“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and colour are their last days.”
John Burroughs
Hello, Bonjour, Hej, Merhaba and Kon’nichiwa – did you know that November 21st is World Hello Day? I really feel I missed a trick in not learning more hellos in order to fully celebrate! There are some other strange and wonderful celebrations in November, such as National Cook for Your Pets Day on the 1st, Fibonacci Day on the 23rd and the whole of November is Banana Pudding Lovers Month—who knew?
It seems strange to be finishing up this write up as the days are starting to get longer, but November was a good month for reading so I didn’t want to skip it. For me, there were a lot of cosy nights with candles and reading, as you can probably tell by the sizeable stack of books here! I love November, the first stirrings of feeling festive but no ‘Christmas chaos just yet – the perfect month for a bit of hibernation.
Anyways, better late than never on the round up, here’s Novembers books –
Books Read:
| Title | Author |
| The Pumpkin Spice Cafe | Laurie Gilmore |
| The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore | Laurie Gilmore |
| The Christmas Tree Farm | Laurie Gilmore |
| Why and Why Not | Mark Titchner |
| Finding Love at the Christmas Market | Jo Thomas |
| Keeping a Christmas Promise | Jo Thomas |
| Countdown to Christmas | Jo Thomas |
| Wintering | Catherine May |
| Midnight in the Snow | Karen Swan |
| Without Ever Reaching the Summit | Paolo Cognetti |
| Tyger Tyger Burning Bright | Ana Sampson |
| August and Everything After | Jennifer Salvato Doktorski |
| How to Quieten Your Mind | Anna Barnes |
Total keeping: 5 out of 13
First up is Midnight In The Snow by Karen Swan. It’s no secret that I love Karen Swan, I think she is an incredible writer – she captures her characters perfectly and it’s impossible not to fall in love with them, flaws and all. Even as you’re rolling your eyes, or shouting at the book when someone is making a bad decision, it’s impossible not to feel like you’re reading about real people.
This book in particular, is a standout for me. Following the story of Clover, an award-winning director, we follow along as she tries to get under the skin of Kit Foley; a surfer turned snowboarder trying to carve a new place in the world after his involvement in a devastating accident. Karen does an amazing job of bringing the reader along with the villainization of Kit and it’s hard at first to understand how there could possibly be any kind of satisfactory resolution to the book and the story within – which just makes it so much more interesting as it unfolds. It has mystery, intrigue, friendship and a little romance and made me both laugh and cry – it really is the full package. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I will say, it looks [and sounds] like a winter read, but I really think this would be as enjoyable on a beach in the middle of summer as it would under a blanket when it’s cold!
Another favourite read in November was the beautiful Without Ever Reaching the Summit by Paulo Cognetti. This gorgeous short book is a cross between a memoir, a journal and a literary homage and it’s absolutely beautiful. Written by Paolo Cognetti as he marked his 40th birthday with a journey to Dolpo, a remote region where Nepal meets Tibet for a hike with two of his closest friends. Armed with only the essentials for the trip, this book reads almost like a dream at times. It captures the clarity of the world around you when you reduce it to food, sleep, walking and your thoughts. I loved this one, it’s a fairly brief read but it stuck with me for a long time after I was done. To me it almost reads as a slightly more ethereal version of Wild by Sheryl Strayed, albeit without the same level of retrospective reflection. If I hadn’t already been enjoying it, this quote would have changed that:
“The kind of sadness only readers know, the nostalgia for finished books”.
Paulo Cognetti
Be Angry But Don’t Stop Breathing is one of my favourite pieces of modern artwork and years ago I came across the book Why and Why Not in a second hand bookshop. I loved it because it collates a whole series of Mark Titchner works into a single volume, but I rarely ever read the accompanying text. On sitting down to do so late last year, I just kind of felt like I was missing the point……but on reading up online, that was possibly the point. This is a strange one for me, I didn’t particularly enjoy the read, but I’m still going to hold onto the book for now just because I love his work.
Total heading for new homes: 8 out of 13
How about a trip to Dream Harbor with The Pumpkin Spice Cafe series by Laurie Gilmore? I would be lying if I said I didn’t buy these because of social media…..and because the shiny gold on the cover caught my eye. This is a cosy, easy reading book series set in the quirky town of Dream Harbor, where everyone knows your name and is determined to set you up with the conveniently placed single eligible bachelor. I’m going to level with you, a couple of months on, I barely remember the stories, or even the characters – I’m sure one of them is a high flying city girl looking to escape to a small town…. But what I do remember – is feeling like I’d drunk a great coffee in my favourite café wrapped up in a warm blanket. And if that’s not the sign of a perfect easy reading cosy story, I’m not sure what is. With two more in the series coming out this year, now is the time to block out an afternoon and snuggle up.
August+ Everything After by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski was a fantastic quick read, it’s YA, angsty, romantic and very real. I found it the perfect blend of characters, landscape and story. Following the story of Quinn and she escapes to the Jersey Shore for the summer, seeking a fresh start, and hopefully the answer to the question – ‘what next?’. Although I now relate more closely to the ‘grown up’ in this story (not too painful given that her Aunt is a cool musician type) – Jennifer has a way of writing her characters that makes them feel they could just walk off the page. We all remember what it was like to be a teenager, and while Quinn definitely isn’t perfect, she is trying her best. To me, it felt like a great revisit to my own teenage years – I was nowhere near as cool as Quinn, but I would have loved this book when I was in school!
November also saw a trio of Jo Thomas books, I cannot express enough love for her Christmas reads – if you’re ever lacking in festive spirit then any of Jo’s Winter reads are the perfect prescription! This gorgeous set was borrowed from the library so sadly had to be returned, although I did sneak Keeping a Christmas Promise onto my kindle!
Full disclosure, I actually revisited two of these books this month [Feb] and decided to let them go – so all in, I actually only kept three books from my November reads. It is definitely getting easier to be decisive about what deserves a long term place on the bookshelf!
As always, let me know if you have any recommendations.
Nx
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