November was a bit more of a low-key month, which is perhaps more appropriate since the holiday season is ramping up. I should probably spend more on other people than myself right now. Only once did I splurge on a full-price book I didn’t need, the rest were convenient discounts, I swear.

Enough rambling, on to the books!

New Books

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King I picked up at a local bookshop simply because I happened to be there and decided I didn’t want to leave empty-handed. I’m already a King fan, but I have no idea if I actually want to read these new pulpy crime novels of his or not. I must shamelessly admit that I was completely won over by the vintage looking covers of these books. I picked up Joyland for very much the same reason, but that one I found at a thrift store weeks later.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro was another thrift shop purchase, and I have a strange history with this book. Ironically, considering the title, I lent the book to someone once and never got it back. They apparently lost it. Finding a secondhand copy that looks identical, I decided it was time to replace it. I have no way of verifying it one way or another, but I can’t but wonder if, by an astonishing coincidence, this is in fact the book I let go of all those years ago.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne by Grant Morrison was a lucky find at a dollar store, where a lot of comics have been popping up lately for really low prices. I read a lot of Morrison’s Batman run years ago, and while I didn’t actually get to Final Crisis, Batman’s death, and the books where Dick Grayson replaces Bruce as Batman for a bit, it’s still nice to have this book. I’ll read it eventually.

My only digital purchase this month, I bought The Immortal Hulk, Vol. 9: The Weakest One There Is by Al Ewing et al because of a convenient Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. This is the next volume I need to get to, so it was nice to get it for a good discount.

Novel Discoveries

The Toronto Book of the Dead by Adam Bunch and Learning to Die by Robert Bringhurst & Jan Zwicky both stood out to me at the bookstore when I bought The Colorado Kid, but I didn’t feel like picking them up at the time. The former is about true crime and macabre tales in Toronto’s history, where I grew up, so I decided to keep it in mind for some nice hometown reading. The latter speaks to some anxieties I’m sure we all share to some extent, so I wanted to remember it, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever pick it up because it was rather expensive for how small it is.

The Golden Bough by James George Frazer is one of the most influential books of the last century or so, apparently, so I hardly “discovered” it, but a mention of it in ‘Salem’s Lot piqued by interest. Seems a book that might be a slog to get through, but I’m curious nonetheless.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig is a book I forgot was even coming out. I used to follow the YouTube channel when they regularly put out videos of new words, and I swear they announced this book ages ago. Well, they finally published it, so I’m going to have to get myself a copy sometime soon.

The Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings is a graphic novel that, I have to admit, I added because I like sheet ghosts. I think it’s about introverted spirits finding companionship in the afterlife too, but I have to admit my reasons for adding it to the old to-read shelf were pretty shallow. I am curious about checking out the story, regardless.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca and Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica were added to my list after a friend shared a short video with me talking about shocking/disturbing reads. I’m not sure how far these books go, but I’m intrigued enough to give them a look sometime. I especially like the cover and synopsis of the former.

Closing Thoughts

Was November paradoxically both short and long for anybody else, or just me? Part of me could swear Halloween only just passed, yet it also feels like it was ages ago, especially when I think of things I’ve started and finished since then. Perhaps it’s just the time of year messing with me.

Did you get any new books you’re excited about? Books you’re hoping to get for Christmas, perhaps? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Until next time, thank you for reading.