Wrapping Up October 2011 and Goals for November

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With the weather topping off at 72 degrees yesterday in Des Moines, I'm having a little trouble realizing it's November. I haven't started listening to Christmas music yet due to this unseasonably warm fall (yes, I know it's early for most people, but I tend to listen to Christmas music from October through January.)

October was a pretty good reading month for me, and I have several reviews to catch up on the next few weeks (thanks, read-a-thon!) I managed to read ten books last month. There weren't any five-star reads this month, but I still really enjoyed most of my reads.

The Excellent (rated 4.5 stars or higher):

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree by Ann Weisgarber (4.5 stars)
I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn (4.5 stars) - review coming tomorrow
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (4.5 stars)
Habibi by Craig Thompson (4.5 stars)

The Good (rated 4 or 4.25 stars):

The Odds by Stewart O'Nan (4 stars) -- review coming January 2, 2012!
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (4 stars)
In the Last Analysis by Amanda Cross (4 stars) - review coming next week

The Somewhat Disappointing (rated 3.75 stars or less):


Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley (3.5 stars) - review coming this week
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (3.5 stars)
Crawling at Night by Nani Power (3 stars) - review coming next week


Plans for November
I'm so close to being done with Andrew Krivak's National Book Award nominated novel The Sojourn. I plan to move right onto Salvage the Bones and Binocular Vision to complete my NBA reading for this year. The winner will be announced on November 16. If all (reading) goes according to plan, I'll share my predictions with you that morning.

I also hope to get to these titles this month:
  • The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate for Book Club
  • Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah for book club
  • Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand for book club
  • The Printmaker's Daughter by Katherine Govier 
  • A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd (the latest Bess Crawford mystery came out earlier this fall, but it's set at Christmas, so I'm saving it for Thanksgiving weekend reading!)
  • You Are My Only by Beth Kephart (I promised Amy I would)
After that, there are still so many fall releases I'm wanting to read. Plus, I want to make more progress on my 2011 goals before the end of the year.

Happy reading! What are you most looking forward to in November?

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 2, 2011 at 9:54 AM

    You've had a good month! I'm looking forward to your thoughts on Salvage the Bones as it is the NBA book that intrigued me most. Have a wonderful November!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ZibileeNovember 2, 2011 at 11:08 AM

    I am also going to be reading Unbroken and Rachel Dupree this month, Very soon, in fact, and I can't wait to get started with both of them. It sounds like you had a pretty good reading month ahead. Like Jackie, I will also be interested in reading your opinions on Salvage the Bones. That book about did me in!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AndiNovember 2, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    Love! So many books I want to read if I can ever break out of this blasted reading slump. Urrg!

    ReplyDelete
  4. TiNovember 2, 2011 at 11:54 AM

    I love Christmas music. It's been playing in the malls here but I haven't been listening to my playlists yet. Today is the first, cold, windy day we've had. I certainly hope it's not 98 degrees when I am cooking the turkey. It's happened before.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alex (The Sleepless Reader)November 2, 2011 at 12:55 PM

    Wow: Night Circus, Marriage Plot, Habibi... You've hit all that was hot this month! The Night Circus is still on the shelf, waiting for the hype to settle down. I've only read good things about Habibi until about 10 minutes ago, when I read a review that praised the art, but said the story was flawed - the review is actually called "The Naysayer" ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. AmusedNovember 2, 2011 at 9:15 PM

    You read way more than me this month and you have so many reviews in the works. Nice job!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AudraNovember 3, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    I had intended to applaud all your reading but I'm totally hung up (and envying!) your 72 degree weather! Not fair!

    Can't wait to see your NBA predictions -- and I'm looking forward to your review of Salvage the Bones. That was a tough, but good, read.

    ReplyDelete

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