November TBR
November is a bit of an interesting month because two rather long books I’ve been anticipating (Rhythm of War and The Burning God) are released in the second half of the month so the measure of success of my TBR mostly hinges upon how quickly I can get through the majority of this list before the 17th. I think one of those books (most likely The Burning God) will have to be pushed to December. That being said, I’ve been in a pretty good groove lately with reading so hopefully I can knock out at least a good chunk of these books this month.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - I have heard non-stop wonderful things about this book since it was released and although I feel like I’m about a week late having started it for maximum atmospheric vibes I’m glad to have finally picked it up. I started it last night so I’ve only read about 30 pages so far but I’m very much enjoying it! This books follows Yadriel, who is determined to prove to his very traditional Latinx family that he is a real Brujo. With his cousin Maritza’s help he performs a ritual to help find his murdered cousin’s ghost. He hopes to help him move along before Dia De Muertos so his mother can see him again. However, something happens and he ends up summoning someone else instead. The ghost he encounters is instead Julian Diaz,, the school’s bad boy, who is determined to find out what happened to him and sort some things out before he leaves. Yadriel is forced to help him and he ends up forming a stronger connection with Julian than he anticipated.
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb - This book has been on my TBR for years. I can’t believe that I’ve read hundreds of fantasy books and somehow never read a Robin Hobb book but I am planning to fix that this month! This book is the first in the Farseer Trilogy, one of Robin Hobb’s most well known series. In this series we read the story of Fitz as he grows up as a royal bastard. Cast aside by the people in his life, he finds solace in his magical ties to animals; an old art known as the Wit. However, that art is not appreciated by the nobility of his kingdom so when he is taken into the royal household me must learn to become an assassin instead. This is, I believe, a very introductory book to this world and I’m looking forward to it, but I’m looking forward even more so to see how the story expands the world and unfolds in future books in the series.
Horrid by Katrina Leno - I’ve read a few Katrina Leno books before (Summer of Salt and and Everything all at Once) and so far she’s very much a hit or miss author with me so I’ll be very interested to see where this one lands. I haven’t read much about this one because it seems the sort of story that’s best if you go in a little blind, but from what I know it follows a girl named Jane who has to move across the country with her mother Ruth after the death of her father. They couldn’t afford to stay in southern California and her mother had inherited a rundown mansion in Maine after the death of her grandmother. They arrive at their new home and soon find that it is a much more foreboding and sinister place than they could have imagined.
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi - This is the sequel to Children of Blood and Bone which I bought, read, and loved immediately upon its release in 2018. I bought this book soon after it was released last year as well but for some reason I just haven’t read it yet. This series is a west African inspired fantasy series focused on Zelie, a maji, in a land where magic is gone and anyone with the power to wield it is under attack. Zelie finds herself on a mission to bring the magic back with an unlikely ally and an enemy that may not be what he seems.
Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane - I signed up for a Book of the Month subscription last month as a way to find new and interesting books to read that I may not have otherwise known about and this is my November pick (as a note Memorial by Bryan Washington was a close second pick and I have it on hold at the library, but it’s a long wait at the moment). Pretty Little Wife follows our protagonist Lila Ridgefield who lives in a college town where it is discovered that multiple people (potentially all students? it’s unclear from the description) have gone missing as has Lila’s husband Aaron, a beloved high school teacher. Lila is not concerned about what happened to Aaron, but she is confused because she was the last person to see his body and now it’s gone.
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson - I touched on this book in my post of Books I’m Excited for this Fall. It’s the 4th book in Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series which is an incredibly immersive and well plotted epic high fantasy series. This book comes out November 17th and it is 1,200+ pages so I imagine it will be my whole second half of November and potentially start of December read but I can’t wait to get lost in this world again and just hunker down with a big long book as we inch closer and closer to Winter.
Let me know in the comments what you’re most looking forward to reading in November!
