Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: November 2025

Hello, everyone! Another month has gone by, and November was my stronger month this year. Even though I didn't read a tonne of books (but 6 is still a great number), my reads were just hitting. And because of that, they made my too busy month much more bareable! I'm really hoping that December will also continue on the same pattern, especially since I will probably have the time to enjoy more time reading. 

Here is what I read this month: 

Books I've Completed in November

• Cathedral of the Drowned - Nathan Ballingrud: Sometime at the end of October, I realised that the sequel of one of the books I'd read during summer has come out. Cathedral of the Drowned didn't disappoint, and I might also add that I loved it more than the first book. You can read my full thoughts in my review. 
• To Be Devoured - Sarah Tantlinger: Then, I picked a horror novella that I've had on my TBR for some time. This book was disgusting, considering that our protagonist becomes obsessed with vultures and want to become one herself. However, I didn't really like the writing, and I found that most of the side characters didn't act logically, which threw me off.
• So Long, Marianne - Kari Hesthamar: It's no secret that Leonard Cohen has been an influential figure for me, whose songs and poetry shaped me as a person. So, it was only natural that I would pick up this nonfiction book about Marianne, Cohen's lover and muse. It had very interesting parts about life in the '60s in the small (and still) unexploited island of Hydra. However, I would have liked a deeper exploration on Marianne's character.
• My Heart Is a Chainsaw - Stephen Graham Jones: I've finally found my kind of horror! These past few months, I had been trying different things to find out what I would enjoy the most. And I won't lie that after each read, I was disappointed. The closest I had got to a 5* was Cathedral of the Drowned, but I still thought that something was missing. Stephen Graham Jones is an author I was interested in, but I was afraid to pick up, because many reviews spoke of how weird his writing style is. Turns out that this is the horror I would like to read - and now, I'm in dire need of more books similar to this (luckily, there are two more in the series)!
• One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This - Omar El Akkad: This book had been on my radar since its release, and I finally got to read it in November. It was as impactful and thought-ptovoking as I'd hoped it to be, and I can't recommend it enough. Seriously, you will gain so much from it! 
• At First Spite - Olivia Dade: Lately, I feel like I'm craving romance more and more. Plus, I'm having such a good luck with them. On the Same Page was great, and At First Spike was just as good. It had some pretty heart-warming moments that made me tear up, it got too real with mental health issues, and it was funny. It wasn't a perfect read as I still have my criticisms, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless. Maybe I should write a review?
• A Head Full of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay: Speaking of my kind of horror, this is another one of them! I had originally put this book in my horror TBR later this fall, but I was reluctant on picking it up, because the other books I'd read from that TBR felt disappoint (at least, until now). However, this book knocked it out of the park - I read the entirety of it in two days, and I still can't get over that ending. Watch me reading the entirety of Paul Tremblay's bibliography in 2026.

Books I'm Currently Reading

• The Fifth Elephant - Terry Pratchett: In my "series I want to finish" post, I'd mentioned that I would soon be continuing The Ankh-Morpork City Watch Discworld subseries, and I wasn't lying. I just love these characters, and everytime is the perfect book to make me laugh and relax, while also discussing some pretty heavy and importnat questions. I couldn't start the last month of the year with a better read! 

What did you read in November?

What will you plan on reading during Christmas?