Whatcha Reading? Team OwlCrate Reads For November 2023

Another Neil Simon play in the bag. Neil Simon is a prolific playwright and his work spans decades. For some reason, my brain always assumes his plays are written/set in the 50s/60s. So, while reading Rumors, I pictured the 60s - the clothes, the house, the general vibe of the people. Maybe a third of the way through, I realized this play was set in the 80s - a decade I am familiar with - and my brain short-circuited. I had to readjust my entire perspective. Even without that derailment, this play was bonkers. What is happening? A farce, indeed! I would love to see this live but as a play to read, it took a bit of concentration. Perhaps I shouldn’t have read Act 1 and Act 2 weeks apart but here we are. I did enjoy the humour and look forward to more of his work.

For me, this is the season for rom-com audiobooks. I listened to the second book in this series two years ago but not the others. I listened to the first book, The Tourist Attraction, a few days ago, a re-listen of Mistletoe and Mr Right directly after, and now I am part way into Enjoy the View. I love companion books with interconnected characters. Fun, small town vibes, lots of charm and chemistry. These may become yearly reads because two of the three have those winter holiday vibes. Grab snuggly blankets and a hot chocolate and enjoy! PS - The star of the show is a blind dog named Jake. I’m sorry, the humans are great but this is the truth.

Do you love dark academia? Cut throat competitions? Characters you LOVE to hate? Their Vicious Games is for you.

I picked this book on a whim knowing nothing about it and I can probably say it's going to be one of my favourite books of the year. In it we follow Adina who after one mistake has had all her Ivy League acceptances rescinded. But she thinks things may be turning around is nominated to participate in the Finish - an elite competition in which winning means any door can open for you. Even those of the Ivy League. But it's not long after she arrives that Adina realizes that more than just access to higher education is at stake.

I can say All's Well won't be for everyone, but it was certainly for me! Miranda is a college theatre instructor dealing with a lot - excruciating chronic pain, a failed career, and now a cast of students determined to undermine her authority and put on Macbeth rather than All's Well that Ends Well. When a strange group of people appear in her support, it seems like things might finally be going Miranda's way. But what is the cost?

It's a weird book, but if you've ever had your chronic pain doubted by society, let's just say it felt a bit cathartic.

This graphic novel is about a girl who wants to become a knight to get full citizenship after her people were colonized, and choosing between loyalty to her heart and heritage or loyalty to the Empire. It was really well done for the topic and it has found family elements which I really love!

This book was interesting. I'd seen it mentioned quite a lot and then fell victim to the pretty sprayed edges of the B&N paperback copy (lol I know we've all been there). It took me way longer than it should have to get through but I just couldn't connect to the main character. Her cousin though, she's a spit fire and I hear the second book in the series has more of her! Once it got going toward the end, the pace was enjoyable and I loved the unravelling of pieces of the mystery that I hadn't put together myself. I'm excited to see if the second book tops the first.

It's a bit slow but if you like stories about Death as a person, high society and all it's ugliness, and finding how to live like you really want despite all the rules you learned growing up, this one might be for you!

Time travel stories usually don’t work for me so I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this newest book from Adrienne Young. A mix of cozy small town charm, mystery, romance, and magical realism — there’s just so much to enjoy with this one. Highly recommend going in a bit blind, so we will leave it at that! 

I was transfixed by this audiobook, which was narrated by the author herself. I love a good thriller/mystery set at Christmastime as a break from holiday romance reading and this one was so riveting! Suspenseful with well paced reveals while providing us a glimpse inside the lives of the mega rich and a whole whack of family drama. Such a fun thriller! 

I went into this book knowing very little about the plot, and I think that's the best way to experience it! Be prepared to feel completely confused at the beginning, as the book is told from the perspective of 3 different women, and it takes awhile for their storylines to connect. The payoff is absolutely worth it, especially if you like a story about women being underestimated and proving to the world just how strong and amazing they actually are!

It's my favorite read so far! Like every Ali Hazelwood book, it's super easy to read, really funny, sweet, and made me cry because the characters are so relatable. It's about two incredibly talented chess rivals (one of which falls back into the chess world reluctantly) who fall in love and deal with childhood trauma.