Novels |

After learning about so many great new books at BookCon, we were inspired to create a column for monthly books to read. Read as many as you can, or just choose a few of the ones that stand out to you. Not all of these books are released this month.

Here’s what we can’t wait to curl up with this month:

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

In this memoir, Vera Brittain describes the impact of World War I on women and the middle class of Great Britain. in 1915, Brittain abandoned her studies at Oxford University to enlist as a nurse in the armed forces. We’re very interested in reading about Brittain’s first-hand experience with the horrors of war, lost love, and coming of age.

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume

It’s the same Judy Blume we loved in our “young adult” days, but this time for adults. The main character, Miri Ammerman, visits her hometown. When Miri was a teenager, she and the community witnessed real-life plane crashes that occurred in the early 1950’s. Blume is a fantastic storyteller, and we have no doubt that this novel will be one great story.

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

Full confession, we’re 75% of the way through this book and are loving it. It’s a real page-turner. Lily Koppel saw a photo of the wives of the astronauts on the cover of Life and wondered why we hadn’t heard more about them. That’s when she set out to write their story. This book gives a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of the astronaut wives. Those women were strong, brave, and influential in getting man to the moon.

A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin

93-year-old Sherlock Holmes lives in a remote farmhouse in England and revisits a case, during which he learns about life and love. If it has anything to do with Sherlock Holmes, we’re all for it.

Speedboat by Renata Adler

We’ve heard great things about this book, and it was noted to disrupt the rules of the conventional novel but still be a gripping read. Set in New York City, a young female newspaper reporter comes of age and we get to go along for the journey.

The Rocks by Peter Nichols

The cover is stunning (and reminds us of a book we loved, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters), and the story premise is even more intriguing. The novel opens with a mystery, moves backward in time, and reveals what really happened decades earlier.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

In Tokyo, 16-year-old Nao keeps a diary documenting the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun. Nao is bullied and lonely and has decided to end it all. Writing in the diary comforts her. A novelist on the other side of the pacific discovers items in a Hello Kitty lunchbox and is drawn into Nao’s world. We have no idea what to expect with this one, but we can’t wait to find out.

Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold by Katie Finn

Sometimes you just need to enjoy a young adult novel. This one looks fun and light - perfect for when you relax on the beach this summer.

What are you reading this month? Share with us in the comments below!

October is drawing to close. Leaves are falling, the air is crisper, even the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte has made its triumphant return. For students, this final transition from summer to fall, and into winter, marks the time to buckle down and surrender to the tsunami of work that is imminent on the horizon. Such are the changes implied by the coming of November. For book fans and writers alike, the month of November marks the end of Booktober (a celebration for book lovers to read as many books as possible) and the beginning of Novel November.

Unbeknownst to most people, November is actually National Novel Writing Month, and last year there were over 300,000 participants. Of course, for most students, another assignment is the last thing needed, especially when the school year is just hitting its stride. However, the point of Novel November isn’t to layer more work on top of everything else. It’s to find something that inspires you, and to run with it as far as you can. It also helps build self-discipline by writing a little bit every day. And the end result is the best of all – at the end of the month, if all goes well, you’ll have your very own novel. It never hurts to try, especially if writing is a passion you’re attached to, but you just can’t seem to find time. At the very least, you’ll have a start-up that will continue to grow into something spectacular.

There are a few simple things you can do to keep yourself on track during Novel November:

1. Schedule a specific time each day to write.

It’s just like working out or practicing an instrument; as long as you dedicate a small chunk of time to it each day, your work will grow exponentially. Sure, that might mean dropping an hour that normally would’ve been dedicated to Netflix or scrolling through the Internet, but consider it time well spent.

2. Never leave your story on a cliffhanger.

I know from experience that if you leave your writing on a cliffhanger without a solid idea of where the plot is going to go next, it will be a struggle to try and figure out how to resolve the conflict in question, however brilliant it may be. Always know where you’re going, and putting in that extra hour will be easy, just a continuation of an idea you had yesterday.

3. Stick with it!

Rome wasn’t built in a day, as the saying goes. A book won’t just spring up out of nowhere; it’s a project that has to be pieced together chapter by chapter, day by day, and as long as you stay committed to it and manage your time wisely, by the end of the month, you’ll be a novelist.

Will you be participating in Novel November?

Image: Tim Geers