November 2025 Reading Recap
LOOK AT THIS. It’s the last day of November, and I’m posting a monthly reading recap. Cue the choir and toss the confetti because this is probably never going to happen again. Ha!
I feel pretty proud of my reading this month. While I did not come close to October’s 28 books, I read 20 titles, which still feels pretty good. I read over 4000 pages and listened to almost 36 hours of audiobooks. It was a great month.
I started the month really behind on books I’d committed to review. As of my writing this, I’ve got one more book to review that came out in October and one more from November, and then I’m on to my December list, which is only three books! If all goes well, by this time next week, I’ll be starting to read January releases. It took me ALL YEAR to get there, but progress is progress.
Let’s get into what I read this month.
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November 2025 Reading Recap
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (Logan Family Saga #4)
My Thoughts: I’d been meaning to reread this book for such a long time, and this year, it finally happened. Cassie’s story stands out as one of the formative novels I read in elementary school. Her courage, her curiosity, and her love for her family make her an unforgettable heroine. I love that this is a story totally accessible to young readers that presents truths about American life for a Black family in the 1930s.
Published January 5, 2016 (Orig. 1976) | My Review to Come
The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer
My Thoughts: Another reader noted how different this book is from Meyer’s other reimagined fairytales, and I totally agree. The main character is a survivor. She’s bristly and slippery at once. I spent quite a few chapters worrying about the person she was taking advantage of, only for the story to flip in ways I didn’t expect. Loved it.
Published November 4, 2025 | My Review
Dead Ends!: Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels by Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal
My Thoughts: I’d read another book by this author/illustrator team that was wildly entertaining, so when this showed up in my mailbox, I had to check it out. Squeamish readers will probably not want a piece of this hilarious look at some of the medical failures that led to treatments we depend on today. Readers who enjoy books about the human body or science will be completely engrossed.
Published October 14, 2025 | My Review
The Tear Collector by R. M. Romero
My Thoughts: This is an unusual fantasy story set in a world heavily impacted by rising sea levels. I love how it shows the ways an isolated community’s ideas can get stagnant or warped by those in power and how a new perspective can clear the air.
Published October 14, 2025 | My Review
These Bodies Ain’t Broken edited by Madeline Dyer
My Thoughts: I love that this anthology pairs together horror short stories featuring disabled characters as heroes and essays from the authors offering context about the disabilities portrayed in the work. If you enjoyed Disfigured by Amanda LeDuc, definitely grab a copy of this one.
Published October 7, 2025 | My Review
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez
My Thoughts: I read an anthology edited by Ashley Hope Pérez earlier this year, and added this book to my reading list out of that experience. It’s a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet set in Texas in the 1930s in a town where racial tensions ran high and a school exploded. It’s heartbreaking, brutal, intense, and also somehow threaded through with joy and beauty.
Published September 10, 2019 | My Review to Come
A Matter of Murder (Lizzie & Darcy Mystery #2) by Tirzah Price
My Thoughts: I’ve enjoyed this spinoff of “The Jane Austen Murder Mysteries” for its cozy mystery and regency era vibes. I don’t know how true to the original Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy these characters are, but I find that less important to me than the fun of imagining those characters in this universe solving a mystery together.
Published November 11, 2025 | My Review
Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung le Nguyen
My Thoughts: As a huge fan of The Magic Fish, I knew I wanted to read this. In some ways (celebrating fairytales alongside a contemporary story) it reminded me a lot of TMF, but in some ways it’s so different. The storytelling here is a bit sassy, which I enjoyed, and it shows a lot of interactions in which the characters communicate what they need and what isn’t working, which I found very welcome!
Published October 7, 2025 | My Review to Come
The Beasts Beneath the Winds: Tales of Southeast Asia’s Mythical Creatures edited by Hanna Alkaf
My Thoughts: This playful anthology shows modern kids interacting with cryptids and creatures from Asian folklore and mythology. Such a fun read. Introducing each story is a spread that looks like a cryptid journal with photos and facts about the creature.
Published October 21, 2025 | My Review
Lord of Blade and Bone (Waking Hearts #2) by Erica Ivy Rodgers
My Thoughts: This was one of my most anticipated books for 2025. At nearly 500 pages, this book has a LOT to say. I kind of wish it had been two books so the story had room to slow down a little and recap or go deeper with some of the characters a little more. It has a huge cast of characters, and one of my favorite magic systems out in fantasy right now. It took me about 100 pages to get back into the story because I couldn’t always remember who was who, but once I got that far, I remembered why I love this series (duology?) so much.
Published November 11, 2025 | My Review
Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue
My Thoughts: Bring your willing suspension of disbelief and dive into this world-jumping story about a girl from Ireland who’s just trying to get to school and a boy from a marginalized nomadic people trying to survive in hostile worlds. It’s part love story, part multiverse exploration, and part revolution. I loved it.
Published June 3, 2025 | My Review
How Girls Are Made by Mindy McGinnis
My Thoughts: This is a hard read, but felt like such a necessary story. The writing is so compelling. It shows the importance of comprehensive sex ed and how anyone can be vulnerable to abuse, even people who think they’re safe.
Published November 18, 2025 | My Review
The Whale’s Song: Discover the Giants of Our Oceans by Rossana Bossù
My Thoughts: This is such a cool book. Short paragraphs and passages offer great information on a variety of topics about marine mammals, like the different regional groups of orcas, the phases of decomposition of a whalefall, how whales support a healthy, diverse ocean environment, etc.
Published June 24, 2025 | My Review to Come
North for the Winter by Bobby Podesta
My Thoughts: This debut graphic novel by a Pixar animator offers a lot of Christmas cheer. I’d been looking for an uplifting holiday story when this one landed in my mailbox, so it was a very welcome read.
Published September 2, 2025 | My Review
Finally, Something Mysterious (The One and Onlys #1) by Doug Cornett
What you need to know: I was scrambling to find something to read to my seven-year-old, and I hit the jackpot with this one. I’d read this book back in 2020, and loved the quirky humor and small town setting. This is a perfect mystery for a younger MG audience, and it had my girl laughing out loud. Total win.
Published April 14, 2020 | My Review
I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker
My Thoughts: This one started out a little rough for me, but once some elements of the plot came into focus, I found it much easier to invest in the characters and their romance. I wish the love interest wasn’t so heavy-handed in the early chapters of the book, but I enjoyed the way the author used some common time travel tropes.
Published November 18, 2025 | My Review
Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina
My Thoughts: I’m totally unsurprised that this book received a starred review from Kirkus. It’s such a unique story world. The characters pulled me in right away. If you love weird, ethereal novels, you want this on your list.
Published July 1, 2025 | My Review to Come
Hollow by Taylor Grothe
My Thoughts: This book is every bit as weird and eerie as its cover image. Estranged friends go for a hike in the woods to reconnect only to become separated and lost. One winds up in a remote village that seems too good to be true. This book too me on a wild ride.
Published September 30, 2025 | My Review
Silenced Voices by Pablo Leon
My Thoughts: A graphic novel inspired by real events. I am embarrassingly unfamiliar with North American history outside of American history, so I wanted to read this book as part of an effort to broaden my understanding. I also love seeing how graphic novelists use this form to educate young readers through history or novels inspired by real events. I’m so glad I read this one.
Published September 2, 2025 | My Review
Setting the Stage (Cast vs Crew) by Lindsay Champion
My Thoughts: Theater kids and theater-curious readers will enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at a stage crew in this short MG novel. I like the variety of viewpoints presented and how that helps clue readers into what’s driving some of the conflicts and misunderstandings.
Published October 21, 2025 | My Review Coming Tomorrow
What did you read in November?
What is your favorite book that you read in November? Leave a comment letting me know about your favorites, and let me know if you read anything on my list.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is probably my favorite from this recap. Of the books that came out this year, I’d say Graciela in the Abyss is my favorite. If you post a November reading recap on your blog or social media, leave me a link in the comments! I’d love to check it out.
