Share Your Shelf #20; What I Read in November

 It's the first Thursday of the month and time for Share Your Shelf with  Marilyn, Jennifer, Tanya, and I. This post and link up are dedicated solely to books and book reviews and it's one I look so forward to each and every month. I am always looking for new and more book ideas.

Before we get to today's party I just wanted to note that next month the party would fall on the first of January but I don't plan on blogging at all New Year's day so we'll postpone a week and see you all back here on Thursday January 8th for our first Share Your Shelf of 2026.

 I had such a fabulous month of reading! I have no idea how I am going to pick my favorites this year. I hope to have a best of 2025 post up soon but gosh I have read some really incredible books this year. I feel like I just flew through each of these this month. 

1. The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis-- This was a fun historical fiction novel. Charlotte Cross works for the Met museum but when a new piece comes to the museum on loan Charlotte is reminded of her time in Egypt and the horrible tragedy that happened there. She can't shake her suspicion that this new piece was stolen from Egypt. Meanwhile a new hire at the museum named Annie is trying to make a great impression on her new boss and has been helping to put together the annual Met Gala. On the night of the gala an important work of art goes missing and both Charlotte and Annie are thrown together trying to stop the thief. 

 

2. Worst Case Scenario by T J Newman-- I have really enjoyed T J Newman's other books but wow; this one was gripping! When a pilot has a heart attack mid flight and the plane goes down, damaging a nuclear power plant in a small town in the Midwest. It was harrowing to read just how vulnerable the power plant is but it was heartwarming to hear about all the everyday heroes that came together to try and stop the very worse case scenario from happening. It was sad at times but gosh I just could not put it down because I had to know how it ended.  

3. The Do Over by Lynn Painter-- I typically enjoy these time loop scenarios so much and this was really adorable. In this book Emilie has had a really awful Valentine's day and escapes to her grandmother's house to lick her wounds. When she falls asleep and then wakes up in her own bed to find it's Valentine's day yet again she can't believe it. Then it happens again and again and again. She tries so hard to make each day different to break the loop. The loop keeps throwing her into the path of Nick, a surly classmate that Emilie has actually been lab partners with but never seemed to be able to break through one word answers. It was a really adorable and fun book. 

4. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo-- I picked this audiobook based solely on the cover and had no idea what I was getting into but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Emoni got pregnant her freshman year of high school and we meet her just starting out her senior year. She's juggling high school, being a mom, working, and her passion for cooking. She lives with her abuela and relies a lot on her to help and guidance. Her school has just added a culinary program that everyone thinks Emoni would be perfect for but Emoni struggles to stick to the recipes given to her and to learn things like the proper temperature meat should be cooked to, how long food should be left out at room temperature, and those types of things. Caught between the adult world and still being a child Emoni struggles with embracing her dreams of one day being a chef or just focusing on finding a better job to help support her family. 

5. Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus--Oh this was another fabulous listen! Kat and her mother Jamie have been a duo ever since a 24 hour marriage to Luke gave Kat a 24 hour brother named Liam. Now Jamie, a jewel thief, has one last job to do before getting out of the game for good. Kat talks her way onto the Sutherland compound and ends up having to take over for her mother when Jamie gets violently sick. What neither woman knows is that Luke and Liam will be there. When an unexpected murder occurs during the party Kat and Liam find themselves in the killer's crosshairs and they have no idea who can they trust. It was a fun and fast paced listen. 

 6. Framed In Death by J. D Robb (In Death # 61)-- In this latest installment of the series, Eve Dallas and her crew are tracking down a serial killer that picks random people to kill and pose as recreations of famous works of art. Using some paint, glue, wire, and costumes the killer leaves his "artwork" at the doorsteps of art dealers and museum owners. I was kind of surprised I only knew a few of these pieces of art mentioned but learned more with some Google searches. 

 7. Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Book #3 in the series)--  I was just THRILLED to see that this audiobook was ready for me. I've been on hold and anxiously awaiting this 3rd book in the series. As the magic in the land is dying Tristan, Evie, and their friends must find a way to save Kingsley... who is becoming more and more like a frog every day. There are break-ins at the castle, a few more love stories starting up, and of course the spy has still not been revealed. As part of their travels to find a sorceress to help Kingsley, they meet Tristan's parents and Tatianna's dad.  Of course it ended with a huge plot twist and left us hanging so I can't wait for book #4 to come out. Just as funny and snarky and oddly sweet as I've come to expect from this series. 

 8. The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson-- This one took me a little while to get into but I really enjoyed it. Alice Ogilive once had everything but now she's struggling to even pass her classes. When the school and her parents convince Iris to tutor Alice the two girls had no idea just how crazy their lives were about to get. When Alice's ex best friend is found dead the two pair up to try and solve the case since the cops seem to be determined to pin everything on Alice's ex boyfriend. With lots of twists and turns and side plots and fun side characters it was an engaging read. 

 9. I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang--  This was another fun listen on my Libby app. Sadie tries so hard to make everyone like her but at times her frustration can get the best of her so she lashes out in email form. She never, ever plans to send any of them but they help her feel better.... until the day they all get sent and her life turns upside down. Most of the letters are sent to her nemesis Julius Gong and in a surprising twist of fate the emails find the two of them working together more than ever. It was really cute! 

10. The 5 Resets:Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience by Aditi Nerurkar M.D.-- I had really high hopes for this one but I think it's written more for people who have chronic stress and/or such busy lives they rarely have time to slow down. The 5 resets are broken down into figuring out what matters most, finding quiet in a noisy world, syncing your brain and body (through practices like yoga), coming up for air (where he literally talks about the importance of nature), and bringing your best self forward... most of which I already practice. I admit I don't have much stress in my life but I was hoping more for some short term strategies to combat the physical manifestations of stress those times it does crop up (other than deep breathing which I've been doing since high school). 

  11. Is She Really Going Out With Him by Sophie Cousens-- This was really cute but a bit slow to start. Anna has had a lot of changes in her life lately and now that she's settled into divorced life with her kids it looks like her job might be in jeopardy. She pitches an idea for a column about dating where her kids pick her dates rather than using dating apps. Some of the dates are so horribly awful it's funny, but they do all get her outside of her comfort zone and she learns a lot. There is quite a bit of tension between Anna and one of her coworkers who seems to have his eye out for her job but as the two are forced to spend more time working together they find that they actually get along pretty well when they aren't fighting.  

12. The Great Outdoors by Kayla Olson-- I received this ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from NetGalley and I just loved it so much. The main character Sadie likes to always be prepared for everything. She's planned a wonderful 5 star Italian vacation for her and her boyfriend. But when he dumps her claiming she's too high maintenance, she signs up for a guided wilderness hike in California just to prove him wrong. So far out of her element and eager to be prepared for anything Sadie heads off determined to make it through. It doesn't hurt that her tour guide is adorable and being with Thorn doesn't make Sadie feel bad about herself. Over the course of the multi week trip Sadie learns so much about herself and acclimates pretty well to the outdoor life. Books like this nearly make me think I could do it to... nearly. Be on the lookout for your own copy June 16,2026!  

 13. Uncultured by Daniella Mestyanek Young-- Wow! I just could not stop listening to this powerful and compelling memoir. Daniella grew up as a third generation cult member known as The Children of God. Moving from commune to commune in this international organization Daniella and most of the children growing up on these communes suffered from all forms of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse all under the guise of godly discipline and love. Fed up Daniella leaves the cult at 15, attends high school, puts herself through college, and then joins the military with hopes of becoming an intelligence offer. She soon starts to feel like the military has far too many things in common with the commune life she thought she left behind. She struggles nearly her whole life to try and find that place where she fits and is accepted for her.  

14. The Phone Swap by Lia Louis-- Another NetGalley ARC for me this month and another great book! Allie and Milo are on the same flight and somehow accidentally swap phones. By the time they both realize it they are on different continents. After a few days and trying different things they decide to video call one another to "meet" as best they can and then swap PIN numbers to unlock the phones in their possession. That way they can each access what the other needs. Milo is an actor on location shooting a movie who needs access to his dialect coach's video and Allie is a biologist working with birds whose research (saved on her phone) is needed to get the backing for her grant refunded. As the two text and video back and forth they start to develop real feelings for one another but just as they are about to meet in person and swap phones back a huge upset occurs then the book picks up 2 years later. With lots of hurt feelings, miscommunications, and wrong assumptions the two struggle to make nice while working in the arctic circle on some field research/ documentary film making. It was really cute!  

 

I was thrilled to see the prompt for next year's 52 book challenge was released-- you can click here to read more. I don't plan out what I'll read ahead of time but I like to know what the various prompts are so as I'm reading I can think about what prompt the book will fit.

 

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