Notes from the Shelf

This month I read quite a few books. I think my TBR Fall Bingo challenge helped a lot with reading more physical books that I have, although I didn’t make a bingo. I’ll be posting my roundup and next Bingo reading challenge soon, so subscribe to stay updated with that.

I finished six books, which brings my YTD to 52, so I surpassed my goal of 50 books! I plan to read more in December, but it feels good to meet my goal early, especially with how busy I’ll be with work and the holidays.

What I Read

Katabasis by R. F Kuang
559 pages | Fantasy, Dark Academia | 4 stars

I very much enjoyed the dark academic element in Katabasis. There was a lot of mythology with the two main characters traversing to Hell, and some philosophy sprinkled in. It did give me similar vibes to Babel, although I think I liked Babel more with the focus on translation. Also, for Katabasis it seems like the footnotes were directly inserted into the paragraphs instead, so it forces the reader to read all of the asides and lore that wasn’t totally necessary to the main story, so if you are the type to skip footnotes, you might not enjoy this one.

Read my full review of Katabasis

Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon
288 pages | Fantasy | 5 stars

I loved the worldbuilding in Priory of the Orange Tree, so I knew I had to check this book out right away. Among the Burning Flowers adds more lore to the world by explaining how Yscalin fell to the Nameless One. I liked learning more about side characters that we didn’t really get to explore in Priory.

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Romcom by Kimberly Lemming
287 pages | Science Fiction | 3 stars

I read this for my library’s book club. It was definitely entertaining, but there wasn’t as much worldbuilding as I wanted for the sci-fi setting. Also, this is absolutely not a romcom, but it is definitely spicy. Read the trigger warnings before picking it up. A lot of the world is just random and silly, though, even with the spicy sex scenes. The book doesn’t take itself too seriously, but at times I wanted it to piece together better, so I’m just giving it three stars.

An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
366 pages | Romance | 4 stars

I got this as one of my BOTM books, and I absolutely loved it! It’s a marriage of convenience trope, so if that’s not your thing, maybe skip it, but it was so sweet and the romance didn’t feel rushed at all. There were just a few instances of miscommunication, not between the love interests, but between the female main character and her sister. These miscommunications made me want to rip my hair out! Besides that, it was a very quick read and so cute, with a happy ending.

Read my full review of An Academic Affair

Widow’s Point: The Complete Haunting by Richard & W. H. Chizmar
336 pages | Horror | 4 stars

I really liked this book as well. The found footage-style of narration really hooked me, and it was hard to decide when to stop reading since everything is in bite-sized chunks. The only letdown was that no one makes it out. I also wish the monster in the cave was explained more; I wasn’t quite sure if it was a real monster or some interdimensional being or what.

Read my full review of Widow’s Point

The One Hour Content Plan by Meera Kothand
148 pages | Nonfiction- Entrepreneurship | 4 stars

I read this through Kindle Unlimited since they just released their deal for $0.99 for 3 months, but I might buy a copy for reference later. There were some good points on blogging that I hadn’t considered, so I think it was definitely worth reading for me. It was written in 2017, so some of it did feel a bit outdated.  I feel like a lot of the internet guidelines around blogging and making money online have changed since then, some pretty drastically, but it was still a good guidebook.

Favorite Book of the Month

My favorite book this month was Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon. I liked the backstory for how Yscalin fell to the Nameless One, and it made me want to re-read Priory of the Orange Tree.

Catch Up on Past 2025 Monthly Wrap-Ups

What was your favorite book?

I would love to hear what books you loved in November. Leave them in the comments!

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