My November in reading

With the exception of one audiobook, I dedicated the month of November to Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb series—easily some of the best books I’ve read in recent years. We do bones, motherfucker.

I reread Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth in preparation for reading the third book in what was originally supposed to be a trilogy—but I’m so grateful Alecto is coming our way next year!

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Poor Nona! She only wants to have a birthday party. If you’ve read the first two volumes of Muir’s Locked Tomb series, you may be taken aback by Nona—so sweet and guileless compared to Gideon and Harrow. (Which is especially funny, and a bit sad, since the whole novel you’re aware that Nona isn’t quite who she thinks she is or wants to be.) This book brings the return of some characters from the other houses who I was delighted to see. Nona almost struck me as Muir’s version of Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett—there’s a close-knit group of children, and some seriously strange adults who are trying to help those children navigate a horrible situation that they shouldn’t have to deal with in the first place. Of course, since this is the Locked Room trilogy, it’s a lot grosser than Good Omens. (There’s one particularly gruesome scene where Nona throws a tantrum.) We also learn a bit more about how John became God in this book, which is fun/tragic/monstrous. Nona’s epilogue might be my favorite thing I’ve read all year.

Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen (narrated by Natasha Soudek)

Did you know Johannes Kepler’s mother was tried for witchcraft in the early 1600s? I certainly didn’t—until I listened to this historical novel by Rivka Galchen. Narrated in turns by her neighbor Simon, fictional court transcripts, and Katharina Kepler herself, the book reveals how petty disagreements can have enormous consequences—and though we don’t try witches nowadays, the lesson still applies. The character of Katharina is very funny—she may not be a witch, but she’s certainly a busybody, overly proud of her children, especially Johannes. It did seem a bit long to me, but maybe that’s because I was listening to the audiobook—I read much faster with my eyes than with my ears. Overall I enjoyed this. If you like strong character voices and historical fiction, I think you’ll like this, too.