The Book Bit: November 2021 Edition

The holiday season is officially upon us. I'm honestly not ready for the holidays, but they're here none the less. I managed to get four books read this month and did some writing. Did anyone participate in NaNoWriMo? If so, how did you do? I didn't participate this year, but I had some friends participate and they really enjoyed it. Let's get started on what I read this month. 

"White Smoke" by Tiffany D. Jackson

Marigold and her family move from sunny California to the Midwest after her mother remarries. But that's the least of her worries. She's now having to deal with her bratty 10 year old stepsister, the neighborhood is practically abandoned, she has no friends, and she's pretty sure the house is haunted. Yes, haunted. And all of this would be easier managed is Marigold wasn't already running from her litany of problems. But when things get personal, too real, beyond what Marigold can tell herself is coincidence, it's too late to save everything. 

Jackson did not hold back on this book. There's horror, psychological battles, old history, small town secrets, police brutality, gentrification, and so much more. This is a roller coaster from start to finish. The ending left way for a second book, but that hasn't been confirmed at this time. I was glad I tacked this book on after my month long horror binge in October. 

"Dead Girls Society" by Michelle Krys

Hope is tired of spending her high school days home in bed. Yeah, sure, she's got cystic fibrosis and her mom worries about every single thing and technically she's safer if she's in a controlled environment, but how long can she really stay cooped up? How is she ever going to get her best friend Ethan to see her the way she sees him if she's always in bed? When Hope gets an interesting email about a game of high stakes truth or dare, she thinks it's a joke. But a joke intriguing enough to sneak out of the house. What could it hurt? Turns out some letters should never be opened.

This book was actually really good. It's full of teenage angst and ill decisions, which made it very realistic. The plot, however, was a little predictable and there were plot holes I didn't appreciate, but overall I thought it was a good YA book.

"Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

This book is exactly like it sounds. It's easily digestible and intriguing Norse mythology that's broken into small stories. We learn all about Odin and the creation of the nine realms. Stories of Thor and Loki are at the forefront, which I think everyone would enjoy. I think this is a great book to kick off with if you're interested in Norse mythos. I really enjoyed Gaiman's writing style for this book and I highly recommend it. This book is going in my permanent collection.

"The Night Season" by Chelsea Cain

This is book four of the Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell series. To see my review for book one, you can find that here. This book follows Archie and Susan (and other members of the crew) fighting a flooding Portland. As if that weren't enough, there's a serial killer on the loose with an extremely interesting MO. 

I absolutely have loved this series this far, it gives me all the serial killer vibes that I adore. This book, though, fell short of the previous three. By a lot. I definitely will be continuing the series, but I was not super impressed with this book in particular. If you like serial killer thrillers and complex characters, this is an excellent series. 

That's all I had for this month, and I was pretty happy with my selections. Did you read anything good in November? What about NaNoWriMo? Did you get all your words in? Let me know in the comments. Happy reading, book nerds!