Welcome to my November 2024 Favorite Books post! This monthly post is where I share the 5 star books I’ve read so far each month. I have not had that many 5 star reads this month, but since I’m writing this a few days early, if I have any further 5 star reads they will be included in my 2nd half of November post next week. You can see the first half of my November reading here. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.
Title: Tree. Table. Book.
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Clarion Books, 4/23/24
Source: Gift
Why I Read It: On my list.
My Rating: 5 Stars
Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry was on my TBR of most anticipated books this year and I loved it. It is about 11 year old Sophie, whose best friend Sophie Gershowitz is 88 and beginning to show signs of memory loss. Young Sophie decides to give her a cognition test and when encouraging her to remember three words, unearths stories about Sophie G’s childhood in Poland.
“When precocious eleven-year-old Sophie sets out to save her elderly neighbor (who is also her dearest friend), her journey will take her through their familiar suburban landscape and then, steadily yet unexpectedly, deeper into a landscape of history and shared stories. Everyone knows the two Sophies are best friends. One is in elementary school, and one is . . . well . . . in a little trouble of late. She’s elderly, sure, but she’s always been on her game, the best friend any girl struggling to fit in could ever have. The Sophies drink tea, have strong opinions about pretty much everything, and love each other dearly. Now it seems the elder Sophie is having memory problems, burning teakettles, and forgetting just about everything. It looks like her son is going to come and get her and steal her away forever. Young Sophie isn’t having that. Not one bit. So she sets out to help elder Sophie’s memory, with the aid of her neighborhood friends Ralphie and Oliver. But when she opens the floodgates of elder Sophie’s memories, she winds up listening to stories that will illustrate just how much there is to know about her dear friend, stories of war, hunger, cruelty, and ultimately love.”
This beautiful book is about the power of stories and the love between friends of all ages and abilities.
Title: Lucy, Uncensored
Author: Mel Hammond & Teghan Hammond
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers, 10/8/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed this story about Lucy, a high school senior who is looking for a fresh start at college as a trans girl. Everyone knows her as a trans girl and while on a local college visit, she sees the same people who always make comments about her in high school. Because she’s into theater, she looks into a theater program at a further away school and she and her best friend Callie set out to visit. The school is for only women and Lucy wonders if she will be allowed to attend.
“Lucy imagines college as more than a chance to party with other drama nerds and be roommates with her best friend Callie. College will be her fresh start. For the first time, she’ll be able to introduce herself as Lucy to people she hasn’t gone to school with since kindergarten. Plus, she happens to live an hour away from one of the most prestigious theater programs in the country. She’s always dreamed of going to Central, but when she finally has a chance to visit, it’s not what she imagined. While Lucy and Callie are on their campus tour, two kids from their high school make the typical transphobic comments Lucy’s gotten used to in her small town. She starts to worry that her dream school might end up being High School 2.0. What if she belongs somewhere else? Somewhere that she can truly have a fresh start When Lucy finds a beautiful school with a great theater program on a list of the most LGBTQ+ friendly colleges, it seems like fate—except that the school is hundreds of miles away. And there’s something unexpected about it: it’s a women’s college. As far as she can tell, they’ve never admitted a trans woman. Will they let Lucy in? There’s only one way to find out: road trip!”
While there were a lot of sub plots in this book, the main one was friendship – I loved how supportive Callie was of Lucy. I also liked the people they met on their college visit – except for one of them – no spoilers, but what he did was awful. The push back that Lucy receives feels very real, from censorship of the alternate version of The Tempest she wrote to being deadnamed while on her college tour. The author’s note at the end revealed the similar struggles that were faced in real life and made the book all the more meaningful.
Title: Tomorrow Will Be Different
Author: Sarah McBride
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Crown, Random House Audio, 3/6/18
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Sarah McBride’s memoir became the perfect companion book to Lucy, Uncensored and was a very timely read as McBride is now the US Representative-Elect from Delaware and is once again facing pushback because she is trans. Her memoir was published in 2018 and could use a further update based on what she faces again in the newly elected government. Sarah’s memoir begins as she comes out in a social media post in college. She was involved in politics her whole life and knew the governor of Delaware as well as the Biden family, so in that sense her path was paved for her to succeed.
“Before she became the first transgender person to speak at a national political convention in 2016 at the age of twenty-six, Sarah McBride struggled with the decision to come out—not just to her family but to the students of American University, where she was serving as student body president. She’d known she was a girl from her earliest memories, but it wasn’t until the Facebook post announcing her truth went viral that she realized just how much impact her story could have on the country. Four years later, McBride was one of the nation’s most prominent transgender activists, walking the halls of the White House, advocating inclusive legislation, and addressing the country in the midst of a heated presidential election. She had also found her first love and future husband, Andy, a trans man and fellow activist, who complemented her in every way . . . until cancer tragically intervened. Informative, heartbreaking, and profoundly empowering, Tomorrow Will Be Different is McBride’s story of love and loss and a powerful entry point into the LGBTQ community’s battle for equal rights and what it means to be openly transgender. From issues like bathroom access to health care to gender in America, McBride weaves the important political and cultural milestones into a personal journey that will open hearts and change minds.”
Although the section about Sarah’s loss of her husband Andy was sad and difficult to read, much of this memoir was hopeful and inspiring. Both Sarah and Andy worked to make American better for everyone, fighting for marriage equality and trans rights, pushing back on the bathroom laws passed in NC, and supporting and inspiring trans kids. I thought she did a great job of explaining what it means to be trans which would go far with those who refuse to understand, if they were willing to pick up this book.
Come back next week for the rest of my November reads!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?
