Hello again! This week (or last Friday, more accurately) kicked off the time of year when most people seem to go crazy about the materialistic side of Christmas, and while this attitude irks me, I do enjoy hearing Christmas carols nearly everywhere I go and seeing the first lights coming on at night. However, before we get completely into the Advent/Christmas season, we’ve still got a few days of November left!
I received a lot of positive feedback last month when I did a “spell the month in books” post, so I’m doing another today for November! This is a fun way to get to show off books I have read in the past. I couldn’t find a book on my physical shelves to match all of the letters, so I don’t have a picture this time, but I still have a lot of great recommendations. If you have read any of these, I’d love to hear what you thought of them! Now, enough of my rambling. Without further ado, here is my {virtual} bookstack spelling November!
N – Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
Genre: Modernism/Post-modernism, possibly existentialism
It took me a surprisingly long time to come up with something starting with N. Thank goodness the local bookstore had a copy of this on sale last year! As the title suggests, it contains nine of J.D. Salinger’s short stories. They can all stand alone, but they all deal with common issues for modern and postmodern writers, especially where to find meaning in life and handling interpersonal relationships.
O – Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
Genre: picture book
I’m starting to see a trend here: I think I have plenty of books to use for list posts like this, but then when I have to find one starting with a certain letter, it’s a struggle. I really struggled with finding a book I have read and enjoyed that starts with an O. I considered using The Odyssey, but when it comes down to it, I would rather reread Dr. Seuss than Homer, so Oh, The Places You’ll Go won!
V – Vagabond by J.D. Brewer
Genre: YA dystopia, adventure
Vagabond is the first book I received an ARC for to review on my blog. This was back on my first blog (you can read the review here!), and I enjoyed it a lot. It’s a fun adventure, solidly fitting into and adding commentary on the YA dystopia trend.
E – Extras by Scott Westerfield
Genre: YA, sci-fi, dystopia
I was a huge Scott Westerfield fan throughout junior high and high school, exclusively because of his Uglies series. Extras is the fourth book in the series. When I first read it I was annoyed that it focuses on a completely different set of characters, setting, and situations than the previous three, so it was difficult to get into. When I reread it a few years later, I found it more interesting but still pretty weird. Although I haven’t been able to get into any of Westerfield’s other series, this one remains one of my favorites, partially for nostalgic reasons.
M – Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza
Genre: YA (I’m seeing another trend here…), sci-fi, adventure/action
Honestly, I do not understand why this series is not more popular. The ratio of action to story is a bit action-heavy for my personal preference, but I enjoyed the first two books all the same. There’s mystery, suspense, action, teenage romance…basically all the makings of a fun, interesting YA series. This series lends itself to TV or Netflix, too. I haven’t finished the entire series, but I hope to eventually.
B – The Bookstore Mouse by Peggy Christian
Genre: Children’s fiction – Middle Grade, fantasy
The Bookstore Mouse is one of my favorite childhood books. I wish I had a copy of it to reread and pass down when I have my own children, but I haven’t even seen it in the library in years. It’s about a mouse who (no surprise) lives in a bookstore and goes on fantastic adventures based on the stories he reads (and eats). A knight, a dragon, and a cat all play supporting roles in rounding out this fun book.
E – Eubeltic Descent by Nadine C. Keels
Genre: Historical fantasy
This is a recent release I have had the pleasure of reading. My review will be posted soon, so I won’t say a lot here, except that it is also an exciting and diverse adventure!
R – The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Genre: post-apocalyptic fiction
Despite only being about twelve years old, The Road is already considered a classic. It’s difficult to read, partially because there is no punctuation and partially because the world it is set in is so dark yet hauntingly similar to the real world. It looks long and hard at what it means to be human, and how we respond when the world goes crazy.
Have you read any of these books, or are any of them on your to-read list? I would love to hear your thoughts and talk about them!
With a new month starting next week, I’ll be writing a November wrap-up and December goals post soon! What are you looking forward to next month? Are there any specific books you think you might finally have time to work on? If you’ve participated in NaNoWriMo, did you finish your draft (all the celebration coming your way if so!)?
Until the next chapter,
Jana
Reviews From the Stacks 
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