December was an awesome month of studying: ten books. I listened to extra audio than traditional whereas touring, wrapping items, and getting out for some good, lengthy walks.
I used to be fortunate to learn just a few actually fantastic ARCs (that is my reminder to pre-order them in the event that they spark your curiosity; pre-orders are so useful to authors!). I genuinely cherished (or a minimum of actually preferred) every thing I learn this month, however far and away my favourite guide was Writers & Lovers. (You may keep in mind that I learn Coronary heart the Lover in October–it’s price noting that I preferred this much more!). I’ve ordered Lily King’s complete again catalog and can’t wait to dive in.
All the things I learn in November 2025
Inform me what you learn and cherished within the feedback part: I at all times store your recs. And for much more books, take a look at The Library: a catalog of each single guide I’ve learn over the previous ten+ years; you may even filter by style and type by finest/worst. Additionally – take a look at final month’s listing!
Historic Fiction
The Parisian Heist, by Jo Piazza (out July seventh!)
I used to be fortunate sufficient that Jo despatched me a really early copy of this, and I cherished each web page!!! It’s historic fiction and a thriller, instructed in twin timelines, which is my favourite for historic fiction. We meet widow Jo van Gogh, struggling to remain afloat. Together with her husband and brother-in-law now gone, she has inherited a whole lot of Vincent’s work. The artwork world has (after all) deemed the work nugatory. Jo disagrees. Consumed by Vincent’s legacy, decided to show his artistic genius (and assist her son), she takes on the bold and tough, particularly for a lady in these instances!) process of representing his work. In additional fashionable instances (the nineties), we meet Emma, a struggling artwork scholar in Paris. Having not too long ago misplaced her scholarship, she finds herself cleansing the properties of the rich elite, the place she meets Stella. As soon as upon a time, Stella was artwork world royalty, the spouse of one of many world’s most infamous artwork sellers. However upon her husband’s loss of life, she was minimize out of the need and now borders on penniless. Emma finds herself turning into pals with Stella and interested in her charming grandson. When Stella convinces Emma and her roommates to tug off a daring artwork heist at Musée d’Orsay, all bets are off (and the storylines converge). I couldn’t put this down. It’s a convergence of my favourite issues: artwork, Paris, and a heist. I can not advocate it sufficient. Please pre-order it, you’ll get a deal with in July (and everyone knows how important preorders are to authors!). Total Rating: A // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Thriller
Not Fairly Useless But, by Holly Jackson
I had seen this guide advisable as a high thriller on a number of “better of” lists, so I figured it was a must-read. Truthfully, it was good however not nice. The writing reads extra like YA, it dragged at instances, and I didn’t just like the ending. So, you’ve been warned. A younger lady (Jet) is brutally attacked on the night time of Halloween. When she wakes up within the hospital, she is given one week to stay earlier than she dies of a mind aneurysm. Brutal! She units out to determine who tried to kill her (and shall be convicted of her homicide as soon as she dies). Is it her ex-boyfriend? Somebody in her household? Her ex-best pal? With simply her finest pal Billy by her aspect, the 2 got down to resolve her homicide. It’s a artistic premise, however I really feel prefer it may have been carried out higher. The ending was irritating. Jet was unlikeable and impulsive. The writing felt each easy and lengthy. Nevertheless it was nonetheless entertaining. This obtained a B. It’s skippable, but when it have been on the airport bookstore, I’d choose it up and browse it on my flight. Total Rating: B // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Little One, by Olivia Muenter (out Feb 3!)
Ooh I cherished this guide. If you’re a fan of Jessica Knoll, I feel you’ll actually like it. Catharine West grew up on an idyllic farm, away from the remainder of the world in Florida. A few of her earliest reminiscences contain consuming sun-ripened tomatoes off the vine, working by way of her household’s gardens, and studying in her treehouse together with her sister Linna. Her life was easy, however pretty . . . the farm was a magical place for her household and numerous others. Away from the remainder of the world, dwelling off of the land. She by no means felt as if she wanted to depart; why would she? She had every thing she may ever want: group, meals, her magnetic father. However there was a darker aspect: her good-looking and charming father had a mood and may very well be extraordinarily controlling and manipulative. Years later, Catharine has left the farm, however the reminiscences nonetheless linger. In the meantime, she’s rigorously constructed a brand new life for in New York. It’s a life with strict self-discipline and partitions: even her finest pal has no thought about her previous. However when a journalist emails her (and appears to know far more than he lets on), all bets are off as Catharine wonders if he can lead her to the one particular person she’s really cherished (Linna). I couldn’t put this down and really gasped on the remaining chapter! Total Rating: A // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Her One Remorse, by Donna Freitas
I couldn’t put this down. I’ve by no means learn something prefer it! It’s a hybrid of a criminal offense thriller and deeper exploration of one thing tremendous taboo: a mom who regrets having her youngster. I’ll say that there’s a CW for post-partum despair, so if that’s you, you may wish to skip it. Lucy Mendoza is a profitable actual property agent who disappears from a grocery retailer parking zone, leaving her child (and her automobile and telephone) behind. A seek for Lucy instantly begins, and her finest pal Michelle is devastated. However Michelle is aware of a secret, one thing Lucy has solely confided in her. Lucy regrets being a mom a lot that she needs she may faux her personal kidnapping. Michelle is aware of in her coronary heart that foul play is at stake and Lucy would by no means abandon her candy daughter. Or is she so determined that she’d depart her circle of relatives? The story is instructed from three totally different ladies’s views: Michelle, Julia (a struggling new mom), and Diana (a retired detective who takes an curiosity within the case). I feel plenty of ladies could wrestle with this guide as nobody ever actually talks in regards to the risk that some ladies may discover motherhood to be an unfixable mistake. It’s definitely taboo, however as a girl who has by no means wished her personal youngsters, I discovered it actually considerate and insightful! Total Rating: A- // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Modern Fiction
Alan Opts Out, by Courtney Maum (out June 2nd!)
Merely put, this guide is a pleasure to learn. It’s hilarious in a satirical kind of method and shocking, with beautiful writing and characters you root for. Alan is a profitable promoting govt, on the verge of securing a giant bonus. Quickly, he’ll be capable of give his spouse, Vivian, what she’s been dreaming of: a swimming pool. The 2 stay in an idyllic Connecticut suburb, and all that Vivian desires is to be accepted by the opposite ladies as an “Anne” (their secret membership). All the things goes stomach up when a rogue dairy farm ruins Alan’s large pitch, and Alan has a disaster of confidence: he’s bored with convincing folks to purchase issues they don’t want. Alan takes to the little playhouse outdoors. He stops showering, stops carrying sneakers, and provides up fashionable plumbing. His daughters appear to like it. In the meantime, Vivian, who grew up with little or no, realizes that she isn’t making her daughters glad by giving them extra stuff: one desires to behave, and the opposite is satisfied she will be able to speak to animals. All the things culminates with a mid-summer banquet that Vivian is internet hosting (her remaining take a look at within the competitors to turn into an Anne). I simply cherished this. It was enjoyable to learn, the writing is unbelievable, simply an absolute deal with. I extremely advocate pre-ordering! Total Rating: A- // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Writers and Lovers, by Lily King
Good grief, the place has Lily King been all of my life!? One way or the other, she was probably not on my radar till Coronary heart the Lover, and now even having learn solely two of her books, she is turning into one in all my favourite authors. The writing is so beautiful that I felt jealous at instances. The characters are simply fantastic. Casey, bereft and nonetheless reeling from the loss of life of her mom (after which a subsequent heartbreak), is struggling. It’s the nineties. She’s drowning in debt, dwelling in a moldy room off of her brother’s pal’s storage, and can’t appear to complete her novel. She works at a restaurant in Boston the place the brunch chef recurrently harasses her. She can not appear to get a break. She’s thirty-one, has only a few pals (although Muriel and Harry are two A++ characters who at all times have Casey’s again), and so many issues (payments, medical recommendation, her job) simply really feel insurmountable. Nonetheless, she has one factor that so lots of her former pals and friends have given up on: a willpower to stay a artistic life, irrespective of the fee. When she finds herself courting two very totally different males (a profitable writer 15 years her senior and a younger author her personal age), she finds herself flailing but once more. This can be a story of triumph in opposition to the chances and believing in your craft. I couldn’t put it down. I cherished Casey (and felt like I already knew her, as I’d learn Coronary heart the Lover first. Total Rating: A+ // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Klara and the Solar, by Kazuo Ishiguri
After studying By no means Let Me Go final yr, so lots of you had recommended this, saying that it was even higher. I cherished it. It’s such a particular guide. I don’t wish to inform you very a lot as a result of it’s a type of books the place the much less , the higher. Much like By no means Let Me Go, it’s set within the not-so-distant future. Klara is an AF (synthetic pal), on the market at a store on a metropolis block. Her favourite instances are these when she is positioned close to the entrance of the shop and may really feel the solar’s heat on her physique. Klara’s greatest hope is to be chosen by a toddler. Her odds lower as increasingly high-tech variations of the AF are launched. When she meets Josie, she is for certain she’s discovered her youngster and that her life is about to alter. I received’t say anything however I adored this guide. The writing is gorgeous, and the selection to inform the story by way of the restricted perspective of synthetic intelligence is good. I’ve by no means learn something prefer it! Total Rating: A // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Non-Fiction
Eat, Drink, and Remarry, by Patricia Altschul
I ordered this as I knew it could be enjoyable, and Patricia had spoken on the literary competition right here in Charleston. Plus, I’ll admit it: I at all times love a wealthy particular person memoir! I used to be not ready for a way a lot I might take pleasure in it! I’ve dipped out and in of Southern Attraction to be a supportive pal at instances however it’s not my factor–an excessive amount of drama. I anticipated this guide to be a humorous memoir from an eccentric older lady who married very nicely. I worry I underestimated her! The guide is so attention-grabbing. She’s had an unbelievable life (and profession) earlier than the present. I cherished studying about her background in academia and the artwork world (she has some really wild tales, particularly one about Roy Cohn), her upbringing and household life, all of it. I devoured it up! My solely gripe is that I selected to hearken to this and she or he didn’t narrate. In any other case, it’s excellent! A very enjoyable learn, but additionally wow: I didn’t understand what a powerful particular person she is. Total Rating: A- // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Born Fortunate, by Leland Vittert
This guide is so highly effective and hopeful. I wasn’t accustomed to Leland Vittert, however he’s a reasonably well-known journalist on NewsNation (previous to that, he was at Fox Information). What I didn’t know is his life story and the way arduous he (and his father) have labored to get to that time. Leland grew up socially awkward, at all times totally different from different youngsters. His classmates (and academics) labeled him bizarre, and he was bullied wherever he went. Even the academics bullied him. His mother and father didn’t know what to do. Leland confirmed the indicators of being autistic, however again then (the eighties and nineties), the prognosis was uncommon. His father knew that the world wouldn’t change and that Leland must adapt. He devoted his life to teaching Leland, giving him the talents he would wish to thrive afterward and at all times telling him that the issues that made him totally different and peculiar as a child would profit him as an grownup. That is a type of books that can make you snort and cry, nevertheless it made me really feel very hopeful. It’s inspiring and a pleasure to learn. I cherished it a lot. I listened to the audiobook and would advocate it, as Leland narrates! Total Rating: A- // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
Win Mates and Affect Individuals, by Dale Carnegie
This may seem to be a semi-random alternative (it was revealed again in 1936!) however Leland Vittert referenced it in Born Fortunate, and I remembered how a lot I cherished it after I learn it in highschool. I’m so glad I re-read it! It’s clearly a traditional however I feel it’s very evergreen and timeless: a guide you may learn and re-read and it’ll at all times be related and train you one thing new. It’s stuffed with astute and really sensible/helpful recommendation–particularly round managing folks, dealing with battle and criticism, being well-regarded and never solely being good at your job and getting forward, but additionally being a top quality particular person and good human being. I feel that if everybody learn this guide, the world can be a a lot better place. Extremely advocate! Total Rating: // Order on Bookshop or Amazon
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