Goals
I rediscovered goals and created two lists: one page each of books from NetGalley I want to finish reading and a list of indie books I want to dive into. I have promised myself a self-care reward whenever I finish a list. It’s a new way of goal setting because I can take however long I want. I am not putting any deadline on myself. I happy marked off two books from each list:
I dived into the historical fiction novel, Lost Souls of Leningrad by Suzanne Parry. I recently posted an interview with the author and my thoughts on the book. I learned about Russia during the second world War and brushed up on history I hadn’t had time to look up before. The writing was immersive and the characters were loveable. I enjoyed this book. Add it to your shelf on Goodreads.
Ariel told me about Native American Heritage Month. When my copy of The Theory of Crows by David A. Robertson become available, I felt excited to read something Canadian to go along with the theme of the month. David is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation and the characters of this book are also from there. The Theory of Crows is a beautiful and heart-breaking story with two characters at its centre: Matthew, the father, and his teenage daughter, Holly. Matthew and Holly have a tough relationship. Matthew has gotten more and more withdrawn from his family over the years and they are all at a breaking point. Something has to change because their family is getting destroyed in the suffocating silence. I loved everything about this book! It was raw and emotional and I felt for all the characters. Keep an eye out for my review later this month. Check out the book on Goodreads.
The Scotiabank Giller Prize obsession
I committed to reading all the finalists for the Scotiabank Giller Prize 2022. As it so happened, my sister-in-law, Julia, had recommended a past winner: What Strange Paradise. I loved What Strange Paradise. The writing, the characters, the pacing, the brutality of reality… everything was perfect! This isn’t a story I was prepared for and it gave me new understanding about the life of refugees. I have so much to say about this book and am looking forward to bringing it to you in the new year. There are a few other books we need to catch up on first. 😉 Check this one out on Goodreads.
The first of the five finalists of the Scotiabank Giller Prize 2022 was Lesser known monsters of the 21st century by Kim Fu. Another style of storytelling that I do not read often, this selection of science fiction short stories is making me consider picking similar books! The twelve stories range are versatile and cover a wide arrange of scenarios: from a pre-simulation interview between an operator and client, before the client can experience a simulation to the night a young girl attended the funeral of someone she admired from far away to the reflection of a husband on why he killed his wife and why they decided to invest in technology to print themselves a new body. These twelve are an intriguing bunch and I will be sharing about each of them once I have read through them all – a week of Giller Prize winners is on the cards! Meantime, find this book on Goodreads.
What to read in the morning?
I have occasionally raved about Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking by Jon Acuff and I am a little surprised that it does not make my #MidnightsBookChallenge list (13 books that kept me awake till Midnight). I listened to this one back in January as an audiobook. I had ordered a hardcopy of the book and finally got the time to listen along and complete my highlights. It was the best thing ever! A lot happened in November – I developed a morning routine that I have been showing up for. I have been paying attention to my thoughts on focusing on action over overthinking. All thanks to this book! Soundtracks is a dose of happiness and offers a sense of control of life like nothing else. Building on the writing sessions Your Writing Matters had cultivated in me, I got my thoughts in order and wrote so many reviews this month, while reading and journaling… It has been great! I have so much to say about this book and I hope I get to write about it soon. I loved going back to it in the mornings and that was solidifying my habit.
For the longest time, I struggled to incorporate reading in my morning routine: first I wasn’t getting up early enough and then I didn’t feel like reading fiction. The solution to dedicate the morning time to reading non-fiction was an aha moment and suddenly, I am collecting non-fiction books here and there. This month, out of the 12 books I added to my TBR, 4 are non-fiction. Thanks to this new energy and space, I was able to finish The Book of Boundaries. Melissa Urban’s book is amazing! She gives solid coaching on what boundaries are, how to identify them, how to communicate with people – this book is a treasure trove I will be revisiting. Along with Soundtracks, Big Magic and Made for More, it is part of my non-fiction-I-will- refer-to-often shelf. Learn more about Melissa’s book on Goodreads.
Total TBR: 283 (November 1) -> 294 (December 1)
I connected with indie author Lindsey Bakken about her novel The Invisible Circus (Goodreads). She is also the author of Abaddon Illusion (Goodreads), which is supposed to be enjoyable for anyone who loved We were liars (I did! That was pre-Armed with A Book and a reread is warranted. Find it on Goodreads.) and there are definitely times when I need another book like it.
From The Book of Boundaries, I found Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do, a book about household routines. My need to grow at work and be able to manage my projects effectively while doing a good job led to Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day (my current read). That got me thinking about how to manage everyday home life too and I added Everyday Vitality: How to Thrive, Survive, and Feel Alive to my TBR. I am super excited about every single one of these books and I hope that if I enjoyed them and share about them with you, you might find something inspirational about them too.
The Noteworthy: A random collection of findings
- Throwback song: You are the reason by Calum Scott – This is the song I walked down the aisle to. Lennea, my sister-in-law (I have a few 😀 ) shared a clip from this one a few weeks back.
- Clinton and I are rewatching Rick and Morty and I am getting so much out of this animated series. Have you watched it or heard of it? One of the creators, Dan Harmon, is the mastermind behind Community.
- I was checking out engagement groups on Instagram in an attempt to interact with more people. Chelsea DeVries who I have had the pleasure of working with and hosting on the blog many times runs one! Writer/Artist Support Group is a comment engagement group that is strike free, mental health positive, open to diversity and chronically ill people, run by an autistic voice.
- I am trying out the New Anthem from Soundtracks! It’s been great starting my morning with intention and positivity. One of the truths I have found exceptionally helpful as a reminder is ‘Momentum is messy’. Check out the Anthem here. Do you have an affirmations practice?
Share a noteworthy thing of your own in the comments! I would love to hear from you. 🙂
Ariel’s Selection for November
This month, I finished eleven books! It’s been a successful reading month due to the fact that I was able to stick to a structure- the Skoden Readathon honoring Native American Heritage Month. I was able to read two of my Netgalley arcs, Bad Cree and To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, as well as several on my backlist such as The Fae Keeper and Surviving the City.
Both Bad Cree and To Shape a Dragon’s Breath became contenders for future Ariel’s Arc posts, so stay tuned!
Overall I’m looking forward to next month’s reads. I’ll be picking up The Book Eaters (a recommendation by Kriti) and The World We Make (a highly anticipated sequel), and hopefully another buddy read or two to end the year with excellent and rewarding reads!
What was your favorite read for November? Tell us about your month in the comments.
Thanks for reading! Cheers to an awesome December! 🙂
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