I’ve decided to combine my Monthly Wrap-Up with my first Sunday Post of the month now, so this is an all-in-one.
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead. I’m also linking up to the Sunday Salon @ Readerbuzz!
What’s been happening since my last Sunday Post:
November was crazy busy for me with authorly events, so this is the first Sunday Post I’ve managed to get to in over a month!
Watching the Bulls (lose) – I had to laugh because the last time I posted, the Bulls were playing marvelously, and I was excited for the NBA season ahead. Now they are … not. Pretty disappointing, but not terribly surprising? I’ve actually decided to get an NBA League Pass and start watching the Denver Nuggets and root for them. (Denver is the city I’d live in if I could!) I’ll still watch the Bulls, but I’ll have some non-depressing basketball to watch too. LOL!
Visiting Danielle – In addition to Cincinnati book events (which I talk about below), I also got to visit my daughter, who’s there for a year-long landscape architecture internship. We had some good meals, etc, but also visited the American Sign Museum, which was fun!
Neal Shusterman Event – My mom and I went to see Neal Shusterman at Anderson’s Bookshop for his new book of short stories, Mind Works. Every time I hear Neal speak, I’m blown away by him. He is my all-time favorite author because of the way he thinks about the world (and how he puts those thoughts into books in ways that make the reader think about the world!). And when he speaks, you get just a little glimpse into his brain and his process.
Movies – With my A-List subscribtions I’ve seen these movies since I last posted:
- Now You See Me: Now You Don’t – Not a fan of this one at all. It just felt schmaltzy to me, and the characters reacted weirdly to everything that happened. (I don’t want to say more because of spoilers). I will say that the ending surprised me, though, so that was a plus.
- Wicked: For Good – Loved it! Yes, this one doesn’t have as many good songs as the first movie, but the story gets so much more interesting!
- Rental Family – Really loved this movie, even though there were a few things in it that gave me pause – but I’m pretty sure they were supposed to. (Again, I feel like saying more would be spoilerish.)
- Eternity – Again, excellent. I loved this one a lot more than I was expecting to!
- The Running Man – This movie was pretty much exactly what I was expecting it to be, and I enjoyed the ride!
Book News/Progress:
Book Sales/Signings: I had two local sales/signings in the past month, one at Sturdy Shelter Brewing and one at Blue House Books. Both went great – selling during the holiday season is a lot easier (and I find it much easier to pitch to people too, because you can always start with, “Hey, if you have any 4th-8th graders on your holiday shopping list, I’ve got a great book to tell you about). I actually left Blue House when I got down to my last book, which I left for them to have on the shelf!
IL Reads 2026 Kickoff – TSoOG got chosen for the 2026 IL Reads list, and we had a kickoff at Anderson’s Bookshop. Looking forward to a full year of events for this!
Cincinnati Events: I participated in Bookfest at Northern Kentucky University and Books by the Banks at the Cincinnati Public Library – both events were really fun and a great success!
NCTE in Denver: And my biggest event was the National Council of Teachers of English conference in Denver, where I was on two panels. Both of those were fantastic, but honestly I think the best part of being at the conference was meeting a ton of authors in person who I’ve only known online up to now. Being an author can feel a little solitary sometimes, but meeting with my peers (and some people I’ve looked up to for years) makes me feel more like a “real” author somehow!
(If you’re interested in even more NCTE posts, I have another carousel up on IG too, but here’s one set:)
What I Read:
I’ve been listening to a ton of audiobooks lately, and it’s been a month since I updated you, so it’s a lot!
- I listened to In the End by Demitria Lunetta, a satisfying follow-up to In the After.
- Next I listened to Half Wild and Half Lost by Sally Green. Look at me, actually finishing series! LOL!
- Next up was The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin. Loved the worldbuilding for the magic system in this book!
- After meeting Andrew Auseon at Books by the Banks in Cincinnati, I read the first two books in his Spellbinders Series: The Not-So-Chosen One and Break the Game. These books are great fun, especially if you’re into D&D type games!!
- And I wanted to read books from fellow panelists before NCTE, so I made sure to read Racing the Clouds by Sidney Dunlap, a touching story of the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.
- Another author I was sitting next to at Books by the Banks was Lori M. Lee, so I read the first book in her Rick Riordan Presents Series, Pahua and the Soul Stealer.
- Next I listened to Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman, a powerful read that had been on my TBR for far too long!
- When I started the Emmy and Friends Series by Terri Libenson, I planned on only reading the first couple of books for graphic novel research purposes. But I enjoyed revisiting these characters so much that I just keep reading them! I read Remarkably Ruby, Surprisingly Sarah, Becoming Brianna, and Entirely Emmie. Pretty sure I’ve read the whole series now!
- Growing Home by Beth Ferry, illustrated by the Fan Brothers is another one that I’ve had on my shelf for way too long (I got an ARC months ago). So I decided to listen to it – I can definitely feel Ferry’s picture book background in the book, and that sensibility translates beautifully to a book for younger middle grade readers!
- Then I listened to Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper) by Kim Bussing, (another one I’ve had on my shelf for months – are we sensing a pattern here?). I really enjoyed this twisted Disney tale and definitely plan to read more of them!
- Next up on my list was Unstuck by Barbara Dee. I always love Dee’s books – this one is about a girl dealing with a combination of family issues and writer’s block, both of which I relate to a little too hard! LOL
- I met Erin Soderberg Downing at NCTE and attended a nature-themed panel she was on where she talked about Just Keep Walking. I was intrigued and had to give it a listen! This book is a wonderful contemporary about a girl struggling with her parents’ divorce – with the added element of survivalist/hiking adventures!
- Jessie Ann Foley’s newest book, Severe and Unusual Weather, was chosen for the 2026 IL Reads list along with The Song of Orphan’s Garden, so of course I needed to give it a read! (I plan to read as many of the selected books as possible over the next year.) I was surprised when this story veered into magical realism (pleasantly surprised – I always love a little magic with my realism)!
- When I went to Neal Shusterman’s event, he talked about Game Changer (which I actually had with me for him to sign), and I was left wondering why I hadn’t yet read it! Obviously, I had to fix that. Side note – I listened to this one while I was driving my daughter Jade to the doctor and she got so invested that she had to listen to the rest of it herself (this literally never happens!).
- Next I listened to Mixing Magics by Clare Edge, the sequel to Accidental Demons. I absolutely love Clare’s worldbuilding, and this book was an exciting conclusion to the duology!
- Finally, I read Sixteen Minutes by K.J. Reilly. I love time travel/sliding door stories, and this one was a really interesting take on that.
- Weirdly, I only read one picture book this month – Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Scott Magoon. At least if I was only going to read one, I chose a cute one!
November Posts You May Have Missed:
NEW Pre-order Campaigns
Head over to my Pre-Order Campaigns Page to see ALL of the pre-order deals, including pictures!!
Here’s a list of the pre-order campaigns I’ve added to the list since my last Sunday Post:
Pre-order RELIC OF THIEVES by Shana Targosz to receive an exclusive holiday short story! Pre-orders from an indie bookstore will also receive a bookmark, one replica antique key, and a signed bookplate! (Ends 12/15) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order the paperback of AS YOU WISH by Nashae Jones to receive a signed bookplate, a sticker sheet, a letter from the author and more! (Ends 1/5) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order the hardcover box set of THE SCUM VILLAIN’S SELF-SAVING SYSTEM by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù to receive a free acrylic coaster! (Ends 2/16) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order QUEEN OF FACES by Petra Lord to receive a magnetic bookmark! (Ends 2/2) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THE LIBRARY OF AMORLIN by Kalyn Josephson from Mysterious Galaxy to receive an exclusive sticker sheet and a signed bookplate! (Ends 3/2) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THE BLOOD COUNTESS by Shelley Puhak to receive an exclusive Elizabeth Bathory sticker! (US/CAN) (Ends 2/16) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order CHERRY BABY by Rainbow Rowell to receive a cherry bag charm! (US only) (Ends 4/13) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THE STARSEEKERS by Nicole Glover from a participating indie to receive an art print, bookmark, signed bookplate, and astrology-themed stickers! (Ends 1/5) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Lots of good stuff! Have any news? Feel free to share in the comments!
