Every year I set a goal to read 50 books a year and every year I miss the mark by a mile*. As of the last day in November, I have read 46 books and I feel like I might make it this year!

*This is why I laugh bitterly every time (once every few days) someone comes into my bookstore and says, “I wish I could read books all day at my job!” Yeah. Let me know when you find one.

Anyway–despite not reading at work, I’m so close to my goal and I’m actually gonna try in December. I can read 4 books, surely! I’m halfway done with one right now as-is. But here’s what I read in November!

Curves for Days by Laura Moher
Order the paperback version here.
Download the audiobook here

This one starts like any given Hallmark story: sweet woman looking for a better life wins the lottery and just drives until she finds a place she wants to live.
She gets snowed in to a small town in North Carolina and falls in love with the place. She gets involved in the community and decides to buy a house that needs a lot of work so she hires the town grumpy contractor with a heart of gold and you can imagine what happens next.
This book is adorable and thoughtful and it is hot. This is your warning/ recommendation.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Order the hardcover copy here.
Download the audiobook here.

This was an excellent, gothic, atmospheric mystery. I loved the time period, the whodunnit elements and the way that just when you think you’ve gotten the plot twist you get hit with the actual plot twist. This book definitely kept me guessing and I didn’t see the ending coming at all.

That being said, even though everyone who’s opinion I trust loved this book there’s just something about it that wasn’t for me and I’m struggling to put my finger on it. So I’d love it if you’d pick it up and tell me what you think.

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Order the paperback copy here (or we do currently have a used copy at Twice Told Tales).
Download the audiobook here.

This was a cute, pretty traditional enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance that takes place at an NPR station in the Seattle area that needs to make some serious changes or they need to start laying people off.

Yadda yadda yadda, Shay Goldstein finally gets her dream job as the host of her own show but the catch is that it’s not traditionally news–it’s a dating show where she’ll be hosting with her colleague/ enemy, Dominic.

For Never & Always by Helena Greer
Order the paperback here (or we have a few copies at Twice Told Tales).
Download the audiobook here.

This book was such a dream! As I was reading, I could tell it was part of a series because there were a few characters that I felt like the author assumed I knew about already. So I can’t wait to go back and read the first book in that series (I need more Queers in my romance reading!).

Yes. Another romance (and friends I don’t see it changing until the sun comes back out in a few months). This one was definitely hot. There are sexy moments but it certainly isn’t as explicit as the other books on this list. So if you’re interested in dipping your toe in the genre without blushing too much, this would be a great starting point.

After a lonely, transient childhood, Hannah has officially planted her roots at the Christmas Tree Farm/ Inn that she inherited and is running like a boss businesswoman. Her thoughts keep coming back to Levi Matthews: her first love, worst heartbreak, and now, thanks to her great-aunt’s meddling will, absentee business partner. Now that he’s a celebrity chef, he’s ready to come home and make amends. Only his return goes nothing like he planned: his family’s angry with him, his best friend is dating his nemesis, and Hannah just wants him to leave. Again.

I loved this one so, so much.

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
Order the paperback here.
Download the audiobook here.

I’ve been reading my grandmother Doris’ journals where she reminisces on her childhood on the prairie (she was born in 1920), lately. Between that and my reading of The Four Winds recently, I’ve been really in love with reading about women working this earth.

O Pioneers! has been sitting on my shelf for a bit and it’s a tiny little thing, so I figured I’d help get to my reading goal by blowing through this one. I finished it pretty quickly but I wouldn’t say I blew through it. This book was full of so much atmosphere, heartbreak, magic, badassery, and hope in such a tiny tome.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
Buy the hardcover here (or at Twice Told Tales).
Download the audiobook here.

I didn’t read The Maid (because I am so allergic to hype–to my own detriment sometimes) but I was in the mood for The Mystery Guest when it was presented to me.

Now, cozy mysteries are not generally my go-to but I adored this! The mystery was fantastic. The characters were so damn charming and some of them even quite hilarious. But along with all of that, we also get a trip down memory lane and learn a little bit about the history of Molly the Maid and her Gran.

It was fun to be reminded that a book doesn’t have to be a thriller to have exquisite plot twists.

What did you read this past month? Favorite books of the year?