November Book Review
Well, look at that advent calendar, friends! We’re here! We made it to the last month of 2023! Sliding into December with this (slightly tardy) lil recap, I debated just waiting for my annual Best Books of the Year post, coming soon! But then I figured… why not?! Can you ever say too much about books?!
No. You cannot!!!
Especially since one of them has been a total FAVORITE of 2023! And yet another took me by the sweetest surprise. Both would make fantastic Christmas gifts. I can’t confidently say this about the other two (LOL), but I am still so glad I read them!
Also worth noting is that, holy fairy dust, I launched a book this month! My second novel, Suing Cinderella, was officially born on November 14, 2023. What a ride it’s already been, guys! Partially I’m shocked I read even one other book this month, but a full week of Thanksgiving vacation #blessed me with extra reading time—along with a pause to reflect on my overflowing gratitude for so much. Including YOU!
Thank you with all my heart, readers. For being here, for supporting me, for holding my words and my stories. Thank you for cheering me on so generously, excitedly, and relentlessly. I am just humbled and floored. There’s no way I could take one bit of this journey without you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!
Anyway, the least I can do is give you a few fun new book recs!!!
So, here we go! The four books I read in November, in order of how much I loved them!
I finished this book thinking three distinct things. First, OH MY GOODNESS, I loved it SO much! It’s one of my favorites from the whole year! Secondly, THIS! This is it: My official favorite genre of fiction. Women’s fiction with romance and meaning interlaced through the arc like a ribbon. Relatable, hilarious, sparkly, heartwarming, and magical. Thirdly, I feel INSPIRED! To write more stories, to keep dreaming of making readers smile and swoon as much as I did with this book!
Lucy Young is, well, young—26, to be precise. Weary of her life and flailing career and lackluster dating experiences, she wishes desperately for one thing: to skip ahead to the good part of her life. Is this too much to ask?! Well, the universe sayeth not! Suddenly Lucy wakes up to precisely that: a forty-something life, handsome husband, shiny job, chunkier bank account… But is it too good to be true?! I just loved this whimsical, meaningful take on a time-travel, big-lesson story. Truly, I had SO MUCH fun in this vivid world and didn’t ever want to leave it! This book is a blast and rated-PG and just perfect to wrap up for any female you really love this holiday season. I adored it. What’s next from you, Sophie Cousens?! Five stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You know what I don’t read a lot of? Christian fiction! Partly because it so rarely crosses my path via gushing recommendations, partly because I struggle to find the quality-level I feel is both riveting as a reader and inspiring to me as a writer… I don’t know! Do you guys feel that way, too? I wish there was more Christian fiction just awesome and everywhere, but there doesn’t seem to be. Or is it just not getting the hype? Or am I just totally missing it?! Riddle me all of this, guys. Would so love to hear your thoughts!
Anyway, as an author who incorporates strong Christian elements into her stories, I really like to see how it’s done by authors doing it well. This book came highly recommended to me from several of you, and girls, you guys nailed it! Nicole Deese, I’m so into your style!
The Words We Lost is strong, deep, and captivating—sprinkled with romance, mystery, and a super-intriguing book-industry plot line as well. The atmospheric seaside setting is also glorious. Senior acquisitions editor Ingrid Erikson—still grief-stricken by the death of her world-famous author client and best friend—embarks on a journey with former flame Jake to retrieve a mysterious package left behind by said friend.
What’s at the end of this treasure hunt? Forgiveness? Healing? True love? Ingrid’s brilliant-dead-friend’s final bestselling manuscript? WOW, I enjoyed this ride! I also loved getting lost in a world I could trust. No harsh language, no gratuitous sex… just truly pure, even Hallmark-esque, which I state as the highest compliment (duh)! I loved this book and feel inspired as I did by The Good Part. 4.5 stars from me! I can’t wait to read more from this author! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 And if you have more great Christian fiction recommendations, pretty please send them my way!
Oh hey, true crime month for my Book Club! What the Dead Know is very ‘true crime’ in the hardest-boiled, most journalistic sense. We’re talking FACTS. So despite my obsession with the topic in general, I wasn’t sure if I’d find myself bored. Spoiler: NOT BORED AT ALL! I loved it. Barbara Butcher—yes, her real name—worked as a death investigator in New York City for many years. During this time, she examined 5,500+ death scenes, including 680 homicides. Can you say whoa… and then say it once again louder?!
Captivating. That’s the word for this book! Also gruesome, no doubt. For hardcore lovers of CSI and those with strong stomachs only. Also, actually, this is a great pick for readers who love a good sobriety memoir, which I always do. I loved how Butcher’s rock-bottom with alcohol and her sure uprising are what led her to this wild job—and I loved the unique light her sober lens shined onto the darkest crime scenes. This book is just GOOD. And ya know what, maybe it’s even a fantastic gift for that dark heart you know and love! The 9/11 segments at the end were especially eye-opening and moving to me. Four shiny stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well, well, Wellness. This is a 600-page gorilla of literary fiction receiving superior end-of-year accolades. I simultaneously loved this book… and loathed parts of it! Mostly it’s the story of a couple, Jack and Elizabeth, told through the decades, beginning with their charming early days. (My favorite part!!!) The book’s Chicago setting is also pure fire throughout, by the way. Soon after my Chicago Marathon, I was devouring it.
Within the structure of Jack and Elizabeth’s story—falling in love, growing apart, navigating homes and careers and failings and curiosities and everything under the city lights—the author brilliantly detours into various topics defining the last several decades: from the wellness industry to Facebook algorithms to motherhood and marriage and more. While some of these tangents felt random, I was always intrigued and ever-drawn-back to the core of Jack and Elizabeth. I had to know their fate, simply had to! And I really loved the book’s ending, despite the long journey to get there.
Overall, I think this is no doubt destined to be some kind of literary classic definitive of our time. It’s a fantastic read for you voracious literary buffs, for fans of Jonathan Franzen and the likes especially. But I wouldn’t necessarily call it a crowd pleaser. There was one chapter in particular where I just squirmed. (DM me for spoilers. LOL.) This novel is more of a critically thoughtful, artistically tackled, IMPRESSIVE work of true art, one I hardly feel worthy of even critiquing. I’m going to say 4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Have you read any of these?!
What do I need to read before the clock strikes 2024?!
Based in Orange County, California, Stephanie Mack is a longtime writer, wife to one, and mom of three little girls. She has been blogging at MOMentary Insanity® since 2014. Her work has also been featured on Scary Mommy, Faithit, Coffee + Crumbs, and more. She holds a Master of Professional Writing degree from USC. When We Blinked is her debut novel.
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In 2024, one specific piece of writing advice has persisted in reaching my ears. Through the Booked Solid podcast, landing my dream agent, and my ever-trustworthy author friends, the message echoes: Get out of the slush pile.