Holy smokes, it’s the end of November! For my U.S. followers, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Here’s to one more month of 2024! Now, let’s get into my November 2024 Book Blog Wrap-Up, your one-stop shop to check out what I was up to this month.
Book Reviews
I posted five book reviews in November. From earliest to latest they are:
- Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
- The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
- The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall
- A Princess of Oldir by Bryan Wilson
- Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce
Blog Statistics
Every month I share some statistics from Google Analytics because I think it helps put expectations into perspective for other micro-bloggers like me who are out there. These statistics are from Google Analytics 4.
My top five posts for total page views, as of Friday (November 29) evening, are:
- Book Review: Assistant to the Villain by Heather Maehrer: 662 views
- Arthurian Retellings Reading List: 642 views
- Book Review: Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer Armentrout: 448 views
- Book Review: Gild by Raven Kennedy: 377 views
- ARC Review: Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig: 268 views
Like last month, November was, again, not a new personal best with stats. I really think the new Google search algorithm (or whatever the technical term is) did my website no favors. I’m barely hanging on to a steady number of visitors from month to month despite updating old posts for SEO. Usually around the holidays I see an uptick in visitors, but not so much at the moment. However, likes and comments remain pretty steady from month to month, which is why I think it’s Google’s fault.
Anyway, I gained a few more blog followers for a total of 216.
#BeattheBacklog
I finished two books that had been on my TBR prior to 2024: THE AUCTION by Elci North and THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams. And possibly a third, if I have time amidst my busy Saturday: WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY by Michiko Aoyama.
Other Bookish Items
I finished 11* books in November:
- A PRINCESS OF OLDIR by Bryan Wilson (SFINCS)
- THE BLACK HUNGER by Nicholas Pullen (ARC)
- THE AUCTION by Elci North
- THE TIDELINGS OF DRAS SAYVE by C.B. Lansdell (SFINCS)
- THE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE by Justinian Huang (audiobook)
- THE TRUTHS WE HOLD by Kamala Harris (audiobook)
- THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAERIE DOOR by H.G. Parry (ARC)
- UNDER THE MENHIR by Allison Wade (SFINCS)
- THE WEST WIND by Alexandria Warwick (ARC)
- THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams (audiobook)
- WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY by Michiko Aoyama*
*Possibly finished by the end of November 30. 🙂
I also decided to leave Twitter. Right now my account is private, so any followers can still view my old tweets. But I may delete them all at some point, but keep my account in case things get better (??). Anyway, now I’m on Bluesky: alitescape. Feel free to follow me there!
I also posted a few times for both SciFi Month and Nonfiction November. You can find those posts in my November archive.
Next month is pretty busy for me, so I apologize in advance if my blog hopping is less timely!
Non-Bookish Items
I actually went to the movies a couple of times this month, which is a rarity for me. My husband and I saw THE WILD ROBOT, which was great. We both cried. Highly recommend it for both kids and adults. Then I saw WICKED, which was visually stunning. I’ve never read the book or watched the stage adaptation, so it was all new to me. Clearly I liked it a lot because I’m still humming some of my favorite song numbers. The costumes and set were amazing and so was the singing. Lastly, on Netflix I watched JOY, which is about the first IVF baby. I guess I never thought about how people at the time might’ve viewed that science as a sin. Some people still do, I imagine.
I also winterized our garden earlier this month. That means I picked all the remaining produce and tore out all of the warm weather plants. I didn’t realize just how much we still had left on the vine. The tomatoes, most of which were green, filled up an entire oversize bowl. And the peppers filled up another large bowl. I made and froze tomato sauce, but the majority of the tomatoes are still green so far. I then transplanted a bunch of root vegetable seedlings and put hoops and fabric over them to keep the squirrels away. Hopefully that helps keep the plants a little warmer, too, during our long cold spell here.
And that’s it for my November 2024 Book Blog Wrap-Up! What did you all read this month?
My blog stats have been awful, and I hadn’t heard about the Google change you mentioned, but that’s probably why. I usually get less traffic during holidays but my stats for the past few months have me worried. I also saw Wicked and it blew me away! I’m definitely going to see it a second time.
Ugh, I’m sorry your stats have been the same way. In a twisted sort of way that validates my experience a little because you have a much wider reach than I do, so if you’re also seeing it, then it’s nice to know it’s not just a me thing! I think their algorithm update was in September or October, can’t exactly remember what I read. They did that earlier in the year, too, and it took about 3 months before my blog started to recover. I find it very irritating.
Sorry that your stats are down although if comments have stayed the same, then you aren’t losing active readers. I still think that your visitor numbers are fantastic as I have more people apparently following my blog but far less engagement.
I really enjoyed What you are looking for is in the library. Hope that you like it too.
Thanks—at least this is a hobby and not a livelihood, so at the end of the day it doesn’t matter so much of Google isn’t sending people my way. I was enjoying the progress of SEO, though! At least I have awesome folks like you who continue to engage with me here. 🙂
Well done on reading so much this month. How did you find The Emperor And The Endless Palace? I remember it catching my eye but haven’t really seen any reviews for it. I’ll keep an eye out for your thoughts on the Faery Door one too as anything remotely fae tends to end up on my list 😂
I meant to join Twitter but never got around to using it. I think I decided to focus on my blog initially then saw that the environment wasn’t always great and got put off trying to use it 🤔 I’ve never actually heard of blue-sky though
Ooh I’m glad you enjoyed Wicked so much too (and it’s nice to know it’s not just me with some of the songs stuck in my head 😂). I haven’t seen Wild Robot but heard that it was good and I’m hoping to watch Joy soon, I stumbled across a trailer for it the other day and thought it looked interesting.
I hope your garden efforts keep the squirrels away and protect your plants from the frost a bit too.
I hope you have a wonderful December ❤️
I did not know about that Google change, but it probably will not affect me since my blog is so tiny. I don’t know why you refer to yourself as a micro-blogger, you definetely aren’t!
11 books? You did so well!
I do not know if I’ll close my Twitter but I have definetely not been there in a while. I do not think all the people I was following have moved to Bluesky, and I am still trying to find my space in there but it is great so far.
Everyone is talking wonders about Wild Robot, I am now curious!
Have a great December, Celeste!