November Recommended Reads
Note: I receive a small commission for purchases made through Bookshop.org links in this post.
With the holiday season quickly approaching and the end-of-year work push in full swing, I haven’t had as much time to read as I’d like recently. But I managed to finish a few titles that have been on my TBR for ages this month, along with a brand new debut from an indie author that I absolutely devoured.
These were my favorite books from the month of November:
Whispers the Blood
By Danielle Renino
★★★★
Sylvie has always known she’s different. She has a broken heart — a malfunctioning organ that’s kept beating with pills and strict rules and frequent resuscitations by her severe older brother, Victor. But when Sylvie’s only friend, Nora, drags her on an “adventure” to a decaying Victorian mansion that seems to crackle with an energy she can’t quite place, Sylvie starts to realize she may be more different than she thought. Her suspicions are confirmed when, once she finally goes inside, she hears a voice coming from inside the walls — and it sounds just like her.
This debut novel from Danielle Renino is an inventive, atmospheric read exploring identity, power, and the need to be understood. The author’s vivid prose is full of visceral imagery that is both disturbing and mesmerizing, and I literally felt several of the scenes in my body. Though there are some early inklings of where this story may be heading, the course it takes is unpredictable, and I enjoyed the way the structure was intertwined with the concept.
Mexican Gothic
By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
★★★★1/2
After receiving a troubling letter from her cousin, Catalina, young socialite Noemí Taboada makes the distant trek from Mexico City to High Place, the mysterious mountain abode of Catalina’s family-by-marriage, the Doyles. Concerned by Catalina’s ramblings about ghosts and people in the walls, Noemí is determined to bring her cousin home or get her psychiatric help. But the Doyles won’t hear of it, and their strange, isolated life, with its unexplained rules and strict traditions—not to mention the unsettling, mildew-ridden house—quickly puts Noemí’s teeth on edge. The longer she stays, the more she wonders whether she or Catalina will ever be allowed to leave.
Mexican Gothic is a deliciously dark and hazy horror story with a fascinating main character at its center. Noemí is quick-tongued, glamorous, and perhaps a touch arrogant, so intent on solving the mystery of her cousin’s decline that she doesn’t realize she is in danger until it may be too late. In a haunting, slow-burn sequence of visions and nightmares, the novel also explores themes around colonization, ancestry, control, defiance, isolation, and familial obligation.
Final Girls
By Riley Sager
★★★1/2
As the lone survivor of the Pine Cottage Massacre, Quincy Carpenter has spent a decade trying to leave behind the media label of “final girl.” She’s finally managed to create a somewhat normal life, with a successful baking blog and a live-in boyfriend. Then she learns that Lisa, another Final Girl who offered Quincy support after news broke about Pine Cottage, has turned up dead. Soon after, Sam, the third woman branded a Final Girl by the press, unexpectedly shows up on Quincy’s doorstep. Sam’s sudden appearance sparks a chain of events that will force Quincy to unearth buried memories about Pine Cottage that she never wanted to revisit.
This thriller is an interesting take on the “final girl” horror trope interwoven with a weighty critique of true crime sensationalism. I appreciated the way Sager created dynamic, flawed characters who were both sympathetic and sometimes difficult to root for. The plot is not short on twists and red herrings, though I must confess I saw the ending coming. In any case, Final Girls is a fast-paced enjoyable read with a satisfying-enough mystery to puzzle through.
That’s all for this month. I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading lately, so feel free to reach out and let me know. I’ll see you in early January for my next round of recommended titles!
