10 fascinating Books I Read Recently in November 2021
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November I read a lot of fiction. 8 out of 10 were fiction so that’s 80%.
And did I love the variety – Truly. There was dystopia, graphic novels, LGBT, romance, mythology, crime and mystery, women’s fiction. Uff! A truly wonderful reading month. I’m glad on that front.
On the personal front, we had a short getaway into the jungles of central India and we were fortunate to see not 3 but 4 tigers in the jungles of Bandhavgarh. That was a super thrilling and memorable experience.
Also it being the month of Diwali, plenty of social gatherings with friends and family. In short a happening month and happy month that was over in the blink of an eye. But let’s get back to the books I read for the month.
Also linking the book lists I published this month on the blog down below. Do read them.
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Fiction books read in November 2021
Genre: Dystopian Fiction (book set on an island)
My rating: 3 stars
First Published in 2020
Pages: 274
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
So there is an island. It is governed by someone called The Memory Police. The island has a peculiarity, it has a memory problem. Things on the island – hats, birds, roses, perfumes, gems, and so on – disappear. And the inhabitants of the island lose all memory of it.
The strength of the writing was I think, the theme of loss and control that was asserted over and over in subtle ways.
Read this for Booklist Queen’s November Challenge – A Title with three words.
Kari by Amruta Patil
A story about inseparable lovers, Ruth and Kari, who decided to jump. But with a strange twist of fate they lived, but Ruth left the city.
It was abrupt in places. But the beauty of the characters and the main characters expressions has been illustrated beautifully and sophisticatedly. Kari definitely is the new voice of Graphic Literature in India.
Louisa, Lou, Clark has been forced into a caring job as the café she waitresses in, shuts down. She begins the work caring for a quadriplegic Will Traynor, who is a young man, who was once full of life, but who met an unfortunate accident. There grows an intimacy gradually and an unexpected relationship.
Quite an unputdownable piece of writing. And the end, ah the end, although it broke my heart, (for it isn’t a happily ever after kind of ending) I think it was perfect. Anything else and the story would’ve been too mushy or even unrealistic or fairy-tale-like. I shed a few tears, did some happy dances, and finished the book with a content feeling.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
The book contains 16 tales from the Norse Myths starting from the beginning of times till the end of the world (Ragnarok) inspired by an old anonymous Norse poetry book called the Prose Edda. The primary characters are Odin, The All-Father, Thor, son of Odin, and Loki, blood brother to Odin.
A lot of modern fiction has been inspired by these great tales. And it is entertaining and absorbing to read the original stories.
Read This Book for Uncorked Reading Challenge 2021 – A book based on Norse Mythology
You’ll Be The Death of Me by Karen McManus
Three school friends meet again after they drifted apart for many years, and they decide to ditch school to spend a day together. But their goofing around leads them to a dead body, and soon they are end up being on a crime scene of a recently committed crime. What is unearthed is a sinister plot with serious ramifications.
To be honest, I’m not someone who usually reads YA stories because those I’ve read I felt that the writing wasn’t meant for me as an adult with kids. But not this one. This is my first Karen McManus book and I am so glad I read this.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Coopers Chase is a retirement home in England, with roughly 300 residents. What’s notable is that it is ultra-luxurious and four of its inhabitants are senior citizens solving old unsolved murder cases. They meet every Thursday secretly in the Jigsaw room and work on cases using their own special and unique abilities. They believe at their age it’s important to keep the mind fit.
Little do they know that they are about to get a case right from their neighborhood and fresh of the charts (if I can say so).
Long story short it was a charming, refreshing, picturesque story that I was engaged in thoroughly. And I could NOT guess the murderers. Not a chance.
Genre: Graphic Novel
My rating: 5 stars
Published in 2021
I was absolutely excited to read this cute sweet book, and I'm happy to say I loved it. The illustrations are clever, expressive, thought-provoking, and sometimes hilarious. Ranging from heavy themes like being odd/different or the trials of an artist to light and breezy ones, like the truths of a cat person, or motivations of a writer/author, they were all very relatable. I love this newest collection of her scribbles and I look forward to reading her next creation.
Truly intimate, these are eleven short stories about various contemporary women in varying stages of motherhood.
My favorite was the story of a woman traveling solo with her bawling toddler, trying to pacify him through the flight, and the unexpected kindness a stranger shows her that she misses at the end of her flight.
The stories are written brilliantly and cover topics that truly are so intimate that they have never been discussed before. I loved reading every woman’s POV and the myriad emotions that were depicted so realistically.
These are enlightening stories, perfect for a heart-warming, cozy read.
Non-Fiction books read in November 2021
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Michelle Zauner is the chief musician/singer in the sensational album Japanese Breakfast. This is her memoir detailing her mother’s journey through cancer, her growing up years as a Korean American, and her journey to creating an identity and her relation to her country and its cuisine in all of this.
This book read like a Korean recipe book at times and I loved the detailing the author provided through her mother’s tumultuous and painful journey through cancer. She is bold and honest about their relationship and does flinch when she admits that she was a bad kid to her mother and considered her too overbearing in her growing-up years.
Eloquent writing that is made rich with cherished anecdotes which will echo with all readers and audiobook listeners, Crying in H Mart is a book to treasure, share, and reread for a warm hug.
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
Maus chronicles Spiegelman’s father experiences of the Holocaust as a surviving Jew. It follows his story frame-by-frame from youth, to marriage to re-marriage in pre-war Poland to imprisonment during the war in Auswitchz. The survivor’s tale that results is shocking, unadulterated and straightforward.
One of the realities of the Holocaust is that however many stories you here and how much ever the horrors of it shock you, you just cannot imagine what must’ve have actually happened. It’s beyond us.
The number of drawings in this thick and heavy book will surprise you and shock you and the honesty will most definitely touch you. The novel is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the essence of this genius artwork will resonate with you long time after you’ve finished reading it.
Books on my December TBR
December I have one goal – that is to read as many 2021 release books that are on my shelves before the end of 2021. So great books to look forward to.
So stay tuned and keep reading.
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