It is finally November, the weather is chilly but not yet cold. The anticipation (or dread) of the bigger holidays looming closer makes you want to get busy before the year is over. November is the Saturday of the year; not yet over but there's not much you can cram into the time that's left.
Personally, I try to cram as much as I can within my time. Between school, writing a book, marketing said book, taking care of a home, trying to network and stay social, doing physical activity... Well, you get my point. I need to do a lot and sometimes it feels as if there is just not enough time. That's why I think November and December should be months when we try to take it easy. Let your body, and your mind, rest. It looks different on everyone, so do what you can, as long as it works for you and your routine.
On the topic of slowing down to give yourself a break, I am thinking, what better way to de-stress than a good book?
These are some books that I believe embody the vibe of November: the chill in the air, the browning leaves, bare branches, the flip in routine as we try to adjust to the imminent end of an era. You know, those November feelings.
- She Is A Haunting, by Trang Thanh Tran
Blurb:
Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.
Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house—the home her family has always wanted—will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.
This book kept me up at night and terrified me. You can read more about it here.
I wrote a book review, which you can read here (links to my Bookstagram).
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
What better book to read as the year shifts than a book about a man shifting? Super weird book, although not scary by our modern standards (the Victorians were terrified, though, because it touched on themes that are normally buried and avoided).
You can read about the book and its adaptations here.
- Disorientation, by Elaine Hsieh Chou
The weirdness and discomfort that is packed within this book had me hooked. If you enjoy a gradually darkening setting amongst the academic world, along with satire and social commentary, you will devour this book.
Blurb:
Twenty-nine-year-old PhD student Ingrid Yang is desperate to finish her dissertation on the late canonical poet Xiao-Wen Chou and never read about “Chinese-y” things again. But after years of grueling research, all she has to show for her efforts are a junk food addiction and stomach pain. When she accidentally stumbles upon a curious note in the Chou archives one afternoon, it looks like her ticket out of academic hell.
But Ingrid’s in much deeper than she thinks. Her clumsy exploits to unravel the note’s message lead to an explosive discovery, upending her entire life and the lives of those around her. What follows is a roller coaster of mishaps and misadventures, from book burnings and OTC drug hallucinations, to hot-button protests and Yellow Peril 2.0 propaganda. As the events Ingrid instigated keep spiraling, she’ll have to confront her sticky relationship to white men and white institutions—and, most of all, herself.
But Ingrid’s in much deeper than she thinks. Her clumsy exploits to unravel the note’s message lead to an explosive discovery, upending her entire life and the lives of those around her. What follows is a roller coaster of mishaps and misadventures, from book burnings and OTC drug hallucinations, to hot-button protests and Yellow Peril 2.0 propaganda. As the events Ingrid instigated keep spiraling, she’ll have to confront her sticky relationship to white men and white institutions—and, most of all, herself.
You can check the author's page here .
- A Career in Books, by Kate Gavino
This book is more about trusting yourself when times feel dooming. I read it at a crucial point when I was about to leave a toxic job environment, and I loved this book. The characters are relatable and hilarious.
You can read more about this book here.
Let's take a moment to remember that as the year wraps up, it might feel like the world is spinning faster and we're left trying to catch up. Trust your abilities, know that you will end this year doing the best that you can (just make sure you try your best, things don't just fall from the sky) but also give yourself space to simply exist and breathe. Don't burn out trying to fit all the plans you had for this year into the next two months. 💖
