Wrapping Up November 2020 + Goal Setting for December 2020

Much as I enjoy pumpkin spice season, I can’t say I’m sad that November is over. Here’s a look at my month in books.

Books Completed in November

The Silence by Don Delillo

Contemporary, Experimental/Existential(?) Fiction

⭐⭐

I hope this is the biggest disappointment of the season, possibly of the year. It fell so far short of my expectations for Delillo. Unlike White Noise, The Silence sort of points you toward the message it wants to send, but it never quite gets there. There is definitely important commentary and a point to be made on this topic but this book just doesn’t get it across. On the positive side, I read this in a single day.

 

Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) by Shannon Messenger

Middle Grade/Young Adult Fantasy

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another exciting installment in this series! There isn’t much that I can say about a single book in this series, because they all fit together so well and are telling one (enormously) long story. Of course, there are story arcs in each book, and this book has possibly the most dramatic yet. I’m a little sad that the audiobook of the latest book, Unlocked, won’t be available at my library right away, but I am looking forward to reading it via a physical copy.

Average Rating: 3⭐s

 

Books Read, but Not Completed, in November

• Faithful in Love (Cliff Walk Cousins #1) by Cecily K. Wolfe
• The Grace of Enough by Haley Stewart
• South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby (DNF in chapter 2)
• Angels at the Table (Angels Everywhere #7) by Debbie Macomber
• A Very Bookish Thanksgiving by various authors
• The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller

 

Other Highlights from November

• Movies watched this month: Waitress (2007) ⭐⭐, The Internet’s Own Boy (2015) ⭐⭐⭐, A Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2016) ⭐⭐⭐⭐, The Incredibles (2004) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Podcasts I listened to: Deck the Hallmark 
• Baking, especially pie. I made 2 sugar-free pumpkin pies and 1 strawberry icebox pie.
• Submitted my last assignments of the semester! Still waiting for final grades, but I’m not concerned.

 

November Goals Follow-Up

Originally posted here.

• Celebrate 1 family member’s birthday ✔
• Bake something moderately impressive for Thanksgiving ✔
• Manage the library-system-wide staff pumpkin decorating contest ✔
• Finish knitting another carseat blanket as a baby present ❌ – I worked on it, but it isn’t finished (see this post for my progress)
• Do well in my last class presentation of this semester, and stay caught up on all school work so that I have very little left when Thanksgiving week arrives ✔
• Participate in a few Nonfiction November prompts ✔ – I joined in Week 1 and Week 4.

 

December Goals

*I will share my December TBR list tomorrow in a post linking up for the Literary Christmas Reading Challenge.

📝Share reviews for at least 3 Christmas books. Supergoal: 5.

🤶🏻 Participate in the Literary Christmas Reading Challenge. Supergoal: actually read all of the books I list for it!

🎄 Participate in The 12 Days of Christmas blogging challenge/party/linkup with Faith. Supergoal: post QUALITY posts all 12 days.

💌 Send Christmas cards

🎁 Have all gifts bought and prepared early enough that I don’t stress about them later in the month. 

🎉 Celebrate my own birthday

😷 Stay healthy.

⌨ Work on my/Mom’s 1970s era typewriter. This includes successfully taking it apart, deep cleaning, oiling, reassembling, and possibly other steps that I have forgotten. 

I hope I get through more books this month, but December is already turning into a bit of a whirlwind, so I’m not going to stress over it. I did a little decorating yesterday, and I’ve bought a few gifts, so I think I’m on track so far. 

Merry (early) Christmas, Readers! I hope this month blesses you. 

Until the next chapter,

Jana