It’s officially December, the month of Christmas and holiday cheer! Even though I’m not a cold weather fan, I do enjoy all the twinkly lights this time of year. 

November was a decent reading month, where I didn’t really pressure myself and had enough downtime to really settle in to some of my reads. I seem to be keeping up with the trend of getting through about four or five books a month, but I felt less frustrated about it than I did during October. 

A decent reading month naturally means I’ve got a few good picks for the best books of the month! 

(Full disclosure: This post uses Bookshop.org affiliate links. Books marked with an asterisk were recieved as complimentary review copies).

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The No-Show by Beth O’Leary

This is one of those books that I was so excited about, I avoided reading it for several months. I’m not entirely sure why this happens sometimes, but I think it’s because I like looking forward to a book and don’t want to be disappointed. 

I was not disappointed by The No-Show. Even though I was told there would be a twist, said twist still took me by surprise. This book is a real emotional ride, with a good dose of humor throughout. My full review went up earlier this month, and you can check it out here: “The No-Show” Kept Me Guessing

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Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow* by Gabrielle Zevin

I received a digital review copy of this book ages ago, but didn’t get around to it before the book came out and began receiving a ton of positive attention. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow* is the Book of the Month book of the year, and it will be on my list of best reads for 2022 as well. 

This book isn’t what you’d necessarily call a feel good story. It’s the years-long story of a close and contentious friendship between two gamers who design a wildly popular game together during college. It explores all the complexities of love and friendship and what it means to build a life around creative ventures. 

I can’t seem to wrap my head around writing a full review for this one because it had such an emotional impact and so much happens that I wouldn’t want to spoil by discussing. Suffice it to say, this one lives up to the hype for me. 

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Honorable Mentions

• The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling. This was super cute and I honestly liked it a bit better than the previous book in the series. I read most of it back in October but didn’t finish until November, so it doesn’t feel like it quite belongs on the November best books list. My review went up earlier this month.
• Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing up a Wizard by Tom Felton — didn’t really work for me. Full review on Your Book Friend here. 
• To Get to the Other Side* by Kelly Ohlert. Mini review will be posted on Your Book Friend later this week. 

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In all, November was a pretty good reading month. I feel like my reading year improved in the back half, and I look forward to reflecting on the year as a whole. But first, I’ve got another month’s worth of reading to do! 

I hope you’ve had a good reading month in November, and I’d love to hear about your favorite reads this past month!

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