**The cold seeps in, even through the fire that I set, the warm tea I drink, and the soft blanket I hold around me. I turn the pages of my wintry book a little slower as my fingers tighten up from the chilling bite. The cold weather is always more magical in a novel. The characters frolic in the snow and warm up by the fire, but something about it always seems better. As I continue reading, I warm up just a little and enjoy the story, and the weather, a little bit more.**

Welcome to the wrap-up! I read three books in November, and actually (mostly) followed my TBR, including the book I’m currently reading. Unfortunately, I did not get much reading done this month for no apparent reason. I am actually very close to finishing my goal of 50 books, so as long as I can get to that in December, all is well. So let’s get into the wrap-up.

• Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson

I really wanted to read a fall book and this one seemed like a great choice. It follows a girl who temporarily moves to Bramble Falls after her parents’ separation. Ellis, our main character, does not want to be there and wants to stay in New York. Once she gets to the town though, she runs into an old friend and they slowly start to reconnect as the town gets ready for some fall events. I thought this one was pretty good! I liked the writing and enjoyed watching Ellis grow and get more comfortable in the town and really find herself. There were definitely some emotional moments towards the end with her dad that added a lot to the story. My only complaint is Cooper. I didn’t mind him, but there were a few moments where he got mad at Ellis a little too quickly when it seemed like she hadn’t really done anything.

• Black Canary #10

This was a complete cover buy. I like Black Canary and found this comic and decided to buy it to display somewhere. However, I felt like I should probably read it, so I sat down and did just that. It was actually not too bad. This was #10 so I can’t really speak for the story, but it seemed like there was a pretty solid plot and the art style was fine. I would consider going back and reading the whole series.

• Shady Hollow by Juneau Black

This was something that I would not have picked up for myself, but it was my book club pick so of course I was going to read it. This is a cozy mystery following a bunch of animals. Vera Vixen, our main character, is a reporter and investigates the case of the dead toad, Otto. Vera works with her friend Lenore and police officer Orville to solve the case. This was a very pleasant surprise. I didn’t think I would be a fan of the animals as main characters or the cozy mystery aspect, but I actually really enjoyed the story. The mystery was interesting, the plot was engaging, and I was invested and interested to see what would happen next. I would actually consider continuing the series.

I have also been reading A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft for the past few weeks. I have been getting through this very slowly but really hope to finish it in the next week so I can move on to my December TBR, which I am very excited for so stay tuned for that wrap-up.

xoxo,

Just another reader