November 2018 Wrap Up

As usual the titles will link to my reviews on Goodreads, Which may or may not have more to say that what is here.

What I Read

Lost Signals edited by Max Booth III 2.79 stars

I finished this anthology in November. There were a couple stories I liked, none that I really loved and most fell flat for me.

A Secret Life: Surviving a Rare Congenital Condition by Greg Ryan 5 stars

The rare congenital condition is Imperforate Anus (also known as Anorectal Malformation- ARM) and I was also born with IA/ARM (typically referred to as IA). I really related to the struggles and the shame that come with it. 1 in 5,000 babies are born with IA, and both of us happened to be that 1 in 5,000. It comes with a lifetime of medical issues, pain and shame. But it doesn't need to come with shame. This was a raw and true memoir and it was also filled with hope. My review on Goodreads says a lot more. I absolutely loved this book!

Aphantasia: Experiences, Perceptions and Insights 5 stars

I also have Aphantasia, and I do believe I was born with it, but it's not something I knew about until pretty recently. Aphantasia means without mental imagery. I was shocked to learn people were LITERAL about seeing pictures in their heads, books being like a movie in your head, about actually being able to visualize things, like that damn beach one is always told to visualize. I know what a beach is. It has sand, ocean, waves, seagulls, seashells. I've been to the beach. I live in NJ. I can not picture a beach in my head. I can not picture anything in my head. I can imagine, but it's differently. I've come across things I said in the past that I thought were METAPHORS of a sort only to now know, they aren't metaphors to most people.

That said I do love my Aphantasia (I have my reasons) and I loved this book which just goes to show that Aphantasia is a spectrum and people with it can be very different even in ways one would think Aphantasia would affect everyone the same, it doesn't. I do want to eventually make a blog post about my own experiences with it, I haven't forgotten.

Say Cheese and Die! by R.L. Stine 4 stars

Cheesy evil camera fun.

The Stepsister by R.L. Stine 3.5 stars

It was fun. Kinda forgettable Fear Street book.

Zebra by Christopher Plumb and Samuel Shaw 4.5 stars

History that relates in some way to Zebras. Fascinating, infuriating (history is racist but if you don't know that by now where have you been?), interesting. I love Zebras. If you like history and animals, or even just Zebras in particular, i'd recommend it. I'm glad I picked it up for Nonfiction November!

Say Cheese and Die - Again! by R.L. Stine 1 star

So infuriating! Incredibly fat-shaming and all over WTF. My review says a bit more and I also agree with everything said Here on Mandi Coates's YouTube channel. Note the video has spoilers but goes in-depth. I just want to forget this book exists.

Perv: The Sexual Deviant in All of Us by Jesse Bering 5 stars

Very insightful, well researched, uncomfortable (but needing to be) and thought-provoking. A book I highly recommend! More in-depth review on Goodreads.

Monthly Average Rating: 3.85

I've continued The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales, reading 12 stories for November, and Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, reading 30 stories for November. I've also read some of the stories in Far Orbit: Speculative Space Adventures.

TV I Watched

I watched Say Cheese and Die and Say Cheese and Die Again of Goosebumps. Yes, even though I hated the second book. I didn't care for the tv episode of Say Cheese and Die Again but I don't think it was as bad as the book. I did enjoy the first episode of Say Cheese and Die. Still continuing with Supernatural (though I sometimes get an episode or 2 behind, but I watch on cwtv.com so I can't get too far behind) season 14. Love the Winchesters! I've also started a re-watch (hopefully I continue it this time) of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I've watched season 1 episodes 1 & 2 so far. I've watched 0 movies and listened to 0 podcasts (oops).

Youtube Videos Posted

Oct 2018 Wrap Up
Recent Reads #111-115 | 2018
Nov 2018 Book Haul

Blog Posts Posted

Oct 2018 Wrap Up
October 2018 Book Haul
A Secret Life: Surviving a Rare Congenital Condition by Greg Ryan book review
Top 5 Wednesday: Largest Books on my TBR
Top 5 Wednesday: Books I want to read before 2019
End of Year/December TBR aka Way Too Many Books

What have you read or otherwise done in November? Have you read any of the same books?

Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Instagram | Letterboxd | TV Time