You know those months where you just want to read books that feel good? That was me this November. Romances + mysteries + a few non-fiction reads to inspire and motivate, and I was a happy little reader this month!

Here’s what I read this November!

ps— affiliate links are included!

my top rec:

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer

my 2019 goal progress:

12 books this month

165/175 total (I bumped my goal up from 150 to 175!!!)

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

rating: ★★★★☆

review: This was a random library book sale grab I almost didn’t get, but am SO GLAD I did. It was gooooood, you all. Definitely in the YA genre, with some Cheaper by the Dozen vibes mixed with a classic boy next door love interest plot, and a busy single mom in politics with a not so great younger campaign manager boy toy, and some drama towards the end that really amped it all up. I thoroughly enjoyed this one! (And the rebel in me loves finding good books I’ve never heard of before and that nobody else is talking about!)

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

rating: ★★☆☆☆

review: Took it all the way back to Moriarty’s debut novel to try to get out of my reading slump... and let me just say this — time has done her work wonders! This was a really different style and reading experience than her newer books and I wasn’t nearly as into it, but if you love family and character driven novels (this one dives deep into a year in the life of adult triplets!), you might love it!

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

rating: ★★★★☆

review: I finally finished another Three Pines book! Still loving them. Still can never figure out who the murderer is or how they did it. Still a fan.

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

rating: ★★☆☆☆

review: Very steamy. Much romance. Predictable plot. Cliche story. Lots of talk of clowns. Weird references/names to body parts. Did I mention much romance?!?? (I forgot that this genre can ignore plot for the sake of sex scenes...) Only finished it because it was the only book I had on me.

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher

rating: ★★★☆☆

review: This one is COMPLETELY a How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days remake, with the roles reversed, and with an author named Andie just like Andie Anderson, but I enjoyed it! It’s much more my kind of romance read— a fun plot, good character development, a totally predictable but still charming story, etc. with the added bonus of having a biracial main character who talks about her struggle with her identity along the way. It’s not a new story idea by any means, but I’m a fan of the original movie and liked this take too!

thanks to: BookSparks for sending me this one as part of #FRC2019!

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer

rating: ★★★★★

review: This book changed my life. THAT IS NOT AN UNDERSTATEMENT. So grateful for @johnmarkcomer (fellow #enneagram1) and his wisdom. It’s relatable, not condescending, helpful, not cliche, counter-cultural, and deeply meaningful. I took PAGES of notes and wrote a whole blog post about changes I’m personally making to eliminate hurry in my life thanks to this book — it spurred me into action and I’m grateful. ALL THE STARS FOR THIS GOLDMINE.

Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction by Caleb Kaltenbach

rating: ★★★★☆

review: This one has been on my shelf for months (sent from the publisher to my former company!) and I’m so glad I read it now. I’m on a mission to dive deeper into the whole arena of faith + the LGBTQ+ community and explore more of what it means to be a believer but also love people like Jesus. My beliefs and opinions have evolved SO much as I’ve grown up, especially in the last few years, and i never want to stop that process. I’m so grateful for this book from @calebwilds. He’s a pastor with a lesbian mom and a gay dad, and his perspective is unique and incredibly helpful. More than anything, I so appreciate his emphasis on living in the tension of grace and truth — that’s something I often feel like Christians especially fail at, and I personally struggle with. I highly recommend reading this one (I underlined and highlighted so much, copied down quotes and wrote out new thoughts and questions, agreed with a lot and wanted to push back and debate some as well) and encourage you to not stop with just this one but to keep exploring and learning from other perspectives as well! To help with that, I compiled all the recommendations I received into a list that I’ve linked in my bio — check that out if you’re ready to dive in, too. @calebwilds sent me some of his recommendations even! Thankful for him and for this book and for his example in so many ways.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

rating: ★★★★☆

review: This one was cuuuuute! Set in a small town around their annual Renaissance Faire, it felt like a fresh take on a romance and I really enjoyed it! Charming and creative and just plain FUN.

Reputation by Sara Shepard

rating: ★★★☆☆

review: Another @booksparks read tackled this weekend — this one had so many layers and kept me guessing the whole time. An email hack at a private college set off a whole chain reaction of secrets and scandals gone public, and the implications involved so many characters in ways I didn’t predict. I never knew which characters were “good” or trustworthy, and the ending wasn’t what I anticipated, which I think I enjoyed about it! It had some touchy parts (a frat with girls coming forward reporting rape, an intense sex role play scene, a murder at the center of the story, and some inappropriate behavior between a stepfather and stepdaughter) so definitely not for a PG audience, but I didn’t find it triggering and actually appreciated the way that at least the rape allegations played out in the end, although it did almost make me give up partway through. ANYWAY.

thanks to: BookSparks for sending me this one as part of #FRC2019!

Help! My Bible is Alive!: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word by Nicole Unice

rating: ★★★★★

review: I’m really glad this book launched into the world today. It’s helpful, encouraging, motivating, accessible, rich, and necessary. I’m also really proud of my friend and pastor @nicoleunice for writing it and sharing her wisdom and heart for Scripture with us all through this @alive.method. She’s one of the best and most engaging Bible teachers I’ve ever heard, and I’m just so grateful for this tangible resource that she has poured all that passion into to help all of us better understand and love the Word. It’s a gift. She’s a gift.

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

rating: ★★★★☆

review: Oooooh, these Three Pines stories are getting SO GOOD. I kept picking this one up every time I had a few free minutes during this holiday weekend, wanting so badly to figure out how it would end! And then, as soon as it ended, I was texting @hannahreadsmoer to FREAK OUT about it. Her response to my question was “i cannot say because you have to keep reading” so YES I am still freaking out and also racing to my library ASAP to get book #6! So good. Louise Penny is a master of mystery.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell

rating: ★★★☆☆

review: Learned a lot from Gladwell in this one. It went so much deeper and covered a much wider spectrum of topics than I expected (I think I thought it was more focused on just the Bible story?) — it was fascinating and eye opening! I’m definitely not an audial learner and I for sure tuned out for some good chunks of this one, but I did enjoy it overall, even though I do think i would have processed it better if I had read the physical book. Loved all the counter-cultural themes though, and appreciative of the wisdom here!