Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in November 2024. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads 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. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: The Serviceberry
Author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Scribner Books, 11/19/24
Source: PR For Author, Audio Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book was a great addition for Non Fiction November and Native American Heritage Month. The Serviceberry is an ode to a berry that provides to many species, as well as to a culture of giving. The author shares thoughts on a market economy vs a gift economy, having an abundance vs meeting the needs of all, and prioritizing relationships over the self. She refers to Little Free Libraries as well as the system of the public library, the ways communities share resources, non profits, and buy nothing groups.
“As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution ensures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, ‘Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.'”
This short book includes illustrations and was a quick but meaningful listen while also following along in the text.
Title: Turning Twelve
Author: Kathryn Ornsbee
Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
Publisher: Random House Kids, 10/29/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I read the graphic novel Turning Twelve very quickly. It is the second book about Katie, so I was missing some background information about her best friends, her being homeschooled, and her therapist. In this book, everyone seems to be talking about their crushes. Katie is in a church group where modest dress is expected and so is heteronormativity. When Katie meets a new girl in her theater group she feels like she might have a crush on her.
“Katie can’t wait to turn twelve–pool parties! babysitting! friends! But sometimes it feels like there’s so much new stuff she can barely keep up. First Job? (Yes!) Unfair dress codes? (No way!) Make up (Okay?!) Shaving? (Uh…!) Maybe growing up isn’t as much fun as she had expected. But one thing does seem right–her new friend, Grace. Could Katie have a crush on another girl? Katie knows not everyone around her will approve…which is kind of scary. She might not be ready to tell anyone yet, and that’s fine…but can Katie stay true to herself and embrace the person she’s growing up to be?”
This book takes place in the 90s during the time period of the Defense of Marriage Act. Katie learns about being true to herself and finds support from her sister and the mom she babysits for. I thought this did a good job talking about sexism, homophobia, and church culture in an accessible way.
Title: Unraveling
Author: Peggy Orenstein
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Harper Audio, 1/24/23
Source: Library Audio
Why I Read It: Heard about it on a podcast
My Rating: 4 Stars
During Covid, a woman with the privilege of extra time on her hands decided to create a sweater from the shearing of the sheep through creating the yarn and knitting. She writes what she learned about the process in this short book.
“The COVID pandemic propelled many people to change their lives in ways large and small. Some adopted puppies. Others stress-baked. Peggy Orenstein, a lifelong knitter, went just a little further. To keep herself engaged and cope with a series of seismic shifts in family life, she set out to make a garment from the ground up: learning to shear sheep, spin and dye yarn, then knitting herself a sweater. Orenstein hoped the project would help her process not just wool but her grief over the recent death of her mother and the decline of her dad, the impending departure of her college-bound daughter, and other thorny issues of aging as a woman in a culture that by turns ignores and disdains them. What she didn’t expect was a journey into some of the major issues of our time: climate anxiety, racial justice, women’s rights, the impact of technology, sustainability, and, ultimately, the meaning of home.”
As a knitter, it was interesting to hear about the processes and backgrounds of things like dyeing and colors. She also talks about her father’s declining health and becoming an empty nester, things that are relatable for me.
Title: The Freedom Writers Diary
Author: The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Broadway Books, 10/12/19, original 1999
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Freedom Writers Diary by the Freedom Writers and Erin Gruwell is about how a teacher inspired her class to share themselves and their lives through writing. A series of diary entries that often sound like they could be all written by the same person cover topics such as poverty, abuse, gangs, racial tensions, and lack of family support. There are updates at the 10 and 20 year marks as the original kids involved wrote their entries in the late 90s.
“In 1994, an idealistic first-year teacher in Long Beach, California, named Erin Gruwell confronted a room of ‘unteachable, at-risk’ students. She had intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. She was met by uncomprehending looks—none of her students had heard of one of the defining moments of the twentieth century. So she rebooted her entire curriculum, using treasured books such as Anne Frank’s diary as her guide to combat intolerance and misunderstanding. Her students began recording their thoughts and feelings in their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the ‘Freedom Writers.’ Consisting of powerful entries from the students’ diaries and narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an unforgettable story of how hard work, courage, and determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students. In the two decades since its original publication, the book has sold more than one million copies and inspired a major motion picture Freedom Writers. And now, with this twentieth-anniversary edition, readers are brought up to date on the lives of the Freedom Writers, as they blend indispensable takes on social issues with uplifting stories of attending college—and watch their own children follow in their footsteps. The Freedom Writers Diary remains a vital read for anyone who believes in second chances.”
I might have enjoyed this more if it didn’t feel repetitive and the entries weren’t edited so much as to sound inauthentic.
Title: The Boyfriend
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 10/1/24
Source: Book of the Month, October
Why I Read It: Popcorn Read
My Rating: 4 Stars
I feel like Freida McFadden’s thrillers are the perfect popcorn picks to intersperse with deeper reads and this one was full of red flags and red herrings, making it an entertaining read. This book is about Sydney who has a bad date with creepy guy Kevin. She is rescued from this date by a mystery guy. Her friend Bonnie, who is dating a doctor, is murdered. Her other friend Gretchen is dating the building super, who is also creepy. In a past story line, Tom, who is interested in the biology of the human body, is dating Daisy. His best friend is Slug, who is yet another creepy dude. Much about Tom is revealed in the past timeline and when he turns up in the present, red flags are raised.
“Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it all: men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can’t shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot. Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He’s charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet. Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them. Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim…”
I did not predict the twist in this one and it was a fun read!
Title: Wander Woman
Author: Beth Santos
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing Balance, 3/5/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4
Wander Woman by Beth Santos is about solo travel, specifically for women. There are sections about travel prep and traveling better.
“If you’ve ever wanted to travel solo, founder of global women’s travel community Wanderful, Beth Santos, is here to tell you that you’re not alone. Travel isn’t just about how many passport stamps you have—it’s about your mindset. In Wander Woman, Santos busts myths about who can travel, empowering women to uncover the confidence they need to see the world for themselves, by themselves, and giving them the lifelong tools to challenge your preconceptions, try something new, and get out of your comfort zone—whether that’s halfway around the world or just down the street.
Readers will also learn…
- A new rubric for personal safety that pushes back on traditional ideas of what’s “safe” for women.
- How to eat alone (and not have to make awkward small talk with the waiter).
- Why a “Day Zero” will revolutionize your itinerary.
- Where to find community and a new perspective on what “counts” as solo travel
- How to travel ethically, sustainably, and in budget.
As much a how-to guide as it is a source of inspiration and support, Wander Woman invites us to be mindful about why we travel, who it affects, and how we can make it better for everyone.”
I liked the section with travel advice, which could apply to traveling with others as well as to traveling solo.
Title: Miracle in the Andes
Author: Nando Parrado
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Broadway Books, 5/15/07
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado is the story I remember hearing about when the movie Alive came out in 1993. I recall being afraid to see the movie, probably because of what everyone remembers about this survival story – those who survived a plane crash into the Andes Mountains had to eat those who did not survive in order to make it long enough for rescue to come.
“Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team to Chile had crashed deep in the Andes, killing many of his teammates, his mother, and his sister. Stranded with the few remaining survivors on a lifeless glacier and thinking constantly of his father’s grief, Parrado resolved that he could not simply wait to die. So Parrado, an ordinary young man with no particular disposition for leadership or heroism, led an expedition up the treacherous slopes of a snowcapped mountain and across forty-five miles of frozen wilderness in an attempt to save his friends’ lives as well as his own. Decades after the disaster, Parrado tells his story with remarkable candor and depth of feeling. Miracle in the Andes, a first-person account of the crash and its aftermath, is more than a riveting tale of true-life adventure; it is a revealing look at life at the edge of death and a meditation on the limitless redemptive power of love.”
The author of this memoir led a trek up the mountain and across many miles until they found help. The survival story had me riveted but the more philosophical parts less so. He says that while he questioned God, love is what kept him going through the most treacherous conditions one can imagine.
Title: Pickleballers
Author: Ilana Long
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 11/12/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
This book is about Meg, who following a divorce needs a new outlet and chooses pickleball. After she meets Ethan on the ferry, it turns out he is working to shut down the courts for environmental reasons. She goes to Bainbridge Island with her best friend to get away for a bit and Ethan keeps turning up.
“Meg Bloomberg is in a pickle. When Meg’s ex turns out to be a total player, she and her bestie take off for a mood-lifting pickleball excursion to Bainbridge Island. It’s supposed to be an easy lob, a way to heal, not the opening serve to a new courtside romance that’s doomed to spin out. No matter how Meg tries, she can’t shake her feelings for Ethan Fine. A charismatic environmental consultant and Bainbridge local, Ethan seems like the real dill. But when Meg discovers that Ethan is sabotaging her home court, she decides the match is over. It’s time for Meg to take control of her own game. And maybe, just maybe…love will bounce back.”
The story is made up of a series of misunderstandings and cheesiness that felt like filler. I appreciated the bits about the Japanese internment camps that affected the local community there but otherwise this one wasn’t a big hit for me.
Title: Sexism & Sensibility
Author: Jo-Ann Finkelstein, PhD
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Harmony, 9/3/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4
This was an interesting book but it took me awhile to get through. It is about teaching kids to detect sexism and gender bias and to understand boundaries and consent.
“The world is full of mixed messages for girls: Stand up for yourself but do it softly. Be independent but not single. Love your body, just make sure it’s waxed, bleached, and thin. And then there are the more overt hostilities: being talked over, paid less, touched without permission, and having politicians debate their right to bodily autonomy. Many parents find it simpler to affirm girls’ strength than to address these distressing experiences directly. But with girls’ skyrocketing rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide, parenting them in this culture presents an urgent challenge: How do we teach girls to recognize and cope with these realities without crushing their optimism and belief that they can incite change? Jo-Ann Finkelstein, a Harvard-educated psychologist, has more than two decades of experience working with girls, helping them find resilience in the face of toxic messages about beauty, sex, and femininity. In Sexism & Sensibility, she draws on real stories from her practice to unpack the effects of sexism in its many guises. Going beyond girl power and full of smart, constructive ways to help girls make sense of things, it includes
• how to talk about misogyny, gender stereotyping, objectification, and consent—at different ages
• strategies for fine-tuning our daughters’ natural “sexism detectors” and safeguarding their self-esteem
• ways to help girls spot and contest the microaggressions they face in school, in the media, in relationships, and in public
• how to recognize and combat sexism in our own parenting
We can’t shield our daughters from gender bias and sexism, but we can make sure that they are more prepared to handle it than we ever were.”
I find it interesting to compare my own teenage years to how kids are growing up now. The book covers ages from childhood through young adulthood along with various topics like sports, social media, stereotypes, harassment, and more.
Title: Undone
Author: Kelly Rimmer
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Audio, 2/25/20
Source: TLC Book Tours, Library Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
I finished my 24 in ’24 challenge by listening to Undone by Kelly Rimmer. I had this book waiting on my shelf for the longest time, having read the previous in the series at the beginning of last year. I kept putting this one off, but it ended up being my favorite of the three book series, which can be read as stand alones. This one is about Jess and Jake. They dated in the past but Jess felt that they wanted different things so she broke up with him. Reunited at a wedding and then at their friend’s birth to twins, Jess and Jake start talking again.
“The only vow she’s ever been prepared to make is not to say ‘I do.’ Running a major tech company without breaking a sweat? No problem. But being bridesmaid at her best friend’s wedding is giving Jess Cohen a bad case of the jitters. Maybe that’s because she’ll have to face the groom’s brother, Jake—the man she’s been avoiding for the last two years. Jake, who Jess dumped mercilessly, unable to tell him the truth about her past. Jake, who’s loyal, loving and all wrong for someone who refuses to be tied down. If only Jess’s heart could remember that. Jake Winton spent four months secretly dating Jess, and the past two years trying—and failing—to forget her. He’d been ready to propose, convinced Jess was every bit as in love with him as he was with her. Now he’s sure their connection is still there, sizzling and undeniable. Whatever she’s holding back, he can handle—if only she’ll trust him with her secrets, her fears and her heart.”
Jess has been through a lot in her past and I liked getting to know her and why she broke up with Jake previously. As per usual with second chance romances, I wasn’t sure I believed in Jess’s change of heart, but I did like how they supported each other and made their relationship stronger. This book contains references to past abuse and difficult births / loss. There was one spicy scene included.
Title: Where They Last Saw Her
Author: Marcie R. Rendon
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Publisher: Bantam, 9/3/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book by an Indigenous author is about Quill, who hears a woman scream while running in the woods. This sends her on a quest to stop Indigenous women from going missing and being murdered.
“Quill has lived on the Red Pine reservation in Minnesota her whole life. She knows what happens to women who look like her. Just a girl when Jimmy Sky jumped off the railway bridge and she ran for help, Quill realizes now that she’s never stopped running. As she trains for the Boston Marathon early one morning in the woods, she hears a scream. When she returns to search the area, all she finds are tire tracks and a single beaded earring. Things are different now for Quill than when she was a lonely girl. Her friends Punk and Gaylyn are two women who don’t know what it means to quit; her loving husband, Crow, and their two beautiful children challenge her to be better every day. So when she hears a second woman has been stolen, she is determined to do something about it—starting with investigating the group of men working the pipeline construction just north of their homes. As Quill closes in on the truth about the missing women, someone else disappears. In her quest to find justice for all of the women of the reservation, she is confronted with the hard truths of their home and the people who purport to serve them. When will she stop losing neighbors, friends, family? As Quill puts everything on the line to make a difference, the novel asks searing questions about bystander culture, the reverberations of even one act of crime, and the long-lasting trauma of being considered invisible.”
I thought this book was very good and I liked it a lot, aside for some editing and continuity issues. It brings awareness to the issues with pipeline construction camps and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. I liked the sense of community Quill experiences as well as the strong friendships described.
There you have it, the rest of my November reading! This post included 11 of the books I read in November. 9 of these books were in print and 2 were audio. Genres included non fiction, graphic novel, rom com, romance, and thriller. 10 were adult reads and 1 was Middle Grade.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
