How’d No Buy November Go?
This is not the post where I will have even a scrap of humility because I am proud of myself! No Buy November went even better than I expected. Initially, I just wanted to put myself on a book-buying ban to rediscover the joy of the books I already owned (as well as save some money). However, this quickly became a competition with myself to read as many books from my TBR (to-be-read) pile as possible. And I took this challenge, which I created in my own mind, very seriously. So, how’d No Buy November go? Let’s get into it.
Money Please
First off, I bought NO books this month! Absolutely none. Not. A. One. In truth, this wasn’t a challenge for the first half of the month, but once we got to about the 15th I really missed wandering through bookshops picking up new books. Then this No Buy November became less fun. There is a risk I will go absolutely overboard now that I can buy books again. Even so, I am still pleased I was successful with this No Buy November challenge.
All the Books
This November I read 31 books! 31!!!! Now, disclaimer, some of these were graphic novels, poetry books, and some books that were partially read before the month started. I was also listening to audiobooks which were counted in that number. Even with all those things considered I am still pleased as punch. You can read the whole list of books that I started out with in my initial No Buy November post.
This self-inflicted challenge has made me realize I tend to take things too far. Because objectively 31 books read in a month is impressive but I found myself a little bummed that I didn’t read ALL of the books on my TBR. I think I perhaps need to learn to stop riding the high of a challenge and just enjoy the reading itself.
Best of the November Reads
Well, well, well let’s get into the juicy details. Of all the 31 (Yes that’s right 31!) which were the ones, I enjoyed the most? Here are my top two books!
Kraken has been on my TBR for the longest. My Dad had it mailed to me when I was away nannying for the summer. This was oh, *cough* ten years ago. It did take me a shocking amount of time to read this book but in my defence, it was packed up in storage for several years.
Kraken starts with a giant squid specimen disappearing from the Natural History Museum in London. From that point on things get wild and weird. If you’ve ever read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman it has a similar vibe. Think of a fantasy-esk world of magic existing in a secret London. Lots of squid worshippers trying to stop or maybe also trying to start the end of the world.
This isn’t the type of book I usually reach for so reading it was a pleasure. SPOILER ALERT several I might even say many characters die in this book. Normally that upsets me and I don’t like it at all. Maybe the genre just suits this better but I didn’t mind as much with this book. It was also just deeply satisfying to finally take this off my TBR.
The Little Book of Hygge was a true delight. I devoured this book. I think we all wonder how to live a good life, how to enjoy the small things and make the most of this time on earth. This book inspired me to make changes to my day-to-day life and really stop and make my surroundings comfy and a place of relaxation. I anticipate this will be a frequent re-read or at the very least book of reference.
Hygge is a Scandanavian word that roughly means a sense of cosiness, contentment, or well-being. It’s a little tricky to describe and I’d highly recommend, if not reading this book, researching hygge yourself. I’ve picked up some things from this book that I plan on implementing in my life for this winter season.
Bottom of the Barrel
I’m not in the habit of writing about things I don’t like on this blog. 1 because book preference is a matter of taste and we all like different things and 2 because it’s unnecessarily negative. But I think in this instance I will. If you disagree with my assessment there are no hard feelings we all like different things and that is totally ok.
I’ve been enjoying books of poetry this year. Combine that with being obsessed with the Indigo 25th Anniversary edition books I was super stoked for Leonard Cohen’s The Book of Longing. Now I have an uninformed opinion on poetry but this read less sensual and more pervy to me. There was one poem about a butter dish I loved but the rest was just not my cup of tea.
I really enjoy both the Lore Olympus webtoon and books. HOWEVER, nothing happened in this book to progress the story. Somehow in a whole book, nothing of note takes place. Add to that the 1 year wait for the next volume and I am more than a little annoyed. Exactly how many of these will I have to buy and read before there is any sort of conclusion? For that reason, it’s not on my hot list.
What Comes Next
I am honestly really torn. There is a part of me that wants to push through December as well and finish off my TBR but the other part of me wants to relax and bring back the leisurely aspects of reading and just enjoy each page to the fullest. I’m hoping I’ll be reasonable and take a break but as demonstrated my weakness is a challenge I invent for myself.
Let me know what you’re reading these days!
Happy Reading
Hannah
