November 2018 Reading Wrap-Up!

Hi all! 

Welcome to my November 2018 Reading Wrap-Up! Unlike October, I really enjoyed every book I read this month. I managed to complete my Monthly Classic and Sassy Book Club pick. I also finally emerged from my reading slump and became excited about books again. Without further ado, here is what I read and what I thought! 

1.) A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA BY TAHEREH MAFI (PHYSICAL BOOK) – SASSY BOOK CLUB PICK FOR NOVEMBER 2018

Order a copy here! 

PLOT: This was our Sassy Book Club pick for November. The live show discussing the novel will be held December 14th, 8pm PST on MissSassyKassie’s YouTube Channel. 

It’s 2002, a year after 9/11, and Shirin has just started at yet another new high school. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments and the physical violence she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. Shirin drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know her. They seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds and Shirin has had her guard up against the world for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.

MINI REVIEW: This was my first Tahereh Mafi book and it won’t be the last. Her writing is so raw, real and full of emotion. I loved her own voices representation of what it felt like to be a Muslim girl living in a world post 9/11. Shirin faces so much adversity and racism due to her wearing the hijab at school. She is automatically judged as a person who hates America and a potential terrorist. There were many times I gasped out loud at the outward hate and abuse she received. It made me realise just how lucky I am not to be targeted and judged every single day of my life. The romance was beautiful, the life lessons were impactful and the messages clear. Everyone should read this book. I highly recommend it. 

RATING: I gave this 4.5/5 stars.

2.) ANIMAL FARM BY GEORGE ORWELL (E-BOOK) – MONTHLY CLASSIC PICK FOR NOVEMBER 2018

Order a copy here! 

PLOT: ‘All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.’

Mr Jones of Manor Farm is so lazy and drunken that one day he forgets to feed his livestock. The ensuing rebellion under the leadership of the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, leads to the animals taking over the farm. Vowing to eliminate the terrible inequities of the farmyard, the renamed Animal Farm is organised to benefit all who walk on four legs. But as time passes, the ideals of the rebellion are corrupted, then forgotten. And something new and unexpected emerges. . . 

MINI REVIEW: Okay, so initially my November Classic was A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, but I had already read two of his works this year and needed a break, so I picked up Animal Farm instead. I’m very happy I did because I really liked it. It was quite a short but deep story. Orwell based a lot of it off the Russian Revolution, sending up communist leaders like Stalin and Lenin in the guise of horses and pigs. It was so well written and clever. Even animals can become corrupt when put in positions of political power. If you’re new to classics, I would recommend this book. It’s easy to understand and enjoyable.

RATING: I gave this 4/5 stars.

3.) GHOSTS OF THE SHADOW MARKET (NOVELLA BIND-UP) BY CASSANDRA CLARE (KINDLE BOOK)

Pre-order a copy here! 

PLOT: The Shadow Market is a meeting point for faeries, werewolves, warlocks, and vampires. There, the Downworlders buy and sell magical objects, make dark bargains, and whisper secrets they do not want the Nephilim to know. Through two centuries however, there has been a frequent visitor to the Shadow Market from the City of Bones. As a Silent Brother, Brother Zachariah is a sworn keeper of the laws and lore of the Nephilim. But once he was a Shadowhunter called Jem Carstairs; his love the warlock Tessa Gray. Jem is searching through the Shadow Markets, in many different cities over the long years, for a relic from his past. Follow Jem and see, against the backdrop of the Shadow Market’s dark dealings and festival, Anna Lightwood’s doomed romance, Matthew Fairchild’s great sin, and Tessa Gray as she is plunged into a world war. Valentine Morgenstern buys a soul at the Market and a young Jace Wayland’s soul finds safe harbor. In the Market is hidden a lost heir and a beloved ghost, and no one can save you once you have traded away your heart. Not even Brother Zachariah.

MINI REVIEW: Similar to The Bane Chronicles and Shadowhunter Academy, Ghost of the Shadow Market is a novella bind-up where one new story is released once a month taking place within the Shadowhunter world. Every single one is written by Cassandra Clare plus one co-author. I liked all of the stories but the ones that stood out were Cast Long Shadows, Learn About Love and Through Blood, Through Fire. You don’t need to read any of these but they do provide insight into future books. The physical copy will contain bonus stories.

RATING: I gave this 4/5 stars.

I hope you enjoyed this wrap-up! Let me know down below your favourite read of November and what is on your TBR for December. 

Peace & Love xoxox

Disclaimer: This post contains links to my Book Depository Affiliate which helps fund my blog, I am not being paid or sponsored for this post/products – all my thoughts/opinions are my own