Best Books of November

I think this year I have gotten much better at picking books that I thoroughly love. I have read so many 4, 4.5, and 5 star books this year! It's a new record, for sure. I have read nearly 140 books this year, which is also a record for me. I am happy to say I haven't hesitated to give up on a book that isn't giving me joy. I can get just a bit into it, or more than half finished but if it isn't doing it for me, I can just shut it down and go on to something I like better.  November was a really good reading month and I'd love to share the best of them with you.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio was just excellent. It is in the genre referred to as "dark academia", which typically isn't my favorite, but I did love this book. The setting is a private arts college that specializes in Shakespearean drama. The book is set up in five parts, like the five acts of a Shakespeare play and there are seven main characters who are typical of the characters you would find in a Shakespearean history or tragedy. The blog Literary Lifestyle has a helpful guide for this book that I encourage you to look at if you decide to read it. The book begins with one of the students being released from prison ten years after supposedly murdering one of his cohorts. The lead detective on the case never truly believed the kid did it and finagles an interview with him on his release from prison to find out what really happened. The story is a richly layered tale of obsession, passion, and friendship that pulled me in from the start. Lots of Shakespearean references which (as an English major) I enjoyed. This book is very literary and made me feel like I was spending my time well while I was reading it. 5 stars (Free on Amazon Unlimited)

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree is in a new-to-me genre called "Cozy Fantasy". The set up: an Orc named Viv decides to leave her violent and barbaric life and start anew by becoming the owner of a coffee shop in a small village. Viv has her struggles making her dream come true, and I found myself rooting for her throughout her setbacks. This is a book set in a fantastical realm and full of other-worldy creatures and magic, but has at its heart a cozy feeling. Found family, friendship, loyalty, and starting over are all themes in this unusual book full of strange creatures who have never heard of coffee. Viv's coffee shop will have you smelling the beans roasting and imagining the taste of strong brew and hot creamy foam. It was fun. 4.5 stars.  

The next two books are really meant to be read one after the other. They are both long ones, so it is a bit of a commitment. However if you love a Victorian tale of revenge, murder and deceit, this will be your cup of tea, as it was mine. 
The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox had me compulsively turning the pages. Our main character does some pretty dastardly deeds, but he has his reasons. Our main character, Edward Glyver goes from the grubby streets of Victorian London to Evenwood, a beautiful estate that he has been cheated out of inheriting. Edward is passionate in his quest for justice and revenge against his arch-rival, the dastardly evil poet Phoebus Rainford Daunt. There are plenty of betrayals, treachery, and obsession in these pages. I was totally obsessed to find out what would happen. The atmosphere of Victorian England is masterfully portrayed. 5 stars.

The Glass of Time by Michael Cox builds on the story that has been set up in The Meaning of Night. The narrative continues with a female main character, Esperanza Gorst impersonating herself as a lady's maid to the Baroness Tansor, the previous fiance to the villain Phoebus Daunt from The Meaning of Night. Our fake maid soon learns that her mistress has many secrets, but how it all relates to her remains to be seen. I don't want to give anything away, but this book ties up all the loose ends left hanging in The Meaning of Night. The ending is also enormously satisfying. If you enjoy Victorian drama, great prose, and wonderful characterizations, you might love these two books as much as I did.  I had a major book hangover after reading these two books. 5 stars


With The Madstone by Elizabeth Crook, I really switched gears, but it was wonderful. This book is a Western! Did you love Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry or The News of the World by Paulette Jiles? If so, this book will be right up your alley. Set in Texas, 1868, 19-year-old Benjamin Shreve is minding his own business building furniture when he witnesses a bizarre scene in which a stagecoach passenger is stranded, and the coach takes off with the man's fortune on board. Benjamin is persuaded to help this passenger follow the coach and retrieve his valuables and is thereby drawn into a drama beyond his wildest dreams. The story is epic and you will follow Benjamin into much drama and an awakening of his soul. The story was compulsive and I wasn't bored for a second. 5 stars and I can't wait for this author's next book!

Murder in the Family was my first book by author Cara Hunter, who is hugely popular in the UK. This book is so unusual in its construct. It is written as if it were a documentary in a Netflix-type drama. The producer of the drama is a family member who experienced the death of his "step-father", the much younger husband of his wealthy mother. Most family members were home at the time of the murder, but no one saw anything. The now adult son has pulled together a dream team of investigators (detectives, journalists, forensic psychologists) who all come together to try to solve the puzzle of who murdered "Luke Ryder". As the new series "Infamous" unfolds we wonder if this cold case will actually be solved. This book was a completely different format than I have previously experienced and was a definite page-turner, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The fun part was trying to see if I could figure out the outcome along with (or before) the experts! 5 stars. 

Those were my November highlights. If you read any of them, I sure hope you enjoy them as much as I did!