November Wrap Up // Less Books, More TV
Hi hi! It’s me, back from the dead.
November has been the slowest the fastest month this year so far. When I look back on 2020, it feels like the longest year I’ve ever lived, but in the moment everything is speeding by. Regardless, I think we’ve all had enough of 202 and are ready for a new year. Though I will say that December is also one of my favorite months, so hopefully the end of this year won’t be as dreadful as the beginning.
This month has been….not the best reading month for me – I got caught up in some TV shows (and Tik Tok, ugh) so I didn’t read nearly as much towards the end of the month. Also, just with Thanksgiving and the holidays around the corner, I’ve been taking things a little slower. The good news: I only have 4 more books to get to my Goodreads goal, so no big pressure this December!
Anyways, here’s my November wrap up, recap, etc. etc!
Kingdom of the Wicked: Biggest disappointment of 2020, for sure. I wanted to love this so much (if only I could’ve made Kerri Maniscalco my brand, sigh) but alas. My full, tragic review can be found here, if you want to see me fall apart over my most anticipated read being such a mess.
Spoiler Alert: This book was adorable, and I’m so happy I impulse purchased it at Barnes & Noble. The characters were super fleshed out, the fandom-aspect was unique, and the conversations around body positivity and fat shaming were so refreshing. If you’re looking for a cute, quick romance read, pick this up!
Beach Read: I’ve heard people both rant and rave about this book, which made me a bit apprehensive to read it. Then I saw someone quote it on Twitter (damn you, booktwt) and decided to pick it up! It was really sweet and Gus stole my heart – I wish we got to see more books set around them because I adored January & Gus’s banter, but I’ll settle for reading anything Emily Henry in the future!
Truly Devious: This is another one that I picked up on a whim, and you can read my full thoughts here. A solid 3 star, YA mystery. Enough said.
These Violent Delights: *screams*. *sobs*. *pounds fist on table and then proceeds to go stand outside Chloe Gong’s house*. GUYS. Like okay, I knew this book was going to be amazing, but I didn’t expect it to be SO amazing that when I finished it last night, I fell asleep thinking about it. Oh my gosh, I adored this and need a sequel immediately. IMMEDIATELY.
Enola Holmes: Watched this on a whim after realizing it had Millie Bobby Brown in it. It was okay. I dunno, I probably wouldn’t recommend it – I thought it was a bit predictable, and I didn’t like how the main character broke the 4th wall to talk to the audience. Though Louis Partridge is super cute, I will say.
Challenger: The Final Flight: So freaking heartbreaking, but SO incredibly interesting. This four-part Netflix documentary goes into the background, launch, and aftermath of the Challenger explosion using footage from the time of the catastrophe. It really brings into light the morally gray actions of NASA and plays out what and why the explosion happened in the first place. A fascinating (though tragic) watch.
Baby Daddy: Hehe. I love this show – it’s such a light, hilarious, quick watch.It’s a bit cheesy, but once you get into it you fly through. The cast was perfectly done (I love Chelsea Kane) and some of the ships in this are to die for. It’s on Hulu, so if you’re looking to laugh out loud, check it out.
Skam France: Something you should probably know about me that I don’t talk about too often: I am obsessed with Skam. I also think Skam France is the best remake, so after finding myself in a bit of a media slump, I decided to skim-watch my favorite episodes. I swear this show will never get old.
Shameless: Season 11, baby!! I’ve been rewatching parts of the show in preparation for the final season coming out next week. This show is not for the faint of heart, but I love it anyways. I feel like I’ve been with these characters since they were babies.
Positions: The freaking queen herself, Miss Ari, released a banger this month. It had to grow on me, but oh my gosh I cannot stop listening.
Kathleen: Her song, Asking the Aspens, came up on one of my Spotify playlists, and I’m so glad because I adore that song and her voice. I’ve been slowly working my way through her discography since I found Asking the Aspens!
NovelBound Podcast: Full disclosure, I haven’t actually listened to any of the episodes yet. But I found this podcast on social media the other day, and am already sure it’s going to be one I’ll love! It’s pitched as “a comedy book podcast”, hosted by two best friends who love to read and talk about various bookish topics! It looks adorable and I’m so excited to binge all the episodes.
Okay, I have been horrible this month with blog hopping and interacting. I’m so sorry. I’ve been busy with a few other things, but my goal for December and next year is to make at least 20 minutes a day to interact with other bloggers because that’s such a great benefit of having a book blog!
Lauren from Twenty-Seven Letters asked a bunch of book bloggers who one of their favorite characters are, and wrote a blog post with all the answers! (Thanks again to Lauren for including me!♥)
Tiffany at Read by Tiffany poured her heart and soul into her incredible Everything You Need to Know Before You Read The Poppy War post!
Dee from If The Book Review Fits put together a huge Blogger Directory of book bloggers, bookstagramers and booktubers!
Marie from Drizzle & Hurricane shared 5 Writing Advice for Newbie Writers!
And finally, CW from The Quiet Pond wrote about her process on revamping The Quiet Pond (and tips for your next revamp!).
As I mentioned above, this month has been pretty chill for me. The only relatively exciting thing is that I started to do a bit of NaNoWriMo towards the start of the month, but quickly fell off the daily-writing-train and decided that I’m much more of a go-with-my-own-flow type of gal. I do have some fun ideas for a story that I’ve been fleshing out, though I think it’ll come together with time instead of trying to push it all out in a month.
I’m taking December at my own pace and not going to pressure myself into reading a ton of books. My only real goal is to get to my Gooreads goal of 75 books (four more!), which seems do-able but might be difficult given that The Burning God and A Promised Land are absolute monsters. Also, I’d love to reread Caraval so I can continue on with the trilogy – I’ve been seeing a lot about it on my socials lately, and am in the mood to give the rest of the books a try!
I’m also nervous about reading those hefty books because of all the freaking TV I’m gonna be consuming this month! Shameless, The Expanse AND Big Mouth all drop new seasons this December. I’m due for some great TV, so I’m too upset. I think Shameless and The Expanse are dropping week by week so that’ll also limit the binge-ability of them and hopefully force me to pick up a book instead.
So, that’s my month! I definitely slacked a bit on the blog content, and one of my goals for 2021 is to come up with a comprehensive schedule/social media calendar to start really building this baby up. I love interacting with you all and am so lucky to have found this community, so thank you for sticking by me even if my posting has been a bit inconsistent!
What have you read/watched/done this month? Are you going to be watching any new TV or movies in December?
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Morgan
November was also a TV show filled month for me! 😁 I watched a lot of Gilmore Girls, binged the first season of Dash and Lily, and recently started Chilling Adventures of Sabrina!
Ohh, I’m sad that Enola Holmes didn’t live up to the hype for you! I’ve yet to watch it, but now I have less expectations.
erin
Ohh I love Gilmore Girls!! It’s the perfect time for it(: Dash and Lily was so cute!! I hope you love Sabrina – I haven’t given it a full shot yet but have heard so many people really enjoy it!! ♥
cherelle @ a bolt out of the book
Ahh that looks like a very productive month for you, Erin! I’m so glad that you loved These Violent Delights, one that I’m highly anticipating because of the hype and the Chinese culture infused! Definitely can relate on the feeling of needing a sequel immediately, hang in there!
erin
It definitely was! I hope you adore These Violent Delights, it’s hard not to!! ♥♥
Bernadette
Oh that NovelBound podcast sounds REALLY good (been needing some new podcasts)
erin
Totally give it a shot!! We love any bookish podcast honestly!! ♥
Lauren @ twenty-seven letters
Happy Decemember, Erin!
I honestly couldn’t agree more with you – November absolutely flew by, and I’m fairly certain I’m still stuck in March, April of 2020. It’s all so very strange. Also? I NEED Spoiler Alert in my hands right this very moment. You pitched it so well, and I’m so happy you enjoyed it, but now I need to read it this second. Also also?? I read These Violent Delights in November as well, AND I AM FEELING A LOT. I need the sequel yesterday.
Skam France is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT the best Skam remake. Don’t even get me started on season 3 because i could probably cry thinking about it. You’re making me want to rewatch it now, which definitely does not sound like a bad idea…
Thank you so much for including my post in your wrap-up, and I’m honestly SO happy to hear that you enjoyed being a part of it! I really, really appreicate your being a part of it too!
Fantastic wrap-up! ❤️
erin
YES definitely pick up Spoiler Alert ASAP and RIGHT oh my goodness thank you Chloe Gong for giving us a masterpiece with These Violent Delights *chefs kiss*.
NOT SKAM SEASON 3 ugh elu is forever at the forefront of my mind I ADORE them….I definitely support a rewatch even though it might leave your heart in a million pieces……DO IT.
Of course love!! Thank you for such an awesome post, I loved being apart of it!! ♥♥
Dee
Thanks so much for mentioning the Blogger Directory! 🙂
erin
Of course, thanks for creating such an awesome resource!! ♥♥
Lais @ The Bookish Skies
i really want to read spoiler alert, mostly because of the fat rep, but i also like the fact it has to do with fandom. i’m not a fan of game of thrones or any big tv show, so i don’t know how much i’ll find it relatable, but i still think it’s a really interesting concept.
as for enola holmes, i totally loved it! i understand that the “breaking the 4th wall” thing is definitely not for everyone, but i thought it made it super quirky and fun. plus, i think millie bobby brown is so charismatic, she nailed the character imo!
i’m also super obsessed with skam, but wtfock would have to be my favorite remake (although the newest season was a major disappointment). from skam france, i’ve only watched season 3 and 5, but i love them! lucas is definitely one of my top favorite characters from the skamverse.
and i’m also super excited for season 11 of shameless, thought it is bittersweet to think it’s the final one.
i hope you have an amazing December & enjoy your read of a promised land!
erin
aw love that we love the same shows!! i watched robbe’s season of wtfock but should do a full rewatch from season 1 because i’ve seen it gain so much popularity recently!! ♥♥
Ruby Rae Reads
Welp I’m super late yet again but I just had to say that I LOVE the Wintery theme going on here Erin. Love the new banner with the tree, SO CUTE!!
And ugh November SUCKED. I had so many uni things to get done so it was… very meh. But eeepp glad you read and loved Beach Read. I adored that one and had only read one EH book before and also want to go read all her others.
And omg the way I screamed when I saw Shameless because oof I love that show. Maybe more the earlier seasons but I also love my weekly routine. Also yes I would give my life for Gallavich and so far this season… well I’m not sure how I feel yet. (also really need to watch Enola Holmes welp)
Sending you all the love xoxoxo