My Top Books of November 2023
A solid month all around

November was a weird month. It went fast, but thankfully Thanksgiving break went slow. I went on a mini vacation with my friends. We spent 7 hours in the ER, so I can find out I had colitis and one other small issue that will luckily take care of itself.
But I read daily. That is one thing I always try to do. Even if it’s just five minutes. Reading calms my mind.
My reading total for this month was 12 books at 4,880 pages. As usual, per my Storygraph, my reading mood was tense, dark, emotional, etc. I very rarely have a month where lighthearted pops up in my moods.
I can honestly say this month was hard to pick a top favorite. But here are the ones I will recommend to others!
Book 1: Shark Heart by Emily Hobeck
Man and woman meet. Man and woman fall in love. Man turns into a great white shark. Yes, you read that correctly. Sounds insane, which it was, but a wonderfully written love story. I wrote a full review here:
Book 2: The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
This is not the Guncle and I personally think some of the lower reviews were expecting something like that. Sorry for your luck on that, but the sequel to The Guncle is coming in 2024.
Anyways, The Celebrants follows a group of 6 friends — now 5 — and how they choose to give themselves each a funeral. No matter what everyone is doing or where they are in life. If someone cashes in their funeral because their life is falling apart, they come.
I found this book to be well written and emotional. I am always here for a book that will make me cry a bit. Rowley wrote about friendships in the most honest way, which I think added so much to this book.
Book 3: The Measure by Nikki Erlick
It’s present times. One day the world wakes up and everyone over the age of 22 has a mysterious box on their doorstep. In the box is a string, which tells them the length of their life.
Wow. We read this for book club and just wow. Erlick captures human emotions and reactions perfectly here. We watch society lose their ever loving mind over these strings.
We see short stringers being ostricized and people with long strings making dumb choices. Which to me is the exact way it would happen in the world now.
The book follows 8 characters and how they react to knowing, or not knowing, the length of their strings. Highly recommend and excited to discuss at book club.
Honorable mentions:
- A Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (a sequel to last year’s hit Fourth Wing)
- And the comfort of a reread using Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas (book 4 in the Throne of Glass series
Care to see what I loved the previous month:
