Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

Audiobooks Q&A

Last week, Sarah’s Bookshelves Live had a really fun Patreon episode where she and a co-host ran through a list of questions about their audiobook listening routines, and well, I couldn’t help myself. I loved the discussion so much that I copied down the questions to answer them myself!

Why would someone choose to read an audiobook over the written word? (Or, another way of saying this: When do I intentionally choose audiobooks over the written word?)

I choose audiobooks to get more reading time into my life. I would read a lot fewer books if I wasn’t consuming 3-4 audiobooks every month. These days, around 33% of my reading life is audiobooks. And for someone who reads 100+ books every year, that’s a significant number of audiobooks! I’ve also found that I prefer listening to audiobooks for certain genres. For example, I like to listen to dense nonfiction books and character-driven novels on audio. In print, I’d likely DNF these books because they can feel a little tedious to read. When I’m listening while taking a walk or making dinner or doing chores, it’s a lot easier to consume something that may not be rapturously exciting.

There are certain types of books, too, that I intentionally choose to listen to. I love listening to memoirs (especially if they are read by the author, although not all authors should read their memoirs and that’s a hill I will die on). I love oral histories on audio because they usually have a full cast and it feels like listening to a dramatic play! And I really love listening to series that would otherwise fall to the wayside if I had to pick up each book in print. I only have so much space for print books in my reading life, so I want to make sure I devote it to the stuff I really want to read with my eyes. I’m all caught up with the Finlay Donovan series thanks to audio, and the only way I’ve stayed current with the Three Pines series is by listening to the audiobooks. (Although I still haven’t read the latest book – oops!)

Anyway, long story short: I read audiobooks because it allows me to consume so many more books than I would otherwise, and because certain genres and formats just work better for my brain on audio.

Do you experience books differently in audio than in print?

The answer to this is a resounding, of course! While I’m not here to debate if audiobooks “count” as reading (GTFO with that outdated opinion, thank you very much), I do think the way our brain processes audiobooks vs the written word is different. In some ways, it makes the reading experience so much richer. Listening to all of the Emma M. Lion books on audio has been the best treat for my ears. I’m excited to read them in print soon and see how that changes my relationship with the series (if it does at all!). I’ve also had experiences where I start an audiobook and quickly discover I need to pick up the print book. This just happened with the latest book in the Lady Sherlock series. I’ve done most of these books on audio, but I had a lot of trouble keeping track of all the characters and plotlines in the most recent one, so I DNF-ed it on audio and now have to figure out how to work it into my reading schedule.

I think there is something to be said for the fact that sometimes I don’t listen as closely as I should and miss details from time to time. But that happens with print books, too, because I tend to skim over long descriptive paragraphs. I think our brains take in information differently, whether orally or visually, and that’s also why audiobooks don’t work at all for some people. (It’s also why audiobooks can be a great option for auditory learners!) So yes, some types of books would probably be better to read with my eyes so I can really take in the information and slow myself down while reading, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t get enough out of an audiobook to understand what it was about or how it impacted me.

What are you doing that you can multitask and pay attention to your audiobook?

There are so many things I can do while listening to my audiobook:

  • Work (I have certain tasks that don’t require a ton of brainpower)
  • Making breakfast/lunch/dinner
  • My morning and evening routines
  • Going for walks
  • Doing chores
  • Playing a game on my phone
  • Coloring
  • Driving
  • Puttering around my apartment

There are certain instances where I won’t listen to an audiobook. I have a Bluetooth shower speaker, but I never listen to my audiobook while showering because the sound isn’t great to pay attention to dialogue and such. It’s fine to half-listen to a podcast, but I don’t enjoy listening to audiobooks in the shower. I also don’t listen to audiobooks at the gym. I just feel like I can’t concentrate as well as I want to!

And I should also say that I live by myself so I don’t have to worry about anyone else getting annoyed by my constant audiobook listening. I’m sure my audiobook listening time would vastly decrease if I started living with someone else!

How do you choose your audiobooks?

This one is easy, and it’s my most uncomplicated method of choosing books. But there’s still a bit of logistics involved because I can’t make anything too easy for me, right?! I flip through three different types of books every month:

  • Fiction
  • Mystery/thriller
  • Nonfiction

I try to always go in this order as I choose my books. The last book I read was a mystery (the latest Finlay Donovan, in fact!), so my next audiobook will be nonfiction. What I’ll do is open up Goodreads, go to my “want-to-read” list, and sort by date. I’ll start at the top or bottom of my list (depending on what book I chose previously—Finlay Donovan was near the bottom, so I’ll start from the top this time) and then make my way down the list until my eyes land on a book that falls into my genre parameters and interests me at this moment in time. Then I’ll check my audiobook apps (Libby and Hoopla) to see if the book is available as an audiobook on either one. I’ll also take a gander at the length because I am pretty averse to reading anything over 13 hours. As long as it’s available and doesn’t have a wait, I’ll snatch it up! If the wait is only a few weeks, I’ll get on the holds list and find a different book to read while I wait. Or, if it seems like a super popular book and I’m desperate to listen to it on audio, I’ll check Spotify. I get 15 audiobook hours every month with Spotify, so as long as I haven’t hit my limit, there’s a good chance I’ll just pick it up there.

However, I will say I broke my routine when I started reading the Emma M. Lion books. I had to! I wanted to read one right after the other, but I made myself read one Emma, then one non-Emma, then one Emma, then one non-Emma. I also forced myself to take a month-long break in May and July because I didn’t want to read the series too fast! Alas, I am now on the final book (for now) so I will be back to my regularly structured audiobook routine starting next week.

How do you rate an audiobook – are you rating the narration/performance, the book itself, or both?

I honestly try not to factor the narration/performance into my audiobook ratings. If the narration is particularly great, I might bump it up half a star because it makes the reading experience so much richer. But if the narration didn’t work for me, I try not to dock the book itself because of it. A great example of this is Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. The audiobook narrator was awful. So monotone, and it didn’t make any part of the reading experience richer. But I loved that book so much (and I know I would have DNF-ed it in print), so I suffered through the terrible narration and still gave the book 5 stars. Not all authors have any sort of say when it comes to the audiobook narrator and how it’s performed, so I don’t want to use that as a reason to give a book a bad rating.

Do you listen to audiobooks? Why or why not?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (8.10.26)

Game Changer by Rachel Reid (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2018

Short synopsis: A pro hockey star falls for the barista whose smoothies seem to bring him luck, but as their secret relationship deepens, he must decide whether his career is worth keeping the man he loves hidden.

This is the first book in Rachel Reid’s Game Changer series, which the show Heated Rivalry is based on. When I started the book, I wasn’t sure if it was going to work for me. Let’s just put it out there: The writing isn’t great. It’s pretty pedestrian, and the grammar errors made the editor in me crazy. But I kept reading because goddammit, I loved Scott and Kip so much! Their relationship was so sweet and heartwarming. It’s a bit instalove, which isn’t always my favorite, but I kinda didn’t care because I loved these two crazy kids and wanted them to make their relationship work. There are some overarching themes separate from the romance, such as Scott trying to decide if he’s ready to come out and Kip figuring out what to do with his life, but I must warn you that there is a lot of sex in this book. These two cannot keep their hands off each other! It wasn’t too much for me, but my tolerance for sex scenes is a lot higher than most people’s. All in all, even though I wanted the writing to be stronger, I couldn’t get enough of this book. Reid’s character work is top-notch!

The Compound by Aisling Rawle (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Fiction • 2025

Short synopsis: Lily joins a reality TV competition on a remote desert compound where contestants vie for luxury prizes and basic necessities, but as the producers push them into increasingly dangerous situations, she must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to survive.

The best way I can describe this book is to call it interesting. It’s the kind of book that was easy to set down, but I also got immediately engrossed whenever I picked it back up. None of the characters are particularly likable, least of all the main character, Lily. I felt the same way about the characters in Yesteryear—they’re pretty terrible people, but they’re fascinating to follow around. This is a book about consumerism and the lengths people will go to win, but it’s also about how much someone has to lose: if you don’t have an impressive job or a satisfying home life to go back to, you might be willing to make a lot more sacrifices than other people would. I also have to give the author credit for pulling all of this off as a debut; it’s an inventive premise with a genuinely interesting plot and well-written characters. It’s not a book I’d necessarily recommend, but it would make for a pretty interesting book club discussion.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 7 by Beth Brower (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Hoopla • Historical Fiction • 2023

Short synopsis: Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

Volume 7 of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion follows Emma through the spring of 1884, where her will-they-or-won’t-they becomes a lot more will-they. Emma is also trying to help her cousin Arabella through her season, in the hopes she will finally secure a husband. And Young Hawkes remains the most exceptional fictional character I’ve ever come across. Am I in love with him? Perhaps. Emma starts seeing all the different secrets the three men in her life are keeping from her, and it’s leading to some very exciting plotlines to come. I have one more volume to read, and then I have to wait for Beth Brower to release Volume 9. A travesty!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

July Reading Wrap-Up

Note: I’m currently having weird commenting issues, so if you try to comment and get a very angry “Access Denied” screen, it’s not you, it’s me. If you do get this error, could you be so kind as to let me know (my email is stephanywrites@gmail.com!). My hosting company has told me this is fixed, so it shouldn’t still be happening! 

Books Read

(7/7) Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein (★★★★★ – e-book, Libby, 2025) – a gorgeous story about the power of sisterhood and the sacrifices required of a family with a star athlete. I adored this book and everything it had to say about family, trauma, and healing.

(7/7) A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by K.J. Charles (★★★☆☆ 1/2 – e-book, Libby, 2023) – a m/m historical romance involving a few too many convoluted plotlines for me to keep up with. But the romance was a star!

(7/9) First Wife’s Shadow by Adele Parks (★★★★☆ – audiobook, Hoopla, 2025) – a domestic thriller that started off rough but quickly turned around thanks to some sensational twists and turns. It’s not a standout in the genre, but a great choice if you love a good domestic thriller.

(7/16) Go Gentle by Maria Semple (★★☆☆☆ – print, library, 2026) – one of the more disjointed stories I’ve read. It felt like this was three different books in one, and none of it made sense to me. I really liked the idea of a coven of older women living on the same floor of an apartment building in NYC, though. I wanted more of that, less of everything else.

(7/17) Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young (★★★★☆ – e-book, Libby, 2023) – a surprise pregnancy is not my favorite romance trope, but more and more authors seem to be doing it right, and this was definitely an example of that. I loved this!

(7/22) Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (★★★★★ – audiobook, Libby, 2021) – my first PRK book and it won’t be the last. In this book, he details the rise and (somewhat?) fall of the Sackler family, and it is insanely well-researched and well-written.

(7/26) No Matter What by Cara Bastone (★★★★☆ 1/2 – print, Book of the Month, 2026) – a lovely second-chance romance about a married couple who are trying to find their way back to each other after a traumatic event. It is beautiful, funny, and a reminder of the healing power of love.

(7/31) The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (★★★★☆ – print, Barnes & Noble, 2023) – a fictionalized retelling of Martha Ballard’s life, a midwife living in the late 1700s. This book is long and dense, but I fell head over heels for Martha!

(7/31) The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne (★★★☆☆ 1/2 – audiobook, Spotify, 2026) – an oral history of the beginnings of The Midnight Show, an SNL-type show that started in the 1980s. It also follows the meteoric rise of one female comedian and her disappearance after the second season.

Book Stats

  • # of books read: 9
  • # of pages read: 3,556
  • Genre breakdown: fiction (4), romance (3), nonfiction (1), thriller (1)
  • Format breakdown: print (3), audiobook (3), ebook (3)
  • Fastest read: A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (7 days)
  • Slowest read: The Frozen River (13 days)
  • Biggest reading day: July 31, 2026 (182 pages read, 3 hours, 58 minutes of audiobook listening)
  • Star average: 4

Superlatives

  • The best book I read in July: Empire of Pain
  • My favorite romance in July: Out on a Limb
  • The book I thought I would love more than I did: The Midnight Show
  • The book that might have been TOO literary for me: Go Gentle
  • The book that proved that Lisa is my best recommendation source: Spectacular Things

Reading Miscellaneous

Unread Shelf Project | July prompt: A book you bought on a whim: Cat’s People by Tanya Guerrero. I picked this up at a local indie during my reading crawl earlier this year. I bought it based solely on its gorgeous cover and was hoping for a sweet found family novel. Alas, I DNF-ed it after 43 pages. The writing style just wasn’t working for me, and I’m kinda tired of the “lonely woman who lives with her cats and everyone pities her” trope. (Books it beat out: A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch, So Far Gone by Jess Walter, and Little Bee by Chris Cleave.)

Where I traveled this month (in my books): It wasn’t an eclectic month of traveling through books, but I did get to enjoy some different time periods. For example, I was in present-day Maine as well as Maine in the late 1700s. I was in present-day NYC as well as NYC in the 1980s. And I visited Romney Marsh and Hampshire in England.

DNFs: One. My only DNF for July was Cat’s People.

Something I learned from my reading: There was a lot I learned about the practice of midwifery in the 18th century, and especially about specific laws and customs surrounding having children out of wedlock.

What’s Coming Up in August

  • The Clocks by Agatha Christie – I’m marching along in my quest to read all of the Hercule Poirot mysteries. I’m not reading them in order, but whenever I’m at a bookstore and see one I haven’t read, I pick it up and add it to my collection!
  • Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa – This is my pick for August’s challenge for The Unread Shelf Project, which is to read the shortest book on my shelves. At 147 pages, it fits the bill.
  • The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower – I only have two more volumes to read before I’m all caught up, and I’m both excited about being current and so sad I won’t have more Emma books to read for a while. I might start gathering print versions and reading them in that format next. I am obsessed. (Also, I feel very vindicated that one of my friends read the first book and was like, “Meh. I don’t get it.” I told her to keep reading, so she did, and she’s just as obsessed as I am now. YES!)
  • Wild Side by Elsie Silver – I’m excited to dive into the third book in Elsie Silver’s Rose Hill series. It’s a marriage of convenience trope, which I tend to really enjoy, so I hope this one works as well for me as her previous novels!

What were your favorite and least favorite books of July?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (8.3.26)

No Matter What by Cara Bastone (★★★★☆ 1/2)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Romance • 2026

Short synopsis: After a traumatic accident threatens the foundations of their happy marriage, a couple tries to rebuild and find their way back to each other—and themselves—in this tender, slow-burn romance.

When I started reading this book, I was convinced that, for the first time, Cara Bastone had written a dud. I thought this was going to be one of those books where I’m screaming, “Just talk to each other, goddammit!” And, for the first few chapters, that’s definitely how I felt. I was so frustrated by Roz and Vin and their inability to communicate. I chose to trust this author who has never let me down, and in doing so, she rewarded me with a gorgeous book about trauma, love, and finding your way back to each other. Roz and Vin’s love story is so beautiful, and I think the way the author showcased how a traumatic event can truly upend the foundation of your life was really special. I wanted these two to make it work more than anything because it was so obvious they loved each other, but they were just both drowning in PTSD. My only real qualm with the novel is that Roz never goes to therapy. She doesn’t even seem to recognize that what she’s experiencing is PTSD. Maybe I’m being a little unfair, but…girl. Go to therapy. You’re dealing with something incredibly difficult. As a millennial woman living in New York City, I found it hard to believe that going to therapy when her marriage is in peril never really crossed her mind.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Barnes & Noble) • Historical Fiction • 2023

Short synopsis: When a respected man accused of rape is found frozen to death in the river, midwife Martha Ballard is called to examine the body. As she begins investigating what others insist was an accident, she uncovers secrets that threaten her family, her reputation, and her community.

I had such an interesting experience with this book. It took me a long time to read it (nearly two weeks) because it’s long and dense. I considered abandoning it, but there was something about Martha (and her relationship with her husband, Ephraim) that kept me invested. It wasn’t necessarily the plot that kept me going, but it was Martha. She was such a fully formed character, someone who was so easy to root for. I kept reading because I needed to know everything would turn out okay for this brilliant woman. I’m astounded by the depth of research Lawhon must have done to bring this story to life. Small details—like the fines imposed on women who had children out of wedlock—are woven throughout the novel, creating a vivid picture of life in late eighteenth-century America. The birthing scenes were difficult to read, but also beautifully written and highlighted the incredible strength of women who endured childbirth again and again. This is the kind of book I want to recommend to everyone, with the caveat that it’s not a quick read, but definitely worth your time if you love a good historical fiction novel.

The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Marie Thorne (★★★☆☆ 1/2)

Audiobook • Spotify • Fiction • 2026

Short synopsis: An immersive, page-turning novel about surviving as a funny woman in the male-dominated world of comedy—and what happens when the most promising female star of her generation disappears.

I finished this book just a few days ago, and still, I’m kinda at a loss on how to talk about my feelings. It was… fine? It wasn’t groundbreaking or propulsive, and even the ending didn’t stand out for me. It’s an oral history about the beginnings of The Midnight Show (basically just Saturday Night Live, nothing creatively different about it) and specifically about Lillian Martin, a standout comedian who disappeared without a trace at the end of the show’s second season. I definitely recommend the audio since it’s a full cast, and oral histories are typically best in this format. That said, even at the end of the book, I still couldn’t keep all of the male comedians straight. I don’t know… maybe that was the point? The women all had distinct personalities and voices, while the men sort of blended into one big blob. Male comedians are a dime a dozen, right? Ha. Anyway, I wouldn’t necessarily say this is a bad book because it did keep my attention and I felt interested enough to keep listening. I think it could be a great choice for anyone who loves getting the behind-the-scenes details of SNL-type shows or reading books about comedians. It was just fine for me. (Recommendation source: Sarah’s Bookshelves Live)

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (7.27.26)

Go Gentle by Maria Semple (★★☆☆☆)

Print • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2026

Short synopsis: A Stoic philosopher’s carefully curated life on New York City’s Upper West Side is thrown into chaos when a handsome stranger draws her into a world of black-market art, international intrigue, and a buried past that forces her to risk everything for what she truly desires.

What even was this book? It definitely has shades of Where’d You Go, Bernadette with a wacky main character, but it didn’t have anywhere near the same charm or heart. Instead, it felt like Maria Semple had three different books she wanted to write and decided to shove them all into one. I may get slightly spoiler-y in my review, so here’s your chance to dip out if you plan on reading this book. The book is broken into three sections. There’s the beginning, where we’re introduced to Adora’s world and the coven she has created of other older, single women who all live on the same floor of her apartment building. We also learn about Adora’s job as a “moral tutor” for twins of a very rich family. This was the most interesting part of the book, and we didn’t spend nearly enough time here. Then things take a very decided left turn, and we’re taken back in time to Adora’s foray into the world of comedy writing. She joins an SNL-type show as the only female writer and is effectively fired after one season. Other things happen during that time that I won’t get into here to not spoil everything, but she learns a lot of hard lessons. And then, in the final section, we’re back in the present day where Adora is somehow involved in some black-market art deal that was supremely boring and didn’t really make a whole lot of sense to me. There was also a really eye-rolling love story intertwined that was more cringe than sweet. It all made for a disjointed reading experience that I wouldn’t recommend. Meh. (Recommendation source: Book Riot)

Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: Fiercely independent Win McNulty finds her carefully self-sufficient life upended when a one-night stand with charming stranger Bo leads to an unexpected pregnancy, forcing them to navigate friendship, impending parenthood, and the possibility that they might become something more.

My goodness, this book was adorable! I truly couldn’t get enough of Win and Bo. Their banter, their vulnerability, and the way they cared for one another was so sweet. They are both healing as they enter into this friendship-and-impending-parenthood thing: Win is still a little tender after getting out of a toxic relationship with a man who made her feel like her limb difference was a liability, while Bo is adjusting to life as an amputee after a cancer diagnosis. In their own ways, they both need each other—and this tiny baby growing in Win’s belly—in their own ways. I especially loved the disability representation and how naturally it was woven into the story. Their disabilities weren’t the entire focus of the book, but they weren’t pushed to the periphery either; they were simply part of who Win and Bo are and how they move through the world, especially for Bo, whose disability is still so new. The writing was smart and engaging, the romance was incredibly sweet, and I am so excited to read more from this author! (Recommendation source: Kim)

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Libby • Nonfiction • 2021

Short synopsis: A gripping investigation into three generations of the wealthy Sackler family, tracing how their pharmaceutical empire and aggressive marketing of OxyContin helped fuel the devastating opioid crisis.

This book has sat on my TBR list for years and years. It’s my first PRK book, and it most assuredly won’t be my last. A 500+ page narrative nonfiction book shouldn’t be as gripping as this was, but PRK has such an engaging writing style that it felt like I was listening to one of my favorite true crime podcast series. I don’t think I need to say much about what this book is about, but suffice it to say, I am truly disgusted by the Sackler family and proud of all the people—from the journalists breaking the original stories to the activists showing up to protest—who put their names and bodies on the line to make the truth about this family known. What made me angriest was seeing, over and over again, just how much money and power can shield people from consequences. The Sacklers made billions from a drug they aggressively marketed while communities were being devastated by addiction, and yet they were able to use their wealth, influence, and armies of lawyers to avoid anything resembling real accountability. It’s infuriating to read about the sheer amount of suffering tied to their actions and then realize how little they personally had to answer for it. This is a long audiobook—17 hours!—but it is well worth your time, both to understand how the Sacklers helped fuel the opioid crisis and to see just how corrupting wealth and power can be. (Although I’m guessing we don’t really need proof of that anymore, considering the way our government is being run these days…)

What are you reading?