Welcome friend! Wow, what a month November was! From revisiting books I had read to reading new fiction and non-fiction, November was truly rewarding and fun. We will chat about books in the Wrap up post tomorrow. Today is all about celebrating the end of the November Writing Challenge for Book Bloggers and Reviewers. It is time to conclude this inaugural practice and I am excited to share my progress from Nov 23-30 and reflect on the month of November as a whole.
Progress Update:
I wrote four book reviews this week! The new additions were:
- Remember Me Tomorrow | Goodreads – 581 words
- She Doesn’t Have A Clue | Goodreads – 476 words
- Nightstrider | Goodreads – 987 words
- Crossings | Goodreads – 868 words
Additionally, I wrote three non-review bookish articles this week.
Word count of non-review article – 3,649 words
What they were about:
- November Writing Challenge Check in 3 – 1028 words
- Beloved Books from Each of the Past 10 Years (2019-2023) | Keep an eye out for this article in December, where I dive into 10 years of beloved books! – 1683 words
- This article – 938 words
I didn’t get around to scheduling for 2025 but in analysing this month as a whole, I did even better. I read two books this week, both of which are favorites, one of which was a buddy read with Ariel.
Insights:
This writing challenge came about after two years of thinking over it and finally this year of actioning on it. I am proud of the time I have spent writing this month and balancing that with reading some amazing books has shown me how much is possible if I put my energy towards an activity with an intention. I reviewed a total of 15 books, accumulating a word count of 10,068 words. I also worked on 8 non-review articles, bringing the total word count to 18,253 words!
Now, I have 8 new book reviews ready for the blog for 2025 and 3 that I am able to post in December. I didn’t actually need to try very hard. I just had to make time to return to the laptop with a book I wanted to write about. There are still many more that I did not get around to reviewing and that’s ok. Their time will come as Time’s Orphan’s did.
Over the years, I have kept a list of books to review, but for the November Writing Challenge, I created a new list with the name of the book, number of words I wrote and how long it had been since I read the book. It was a completely different feeling from updating an existing to-do list with all the books I am yet to write about. Having maintained both kinds of lists, I see the place for a to-do list vs more of a completed/celebration list.
Through the month, it has been lovely to reflect on different aspects of reviewing. Whether it was getting started on a review, deciding whether to review a book at all, or the difference in approaches between fiction and nonfiction books, each week created opportunities to reflect on something new. This week, I actually learned a new strategy. Crossings is a collection of three interconnected stories. When I was struggling to get started, I decided to use the synopsis and review it part by part. Check back on December 27th for that review.
Awards:
Book that was pending a review for the longest time
I read Time’s Orphan in May 2024. Week 2 reflection inspired me to give it a try and I am very happy with the attempt. A lot of times, writing about books a few months after reading them reminds me how much I enjoyed them. I feel the immersion again as I revisit the characters. After writing about Time’s Orphan, I decided to get the three-book paperback collection to dive into in the future.
Book with highest book review word count
A recent release from Orbit, Nightstrider by Sophia Slade is a page-turner. I finished it within a few days and enjoyed writing about it. I had almost a thousand words to say.
Book with smallest book review word count
Buddy reads often don’t involve long reviews. Ariel and I read The Scarlet Throne in October. 283 words is still a decent contribution to the discussion.
Most emotionally challenging review
The Truth about Ben and June is a novel about new parents. I read it back in July (during the early second trimester) and returning to write about it in the third trimester of my pregnancy was a unique experience. I know so much more about pregnancy and postpartum than I did back in July and my review reflects that knowledge. The story is a sad one with a hopeful ending and I adore it for the situation that it boldly talks about.
Closing Thoughts:
I am not sure how many of you joined in the writing since I didn’t see any updates but I am very grateful for all who followed along. Having people to share progress with is huge when we do something that is a little beyond our comfort zone. Many of my writer friends have accountability partners and you may not have realized it but committing to write these updates every week helped me keep accountable. Thank you so much for that! 🙂
Maybe we will do this again next year but until then, my wish for all of us is that we continue to make time for the things we love.
Did you write a book review or reflect on your favorite reads in November?
Happy December!
Word count for this post: 938 words
Links to check out:
- November Writing Challenge for Book Bloggers – The Introduction post
- November Writing Challenge Check In – November 23
- New review this week: Remember Me Tomorrow
- The Scarlet Throne Book Discussion
- The Truth About Ben and June by Alex Kiester | Goodreads
- Time’s Orphan (Odriel’s Heirs #3) by Hayley Reese Chow | Goodreads
- Nightstrider #1 – Sophia Slade | Goodreads
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