Buckled in a plane, the engine droning steadily in the background, not a notification alert to be heard, high in the sky with clarity of mind, and I feel relief. How often do you get a moment like this, so entirely to yourself?
Head in the clouds
November
Was November?? Even a month??? I swear, it was Halloween and now it’s Christmas. It’s now cold enough that I can pull out my winter coat without feeling like a weakling and wondering how I’ll survive the dead of winter if I already need to pull out my winter coat.
(Y’all, it’s been so long since I’ve promoted a blog post on social media that I forgot how to get the WP shortlink for a blog post… I still haven’t figured it out, so I’d appreciate any pointers. I feel like such a n00b. I swear there used to be an obvious button for the shortlink toward the top of the dashboard, but I don’t see anything anymore. Maybe I imagined it.)
The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey
– I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. –
To be published by Thomas Dunne Books on 10 Dec 2019
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | Indie Bound | Powell’s
Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing. Her life is a whirl of parties and drinking, pursued by the press and staying on just the right side of scandal, all while running from the life her parents would choose for her.
Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who stumbles into Selina’s orbit one night and can never let her go even while knowing someone of her stature could never end up with someone of his. Except Selina falls hard for Lawrence, envisioning a life of true happiness. But when tragedy strikes, Selina finds herself choosing what’s safe over what’s right.
November reads
8 books. 2819 pages. 6 fiction, 2 nonfiction. 3 fantasy, 1 historical romance, 1 suburban drama, 1 classic, 1 essay collection, 1 psychology. 6 women. 1 person of colour.
Counting books read, it looks like I did alright this month; less read than the last few months, but still a pretty good amount. At the beginning of the month I was hoping to take more time with my reads–to be more present and immersed in my reads–and thus read less books overall anyway.
But looking at my ratings this month, the month has been a bit of a bust. I rated most 3s–the 3s ranging from some-great-moments-and-some-boring-moments-that-evened-out to entirely-neutral to not-my-taste-but-could-be-for-others. (What a range to be encapsulated in a 3 star rating haha. I’d love to hear about your rating system! Mine probably needs some adjusting.) There were a few times I enjoyed a book well enough but didn’t have an urge to pick it back up after I set it down (though I always did pick it back up because my habit of reading is pretty solidified by now), and there were many times I dozed off while reading a book.
In December, I’m going to make an effort to choose books I’m really excited about it, be more realistic about my commitments to buddy reads, and pace myself through e/ARCs. Gotta end the year strong!
And speaking of the end of the year… Every year since 2015, I’ve compiled one long post of every book I read that year (my record being 58 books in 2017), but already at 96 books at the end of November 2019, I don’t think that’d be a great strategy for this year’s recap, even if I do organise the post by genre! I’m thinking of just recapping the books I truly enjoyed plus popular titles (that I may or may not have enjoyed), and including fun stats like books read, books bought, money saved via the library, etc. Let me know if there’s any specific bookish content you’d like to see to wrap up the year!
October
October was full of small, lovely moments. Of all the months, I wish this one was longest. It’s when everyone first gets excited for the holidays, revving up for Halloween and anticipating Thanksgiving and Christmas. (I’m not big on Thanksgiving myself, but I love the build up to Christmas.) I’ve been reveling in the spooky vibes and spooky books. As far as I’m concerned, November is October Part 2. I’m keeping on with the spooky reads and cosy evenings. Autumn is well and settled; I hope winter bides its time.
October reads
12 books. 4320 pages. 9 fiction, 3 non-fiction. 3 fantasy, 3 thriller/mystery, 1 contemporary romance, 1 historical fiction, 1 classic, 2 memoir, 1 essay collection. 8 women. 2 people of colour.
Averaging three books a week, I think I might be getting whiplash from the amount of books I’m speeding through! I’m a slow reader too, so this is really a lot for me. There are just too many books I want to read, buddy reads I’ve committed to, and ARCs to read and review! This coming month I’d love to read less books, at a more comfortable pace, and give each book the presence it deserves, instead of worrying too much about getting on with my next obligated read.
Although Halloween has now passed, I plan on getting more spooky fantasy and thrillers in before Christmas. October wasn’t long enough to squeeze them all in! Autumn really is the best season for reading.