November Reads

Pretty great reading month for me! I got in a bunch of books from the library that I had been waiting forever for, checking off three new releases, three Reese/Jenna picks, and one 25 in 2025. I am really wanting to prioritize Kindle Unlimited in 2026 so be watching for my TBR on that soon!

*Links take you to Amazon where I do earn a small commission!*

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – I am well aware that I have grown up privileged. My parents care deeply about me and often sacrificed their wants and even needs when I was growing up to ensure my sister and I had everything we could ever dream of. My home was always warm, full of food, and I never questioned where they would be or what frame of mind they would be in. I wanted to read this because I knew it would give me a different perspective and grow my understanding of places not that far away. Demon, our main character, lives in Appalachia, more specifically Lee County, Virginia and this book narrates his journey through a hard childhood and an even worse young adulthood. This story made me so grateful for my education, my home, and my circle of people that care about me. Only docking a star because it was so long (550 pages) and just didn’t need to be in some parts.

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami – Holy shit this was brain bending! I loved this book, even though it was so freaky. In this sci-fi world, everyone has technology implanted in them so the government can read their dreams and intentions. The publicized reason for this technology is to prevent crime before it happens, but the underlying reasons are not so respectable. Our main character, Sara, is returning from a work conference abroad, when she is pulled to the side for questioning. The government has flagged her for a dream about killing her husband and sends her to a detention center for a twenty-one day holding period that turns into months. This book made me think in the best ways and hit super close to home with the current state of the world. A must read!

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – I was equal parts excited for this and dreading it. It was just as devastating as I expected! This is the story of Haymitch’s Hunger Games and I LOVED IT. It was honestly sadder than I expected and I flew through it. I don’t want to say much for spoiler reasons, but just know I cannot wait for the movie.

Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston – This is Poston’s 2025 release and my third book by her. We follow a songwriter who has a severe case of writers’ block and a ex boy-bander who hates the spotlight. They meet by chance at a mutual friend’s concert and it does not go well. Our songwriter, Joni, then moves back home to North Carolina to help with her aging mom and there is this voice in her head. The only solution seems to be to meet up and finish this song they can’t stop hearing. This book was cheesy as heck and super predictable, but I had a fun time! I loved the North Carolina setting and the depth of both characters. I would recommend for sure!

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch – This was a story that needs to be told and one I did not know much of the history behind. We follow a young married woman discovering her sexuality and then the fallout of her divorce and choices. We also follow the daughter once she is all grown up with her own family. I gave this book three stars (even though the characters infuriated me) because it definitely taught me so much about the struggles of LGBTQ+ folks in a time far before I was born. Also, this was a debut novel! I will definitely be reading more from this author, just found that the lack of communication between characters drove me nuts.

Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein – This was the July pick for Reese Witherspoon’s book club and I can definitely see why! We follow two sisters, Mia and Cricket, from literally birth to their mid 30s. Mia has served as a parent to Cricket for as long as she can remember, giving up sports, friends, boyfriends, and everything else to help out her Mom and help Cricket realize her soccer dreams. Fast forward to present day, Cricket is on the U.S. Women’s National Team (2nd string) and Mia is still her biggest cheerleader, until she can’t be anymore. I really enjoyed this story but felt that the soccer talk was a lot for someone that knows nothing about it. This would make such a good movie for sure.

Collided by Lauren Asher – After reading Throttled last month, I downloaded the next book for my next palette cleanser. This series is of course not the best I’ve ever read but its just so fun! In this book, we follow Sophie, the daughter of one team’s super, and Liam, the star driver of the other team. Liam finds out about Sophie’s bucket list and then begs to help. Somehow there’s a bet involved. Obviously not the most memorable but I would recommend.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle – This is the winner of the Sci-Fi section of the Goodreads Choice Awards for 2025 (though my vote was the Dream Hotel). I think this won because of the sheer amount of people that read it when it went viral. This was described as Lord of the Flies meets Love Island and I would agree. Our main characters are on a reality show where they wake up in this mansion in the middle of the desert. There are all kinds of ridiculous challenges and romances that make no sense. I had a good time with this one but its not one I would shout about from the rooftops.

That was all for November! December is shaping up to be a great reading month, particularly because I am speed reading to meet my goals that I procrastinated. Yay! See you soon 🙂