Welcome to Quick Lit, where we share short and sweet reviews of what we’ve been reading lately on the 15th of the month.
Today’s list is nonfiction-heavy by my standards, but I’ve been reading heaps of fiction, too! Our next Winter Book Preview is coming up on December 8, and I’d like to weigh in with personal opinions on a nice percentage of those titles, so I’ve been reading lots of forthcoming releases.
I’ve also been listening to audiobooks at a brisk pace, and rounded up my recent favorites in this post featuring 12 audiobooks I loved this fall, so don’t miss it!
This is just a sampling of the books I’ve read since our last round of Quick Lit. If you’re interested in hearing more about my recent reads, I highly recommend tuning into my podcast What Should I Read Next. In a show about books, I can’t help but discuss my current reading.
I can’t wait to hear about your recent reads in comments.
What I’ve been reading lately: the new and the notable
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
Shadow and Light: A Journey into Advent
The Writer’s Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives
The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Novel
Beginner’s Luck
What have YOU been reading lately? Tell us about your recent reads—or share the link to a blog or instagram post about them—in comments.
P.S. 10 excellent fall nonfiction reads, and 15 absorbing nonfiction books to inspire your inner scientist.
63 comments
Anne, thanks for filling up my TBR! Wintering looks perfect for right now.
Please visit my Cozy Burrow to see my October highlights, including my three favorite finishes, a look into my notebooks, and the progress of the handsewing project that keeps me company while I listen to audiobooks.
https://katiegilley.com/2020/11/03/october-2020-highlights/
I love Kate Bowler, and her book The Preacher’s Wife was a fascinating, well-researched read. Mary Pipher’s Women Rowing North left me feeling like I’m in very good company. I’m savoring the daily readings in Swindoll’s little Bedtime Blessings.
And … The Name It & Claim It 8 Book Giveaway is on THE BOOKBAG this month –
http://www.lindastoll.net/2020/11/the-name-it-claim-it-8-book-giveaway.html?m=1
Check out six mini book reviews of what I’m reading lately! https://neverenoughnovels.com/2020/11/09/november-2020-book-recommendations/
My list is the opposite this month — almost no nonfiction! It looks like the ones you’ve been reading are interesting though. I heard an interview with Tsh on The Lazy Genius podcast earlier this week that made me want to pick up her book and then here it is again!
https://readeatrepeat.net/2020/11/15/books-in-progress-what-ive-been-reading-lately-november-2020/
The Writer’s Library sounds wonderful, I can’t wait to read it!
As for my reviews: a mystery, a thriller, literary fiction, and romance all make an appearance in my monthly book roundup, in addition to an enlightening book on happiness and a spiritual book I can’t stop talking about.
https://kendranicole.net/quick-lit-november-2020-reading-wrap-up-part-two/
The Calculating Stars has been on my list for some time, since it won the Hugo Award for best novel a couple years back. Really need to get to it some day! Wintering also sounds interesting (and timely).
https://scifantasor.com/2020/11/15/quick-lit-7/
The Writer’s Library looks intriguing. I definitely need to check that one out.
I’m halfway through Amy Lynn Green’s new release, Things We Didn’t Say, a WWII book set in a POW camp in Minnesota.
On my blog I published a list of my favorite life changing books. Lots of old favorites there and a few new ones. https://purplecrayonyourworld.com/22-exceptional-books-focused-on-life-change/
I was already interested in checking out Wintering so your review only confirmed my intention to add it to my December TBR. I just finished Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi.
On my blog this week, how books “turn” our brain and the surprising effects of reading on our minds. Click https://www.karacwhite.com/post/how-books-turn-your-brain before you pick up the next title from your TBR stack!
I’m heavy on nonfiction this month too. I’d like to add Wintering to my list. Thanks, Anne!
Favorite novel I finished: Ruth Ware’s “One by One.”
Favorite nonfiction: “Stamped from the Beginning” by Ibram X. Kendi.
7 books I recommend from last month are here:
https://www.lisanotes.com/books-i-recommend-october-2020/
Yes!! The Writer’s Library is on my wishlist!!
I’m halfway through Dear Emmie Blue and finished My Life In France before that!
https://incessantbookworm.com/2020/11/15/quick-lit-26-what-have-you-been-reading-lately/
So many books to be added to my TBR. My list keeps growing but my reading has slowed. This is what I read https://myviewofthehoneypot.blogspot.com/2020/11/what-i-read-november.html
Here’s what I read in October:
https://styleandsavings.wordpress.com/2020/11/10/style-and-savings-reads-october-2020/
Looking forward to reading all of your recommendations and reviews!
Thanks for the tips on those books! They look interesting, Anne!
Some I’ve read recently and enjoyed:
The Pelican Brief (Grisham)
The Witch at Blackbird Pond (Speare)
A Midnight Summer’s Dream (Shakespeare)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Irving)
Understood Betsy (Fisher)
The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Doyle)
Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery)
The Call (Guinness)
Heavy on “Children’s Literature” which seems to be my current phase in comforting pandemic reading. 😊
What a lovely list, Alison!
I was just thinking about The a witch at Blackbird Pond the other day! It was a favorite of mine as a child. I don’t normally do rye-reads but I might since I read it so long ago.
It was one of my favorites too! I’ve reread my childhood, prized hardback copy many times over the years!
*Midsummer
Calculating Stars looks interesting. Here’s my list from October.
https://shannanenjoyslife.com/2020/11/13/quick-lit-next-page-please-october-2020/
I caught up on reviewing the books I’ve read since July, and I’ve also been rereading old favorites, including the Outlander series–I’m halfway through the second book now. I think long books full of adventures help to pass the time. I own the first six volumes of Outlander and am hoping the pandemic passes before I can read them all!
Wintering sounds perfect for right now!
I read less than usual this month, but most were winners:
https://mindjoggle.com/november-2020-book-reviews/
I cannot wait to get my hands on Wintering! Thank you for always putting reads on my TBR that I haven’t heard of other places.
My reading has slowed lately, but I’m really loving the books I’ve been reading. You can see my latest reads here: http://www.anopenbookblog.com/what-i-read-october-2020/
I read 26 books in October, and I’m going to add some of these to my TBR pile.
That Wintering book sounds fascinating, albeit pretty intellectual…I’m not sure my brain can handle intellectual right now! I seem to be able to handle much less than usual in my reading life lately, lol—I’m sure other people can relate. We’re actually moving across our state at the end of this month too, so I’ve been to busy to read as much as usual! Here are the titles I did manage to plug my way through since October:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2020/11/13/loving-and-learning-lately-30/
Perhaps I’m doing my own “wintering” by simply re-reading some old favorites:
https://eclecticandeccentric.wordpress.com/2020/11/15/quicklit-november-2020/
Alas, I am still not a Jo/Laurie shipper. I don’t think that will ever change.
I’m currently reading “Excellent Daughters: The Secret Lives of Young Women Who Are Transforming the Arab World” by Katherine Zoepf and it’s filling that space for feminism and hope that I need right now.
I think I am joining the crowd here by agreeing that Wintering sounds very enticing. This past month, I read my very first P.G. Wodehouse (I have a suspicion of comic novels) and loved it! My review, and others, are on my website. Looking forward to perusing others’ reviews as well!
https://susandcook.blogspot.com/2020/11/quick-lit-november-2020.html
Oooh, some good ones today!
I just finished a great circus book, The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus (blogged about my favorite circus books too!)
http://www.authorskbell.com/2020/11/11-circus-books-i-have-loved.html?m=1
Of the eight books I read this month, there were one nonfiction and one fiction that I would highly recommend: https://cocoonofbooks.blogspot.com/2020/11/what-ive-been-reading-lately-quick-lit.html
I’m excited to check out “Beginner’s Luck” and “The Writer’s Library”.
So far this month, I’ve loved “American Royals” by Katharine McGee, a graphic novel “Page by Paige” by Laura Lee Gulledge, and a couple of romances from Sarah Morgan and Elle Kennedy.
https://lifesapearl.com/what-ive-been-reading-lately-november-quick-lit/
I’m in the middle of Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield, and it is the exact thing I need right now! Atmospheric, mysterious, and just a tiny toe dipped into fairy tale-feel. I’m loving it. Perfect cozy winter escape read!
It was my favorite read of 2019.
I am finishing Wintering and I just started Deep Creek by Pam Houston.
My highlights of this past month were Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.
This last month was full of great reads from some of my favorite authors:
The Searcher, by Tana French, I enjoyed her approach to this story, she’s just a great writer.
Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell has become my favorite book of the year. The prose and language of grief was powerful without turning hopeless.
All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny, always good to reconnect with some of my favorite characters in fiction.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, the kind of book I wish I could have discussed with other friends.
The Good House by Ann Leary in audio was a great story.
Maisie Dobbs’ series by Jacqueline Winspear, I decided to pick up where I have left this series some years ago and it did not disappoint.
Thanks for pointing me to Shadow & Light. Might be this year’s Advent read for me.
Thank you for sharing! What a fun book list!
I’ve been pretty sparse with my nonfiction lately 😁 Here are my latest reads! http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/11/october-book-reviews.html
I just finished 2 books by A.A. Milne (yes that A.A. Milne)
Once a Week – colllection of short stories, some connected
The Red House Mystery – very fun murder mystery, think Dorothy Sayers
Not That it Matters – I just started this collection of essays last night. There is one that made me think of you, Anne. It’s about bookshelves. Very funny!
All written in the early 1900s.
The Writers Library sounds so good!
https://www.tbretc.com/etc/whatireadinoctober2020
So glad you loved Kate Clayborn’s Chance of a Lifetime series. It’s one of my all-time favorites. This fall has been slow for my reading life, but I’m hoping it will pick back up this winter. https://anovellook.com/home/2020/10/26/reading-recap-102620
My October wrap up….
https://readingladies.com/2020/10/31/october-2020-reading-wrap-up/
Tsh’s Advent guide sounds great! I have to look into it!
Here are my October book reviews:
https://elle-alice.blogspot.com/2020/10/october-book-reviews.html
Just finished reading “The President’s Hat” by Antoine Laurain. A book club member put it into the mix of our books. I loved it. Short, sweet and a great blend of characters who come together over a hat! Not just any hat but one of a famous French president. Won’t spoil it for you. Enjoy!
I’ve been reading Dodie Smith’s classic ‘I capture the castle’ which has been a delight!
I haven’t read any books by Mary Robinette Kowal yet, but I absolutely adore her as an audiobook narrator!
She’s also in my list of books I’ve listened to in October: https://lovelyaudiobooks.info/book-recommendations-and-book-blogger-link-up/
I didn’t know she was a narrator—thanks for catching me up!
Well, I’ve added to my library ‘wishlist’ again! I requested they buy Light & Shadow, though that may not happen before Advent begins. I’ve been reading Broken Harbor by Tana French. I’m not sure how I feel about this murder mystery, but I need to finish it to see how it ends!
Love Lettering was one of my favorite reads this year, so I’m stoked to find out there’s a new Kate Clayborn coming!
I loved it! Can’t wait for you to be able to read it early next year.
I’ve had my eye on Writer’s Library but as you mentioned I’m afraid of what it would do to my TBR!
Here’s my list:
http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/blog-1/2020/11/9/show-us-your-books-november-2020
Love your new recommendations… I read The House at the Cerulean Sea which was one you suggested several months ago. It was a perfect escape with some substance. Loved it. Thanks.
I listened to our Dec bookclub book….”Mastering the Art of French Eating” by Ann Mah. I loved it! I’m now listening to “The Au Pair” by Emma Rous as I sew Christmas gifts. In the non-fiction category, I am throughly enjoying Jacqueline Winspear’s memoir “Next Year We’ll be Laughing “.
http://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2020/11/reading-update.html This post covers books 66-72 of this year.
I was heavy in YA and historial fiction this fall, but a little bit of nonfiction snuck in. 🙂 https://courageforabetterstory.wordpress.com/2020/11/10/some-of-my-fall-2020-reads/
My fall reading has been less satisfying until this last week, when A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik surpassed my expectations. Harry Potter-ish, except most of the kids don’t survive to graduate, and instead the The Boy Who Lived, The Girl Who Wields Weapons of Mass Destruction. And (understandably) buckets of snark.
And then I dipped into a fav reread, The Past Tense of Love by Elizabeth Cadell. Rom-com candy!
I’m reading a lot of nonfiction right now as well!
November Books to Read (and Skip)
https://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/november-2020-books-to-read-and-skip/
The Calculating Stars and the following books are fabulous! I have all but the latest on audiobook and they are amazing! Read by the author!
Hello! My recent reads have been mixed, with several books that just didn’t work well for me. Here’s my list:
* One Day in December (audiobook) by Josie Silver – I enjoyed this modern-day romance, and it was great on audio; four stars.
* The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune – Well, this started out well and had a clever premise, but it just didn’t click with me at all. Meh; three stars.
* The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult – I’ve enjoyed many of her books in the past, but didn’t like her previous novel, A Spark of Light, and I found this one just difficult to churn through. There are long (very, very long) sections about Egyptology which I don’t think added enough to the story to justify inclusion, and the ending was just awful. Sigh… two stars.
* The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg – Flagg wrote Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe back in 1987 (I think that’s right) and it is one of my all-time favorite books, so I was so happy to hear that she had recently written a sequel. This book was fun, and it was like a chance to catch up with old friends. If you haven’t read Fried Green Tomatoes or seen the movie, this book might be confusing to read, but I loved it; five stars!
* All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny – After 16 books in the Inspector Gamache series, I find I am so invested in the characters and the overarching story lines. This book continues those story lines, but the details of the specific plot and incidents in this story are incredibly weak. I’ve worked in a consulting engineering firm very similar to the one depicted in the book, and I currently work in the nuclear power industry which is also included in the book, and the way Penny depicts events are simply not credible. Engineering firms don’t do things the way she describes and there is no way the nuclear power industry would act as described. Those aspects of the book were frustrating and induced lots of eye rolls, but I’ll keep reading this series; four stars.
Current reads include The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver (audiobook), The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue, and A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman.
Happy Reading!
Two recent five star reads for me: HIS & HERS by Alice Feeney and THE DEVIL AND THE DARK WATER by Stuart Turton.
I’m just finishing The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, which I didn’t love. I’m also reading Ruta Sepetys’ The Fountains of Silence.
I read The Calculating Stars maybe 18ish months ago and really enjoyed it! The second and third have been different, the third especially has A LOT of science in it, but I’m still looking forward to reading the 4th!
I’ve been doing a lot of reading, including continuing my re-read of the Harry Potter series this fall (#5 and #6 recently, those take a bit to get through!) and knocking out a lot of other books to make my goal by Dec. 31st! Cooler weather has made reading a little easier! My List Here
I have a mix of genres lately- definitely reading a lot of books!
https://msburkesbooks.blogspot.com/2020/11/what-ive-been-reading-vol3.html
I’m a day late, but not a dollar (or book) short? https://alookatabook.com/2020/11/16/november-2020-recent-reads/
I’ve had a fairly decent reading month . . . favorites include Code Name Helene, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, and Merci Suárez Changes gears. Reviews linked, plus a few more titles.