Hey guys!! I am excited to share with you guys what I read in November. I feel like I read a good amount of books in November. I ended up reading mainly thrillers but what else is new. I do want to take a break from thrillers so I might try to read some other genres in January. Anyway let’s dive in and see what I read in November!
The Broken Girls By by Simone St. James
Genre: Mystery, Fiction, and Thriller
Pages: 336 pages
Publication Date: March 20th 2018
Publisher: Berkley Books
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Vermont, 1950. There’s a place for the girls whom no one wants–the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It’s called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it’s located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming–until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . .
Vermont, 2014. As much as she’s tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister’s death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister’s boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can’t shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case.
When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past–and a voice that won’t be silenced. . . .
My Thoughts: I ended up liking this book. I really enjoyed how it went through the past and also through the present. I do kind of wish the past focused on the death of the present main character’s sister than the random girl who disappeared. I wish they tied together more. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the paranormal element in the book for me. I felt like it was unnecessary.
An Unwanted Guest By Shari Lapena
Genre: Mystery, Fiction, and Thriller, Suspense
Pages: 290 pages
Publication Date: August 7 2018
Publisher: Dorman Books
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: A remote lodge in upstate New York is the perfect getaway. . . until the bodies start piling up.It’s winter in the Catskills and the weather outside is frightful. But Mitchell’s Inn is so delightful! The cozy lodge nestled deep in the woods is perfect for a relaxing–maybe even romantic–weekend away. The Inn boasts spacious old rooms with huge wood-burning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a book and someone you love. So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off the electricity–and all contact with the outside world–the guests settle in for the long haul. The power’s down but they’ve got candles, blankets, and wood–a genuine rustic experience! Soon, though, a body turns up–surely an accident. When a second body appears, they start to panic. Then they find a third body. Within the snowed-in paradise, something–or someone–is picking off the guests one by one. They can’t leave, and with no cell service, there’s no prospect of getting the police in until the weather loosens its icy grip. The weekend getaway has turned deadly. For some couples, it’s their first time away. For others, it will be their last. And there’s nothing they can do about it but huddle down and hope they can survive the storm.
My Thoughts: So I have read Shari Lapena’s other books and I wasn’t a huge fan. So I was iffy about picking up her third book. I saw people who felt the same way about her other ones enjoy this one. It sounded really cool. It gave me major Agatha Christie vibes. However I just wasn’t a fan of this book. I think part of the reason is there were so many characters. I found myself forgetting who was who for a bit. So I would be reading chapters trying to remember what I learned about them before. So I was confused. I honestly tried to remember who the killer was and I completely forgot. So that just tells you where I am with this book. I don’t think I will be picking up anymore of her books. I’ve tried 3 of her books and they just weren’t for me.
The Walking Dead, Vol. 29: Lines We Cross (The Walking Dead #29) By Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard , Stefano Gaudiano , Cliff Rathburn , Dave Stewart
Genre: Horror, Zombies, Comic Book
Pages: 136 pages
Publication Date: March 13 2018
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Recent events have thrown Alexandria into turmoil, and now Rick, Dwight, Eugene and Negan all have something to prove.
Collects THE WALKING DEAD #169-174.
My Thoughts: I have been reading The Walking Dead comics for a while now. I read the comics over watching the show. I only watched season one but I don’t remember what happened. I didn’t really like it. I am liking all the new people they meet along the way. I am super curious how the series is going to end though.
Nailbiter, Vol. 1: There Will Be Blood (Nailbiter #1) By Joshua Williamson , Mike Henderson , Adam Guzowski , John J. Hill
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Comic Book
Pages: 144 pages
Publication Date: October 14 2014
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: “Where do serial killers come from?” and why has Buckaroo, Oregon given birth to sixteen of the most vile serial killers in the world? NSA Agent Nicholas Finch needs to solve that mystery in order to save his friend, and he’ll have to team up with the infamous Edward “Nailbiter” Warren to do it.
Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson deliver a mystery that mixes Twin Peaks with the horror of Se7en!
Collecting: Nailbiter 1-5
My Thoughts: So I had this on my TBR for a little while. It recently came up during one of my Down The TBR posts. So I thought I would check it out. I originally wanted to read it in October but the hold took a little while to come in. I really enjoyed this. It was right up my alley. I wanted to read the next volume but my library only has 1 and 6. So I need to figure out about how I’m going to continue this series.
The Walking Dead, Vol. 30: New World Order (The Walking Dead #30) By Robert Kirkman , Charlie Adlard , Stefano Gaudiano , Cliff Rathburn , Research & Education Association
Genre: Horror, Zombies, Comic Book
Pages: 136 pages
Publication Date: September 11 2018
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: New friends. New enemies. New threats. It’s a whole new world. Collects THE WALKING DEAD #175-180.
My Thoughts: I feel things were getting good in the last one. So I needed to catch up. I hate that I have to wait until next year but I am excited to see what’s going to happen next.
Providence By Caroline Kepnes
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
Pages: 367 pages
Publication Date: June 19th 2018
Publisher: Lenny
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Growing up as best friends in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe are the only ones who truly understand each other, though they can never find the words to tell one another the depth of their feelings. When Jon is finally ready to confess his feelings, he’s suddenly kidnapped by his substitute teacher who is obsessed with H.P. Lovecraft and has a plot to save humanity.
Mourning the disappearance of Jon and facing the reality he may never return, Chloe tries to navigate the rites of entering young adulthood and “fit in” with the popular crowd, but thoughts of Jon are never far away.
When Jon finally escapes, he discovers he now has an uncontrollable power that endangers anyone he has intense feelings for. He runs away to protect Chloe and find the answers to his new identity–but he’s soon being tracked by a detective who is fascinated by a series of vigilante killings that appear connected.
Whisking us on a journey through New England and crashing these characters’ lives together in the most unexpected ways, Kepnes explores the complex relationship between love and identity, unrequited passion and obsession, self-preservation and self-destruction, and how the lines are often blurred between the two.
My Thoughts: So I was a little skeptical to read this. I didn’t like You By Caroline Kepnes but I wanted to give her another chance. I really liked the beginning of the story but once Jon escapes I wasn’t a fan of the story. I just was no longer into it. I do like that we ended up getting different perspectives but that was it. I don’t think I’ll be reading anything else by her.
Jackaby (Jackaby #1) By William Ritter
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Young Adult, Historical
Pages: 299 pages
Publication Date: September 16 2014
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: “Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion–and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary–including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police–with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane–deny.
Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.
My Thoughts: I didn’t know too much about this book going into it. I have to say it was a very fun read. I wasn’t expecting it to have magical creatures in it as well. I found it fun. I am excited to see what the next book in the series is about. Plus these books have such lovely covers.
Adulthood is a Myth By Sarah Andersen
Genre: Humor, Nonfiction
Pages: 112 pages
Publication Date: March 8 2016
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Are you a special snowflake?
Do you enjoy networking to advance your career?
Is adulthood an exciting new challenge for which you feel fully prepared?
Ugh. Please go away.
This book is for the rest of us. These comics document the wasting of entire beautiful weekends on the internet, the unbearable agony of holding hands on the street with a gorgeous guy, dreaming all day of getting home and back into pajamas, and wondering when, exactly, this adulthood thing begins. In other words, the horrors and awkwardnesses of young modern life.
My Thoughts: I read books 2 and 3 and really liked them. I figured I would finally read book 1. I enjoy these a lot. I find them so fun and relatable. I can see these being good books for pick me ups. They would be fun to read when you’re feeling alone. I might even get these for myself at some point.
Fragments of the Lost By Megan Miranda
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Pages: 373 pages
Publication Date: November 14 2017
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Jessa Whitworth knew she didn’t belong in her ex-boyfriend Caleb’s room. But she couldn’t deny that she was everywhere: in his photos, his neatly folded T-shirts, even the butterfly necklace in his jeans pocket . . . the one she gave him for safe keeping on that day.
His mother asked her to pack up his things, even though she blames Jessa for his accident. How could she say no? And maybe, just maybe, it will help her work through the guilt she feels about their final moments together.
But as Jessa begins to box up the pieces of Caleb’s life, they trigger memories that make Jessa realize their past relationship may not be exactly as she remembered. And she starts to question whether she really knew Caleb at all.
Each fragment of his life reveals a new clue that propels Jessa to search for the truth about Caleb’s accident. What really happened on the storm-swept bridge?
My Thoughts: So back in July 2017 I went to a book signing. Megan Miranda was one of the authors there. She ended up taking about this book and it sounded awesome. The story is told through objects which I thought sounded so cool. Well I have to say it was very enjoyable and very shocking. I am excited to read more from her.
A Noise Downstairs By Linwood Barclay
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense
Pages: 357 pages
Publication Date: July 4th 2018
Publisher: William Morrow
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: College professor Paul Davis is a normal guy with a normal life. Until, driving along a deserted road late one night, he surprises a murderer disposing of a couple of bodies. That’s when Paul’s “normal” existence is turned upside down. After nearly losing his own life in that encounter, he finds himself battling PTSD, depression, and severe problems at work. His wife, Charlotte, desperate to cheer him up, brings home a vintage typewriter—complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keys—to encourage him to get started on that novel he’s always intended to write.
However, the typewriter itself is a problem. Paul swears it’s possessed and types by itself at night. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn’t hear a thing. And she worries he’s going off the rails.
Paul believes the typewriter is somehow connected to the murderer he discovered nearly a year ago. The killer had made his victims type apologies to him before ending their lives. Has another sick twist of fate entwined his life with the killer—could this be the same machine? Increasingly tormented but determined to discover the truth and confront his nightmare, Paul begins investigating the deaths himself.
But that may not be the best thing to do. Maybe Paul should just take the typewriter back to where his wife found it. Maybe he should stop asking questions and simply walk away while he can. . . .
My Thoughts: So this was a buddy pick read. The lovely Jenna ended up picking this one for our group. I had never read anything by Linwood Barclay before so I was excited. I ended up enjoying this book a lot. I felt it ended up being a really good thriller because I did not see that ending coming. I want to check out more from Linwood in the future.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #1) By Jenny Han
Genre: Young Adult, Commentary, Romance
Pages: 355 pages
Publication Date: April 15 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
My Thoughts: So I have to admit, I ended up watching the movie before I ended up reading the book. It just sounded so cute I couldn’t pass it up. So I really liked the movie and decided to read the book. I have to say I enjoyed the movie more but the book was good. It was a bi different from the book. I still enjoyed it just not as much as I’d hope. I most likely will be continuing with the series. Plus I heard they will be making another movie so I am very excited!
Have you guys read any of these books? If so what did you think? What books did you guys end up reading November? I would love to hear from you!
Bookish In Bed 
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