LazyDayLit's November 2021 Reading Wrap Up

Goodbye November! 

My goal this month was to read more of the books I started but didn't get a chance to finish throughout the year, as well as to try to knock a few more ARCs off my TBR, but I eventually leaned more towards reading nonfiction. 

I feel like this month went way too quickly! 
We worked on homemade Christmas gifts, deep cleaned, and did lots of baking thanks to my cooking-obsessed Little One
but I also had some really tough days (at the end of a really tough year) and it has been so difficult to catch up here and even just on Instagram. I'm really feeling the time crunch and pressure lately but I'm not letting the lack of time dissuade me from continuing.
This is what I enjoy and I will probably keep it up forever! 

Happy reading! 

Book Reviews Shared on Lazy Day Literature in November:

The Bad Mood by Moritz Petz  (KidLit)
Journey to the Last River by Teddy Keen (KidLit)
In The Night Wood by Dale Bailey  (Adult)
How to Catch A Turkey by Adam Wallace  (KidLit)
Thankful by Elaine Vickers   (KidLit)
1984: The Graphic Novel by Fido Nesti  (Adult)

Books Read in November:

Started but haven't finished:

Chapter Books read to my daughter:

CHALLENGE PROGRESS

ABC CHALLENGE

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

AUG: 0
SEPT: +2 (K, N)
OCT: +1
NOV: 0


POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE

AUG:
SEPT: +0
OCT: +0
NOV:


52 BOOKS CHALLENGE

AUG:
SEPT: +2
OCT: +1
NOV: 




NEW TO ME AUTHORS

Grady Hendrix
Jay Anson
Fido Nesti
Karen Kilgariff
Georgia Hardstock
Cassandra Peterson
Mark Manson


READ AROUND THE WORLD

[The Amityville Horror]
NH

[The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires]


[In the Night Wood] 
Yorkshire, England

[Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered]
Los Angeles


[Yours Cruelly, Elvira]

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What was your favorite read of the month?



You can keep up with what we are reading at @LazyDayLit on Bookstagram! 

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George Orwell's 1984: The Graphic Novel by Fido Nesti (Adult Graphic Novel Review)

1984
The Graphic Novel
Adapted by Fido Nesti
Published by Mariner Books
on September 14, 2021
Genre: Adult, Dystopian, Graphic Novel
Length: 224 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
One of the most influential books of the twentieth century gets the graphic treatment in this first-ever adaptation of George Orwell's 1984. 

With evocative, immersive art from Fido Nesti, this vision of George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece provides a new perspective for longtime fans but is also an accessible entry point for young readers and adults who have yet to discover this iconic story that is still so relevant today. 


My Thoughts:

Winston Smith finds a way to live a hidden life in the totalitarian state of Oceania, always fearing that Big Brother and the Thought Police will find him out at any moment. 

1984 is one of those classics that is touted as a must-read for its important message. I read it a few years ago and thought it was a slog to get through despite its importance. I was happy to finally finish it and put it out of my mind after that.

Fast forward to me attempting to read as many graphic novels as possible and of course, I grab this one in hopes that it would be quick and painless. 
This book is big and thick. It's actually quite massive for a graphic novel and I feel like it follows the original so well that it's nearly a slog to get through on its own. Thank goodness for pictures, right? It only took me a few days instead of a month this time around, at least. 

I might not have the loveliest things to say about it but I definitely recommend this graphic novel adaptation if you enjoyed 1984 or would like to read it without torturing yourself with the dry prose of the original. 

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Thankful by Elaine Vickers & Samantha Cotterill (Children's Picture Book Review)

Thankful
Words by Elaine Vickers
Pictures by Samantha Cotterill
Published by Simon Schuster / Paula Wiseman Books
on September 7, 2021
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 48 pages
Ages: 4 - 8 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
Stunning, diorama illustrations bring to life this lullaby of a picture book about celebrating everyday things that make life wonderful. 

I am thankful for a home where I am safe and warm.
Thankful for parents who read me stories and comb my hair gently, gently.
Who whisper the same poem every night when they tuck me in. 

When the first snow falls, a little girl writes down the things she's thankful for on strips of paper and links them together. As one idea leads to another, her chain grows longer. This beautiful story is a much-needed reminder to observe and honor life's small joys.


Our Thoughts:

This beautiful story features a very grateful young girl who begins a paper chain when the first snow of the year falls, writing all the things she is thankful for on the scraps of paper, and continuing it into December until it is long enough to decorate with! 

The artwork in this picture book is truly unique, with both 2-D & 3-D layers of paper-cut illustrations set up in neat diorama settings that made it tons of fun to read and look at. The colors, details, and depth really brought a warm coziness to the scenes.

Perfect for the Autumn/Winter season, this heartwarming picture book is a fantastic bedtime story or the perfect book to read while snuggling on the couch. 
The simple craft incorporated into the story inspires readers to create thankful paper chains of their own, which we did, of course!
You can see ours on our instagram post linked here and/or shown below! 

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How To Catch A Turkey by Adam Wallace & Andy Elkerton (Children's Holiday Picture Book Review)

How to Catch A Turkey
Words by Adam Wallace
Illustrations by Andy Elkerton
Published by Sourcebooks Wonderland
on September 4, 2018
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Holidays
Length: 40 pages
Ages: 4 - 8 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:

Thanksgiving time is here again,
but there's a turkey on the run!
Can you catch this tricky bird
before the school play has begun? 

A turkey is running loose in a school right before the Thanksgiving play. Can YOU help catch it? Follow along as students turn their school upside down trying to catch the turkey, ending with a twist that ensures that no turkeys are harmed (or eaten!)


My Thoughts:

The school's Thanksgiving Day play can't go on if the prized turkey has a case of stage fright! He's the star of the show, after all, and he has other plans; to escape any and every trap thrown his way, and as usual in the How To Catch series, there are LOTS! 

Join the usual cast of kids as they search for and attempt to catch their school mascot! 

Rhyming text and raucous illustrations will have your readers laughing out loud as this turkey evades traps and inventions and even mashed potatoes as it attempts to flee from the stressful role of 'star of the play!'

The How To Catch series is a lot of fun and tends to go after any mythical and/or holiday-based creature, and includes lots of neat, inventive traps and cages in their attempts.

More from this series:

How to Catch A Dinosaur

How to Catch A Dragon

How to Catch A Unicorn

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In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey (Adult Magical Realism Book Review)

In the Night Wood
by Dale Bailey
Published by Mariner Books
on October 2018
Genre: Adult, Magical Realism
Length: 214 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Literary Awards:
Shirley Jackson Award Nominee for Novel (2018)
Locus Award Nominee for Horror Novel (2019)
World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2019)

Synopsis:
In this contemporary fantasy, the grieving biographer of a Victorian fantasist finds himself slipping inexorably into the supernatural world that consumes his subject.

Failed father, failed husband, and failed scholar, Charmes Hayden hopes to put his life back together with a biography of Caedmon Hollow, the long-dead author of a legendary Victorian children's book, In the Night Wood. But soon after settling into Hollow's remote Yorkshire home, Charles learns that the past isn't dead. 


My Thoughts:

Content warnings:
loss of a child, infedelity, pharmaceuticals

Charles Hayden has made mistakes. Big ones. Grieving and trying to move on from the loss of his daughter, Charles and his wife move to England to the home of Caedmon Hollow, an ancestral author who wrote In the Night Wood; a dark fairytale that parents in the town use as a cautionary tale to keep kids out of the local wood. But a local girl has gone missing and Charles is convinced it's connected to Hollow and his dark fairytale.

As Charles delves deeper into the life of Caedmon Hollow, he begins to unwrap an uncovered mystery that seems to parallel history itself. 


This took me a while to get into but the ending made it worthwhile.
 It starts out rather depressing with a heavy focus on the MC's affair, fragile marriage, and the grieving process after losing their six-year-old child. It eventually morphs into a dark fairytale-esque thriller that includes missing locals, an old mystery, and a terrifying 'Horned King' of the wood. 

This novel has hints of fantasy and horror and may appeal to adult readers of both genres.

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Journey to the Last River by Teddy Keen (Children's Nonfiction Book Review)

 We received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Journey to the Last River
by Teddy Keen
Published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books
on November 9, 2021
Genre: Children's, Nonfiction
Length: 128 pages
Ages: 7 - 12 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
Are you ready to take part in an adventure? To face danger at every turn? To venture into unknown lands? If you are, then Journey to the Last River may be the perfect adventure book for you. 

Join the Unknown Adventurer on this thrilling adventure into the Amazon, which begins with a map discovered in the Royal Geographical Society showing a river that has been mysteriously rubbed out. It leads to the Unknown Adventurer and his companion Bibi into a search for this 'last river' that will change their understanding of nature forever. 

This is the first title in a new series of spin-off adventures from The Lost Book of Adventure. 

My Thoughts:

Journey to the Last River is a fantastic adventure story that will inspire you to journal your own adventures while giving a first-hand account of the author/illustrator's journey into the Amazon after discovering a purposely smudged map at the Royal Geographical Society that showed an otherwise uncharted river.  

The "Unknown Adventurer" teams up with a friend, Bibi, and sets off to the Brazilian savanna, where they enter the jungle on a journey to find the lost river and encounter all that the rich habitat and ecosystems have to provide. 

This reads like an actual travel journal and I honestly wish more books were like this!

The author/artist included colorful illustrations and doodles around and along with the handwritten tale of their adventure, as well as actual taped-in samples of leaves, snake skins, fish scales, and even actual panned flakes of gold!
 I loved seeing what they saw and learning little things about plants and creatures and more that were added in the text or as footnotes alongside their illustrations. 

This was just absolutely fascinating and had me pouring over it and its beautiful illustrations as often as possible! I definitely recommend it if you enjoy first-hand accounts or nature or adventures or all of the above! 

Many thanks to the publisher for the chance to read this amazing book! 

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The Bad Mood by Moritz Petz & Amelie Jackowski (Children's Picture Book Review)

 We received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

The Bad Mood
Written by Moritz Petz
Illustrated by Amelie Jackowski
Published by NorthSouth Books
on November 5, 2021
(first published 2004)
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 24 pages
Ages: 0 - 3 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
Sometimes a bad mood can be contagious!

Badger got up one morning feeling very grumpy. "Humph!" Badger said to himself. What was the point of being in a bad mood if nobody noticed? he thought. So Badger headed out, slamming the door behind him. Badger spreads his bad mood far and wide, greeting all his friends with angry, rude remarks that put them in bad moods, too. 

A comical, cautionary tale for anyone who has ever gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. 


My Thoughts:

Badger wakes up in a bad mood and decides that he just can't keep it to himself. The world needs to know how miserable he is, so he makes sure to grump at Raccoon, and Deer, and Fox, and Mouse, and all of his other friends, too! 
Later, when his bad mood has slipped away, he attempts to find his friends to play but they are all in bad moods! 
Will Badger see how his bad mood spread to his friends? And can he make amends?

This is a super cute picture book about a big emotion that is easily passed on to others, and the consequences of that.  When Badger spreads his bad mood, it affects his friendships and leaves him with no one to play with and he finally realizes the chain reaction he has created. 

The Bad Mood is the perfect cautionary tale for anyone who has ever woken up on the wrong side of the bed, or might! 

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LazyDayLit's November 2021 TBR & Reading Goals

Happy November, readers! 

I decided to work on finishing up some of the books I never got around to finishing this month or some books from my original 100 book TBR or just whatever my library or Overdrive has available for me to read! I like to keep the end of the year a little more lax so there's less stress over the holiday (or just a little more time to catch up on everything.)

I'm hoping everyone has a lovely, cozy month! 
Happy reading!

Here's some of what I have to choose from this month!


For Review:

Many thanks to Forge Books and Farrar, Straus, & Giroux for the chance to read these! 

Started but need to finish:

Current Library Loans:

From My Shelves:

This one was a gift to feed my mycology obsession! :D

Anything new on your TBR pile this month?

You can keep up with what I am reading over on Bookstagram @LazyDayLit! 

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