In case you missed it, I decided to do a specific post recapping my nonfiction readings for Nonfiction November, but here’s the rest of what I read last month (featuring lots of Nalini Singh!).

November Recap

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh: I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while after seeing Jenica at Firewhiskey Reader binge this entire 17-book (at least?) series. After reading the first one, I can see why she found it so addictive! I’ve never read anything like this series, and Singh does such an amazing job creating tension between the hero and heroine! I knew as soon as I finished this book that I could easily binge the whole series.

Breathless by Beverly Jenkins: I’ve been meaning to read more Beverly Jenkins for a while because she’s such an awesome person (I highly recommend following her on Twitter!) and I really enjoyed some of her early works. I haven’t been the biggest fan of the Old West series, though. The writing just seems to simplistic or something. I can’t quite figure it out. I definitely want to read the last one in this trilogy, though, because it starts with the heroine shooting the hero. Sounds like a great start to a romance novel! I received a copy of this book as part of the Avon Addicts program.

Take the Lead by Alexis Daria: I can’t believe it took me so long to read this, because it’s just so good! I highly, highly recommend this romance.

Dance with Me by Alexis Daria: I was a little iffy on the premise (the hero and heroine have been on-again-off-again for years), but dang did Daria deliver! I enjoyed this book just as much as the first, which is super impressive for how not-sold I was on the premise. I can’t wait for more of these books!

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson: This is a great memoir that more than lives up to the hype! Check out my full thoughts in my Nonfiction November wrap up.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore: This was a really unique and impressive book, and while I liked it by the end, it’s just not really my kind of story. I think if you like the writing style and storytelling style, you’ll LOVE this book, but it’s just not for me. Though I do think this book is really well done. I received a copy of this book after winning a giveaway hosted by Possibly Literate. Thanks Emily!!

In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero: This story is PHENOMENAL and I highly recommend checking it out! I wish it had had better writing, but the story is so important that that doesn’t even matter. Check out my full thoughts in my Nonfiction November wrap up.

Reckless by Selena Montgomery: In case you didn’t know, Selena Montgomery is the pen name for Stacey Abrams, the Georgia gubernatorial candidate. I don’t read much romantic suspense, but I decided to pick this up shortly before the election, and dang is it addicting! I raced right through it! My only gripe is that it’s the first book in a trilogy, and it’s been almost 10 years since book two came out…I think I’m going to hold off on reading the second book, Deception, until I know if Abrams is going to publish the final one, because there’s an overarching mystery to this trilogy that I really need resolved. Considering how busy she is, though, I’m not holding my breath. I received a copy of this book as part of the Avon Addicts program.

Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh: As much as I enjoyed Slave to Sensation, I wanted to take this series slow and not burn out on it like I did earlier this year on Maisey Yates, which is why I waited a while to pick up book two. This was a great second installment in the series! Seriously, these books are so good.

Surpassing Certainty by Janet Mock: I picked this book up because I enjoyed Mock’s first memoir, Redefining Realness, so much. However, I wasn’t invested in the content of this one as much as the first one. Still a solid memoir, though. Check out my full thoughts in my Nonfiction November wrap up.

Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh: This book marks the beginning of the end. I think Caressed by Ice is my favorite of the series so far (I’ve finished six). I just really liked Judd and seeing him dismantle everything he was taught by the Psy, and I loved seeing Brenna get a happily ever after after everything that happened in book one.

Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh: I was doing well at reading a few books between installments before I really got hooked. This is actually probably my least favorite installment so far—I just had a really hard time reading about Clay and Talin’s backstories and how much pain they were in. But it was still a great addition to the series, and it’s really cool seeing the scope of these books expand with each additional installment.

Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh: I had to dive into this after Dorian and Ashaya’s romance was hinted at in Mine to Possess. It wasn’t quite what I wanted—the stuff with Ashaya’s sister was a bit weird. But still, so good! And like I said before, I’m really impressed at how this series expands with each new book.

Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh: This was another favorite Psy-Changeling of mine! I really liked the hate-to-love element of Mercy and Riley’s relationship, as well as the power struggles between them. I thought the whole thing was just so well done. However, the books started to feel a bit repetitive after bingeing four in a row, so I’m making myself take a break for a bit so I can savor the later installments.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer: I’ll have an arc review of this coming up, but I was pleasantly surprised by this! Beauty and the Beast retellings can be rather hit or miss, but this was different and just really good! Definitely keep an eye out for it at the end of January! I received a copy of this book at the RWA Blogger Day.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling: FINALLY! I only started this reread last August! I can’t believe it took me more than a year to finally finish rereading these books. I really enjoyed this last book (and don’t recommend reading the resurrection stone scene on the subway!) and will have a full post coming shortly.

Book News

Did you see the cover and blurb for Alisha Rai’s next book? I’m ok with more of these cartoon rom-com type covers, but it feels really weird to switch Rai from a more traditional clinch cover to this. It’s a nice cover, but I wish it had been in the same vein as her Forbidden Hearts books.

I also saw in November that the next Red Rising book has been pushed back. This does not surprise me at all, though I’m disappointed this is already the second time it’s been pushed back.

Oh, and the Reading Women have announced their 2019 reading challenge! I’ve never participated before, but I think I might try for it next year.

And have you seen the trailer for Dumplin?! I haven’t read this book, but the trailer looks amazing! I’m planning to watch it tonight.

I also have to flag the cover for Joanna Shupe’s next book, The Rogue of Fifth Avenue! I’m a huge fan of Shupe’s and cannot wait for this book.

Favorite Links

I also have a few links I wanted to share. Did you see the Goodreads post on the most-read books of 2018? I thought it was neat to see which books are the most read, and which ones I read this year, too. I’ve read (or DNFed) 20 of the books on the list, though only eight in 2018.

I also really enjoyed Rincey’s Book Riot video on Pulitzer Prize Nonfiction Recommendations. I rarely care about literary prizes because they usually honor the types of books I don’t really read, but I’ve noticed in the past year or so that I tend to like nonfiction and biographies that have won the Pulitzer, so it was great to have Rincey flag a few.

Book Riot also put out a list of their favorite audiobook recommendations. A lot of these books are on my TBR, but it never occurred to me to look into them on audio. Now I’ll have to check some of them out!

While we’re on the topic of Book Riot, I also really liked this article they published about the difference between memoirs and autobiographies. I’ve started reading a lot more memoirs this past year, and it was interesting to learn about the distinction.

And this is a throwback to October, but I wanted to flag this post with more than 50 recommendations for books featuring Asian protagonists. There’s literally something for every genre!

Blogging Recap

Sadly, blogging has been taking a back burner for me lately as life has just been incredibly busy lately. But I’ve managed to get several posts up that you might have missed!

• September/October Wrap Up
• The 10 Longest Books I’ve Read
• Do I Have That Book Challenge
• Most Anticipated Books of Winter 2018-2019
• December TBR

And don’t forget to check out my NYC Signing Calendar for info on book signings around New York!

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How was your reading month in November? Let me know your favorite read in the comments!