Hey guys! It is time for my November Wrap-up. Last week I shared what I read in October to catch up. I finally will be caught up with my book wrap-ups. My movie wrap-up will be coming on Monday. Overall I really only loved one book I read in November. I am wondering if that ended up putting me in my slump. Thankfully I finally finished a book yesterday! I haven’t really been posting TBRs because my reading mood has been all over the place. I haven’t been sticking to them. There were some books I really wanted to get to but I don’t think I’ll be able to fit them in. Here’s to starting fresh in the new year. So now let’s dive in to see what I read in November!
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Contemporary, Adult, Suspense, Adult Fiction, Audiobook
Pages: 342 pages
Publication Date: June 30th 2020
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Plot: It’s Livia’s fortieth birthday and tonight she’s having a party, a party she’s been planning for a long time. The only person missing will be her daughter, Marnie.
But Livia has a secret, a secret she’s been keeping from Adam, her husband, until the party is over. Because how can she tell him that although she loves Marnie, she’s glad their daughter won’t be there to celebrate with her?
Adam is determined everything will be just right for Livia and the party is going to be perfect… until he learns something that will leave him facing an unbearable decision.
My Thoughts: I wouldn’t say this is really a thriller or a mystery. I mean there are things you learn and it’s kind of like did this actually happen or what. I just feel it’s more a family drama if anything. Overall I ended up not being surprised. I mean I kind of had a feeling of what happened. I do feel this would have worked better as a short story. It dragged on. I’m bummed but I’ll still be checking out her next book.
Morning Glories, Vol. 5: Tests (Morning Glories #5) By Nick Spencer, Joe Eisma, Rodin Esquejo (Illustrator)
Genre: Mystery, Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Graphic Novels Comic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 136 pages
Publication Date: September 17th 2013
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: The Glories are scattered, The Faculty broken, and The Truants on the attack! Collecting the explosive, mind-bending Season 2 premiere event, “Tests.” Collects Morning Glories #26-29.
My Thoughts: I honestly feel like all my reviews for this comic are about how I have no clue what is happening. I’m 5 volumes in and I’m still confused as hell. I have no idea what is happening overall. I still keep picking these up. I guess I’m hoping it will all be explained in the end.
Morning Glories, Vol. 6: Demerits (Morning Glories #6) By Nick Spencer, Joe Eisma
Genre: Mystery, Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Graphic Novels Comic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 144 pages
Publication Date: December 11th 2013
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: After the climactic events of the Season Two premiere, the Glories and the Truants find themselves more lost than ever before, haunted by the things they’ve seen and done. Collecting the supense and heartbreak-filled arc DEMERITS. Collects Morning Glories #30-34.
My Thoughts: I honestly don’t have anything to add from what I said above. I do want to finish this comic by the end of the year. So I’m going to work on that these next couple of weeks.
Something to Talk About By Meryl Wilsner
Genre: Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Fiction, Queer, Adult, Adult Fiction, Audiobook
Pages: 336 pages
Publication Date: May 26th 2020
Publisher: Berkley Books
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Plot: A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance.
Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn’t come at a worse time–threatening Emma’s promotion and Jo’s new movie.
As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a “source” is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is “no comment”.
With the launch of Jo’s film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all…but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?
My Thoughts: I really wanted to like this book so bad. I am huge into books that take place in Hollywood. I eat that up. At the beginning I was like yes I’m going to love this. However things just got very boring. The moment I wanted to happened just ended up taking too long. I didn’t want to wait any longer but I had to. I’m so bummed because I really thought this could be a new favorite romance of mine.
Open Book By Jessica Simpson, Kevin Carr O’Leary
Genre: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, Music, Adult, Womens
Pages: 416 pages
Publication Date: February 4th 2020
Publisher: Dey Street Books
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Jessica tells of growing up in 1980s Texas where she was sexually abused by the daughter of a family friend, and of unsuccessfully auditioning for the Mickey Mouse Club at age 13 with Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling before going on to sign a record deal with Columbia and marrying 98 Degrees member Nick Lachey.
Along the way, she details the struggles in her life, such as the pressure to support her family as a teenager, divorcing Lachey, enduring what she describes as an emotionally abusive relationship with musician John Mayer, being body-shamed in an overly appearance-centered industry, and going through bouts of heavy drinking. But Simpson ends on a positive note, discussing her billion-dollar apparel line and marriage with professional football star Eric Johnson, with whom she has three children.
My Thoughts: I am a pretty shocked that my favorite book of November is Jessica Simpson’s book. I randomly decided to put this on hold. I am a Jessica Simpson fan and I really like her music. However I just wasn’t in a rush to read this. I don’t remember what made me put it on hold but I thought why not. Listening to Jessica tell the story of her life just felt genuine. I felt there were so many moments where you could feel the emotion in her voice. There were times it sounded like she was tearing up a bit telling her story. I also really liked that she didn’t hold back. I also felt like we dealt with similar situations. So I felt this was a celebrity book I related to a lot. Plus she did include some new music which is a bonus.
He Started It By Samantha Downing
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Adult, Audiobook, Suspense, Contemporary, Adult Fiction
Pages: 384 pages
Publication Date: July 21st 2020
Publisher: Berkley
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven’t all been together in years. And for very good reasons—we’ll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and—more importantly—secure their inheritance.
But time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone.
It’s even harder when you’re all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory—a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won’t stop following your car—and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there’s a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons.
But money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone.
My Thoughts: I was really looking forward to picking up a good thriller. I had loved Samantha Downing’s debut novel, My Lovely Wife. So I was super excited for this one. However I just found myself bored majority of the time. I didn’t care about any of the characters. I get they’re not supposed to be likeable. I just did not care about anything they did. I honestly wish I ended up dnfing this book.
Overall I feel November wasn’t the best reading month. I read a decent amount but only loved one thing. I do hope December brings some books I really enjoy. However I have been in bit of a slump. I did just finish a book so I hope I keep reading. I also need to just put down books I’m not enjoying. I’m usually good at that. Sometimes I rather just finish the book.
I don’t have a set list for December. I did just finish one read from November. I do have some buddy reads I want to get to. So I’m hoping I end up really enjoying those. I also just picked up We Are the Wildcats from the 25 Reads of December. I only read a chapter but liked what I read so far.
What are some books you read in November? Have you guys read any of these books? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Bookish In Bed 
A very interesting selection. I had no idea Jessica Simpson had such a traumatic early life and then later life struggles. I do know her music and have seen a number of her reality shows in the 2000s, and always wondered about her as a person. Thanks for introducing me to this book. It definitely sounds like a book worth reading.
LikeLike