It’s December, how? I mean, how is 2024 almost over already? I have the feeling like we’ve started this year yesterday. Apart from January – which always feels like an eternity – the rest of the year flew by so fast. My November wrap up therefore is a bit late, because I just wasn’t aware December was coming and I had no time to write this post in time. Unfortunately, November is the worst reading month of 2024 when looking at the statistics. I was struggling with a lot of books and didn’t enjoy anything I’ve read really. The book I’m enjoying, isn’t finished yet. I wonder what the remainder of the year will bring, but before dwelling upon this, let’s finish of November!

My monthly stats

Compared to October, I read much less books in November. Some books were longer and since I didn’t really enjoy them, they took me longer to finish. I’ve read 5 books in November, with a total page count of 1,016 pages and I’ve listened to 45.0 hours of audiobooks. I’m still having 2 books on my currently reading pile, I just couldn’t finish them. Theoretically, I could have finished one of them, but I was travelling over the weekend and felt like listening to music instead. The other one will be paused since the Dutch translation is out tomorrow and I have a really tough time understanding this duology in English. Yes, I’m talking about you, The Sheppard King by Rachel Gillig… From the 5 books I’ve read this month, there’s 1 book I also hauled this month. Most of the books I have been reading are from my earlier bookhauls, which is quite an accomplishment as I tend to leave new books unread for a very long while. In total I’ve hauled 7 books in November. I mixed both Dutch and English again this month, as usual. However, I had a strong tendency to pick up Dutch books, which is not uncommon for me in winter. I again read mostly romance books, this is not new for the year. As I stated before, I hardly enjoyed the books I’ve read. November has an average rating of 2.6 stars. It took me average 7 days to finish a book. Oh well, let’s move on to the books, right?

My read books

1. Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout – This book is a leftover from October. It’s incredibly long, so no wonder I couldn’t finish it in time. Unfortunately, finishing this was a struggle. I’ve made it, but didn’t enjoy it that much. This has nothing to do with the audiobook, but everything with the story and its pacing. ⭐⭐,5
2. Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent – I was in desperate need of a book I would enjoy and I therefore picked this one. I indeed enjoyed it, but stand alone books in fantasy are just not it for me. There’s too little space to develop storyline and characters properly, some aspects I value in my books. ⭐⭐⭐
3. Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver – A book club pick I had to finish and I absolutely hated it ⭐
4. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett – I’ve tried this book earlier this year and it didn’t work for me back then, so it was time for a retry. And this time, it worked. I’ve read – and bought – this book in Dutch. However, I didn’t fully vibe with it, but it’s still the best book I’ve read in November. ⭐⭐⭐,5
5. Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage – It was time for a palate cleanser and what’s the best way to do this? Indeed, by reading romance. I liked this book, but the character growth is substandard for this genre. I had an enjoyable reading experience nevertheless. ⭐⭐⭐

My bookhaul

1. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (rebuy in Dutch)
2. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
3. The Dagger and The Flame by Catherine Doyle
4. Throttled by Lauren Asher
5. Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher
6. The Songbird & The Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent
7. The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr

As you can see, November wasn’t the best month for me. How was yours?