books i read in nov! 📚🌿

the year is steadily coming to an end..

happened to reach a bunch of magical realisms this month! somehow the covers of this month’s books are also all so lovely; it’s quite satisfying to see them lined up. anyway! my unsolicited thoughts:

1. garden spells (by sarah addison allen) 🪻

- magical realism; about the magical waverley family, and what happens when the two estranged sisters reconnect

- i loved this book! it was so cozy and tender, filled with small-town charm and the warmth of finding home. i loved the magical elements, the descriptions of food, and the characters were so endearing. claire has my heart. i didn’t want to leave these characters behind!!

- ⭐️: 4.5/5

2. the rainfall market (by you yeong-gwang) ☔️

- korean literature, magical realism about the mysterious rainfall market, where you can swap your life for another

- i didn’t feel invested in the characters or the story, unfortunately. though i believe it was meant to be an emotional, healing book, it didn’t really pull at my heartstrings.. each pitstop felt repetitive and the prose wasn’t my favourite, though perhaps it was a translation thing!

- ⭐️: 3/5

3. three days in june (by anne tyler) 💍

- literary fiction about our main character gail, who attempts to navigate the days before and after her daughter’s wedding. her daughter shares a secret that makes her question the wedding and her own failed relationship

- definitely a more character-focused book, there isn’t really a plot at all. i found it interesting learning how each character saw things so differently. i think it captured the nuances in life and made me reflect: when to move on, when to move forward, when to let go, when to forgive. i enjoyed it, but it might not be for you if you like books with a strong plot!

- ⭐️: 3.5/5

4. the perks of being a wallflower (by stephen chbosky) 😶

- contemporary, young adult fiction, a coming of age story about a boy finding his place in school and growing into himself

- i’d watched the movie but never read the book, and i’m glad i finally decided to. this was tender and vulnerable, and maybe i liked it a lot because i could really see myself in the main character, but i truly teared up at the end. i think my younger self would have felt really seen

- ⭐️: 4.5/5

5. the chibineko kitchen (by yuta takahashi) 🐈

- another magical realism, this time japanese literature! about a restaurant by the sea, where you can have a special meal and something.. magical happens (don’t want to spoil it!)

- this was okay, though the stories were under-developed and wrapped up too quickly. a nice and easy comfort read though

- ⭐️: 3.5/5

6. little witch hazel: a year in the forest (by phoebe wahl) 🍄

- graphic novel about little witch’s hazel’s life across the four seasons

- the illustrations were absolutely lovely!!! i wish the stories were longer but i know it’s meant for kids so totally understandable

- ⭐️: 4/5

7. the healing hippo of hinode park (by michiko aoyama) 🦛

- japanese literature book, about a hippo ride in a park. it is said that if you touch a part of the hippo, it will heal that part of your body.

- i really enjoyed ‘what you are looking for is in the library’ by this author! was looking forward to this book but def preferred the former better. this was simple and easy to read, but again didn’t feel very impactful

- ⭐️: 3.5/5

8. another marvelous thing (by laurie colwin) 💐

- categorised as short stories, but they are short stories revolving the same couple and their relationship

- trigger warning that this whole book is about an affair hahaha so if you don’t enjoy reading about infidelity you will not like this! i enjoyed it more in the second half of the book; took me a while to warm up to the characters. loved the writing as per usual for ms colwin

- ⭐️: 4.5/5

that’s all i read in november! let me know your book recs & check out what i read in october here if you’d like! happy december! ❄️

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