Monday, December 6, 2021

Read-at-Home Mom Report: November 2021 Wrap-Up

My Month in Books

I read 14 books in November, most of which were three-star audiobooks I listened to on breaks from writing for NaNoWriMo. 

Here is the full list: 

Geekerella by Ashley Poston (3 stars)
I found this book at Dollar Tree on one of those rare occasions when they actually had books. It's a Cinderella retelling involving a fictitious fandom similar to Star Trek. It was a quick, fun read.

 Bowman of Crécy by Ronald Welch (4 stars)
My husband and I have a friend we met on Goodreads and we meet with her monthly on Zoom to talk books. This month, we talked about this second title in the Carey family series by Ronald Welch. The characters are outlaws and  the story involves a lot of fighting with bows and arrows. I wouldn't have picked it up on my own, but it wasn't bad. 

Vision in White by Nora Roberts (3 stars)
I read this book and its sequels when they were first published and decided to re-read this one on audio. It was still entertaining, but I dropped my rating from 5 stars down to 3. 

Autumn Skies by Denise Hunter (3 stars)
I borrowed this Christian romance from the library in paperback, but I listened to most of it on Hoopla. It was an easy read, but not too memorable. It is part of a series, and I would be interested in reading the other books. 

The Girl Who Ruined Christmas by Cindy Callaghan (1 star)
I received this middle grade ARC from the author, and I was surprised by how disappointing it was. The writing was rough and the story barely made sense. The characters also used a lot of slang that made them sound unrealistic. I can't recommend this one. 

Sebastian Bach: The Boy from Thuringia by Opal Wheeler (4 stars)
This was one of our homeschool read-alouds. We read the book and listened to the musical pieces included. I didn't know much about Bach before, and I think this was a great introduction. 

To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne (4 stars)
This was basically a retelling of You've Got Mail. I loved all the details of the New York City setting, and the characters were well-developed. 

The Dearly Departed by Elinor Lipman (4 stars)
This was kind of a quirky story about two adults who don't know they are siblings until their parents, who recently reunited romantically, die together of carbon monoxide poisoning. It wasn't what I expected at all, but it was a fun read anyway. 

Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (3 stars)
I'm trying to get through the rest of this series by the end of 2022. This one was fine. Not remarkable, but still entertaining. 

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (5 stars)
This was my first time reading this book since I was in high school, and it holds up so well! I love the author's sense of humor, and it was fun to revisit this universe. 

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (3 stars)
I read this for the #WorldFullOfBooks theme of Indigenous Peoples, but I really wasn't in the mood for it and my mind really wandered. I honestly can't remember a thing about what actually happened. 

Killer Research by Jenn McKinlay (5 stars)
I took a long break from cozy mysteries this year, but I never miss a new installment in this series. This was one of the best of the series in my opinion. The small-town politics were so believable, and I love the way the characters continue to evolve, even 12 books in. 

The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson (3 stars)
This was a light, sweet Christian romance about a woman who refurbishes an old camper and connects with a new love interest while fending off advances from her ex-boyfriend.

The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson (4 stars)
I am finding myself drawn to the idea of novellas, and this was a short and sweet one to kick off my holiday reading. I'm definitely interested in reading more by this author. 


As for the rest of the family's reading...


In November, my husband read Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls, This New Land by Clifton G. Wisler, The Galleon by Ronald Welch, and The Luckie Star by Ann Waldron (this last book is being donated based on how little he enjoyed it). 

M. (8, years) also read This New Land by Clifton G. Wisler, as well as The Man Who Was Don Quixote by Rafaello Busoni and The Adventures of Don Quixote by Leighton Barret and illustrated by Warren Chappell. She also read A Donkey Called Mistletoe by Helen Peters.
 
C. (6 years, 2 months) finished reading King Oberon's Forest by Hilda van Stockum. She also read Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary and The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum independently, and aloud to Gran over Skype she read Three Boys and a Lighthouse by Nan Agle and Ellen Wilson. 

E. (4 years 1 month) read a bunch of Hooked on Phonics readers:  Sam and the Mitt, Pop Fox, The Fog, Pom Pom, The Big Log, and Tub Fun, as well as some selections from The Ultimate Dick and Jane Storybook Collection

 R. and A. (20 months) enjoyed looking at Up Cat Down Cat and Black Bird, Yellow Sun, both by Steve Light. 


Up Next For Me


December has started off with a bit of a reading slump for me, but I need to read 15 books to meet my goal by the end of the year. I'm planning to read The Gift Counselor by Sheila M. Cronin, So This is Christmas by Tracy Andreen (thought after I bought it I did hear there is some content in it I would prefer to avoid), Ornamental Graces by Carolyn Astfalk, and Gifts: Seen and Unseen from Catholic Teen Books, as well as Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien for book club and The Galleon by Ronald Welch. 

Linking Up


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