November seems to me like a month full of books, although I didn’t read much. It was the month I read the least so far. However, I’m planning a big reading month for December, so I’m not sad this will be a shorter post. Sometimes, we need to slow down and let things be.

The Books

I started so many books, and yet I finished barely anything. From Flowers for Algernon, The Voice Upstairs, The Cruise Ship Lost My Daughter and a reread of Annihilation. I can’t promise I’ll finish them all in December, but eventually I will.

Of the books I did finish, one was by a local author, Nem Todas as Baleias Voam by Afonso Cruz. While this book isn’t translated into English, I’ll try to tell you what it’s about. I didn’t know much about it when I picked it up. It was recommended by a friend a while ago, and I was expecting to enjoy it. The story follows a French jazz player chosen by the US government to be part of the Jazz Ambassador program created in the 50s that focused on using music to clean the US public image overseas. And the book is almost like a fever dream. The story focuses on the characters and what they deal with in their day-to-day lives. And I was trying to understand what the point of it all was. The plot only appears towards the end and ties everything together. But I still don’t know what I read. I’m so confused.

Then I moved to Hungry Heart by Jem Milton. This is another webcomic being published in book form and is one of the best comics I’ve read in my life. I don’t often read comics, graphic novels or mangas purely because of budget. Although, once in a while, I find a series that I really like. And I think I sometimes forget that I can feel more than that. I can fall in love, head over heels, with a story. And Hungry Heart reminded me of that.

It’s a queer love story about a young famous chef that crosses paths with a young food critic. They connect over food, but what attracts them is each other. They find excuses to keep meeting up, and it’s so cute. All the characters are so lovely. From queer people to physical disabilities, not forgetting racial diversity, it’s such a welcoming and inclusive story. The art style was very comical. The author used something often seen in manga, a simplified and over-exaggerated expression of emotions by the characters that never fail to amuse. This was one of those stories I stayed up late reading all in one go. I didn’t want to put it down, and I’m sad this is only the first volume. I want it all right now.

I couldn’t end the month without reading my autumnal book. Autumn and spring are weird seasons to find books because they aren’t too hot or too cold. It’s that middle term. A transition. And I kept wracking my brain on what to read. I have The House of Leaves and The Secret History that could fit the mood, but I didn’t want to rush those books. Luckily, The Other Wife by Claire McGowan starts in October and goes on until December. It’s a colder type of autumn than I’m used to, but in season, nonetheless. This domestic psychological thriller follows two women living in the remote countryside while dealing with different and equally abusive relationships. It’s about women coming together to break free from their relationships. The story got a little repetitive and slow towards the middle, but I still enjoyed it. It could have kept its secrets a bit better hidden to add more plot twists and drama to the story. But still. It does have a satisfactory ending, and it was a nice read to curl up by the fire if I had one.

Prompts update

While I only read three books, they still helped a lot with the challenge. Nem Todas as Baleias Voam, as I mentioned, is by a local author, which completes that prompt. Another one checked! And I also use it to help spell my name. Then Hungry Heart is the November new release. It’s a gay romance, so it ticks off one more point in the queer challenge, and the name of the author, Jem, counts to the A to Z prompt. The Other Wife is my fall book for the seasonal challenge and also counts to spell my name. Slowly but surely, I’m making some progress.