This month, Book of the Month chose five main selections and five add-ons.

Main Picks | Add-Ons | Predictions | My Choices

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Predictions & Thoughts

There are ten total November BOTM main selections – the most we have had in quite awhile! They include three debut novels and three novels from repeat authors. This is also the most diverse selection of books in terms of BIPOC authors that we have seen in some time! I am particularly happy to see BOTM select a book by an Indigenous author, and a debut at that!

I was mostly happy with BOTM’s choices for November. It is nice to see such a diverse selection in genres. Except for The Kiss Curse, this feels like the first time there has been romance selections in a few months. (I skipped The Kiss Curse, because I was not a fan of The Ex Hex.) There are a couple of books by repeat authors that I was hoping to see but were not selections (i.e., Now Is Not the Time to Panic and The World We Make). It is also nice that for November BOTM actually selected mostly books being published in November, unlike recent months. Signal Fires is the only October book among this month’s picks.

I guessed 7 out of 10 correctly. There were a few books that I debated whether to include in my predictions (I did include them in my most anticipated list) – Before I Let Go and The Last Party – but ultimately left them off that were selected. If I had just left them in my predictions, I would have been 9 for 10.

I am a little surprised by the selection of The Last Party. It is the first book in a new series (which we know BOTM is unlikely to continue). I also was unaware that Clare Mackintosh was a repeat author. Her book I Let You Go was a selection back in 2016. I felt similarly about Before I Let Go being a surprise pick. It is the first book in a new series by a pretty popular author.

I was 99.9 percent sure that BOTM would select The Cloisters and The Wilderwomen. When I first heard of The Cloisters, it just screamed BOTM to me. As for The Wilderwomen, I assumed that BOTM would choose Ruth Emmie Lang’s sophomore novel after her debut was one of 2017’s Book of the Year finalists. (I have read both and have reviews posted!) I think The Cloisters will be a popular choice. However, I think those who loved Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, Lang’s debut novel, will be a bit disappointed with The Wilderwomen.

The Rewind was on my radar, but it did not scream BOTM and I figured if it was selected, it would be in December since it is a New Year’s book. So it did not make my predictions.

Fans of Legendborn are surely excited to see BOTM actually continue a series and picked Bloodmarked as an add-on. I know that everyone I know that read Legendborn absolutely loved it.

Both We Are the Light and Someday, Maybe sound like they are a bit sad and deal with grief. So I think that explains why A Quiet Life was also not selected.

I thought that White Horse was a long shot since BOTM does not choose a lot of horror novels and rarely has books by Indigenous authors. I am excited that they proved me wrong and selected it!

There are a couple of books that I am disappointed were not selections. I was really hoping to see Small Game, Winterland, and Meredith, Alone. In addition, I was hoping for Factory Girls and The Forever Witness. I am not surprised Factory Girls was not a pick since BOTM does not often have books published by Algonquin Books. BOTM also seems to be choosing less nonfiction books than they have in the past. I am guessing that they are simply not as big sellers as fiction selections, and therefore, there is less desire to include them.

My Choices

As I mentioned, I have already read The Cloisters and The Wilderwomen or those would have likely been two of my picks.

I really did not like Matthew Quick’s book The Silver Linings Playbook. I thought the writing was poor and was a bit lost regarding what people liked about it. So I will be skipping We Are the Light. Unless I read some pretty convincing reviews from people I trust and know have similar tastes, I am unlikely to ever buy it.

Because I have no desire to read sad books or those about grief right now, I will also be skipping Someday, Maybe. I have inadvertently read a few books with themes about grief recently. I read to escape reality, and this sounds like it will not be much of an escape.

I debated whether to get The Last Party. But knowing that BOTM has not been finishing series when they select the first book, I am going to hold off on it. I may reconsider if I see some stellar reviews.

I have read a lot of horror books in October to get in the spooky mood. As a result, I was a bit indecisive about picking White Horse. But I try to select any BOTM books with BIPOC authors if they peak my interest. The best way to encourage a company to support BIPOC authors is with my wallet, after all.

I have not read Legendborn and generally do not like young adult books. So I will be passing on Bloodmarked.

Signal Fires was a book that peaked my interest last month. BOTM used to have more literary fiction selections, and I have been disappointed with their lack of literary fiction. Consequently, Signal Fires was a clear contender for me this month, plus it has phenomenal reviews.

I have a bunch of unread romance books taking up space on my shelves. Plus, I have a bunch of holiday romance reads planned for November. So I will be skipping The Rewind and Before I Let Go for now.

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What books did you choose for your November BOTM selections? Let me know in the comments!