November turned into one of those surprisingly great reading months where every book landed in a totally different way and I loved the mix. I had emotional literary fiction, a massive genre-bending classic, and a deeply personal memoir on my list this month.
Here’s everything I finished:
The Correspondent — Virginia Evans
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook recommended
Buy The Book: Amazon / Bookshop.org
This one completely surprised me and I mean that in the best way. The Correspondent is an epistolary novel told through letters and emails, which isn’t usually my go-to style… but WOW did it work here.
Sybil Van Antwerp is now one of my all-time favorite characters. She’s a sharp, witty woman in her 70s who feels so real and layered. The cast narration on audio added an incredible amount of depth and charm to the story, making it easily my preferred way to experience this book. The narrator for Sybil just crushed this narration.
It’s funny, heartfelt, and quietly emotional. The kind of book that sneaks up on you and then stays with you long after you finish. Easily a standout read of the month and maybe even the year.
11/22/63 — Stephen King
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Buy The Book: Amazon / Bookshop.org
My first Stephen King novel, and of course I chose the classic brick of a book to start. This was a BIG book. So big, I had to go with the Kindle version because it was too heavy to carry around, ha.
This is such an interesting blend of time travel, romance, and historical fiction; all centered around one man’s journey to stop the assassination of JFK and all the unexpected consequences that ripple from that decision.
Yes, it’s long, but I stayed invested pretty much the entire time. The characters sucked me in, the slow unraveling of the timeline kept me turning pages, and the emotional payoff really hit by the end.
Not what I pictured when I thought of a “Stephen King book,” and a great reminder that sometimes trying something outside your comfort zone can be worth it.
My one thought that keeps coming to mind is that there wasn’t as much about the president as I had expected there to be?!?
The Unexpected Journey — Emma Heming Willis
Buy The Book: Amazon / Bookshop.org
This memoir was an emotional and thoughtful read. Emma shares her experience navigating her husband Bruce Willis’s health diagnosis with Frontotemporal Dementia and how their family has learned to cope with massive life changes with resiliency and love.
It’s honest, raw, and often heartbreaking, but also filled with moments of hope and perspective. Reading this felt intimate, like being invited into someone’s real-life story of grief, caregiving, and personal growth.
While parts were heavy, I appreciated how grounding and sincere the overall message was.
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