Best of the Bunch (November 2023)

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in November.

It was a very busy month for me, which translated to a light reading month. I finished five books total and didn't have any 5-star or 4.5-star reads. I did have three 4-star reads, which interestingly were all nonfiction:

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

Loving Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder: How to Keep Out-of-Control Emotions from Destroying Your Relationship by Shari Y. Manning

This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something--Anything--Like Your Life Depends On It by Tabitha Carvan

One of these could have arguably been 4.5 stars if I'd been feeling more generous, so I'm going to make that my Best of the Bunch!

Cultish was an interesting read, ably narrated on audio by Ann Marie Gideon. Montell first looks at groups that are universally described as "cults" to determine what factors make them such, and especially what different forms of language are used to draw people in and keep them there. Then she looks into other parts of culture that have been described as "cults," from MLMs to fitness studios to social media influencers, and shows the ways in which their use of language and its ultimate impact do or do not mimic those of "real" cults. I especially appreciated how she looked into the research on who is most susceptible to joining a cult (or cult-ish group of any kind) and dispelled some of the mythology there. I think the book could have benefited from a central thesis outside of "Here are some patterns about cults and here's where else they show up," but it was engaging, and I feel like I learned quite a bit!

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Swallows and Amazons, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, The Bean Trees, and Dragons Never Die
Five years ago I was reading: Born a Crime
Ten years ago I was reading: Roots and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

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Ten Great Books Set in England

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week we're sharing books that all have the same setting in common. Looking over the books I've enjoyed in the past decade, they have quite a wide variety of settings! I finally settled on England as an area of the world where a multitude of books I love have been set, and I stuck with only one book per author to provide more of a variety. Here's my list!

1. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
Herriot (the pen name of James Alfred Wight) shares a fictionalized account of his experiences as a veterinarian in the dales of Yorkshire. Between the memorable stories, colorful characters, and beautiful descriptions, this is literary comfort food as its best.

2. Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
I had to pick from a long list of Christie titles, though my favorite of hers (Death on the Nile) doesn't take place in England, so I went with another favorite instead, one that's delightfully unpredictable and twisty.

3. Loveless by Alice Oseman
I love almost all of Oseman's books, which are set in several different parts of England, but this one has a special place in my heart for its stellar aroace representation.

4. The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
I think you need to experience this middle grade novel (and its sequels) on audio to get the full effect of the narrator's accent, which lends a Mary Poppins air to this story of an English governess caring for three children raised by wolves.

5. A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
This is a recent favorite, the story of three children evacuated from wartime London into the English countryside, trying to find a forever family. It's also excellent on audio.

6. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
This gothic classic is set at a fictional manor in Cornwall, in the southwest corner of England. It's one of my favorite classic novels, which I've loved since middle school.

7. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Through the book's first-person narrator reflecting back on his career as an English butler, you get to see how things have changed over the decades. This is one of my favorite examples of an unreliable narrator, as Stevens is lying to himself about certain aspects of his past as much as he's unintentionally lying to the reader. (Another one that's excellent on audio!)

8. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
The mystery at the heart of this engaging story takes the reader back and forth in time and between London and the Sussex countryside as a woman seeks answers in her mother's past about a crime she witnessed as a child.

9. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
It's worth saving this one for when you have the patience to savor the descriptions of Cornwall that provide the backdrop for this beautiful story of three generations of women.

10. The Switch by Beth O'Leary
Leena moves out to her grandmother's house in Yorkshire for a two-month sabbatical while her grandmother, Eileen, tired of the limited romantic prospects in her small village, takes Leena's spot in her London flat. It's silly and sweet and just predictable enough to be a heartwarming read.

What great books have you read set in England?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Swallows and Amazons, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, The Bean Trees, and Dragons Never Die
Five years ago I was reading: Born a Crime
Ten years ago I was reading: Roots and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

I didn't read a ton this month, but there were several good ones!

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus: This was my Best of the Bunch for October. It's a hopeful and heartwarming middle grade story that I'd recommend to kids and adults alike.

The Bad Guys in the Baddest Day Ever by Aaron Blabey: I enjoyed this more than the previous few books in the series. It provides an ending of sorts to the story arc of the series thus far, though the series continues with additional twists and turns.

Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy by Jessica Fern: I honestly think that this book could be helpful for anyone in any relationship structure who wants to build a more secure attachment with their partner(s) or themselves, but it's especially valuable for those practicing non-monogamy to have specific, research-backed suggestions for building stronger relationships and healing attachment wounds.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: This was a super fun sci-fi story! You have to accept a huge helping of suspension of disbelief to go along with certain plot points, but if you don't mind that then it's an engaging plot.

The Residue Years by Mitchell S. Jackson: I appreciated getting a different look at Portland than is often seen in media; unfortunately, I found the pacing of the book challenging and had a hard time empathizing was some of the characters' choices, which made it hard for me to stay invested in the read.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell: After looking at the language and practices of groups that are universally described as "cults," Montell looks into other parts of culture that have been described as "cults," from MLMs to fitness studios to social media influencers, and shows the ways in which their use of language and its ultimate impact do or do not mimic those of "real" cults. It was engaging, and I feel like I learned quite a bit!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Swallows and Amazons, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, The Bean Trees, and Dragons Never Die
Five years ago I was reading: Born a Crime
Ten years ago I was reading: Roots and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Ten Book Titles that Would Make Good Newspaper Headlines

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week's theme was tough! There are a lot of book titles that could be article headlines in a feature or special interest section, but I wanted ones that could theoretically be a front-page headline. Here's what I came up with!

1. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

2. The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe

3. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

4. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

5. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

6. Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie

7. Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews

8. The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill

9. Wayside School Is Falling Down by Louis Sachar

10. When Endermen Attack by Cara J. Stevens

What other titles fit this category?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Swallows and Amazons, The Art of Gathering, Girls Auto Clinic Glove Box Guide, and Creepers Crashed My Party
Five years ago I was reading: Stride Toward Freedom and March: Book Three
Ten years ago I was reading: Roots and Behind the Beautiful Forevers