State of the ARC is a monthly meme temporarily hosted by Sarah at All The Book Blog Names Are Taken meant to motivate you to finish up your long overdue ARCs (Advanced or Early Reader Copies). This is its original intention, while some bloggers have tweaked it a bit for their own purposes, such as just keeping ARCs in order by due dates. Or you can just be a hot mess like me who sometimes misses publishing dates (or ignores them altogether) and needs a way to stay organized on what has been read, reviewed, or is still begging for attention. Thank you to Evelina @ Avalinah’s Books for coming up with this super helpful monthly meme.

I finished October with 27 ARCs left to be read. 

As usual for 2023, November was a hectic month. It was physically and emotionally draining for me. Between the state of affairs in the world, and my own physical health, it was exceptionally difficult to focus on much. But I really tried, and managed to get a bit more reading done than I did last month. Maybe it was my own form of escapism, but whatever it was, I’m not complaining. I read one more book than I got approved for, so that’s a positive, and I clearly broke my requesting ban. I won’t be held responsible for that because there were some incredible authors putting out books that I absolutely had to ask for. My ratio is still at 92%, and I’m not quite as behind as I was, and hopefully will catch up in December. I’m aiming to start 2024 without any late NG ARCs haunting me.

I got approved for 8 new books in November:

• Inheritance by Nora Roberts
• The Clinic by Cate Quinn
• Strange Folk by Alli Dyer
• Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch
• An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
• The Therapy Room by Sam Baron
• Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
• Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber

These are the ARCs that I read and reviewed, with links to my reviews:

• The House Guest by Alison James — see my review here.
• Inheritance by Nora Roberts — see my review here.
• A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter — see my review here.
• The Maker’s Guide to Magic by Andrea Hannah — see my review here.
• The Reformatory by Tananarive Due — see my review here.
• The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan — see my review here.
• The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater — see my review here.
• My Tel Aviv Table by Limor Chen — see my review here.

Here are the ARCs I still have to read:

1. Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig | Amazon
2. A Victorian Grimoire by Patricia Telesco | Amazon
3. Spoon to be Dead by Dana Mentink | Amazon
4. The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen | Amazon
5. The Natural Home Wheel of the Year by Raechel Henderson | Amazon
6. Practical Candle Magic by Rachel Patterson | Amazon
7. Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch | Amazon
8. The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins | Amazon
9. The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes | Amazon
10. A Bean to Die For by Tara Lush | Amazon
11. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett | Amazon
12. The Clinic by Cate Quinn | Amazon
13. The Holocaust by Dan Stone | Amazon
14. Come and Get It by Kiley Reid | Amazon
15. Since She’s Been Gone by Sagit Schwartz | Amazon
16. Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita | Amazon
17. The Therapy Room by Sam Baron | Amazon
18. Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange | Amazon
19. An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson | Amazon
20. Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering | Amazon
21. Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano | Amazon
22. The Magic of Tarot by Leanna Greenaway | Amazon
23. Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku | Amazon
24. Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbiké-Íyimídé | Amazon
25. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth | Amazon
26. Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton | Amazon
27. Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber | Amazon
28. Strange Folk by Alli Dyer | Amazon

Which ARCs are you excited about this month? Do we have any in common? Have you already read any of the ones on my list?