november 2025 reads
Another month gone and we're already into the last month of 2025! Where did the time go? I'm worried I might be lost in a dimension where a whole month passes every single time you blink, and time is even weirder than usual these days because it's the first time in many years that I don't have to commute into the office every day. Working on my own at home continues to be something I need to adjust to, but I think I might be starting to get into the swing of things. Maybe.
That being said, my lack of stability lately is reflected in my reading for the month again. I've started to get my focus back from being sick and then having eye surgery, but I was so busy at the start of the month that I could barely read at all. I was hoping that I might be able to completely catch up on the Translated Lit Challenge prompts and that definitely didn't happen. I guess situations like this are exactly why you shouldn't make strict goals for yourself. Good thing my book related goals are all in good fun, so it's not really upsetting. What is a problem though, is how far behind I am on reading my review copies! That really has to be a priority this month!!!
Anyway, onto the books for November 2025.
Novels, Collections, & Nonfiction
A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez (tr. Megan McDowell)
This is the third short story collection from this author in English and I found it generally less creepy than the others except for the very last story, which I read right before bed and scared me awake. Love this author, love this translator. I definitely have to make reading her novel in English a priority. I seem to remember there's some nonfiction now too!
A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre (tr. Mark Hutchinson)
Finally started reading the longlist entries for the International Booker this year. I liked the way that this book was narrated, but it was a bit confusing at times when trying to figure out who was speaking and when. A lot of it has left my mind over the past month, but I want to revisit it again when I have more headspace. Very nice.
A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery (tr. Alison Anderson)
The prose in this novel was beautiful. The storyline was completely infuriating. The exoticism vibes were cranked up to the max and the whole thing was peak "Japan is a unique and special place like nowhere else on this Earth." A real shame that it felt so shallow when the prose was incredibly beautiful and the themes of dealing with grief and change are so special.
The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
Really cool and extremely short book about reviving mammoths and having them live on a reserve in Siberia in an age where the Russian government uploaded its brightest minds digitally and put one such mind inside a mammoth. Somewhat dystopian, somewhat hopeful eco fiction. Love Ray Nayler's work. Can't wait for the next one.
Remarkably Brilliant Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
I listened to this book and it took a long time to finish because I haven't been taking the train that much (and I had an ear infection for a month). Absolutely stunning. A moody and very clever octopus says "cut the shit" at one point in the book, and in addition to his small chapters filled with judgement, there are several other character perspectives too. It was deep introspective about relationships of all types between people, grief, figuring out who you are, and respect for all. Just stunning work.
Manga & Other Comics
Witch Hat Atelier Vol. 11 by Kamome Shirahama (tr. Stephen Kohler)
Perfect as always. Can't say much about this since it's pretty far into the series, but I have nothing bad to say about it. Everything about it is beautiful—story, art, lettering, translation, all of it. And we finally learn more about Agott's past and get a bit of peak into that pesky king's mind!
本なら売るほど by 児島青 (Ao Kojima)
A very relaxed second volume about a young man who quits his job and runs a secondhand bookstore. The cast of characters in this volume were all quite eccentric, so it had a bit of a different vibe than the first volume. Slight content warning that one of the stories follows along a young woman who's diagnosed with stomach cancer and references her experience during treatment and life afterwards.
And that's all! Short and sweet, but got to read some manga this month too, which was some added fun. I'm hoping to read quite a bit more manga this month and get through a few more of the books I bought earlier this year. We'll see what actually happens in January of course though.
That's all for now. As always, happy reading!
Updated 2 months, 2 weeks ago