november wrap up

By Brooke Riley - November 30, 2022

remember when wrap-up posts were super popular in the blogosphere? we'd talk about the songs we discovered, the books we read, the posts we put up diligently in the month, the things we did...

I miss those.

unfortunately, I am a boring human. I wake up, go to work, come home and work out, do some random things, and go to bed. and then it starts over.

I haven't written since I've been getting things together for Here We Stand's release. And to be quite honest, I'm struggling to figure out what my next big Idea is. I have so many WIPs just hanging out, waiting for their turn. but I'm not sure which to work on, or if I want to try something new.

so while there's not much to talk about for the month, I did read two books. And I want to talk about them because I enjoyed the experience of reading both.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

So back when I was eighteen, I tried reading this book and didn't finish it. I gave it a bad mark and moved on. But recently, I decided to try again, thinking I would just roast it to my best friend, and then laugh at cringe 2010's writing.

I was wrong.

Do not get me wrong, this is by no means some mystical, magical book with elite (get it? elite!) writing. However, that is what made me love it this time around! The simplistic nature of this book honestly calmed me. It was my calm and joy. I loved it. I gave it four stars because, again, it's not this bright and shining, outstanding piece of literature.

But it is enjoyable and wonderful all the same.

Plus, someone who treated me poorly hated this book and to love something later, something that someone who abused you hated, it's another level of empowerment.

I also want to mention that, while Aspen is by no means the best character, he's not some abuser like people say. At least not in this book. He's been through a lot, too! And honestly, he's just very misguided. I can't speak for future Aspen, but as of this book, he really doesn't deserve all the hate.

Maxon is very much a Male character written by a woman vibes, but it's okay.

Honestly, if you're looking for a simple read to help you conquer what's left of your Goodreads reading goal, I totally suggest this book.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ride With me by Lucy Keating

Y'all know I'm not much of a contemporary reader girl. I love Abbie's 100 Days of Sunlight, but that's about as far as my contemporary love goes. HOWEVER!!!

This book changed the game for me. This book... oh my word this book. I loved it. I loved it so much. I related much to the main character. The way her heart was closed into the walls she made. And then bring in the male main character and his snark and sass. PERFECTION!!

I loved this book. It was fun to read. It also helped me cope with life and relax a little from everything going on around me.

I enjoyed it very much. I definitely recommend this as a quick read as well. But it's so enjoyable. It's the perfect balance of fluff, life, action, and comedy to make it enjoyable.

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

That's about it for my reading. There is one more book I'm currently in the midst of reading and I'm hoping I'll finish it before the end of the day you're reading this. but because I did not finish it when writing this post (aka, the night before you read this) I am not going to count it in here.

Now, as for music. I discovered some new songs from bands I knew about and some new bands I never knew about. But I'm in a music slump. I struggle to know what to listen to right now. I'm counting down the days til my Wrapped comes out and reignites my love of music. It will probably also remind me of songs I forgot about.

I'm not in my Christmas vibes yet, even though the season is upon us.

And as for bookish updates, Here We Stand is available for preorder!! you can preorder off Amazon or really anywhere you buy books online. I'm pretty excited for it to come out, even though it's really bittersweet to be in this place.

That's about it for the month of November. I know it's kind of boring, but I really don't do too much to be exciting.

I hope your November went smoothly!

Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed this post, make sure to comment below or share it with your friends!