November Reading Roundup
Some of the books I read and enjoyed last month + two I hated!
On one hand, the books I read last month are a mixed bag. On the other hand, they are a perfect mix of my interests: a buzzy book everyone is talking about, something I bought because the cover caught my eye, an old celebrity memoir I found at a thrift store, a romance audiobook and a cookbook.
After the paywall is a cookbook by a popular Substack writer that I DNF-ed because of how problematic I found the intro.
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Disappearing Act: A True Story
by Jiordan Castle
This is YA non-fiction written for teens with an incarcerated parent. It’s a mix of poetry and prose, which may sound odd, but works. The author’s dad went to prison when she was a teenager. When it happened, she went looking for books about kids with incarcerated parents. She couldn’t find any, so she grew up and wrote one.
Great book. Really glad this exists. I also have it on good authority that her Philly-based writing classes are fantastic.
This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
by Carol Burnett
I didn’t fact check myself, but I swear, somewhere Brandi Carlisle said the inspiration behind her memoir was Carol Burnett’s. So when I found this at a thrift store, I grabbed it. Turns out, Burnett wrote two memoirs. One is the story of her life and one, the one I read, is jokes and anecdotes. It’s hilarious! But I think I read the wrong memoir.
I mentioned this book to a coworker this week and she recalled that Burnett is known to be pretty fatphobic, so perhaps I do not need to read more of her memoirs.
by Ashley Herring Blake
I like Ashley Herring Blake. She’s a local writer and there’s a ton of Nashville in this book. Very cute. Very queer. Very Christmasy.
by Syou Ishida
I bought this book because of the cover. I was in this cute bookstore in L.A. and it was on a display of translated books. This is a Japanese book translated to English. The cat on the cover looks just like one of my cats and I had to have it.
The book is about a mental health clinic in Kyoto that prescribes cats as medication to people with all kinds of problems. This book is so sweet and tender. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone, especially people with cats.
by Rumaan Alam
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me for believing everyone who said this was a good book. NOTHING HAPPENS. I was so mad when I finished this book that I almost threw it across the room, but I didn’t because it was a library copy. Character development: none. Pacing: bad. Ending: unsatisfying. I am done with this man!
ICYMI: Here’s what I read last month:
To quote Traci Thomas, you’ve got to pay for the hateration. After the paywall, the problematic cookbook by everyone’s favorite Substack writer that I DNF-ed.
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