Curated reads for November

To me, fall is the liminal space between the two harshest seasons, winter and summer. I live in a really volatile and humid place, so when December hits, it is unbearably cold, and I have no choice but to bundle myself in layers and have numb fingers when holding my cup of iced coffee. Now, when May rolls around, the opposite happens, and the air constantly feels like a sauna (but minus all the relaxation because my hair is flat, and my eyelashes have drooped no matter the brand of mascara I used that day). I think it’s safe to say that the only time of the year that I find enjoyable is autumn. 

Fall has its own fandom with moodboards, 2000s shows, colored leaves, and cinnamon rolls as its main characteristics. The weather is comfortable when hinting at the storms that come ahead in December, and it’s the perfect time to lie on the couch next to a window and plunge yourself into another universe. By this, of course, I am talking about my good friend, literature. 

Of course, I recognize the competition: reading on the beach is an all-time contender for top reading spots, but sipping on a hot beverage of your choice with foggy scenery right beside you might just be my ultimate favorite… 

And besides, to combat the seasonal depression that’s to come with the lack of sun and sudden chills, it’s always best to develop a new hobby that helps you power through hard times. For me personally, reading has always been a source of comfort ever since I started for enjoyment in seventh grade. Afterward, I went on a long (but rewarding) journey to find books that felt like returning home, especially after a long time away. There’s a sense of homesickness that finds you in your everyday life when change is rampant and inevitable; I’ve found that the only solution is to cling to literature and works that make you feel whole again. And so today I present my personally curated reads for November, or really any time of the year. Because certain things like books and your favorite characters will always be with you, no matter how much time has passed. 

1. Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong

A monster is running throughout Shanghai in the 1920s, and Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai must put aside the blood fuel that separates them to save the ones they love. And perhaps, that includes each other. 

Our Violet Ends is the second book in the These Violent Delights duology, and it is one that I have always kept close to my heart. It is a rendition of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and everything from the aesthetics of the Scarlet gang to the final ending of how love will always eclipse hate always feels like a warm cardigan from a lover when it’s raining outside. 

Juliette Cai is such a strong and memorable character whom my love for is difficult to put into words, but I will try my best. As an Asian American, I’ve always seen a lack of characters like me in the media, and growing up, that really messed with me. It felt like the chill of winter was permanently etched into my bones, because while everyone else walked around in the warmth of the sun, I was stuck somewhere else. So to be gifted with a character as intelligent and as courageous as Juliette is such a blessing and privilege; reading through her adventures and decisions gave me more confidence in myself, and it is safe to say that she is now one of my top comfort characters of all time. 

I’m not sure how authors (specifically Chloe Gong) can make you feel every syllable of the novel in your bloodstream and every breath you take, but wow, it is an experience I am grateful for. Her wonderful, graceful prose is definitely going to hit you where it hurts, but in the best way possible. It’s knowing that once you take off said lover’s cardigan, a breeze of wind will blow past you, but it is temporary, because there will be more borrowed jackets and the weather will eventually change. So, sob over hot tea or contemplate the essence of love in your new leather-bound journal for fall, but falling into the Secret Shanghai Universe will leave you dazed for more seasons to come. 

2. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Addie LaRue is frightened that she’ll never be free. And so she makes a deal with the gods that dwell after dark, only to find out that they never play fair. More than 300 years later, no one knows her name, no one remembers her for longer than she is in their vision field. Until she meets Henry. But we all have prayers that we thought went unanswered, and now we must deal with the consequences. 

Every sentence of this book is worth highlighting to store away in your brain, and what makes it even more special is the environment that Schwab creates. You can feel it emanate from the page, as it takes place across Villon-sur-Sarthe, New York, New Orleans, and even more. Addie “borrows” seasonal drinks, feels the breeze in Central Park, and so many more that I don’t want to spoil for you. And let’s not get started on our other main character, Henry Strauss. He is quite frankly one of my favorite male protagonists of all time. I find his overwhelming insecurity quite beautiful (which I know is a crazy thing to say), but with this book being categorized as romantic, he is full of love. He is what allowed me to see that sometimes you think you’re fighting with all your might to love yourself, forgetting that it is self-love itself that motivates you to do so. 

The collision of two big, contrasting personalities was such an experience, and it made me question my own considerations about sacrifice. It seems like such a huge, noble thing, often referenced in third person from either a movie or a book when the male protagonist is in trouble. It makes way for a hero to enter the scene. But truthfully, we forget that the real sacrifice is in everyday life. And we are always choosing or giving up something, even if it seems mundane in the moment. 

I love books like this that help me see the beauty in life, even when it is unembellished and drab at times. It shows that romance and love are carved in moments, and yes, that includes autumn, when the leaves have turned color and fallen on the ground (a poetic statement itself in my personal opinion). 

3. Babel by R.F. Kuang 

Robin Swift is taken under the guidance of Professor Lovell, away from his Cantonese home and all that he has ever known. Professor Lovell trains him his entire life to be a top-tier translator at Oxford University, where he meets a cohort of peers just like him, plucked and groomed at a young age to serve the British Empire. There, secret societies and the metal system of magic come to light, and that’s when he finds out the true roots of imperialism. And whether or not he has enough strength to dismantle it himself. 

Set in gloomy England, this book is the perfect read for November, for when the fog sets in, and it is time to ponder imperialism and its everlasting consequences. Additionally, the prose of this book is a mix of an unseen narrator following Robin Swift and someone writing their PHD dissertation. And that is why it is so hard for me to detail my exact thoughts and compliments for this book: there is just too much to get through. I could spend paragraphs alone just talking about how Kuang encapsulates the third culture child experience perfectly, but I could also talk about how the toxic dynamic between the four friends is extremely realistic, to many people’s dismay. And then I could spend another few hours on the podcast talking about how interesting it was to read about linguistics and its roots in other languages, something I tend to take for granted, especially seeing all the intricacies of something that benefits me every single day. It also shows how things really get lost in translation, lost in the mist, never to be spoken of again. And it’s made that way through imperialism, the greater powers only allowing you to see what they wanted. Words are the basis of all thoughts and mindsets that we have, so to read about them in such great detail with a fascinating story that left me in shock and hungover for many days is something I recommend, without a doubt, to everyone reading. 

As someone who went to an international school and is majoring in cognitive science (focusing on psychology and linguistics), this was my ideal read. I think the academic style of writing, as if someone from the future is reporting on the events that went down in Robin Swift’s life (while teaching a lecture) from the things in his textbooks to his questionable relationship with Ramy, is just the cherry on top. 

The weather and friendship described in Babel is November in a bottle, and you definitely won’t miss the essence of autumn as the months pass you by. Travel with Robin and his friends on a journey across the sea, accompanied by the cold of the seasons and thick tension between friends. Light a mahogany apple candle, let the scent fill the air, and blow it out, because Robin’s story feels like navigating treacherous, freezing conditions with no home in sight. 

4. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro 

Imagine if the descendants of Sherlock Holmes and James Watson met at boarding school many years later, and someone suddenly dies. More than that, people keep dying while replicating old Sherlock Holmes stories. Of course, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are framed, and they must find a way to prove their innocence. 

These books are something I feel like my middle school or high school self would have enjoyed thoroughly (not because they’re juvenile, but because they include all of my favorite genres and tropes). If you love mystery, a strong, unconventional female protagonist, with a hint of romance (so slight you’ll even question if it’s there), then this is the perfect November read for you. Prestigious boarding schools in New England always embody foggy autumn weather, with pleated skirts and secret parties thrown in the tunnels of the schools. 

The essence of colder months before snow starts to cover all surfaces it’s allowed on, and honestly, a very fun read. It is part of a short series, so if one book isn’t enough to feel like a warm blanket wrapped around your shoulders, then please enjoy the series of Charlotte Holmes Jamie Watson escapades.    

5. Book Lovers by Emily Henry 

Nora Stephens (Nadine Winters) has been taken to Sunshine Falls by her younger sister, away from her job as a cutthroat, successful literary agent. After one of her authors writes a book about a hostile, aggressively, awfully familiar female protagonist, and her sister starts acting strange, Nora questions if she has done anything right in her professional and personal life. Oh, and it doesn’t help that her work rival, Charlie Lastra, is suddenly there too. 

If you’re feeling especially cold and miss the warmth of summer during November, then this book is for you. This is an especially comfortable read during the months following the start of school or work (which will start to get busy as the holidays come up); it’s always important to take a step back and define a few key pillars in your life so that you don’t get swept away in the sea that is overworking yourself. This is particularly for people who define themselves as overachievers or perfectionists. It truly does get exhausting and is not sustainable for the rest of your life. 

Nora Stephens is someone I hold very dear to my heart (and hope you will too!), and the exploration of her relationship with Charlie allows you to see the progression she makes in just a few weeks. She also feels like a breath of fresh air, because I am very picky about how authors write female protagonists; it’s impossible for me to enjoy a book if they’re not well developed or surface level, with the focus on a male main character or the relationship between the two. Reading is to know yourself too, and you can’t do that with shallow characters that are merely a plot device. Of course there are characters that are created specifically for this role, as books usually go, but as a writer myself (ooh, self plug), I love when the focus is on a character and her personal growth, rather than her role in a relationship (especially when it’s romantic). 

For anyone career-driven who wants to take a break from studying or writing a case brief to take some solitude time for themselves, this book is for you. I sincerely hope you enjoy Nora Stephens as much as I did. 

6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt 

Richard Pappen, a student pursuing Classics at Hampden College, joins five other students as they are hand-selected for a certain professor’s coursework. Richard is drawn in by the prestige and wealth that these students and this class emanate, and he dives in headfirst. But he finds himself drowning as he gets entangled in their secret ploys, rituals, and sacrifices. 

The Secret History is autumn and winter wrapped into one book (but add in a few crazy college students with a tendency for alcoholism and substance abuse). The aesthetics of this book itself are enough to make their spot on this list for curated November reads, but the prose is so beautiful, I think this will soon be considered a classic novel. When temperatures hit 40 degrees, and you’re shivering under your layers, maybe you’ll think of how Richard Pappen almost froze to death because of his own insecurities. This book is yours to pick at and analyze as it explores cult-like mindsets, prestige, wealth class disparities, and just how far one is willing to go to protect their own secrets. If you want to talk in 2000s TV show terms, it’s a mix of Supernatural and Pretty Little Liars, but takes place at university (with more substances and more questionable decisions). Do with that what you will. 

Cinnamon kisses from under fuzzy blankets

Whether it’s reading a physical copy or on your favorite eReader, I hope you enjoy the reads we have personally curated for those interested in seasonal reading in November (fuzzy sweaters, hot coffee, pumpkin baked goods, the color brown itself). Or really, any time of the year! Literature is not limited to the weather, and it’s all about personal preference. 

But life is quite similar to a movie montage if you put on your autumn-tinted shades: walks around the block in the cold, boots with lace under, figuring out if you’re more of a Rory Gilmore or Aria Montgomery. It’s all about making the small things filled with romance and intrigue because it comes from within you. And that’s what we want to accomplish with this reading list. We sincerely hope that these reads make you feel at home this fall, and that you enjoy these characters and prose as much as we do.

Stay warm,