November was a bit slower paced than October (the month of our move!) and I was quite glad for it. It meant getting back into the groove of reading again and tackling some books from my TBR. I gotta say I started out kind of slow with my reads, but by the end of the month I feel like I fell back into my normal reading rhythm. Here’s my reading wrap up for November! (And if you missed it, here’s My October Reading Wrap Up!)
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When Aurelie Harcourt’s father dies in debtor’s prison, he leaves her just two things: his wealthy family, whom she has never met, and his famous pen name, Nathaniel Droll. Her new family greets her with apathy and even resentment. Only the quiet houseguest, Silas Rotherham, welcomes her company.
When Aurelie decides to complete her father’s unfinished serial novel, writing the family into the story as unflattering characters, she must keep her identity as Nathaniel Droll hidden while searching for the truth about her mother’s disappearance–and perhaps even her father’s death.
MY REVIEW
This was my first book of the month and I truly enjoyed it! It felt like a cross between Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. It also gave me Jane Austen vibes — yet it was such an easy read. My interest in it did slow down a bit towards the middle but it did pick back up again! I also will admit the way the author tied up the story in the ending felt a bit abrupt–but it wasn’t necessarily dissatisfying. Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend!
Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms―most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize that she is somehow connected to Winterhouse. As fate would have it, Elizabeth is the only person who can break the hotel’s curse and solve the mystery. But will it be at the cost of losing the people she has come to care for, and even Winterhouse itself?
MY REVIEW
I listened to this one as an audiobook this month and thought it was so cute. The narrator did such a fantastic job on all of the voices and just made it so vibrant! At some point ya kinda predict the ending — but I don’t know that the age group that it’s geared towards would. I was right in my guess of how things would play out but it didn’t stop me from enjoying it. Such a fun story!
Does your home sometimes feel like just a place to eat, sleep, and change clothes on the way to the next activity? Do you long for “home” to mean more than a place where you stash your stuff? Wouldn’t you love it to become a haven of warmth, rest, and joy . . . the one place where you and your family can’t wait to be? There is good news waiting for you in the pages of The Lifegiving Home. Every day of your family’s life can be as special and important to you as it already is to God. In this unique book designed to help your family enjoy and celebrate every month of the year together, you’ll discover the secrets of a life-giving home from a mother who created one and her daughter who was raised in it: popular authors Sally and Sarah Clarkson. Together they offer a rich treasure of wise advice, spiritual principles, and practical suggestions. You’ll embark on a new path to creating special memories for your children; establishing home-building and God-centered traditions; and cultivating an environment in which your family will flourish.
MY REVIEW
I just adore Sally Clarkson’s heart for homemaking and motherhood. She is so full of wisdom, perspective, and encouragement. Whether it’s reading her books or listening to her podcast I always walk away feeling so refreshed and encouraged by her wise words.
This book was no different, and I found it to be so inspiring and ended up leaving sticky notes throughout, highlighting, and annotating so much of it. If you are a Homemaker or Mama (or aspire to be either) you have got to read this.
While wealthy Roman citizens indulge their every whim, Jews and barbarians are bought and sold as slaves and gladiators in the bloodthirsty arena. Amid the depravity around her, a young Jewish slave girl becomes a light in the darkness. Even as she’s torn by her love for a handsome aristocrat, Hadassah clings to her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of a decadent empire.
MY REVIEW
Yall. This review is gonna be a long one.
I was really excited to read this one this month. I’d heard so many wonderful reviews and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I truly have so many thoughts so hang tight.
I’ll start off by saying it was a lot different than I expected it to be in both good ways and not so good ways. I normally find Christian fiction kind of cheesy and sometimes even a little cringe, to be quite honest, and this didn’t feel cheesy to me at all. I appreciated that.
The main character, Hadassah, is so precious. Her Faith is stronger than she realizes and it only becomes stronger throughout the story. Her dedication to the Lord, her witness, her worship, her prayers, the way she leans on scripture is really so golden and so inspiring. She is what I enjoyed the most from this book!
I could tell the author’s goal was to educate the reader on the history of this time period as well as just how sinful and perverted Rome was. I honestly didn’t remember/know a lot about this specific area of the world at this time so I felt like I learned quite a bit. That being said, the author incorporated/portrayed a lot of intense details that are part of Rome’s history such as sexual immorality, abortion, violence, and homosexuality. Which when education on the setting/history of the time period is involved, I don’t mind the author representing and staying true to (as long as it doesn’t get too out of hand obviously haha). There were never any explicitly written “scenes” which I also appreciated.
However — I did feel like 75% of the book was more on the lives/drama of those around her rather than Hadassah herself. There was just a lot of focus on the thoughts/personal/sexual details of the side characters/family that Hadassah worked for. In my personal opinion, I just felt Francine lingered in those details for a little too long. Hadassah felt like a wonderful side character in a kinda trashy drama. I just didn’t care THAT much about the sexual lives/lusts of these other characters. Again, it wasn’t about who the characters were and what they did–that’s the time period and the culture. It also wasn’t because it had any descriptions of terribly explicit moments. I just feel some of Francine’s portrayals of Rome’s darkness during that period could have been achieved, understood, and represented without it being the majority of the book’s perspective.
I was so emotionally invested in Hadassah though and had to just pause and set the book down so many times to catch my breath! None of the other characters are likable at all though–especially the guy Hadassah falls in love with. I couldn’t figure out what drew her to him besides the fact that he was supposedly good looking and it didn’t feel entirely realistic. Except for the fact that it would make her happy, I didn’t root for them or want them together at all really. I know and I’m sure he gets better as his character develops in the series, but I just didn’t care for his violent nature. To me there was nothing about him to fall in love with or anything that set him apart from the other men in the story/during that time who also acted the same way and did the same things. I’m sure he has potential, but I just didn’t naturally want him for Hadassah. (Sorry, fans.)
I don’t require perfectly, sinless characters and I can handle some “necessary content”. But I just thought the balance of it all was a little off.
Anyway, I don’t know if I’ll read the next book or not. I didn’t really feel drawn to at the end. Yet, the more I sit on it, the more I feel like there are other aspects of the story I really did enjoy reading about and may consider reading the second one someday. It’s almost as if my memory of it is better than my actual reading experience haha. I find myself thinking about things about it/the characters I did like quite often.
I honestly still feel like I’m processing it all. Because I did enjoy certain bits of it, it gets 3.5 stars for me. The content and character focus just knocks the other major 1.5 stars for me. I’m still not sure yet if I’d recommend it or not… (Content / Trigger warnings – Physical Abuse, an *almost* rape scene [it doesn’t happen but there is build up to it], abortion, and just sexual immoralities of all kinds haha)