Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.6.23)

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McClain (★★★★☆)

The best way to go into this novel is to know it is not a thriller. It’s a literary mystery, which means it’s not going to be that fast-paced, page-turny, twisty story you may be expecting. Instead, it’s a slow-burn mystery that’s more about the main character’s struggles than it is about the mystery at the heart of this novel. This story is about Anna who has just gone through some sort of trauma in her personal life. Because of that, she and her husband are taking a break, and she is trying to find her way back to herself. She ends up in her old hometown of Mendocino, and the day she arrives is the day a local girl has gone missing. She immerses herself in the case (her work has entailed finding lost children, so she knows this process better than anyone) and in turn, may be losing herself in the process. I really liked this story. Anna is an easy character to root for, even when she’s making bad decisions. The author weaves in information about missing children, sexual assault, and kidnapping in a seamless way that made it feel like a part of the story. And while the book was a hard read at times, it was ultimately an impactful one for me. Trigger warnings abound in this book, so take care.

The Fine Print by Lauren Asher (★★☆☆☆)

What a disappointment this book was! Maybe it’s because the trope of the boss falling in love with his employee is icky to me, or maybe it’s because I really despise the trope of the “wealthy man buys everything he wants for his down-on-her-luck lover.” There’s just something vaguely misogynistic with this trope, and also because it’s nearly always the man who is the wealthy one. This romance is about Rowan and Zahra. Rowan is the grandson of the man who founded a Disney-esque theme park called Dreamland. There are now hotels and production companies and more; it’s all very clear that this is just Disney World (it’s even located in Orlando, sigh). After Rowan’s grandfather dies, he’s given a task in order to be given his shares in the company. He has to spend 6 months as the director of the theme park and unveil a new plan to take Dreamland to the next level. On his first day as director, he meets Zahra who is a park employee and it’s basically insta-love for him. Rowan ends up promoting her to their Creator division (where new rides and other creative endeavors are engineered) and then can’t stop bothering her. The number of times they had conversations right outside her cubicle and none of her coworkers had anything to say about the big boss spending all of this one-on-one time with her? NONE OF THEM?!

Anyway, this book was such a let-down and I was basically hate-reading it at the end. Neither characters were people I particularly cared for, and Rowan was definitely towing the line of love-bombing with everything he did for Zahra. It was a bit much. This review, though, really sums up my feelings about the book in a perfect way:

 

 

 

 

source

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson (★★★★★)

I’ve always struggled with how to rate memoirs, but in the case of this book, my struggle was that I wanted to give this book more than 5 stars. It was sensational! George M. Johnson is nonbinary, queer, and Black. They graduated high school the year before me, which means we grew up in the same era. It was a time when being queer wasn’t always a safe thing to be, and getting outed was an incredibly scary concept. George always knew they were queer, always knew they didn’t fit into the typical gender boxes as their peers, and always knew that these identities must be hidden. Throughout the memoir, George speaks about their family that was filled with other queer people (including a cousin who was trans) and coming out to them. They speak about getting jumped at age 5, a horrifying sexual assault involving a family member, and coming to terms with their queerness and identity in college. It’s a beautiful memoir about family and identity and queerness and being true to yourself. While I am a cis-gendered queer person, I could relate to many of George’s struggles of coming out. I am so, so glad they were given the platform to write this book because I know it’s going to help so many other Black queer kids feel seen and validated.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.25.23)

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson (★★☆☆☆)

Print • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2022

I loved Kevin Wilson’s previous novel, Nothing to See Here, so I was excited to pick up his newest release. This story is about Frankie and Zeke who are trying to figure out how to fill the time in a long summer break. Both are artists in their own way, and on a whim, they put together a poster with an enigmatic phrase and start hanging up copies of this poster all around town. This causes a widespread panic and everyone wants to know who is behind these posters. For me, this story didn’t have the same magic as Nothing to See Here. The characters weren’t as well-developed as I would have liked (and read way younger than they actually were). The story wasn’t very thrilling, but more meandering and pointless at times. It just didn’t really work for me, which makes me sad!

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Historical Romance • 2018

There was a lot to love about this book, most especially the introduction of a nonbinary character in historical romance! It’s rare to read about nonbinary characters anywhere, most of all in historical romance, and the addition was truly delightful. It made me wonder what it must have been like to be nonbinary at this point in history when there was no label or way of life to hold on to. Charity has been masquerading as Mr. Robert Selby for many years now. First, she did it to gain entrance to Cambridge so she could attend school and then, she continued living as a man because it’s what felt right and normal to her. And then there’s the Marquess of Pembroke. Alistair has been a reclusive for many years and it’s not until he meets Selby that he finally finds something worth coming out from his hermit ways for. I loved the way the relationship between Charity and Alistair grew over the course of this book, and I have to say, I was really curious as to how Sebastian was going to give them their happy ending. It seemed impossible! And that, my friends, is the sign of a fantastic romance novel. (Open-door romance.)

Note: I use the pronouns she/her and the character’s given name, as that is how they were referred to in the book.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary/Historical Fiction • 2022

This is our January book club pick, and it’s definitely a book that was written for book clubs. It’s rife with plot points that will be great for discussion. It’s one of those historical fiction novels that jumps back and forth between the past and the present. In the present, we meet Kayla who is a recent widow, having lost her husband in a freak accident while he was working on their home—the home they had been building together in a remote area. Days before she is going to move into her new home with her 3-year-old daughter, a woman comes into Kayla’s work to give her a scary warning about moving in. In the past storyline, we meet Ellie who is 20 years old and has decided to join the Summer Community Organization and Political Education (SCOPE). She’s a young girl living in the South in the 1960s, so obviously, her family and community are not very happy about this decision, but she goes against their wishes to join an organization she deeply cares about. Of course, as with all of these books, both storylines come together near the end. I found it to be a fascinating and propulsive read and I think we’ll have a lot to discuss at book club! There was a lot that happened in this book that was fairly predictable and I felt like things went a little off the rails near the end, but overall, I found it to be a fascinating look at what college students were doing at this pivotal time in history, right before the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. There are tons of trigger warnings for this book (Ellie’s chapters were hard to read for obvious reasons), so take care if you decide to pick this one up. But I definitely think it’s worth a read.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.16.23)

A Burning by Megha Majumdar (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Fiction • 2020

I think I’m still processing this book, as it was nothing like I expected. I went into it mostly blind, which isn’t my favorite way to start a book (I like having a general idea of what the plot is about), and it meant I was really surprised by what took place and how everything turned out in the end. The novel is about power and wealth, and the way both can be corrupted. It follows three people: Jivan, a young girl who has been accused of executing a terrorist attack; PT Sir, a gym teacher who begins to ascend in a right-wing political party; and Lovely, who aspires to fame and fortune and whose alibi could set Jivan free. It’s a mostly depressing story, although I found all of the characters to be super compelling and people I could root for (well, not so much PT Sir, but there was a humanness to him and his struggle that was fascinating to explore). Listening to it on audio was the way to go, I think, as each character was voiced by a different person and it really made the story come alive for me.

What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Nonfiction • 2020

I have had Aubrey Gordon’s book on my list for a long, long time (probably since she announced it!) and I am so glad I finally picked it up last week. I love Aubrey’s podcast, Maintenance Phase, that she co-hosts with Michael Hobbes, and this book continues the work she is doing on that podcast to help people unlearn their fatphobic tendencies. Aubrey is honest, vulnerable, and forthright when she talks about the harassment and bullying she has experienced as a very fat person—from a doctor who told her to “lose weight” to help heal an ear infection to a stranger in the grocery store removing a canteloupe from Aubrey’s grocery cart because, as the stranger insisted, “it had too much sugar.” She argues about the justice and the real systemic change that is needed to stop the harms that occur to fat people on a daily basis. I was in the middle of reading this book when I had a very discouraging doctor’s visit where my own concerns weren’t taken seriously and instead, the doctor wanted to talk to me about weight loss. While I haven’t had to deal with nearly the amount of harassment as Aubrey (and have typically had very positive experiences with the medical community!), it reminded me that we have so far to go in our society. This is a book that I think would be especially beneficial for those that experience thin privilege. If you’ve never had to worry about asking for a seat extender on an airplane, or a doctor not taking you seriously because of your weight, or being harassed by strangers because of your size… I encourage you to pick up this book to better understand what it’s like to live in a fat body.

The work of straight-size people will need to be courageous, vulnerable, and uncomfortable. It will require them to get painfully honest with themselves, acknowledging that they have been trained to judge and marginalize fat people, and, whether they intend to or not, they are active participants in perpetuating and expanding anti-fatness. They will need to interrogate and jettison all the ways, big and small, that they’ve come to marginalize fat people, from posting triumphant before and after weight-loss photos to reassuring themselves that ‘they’re not that fat’ when they see a body like mine. And they will need to come to a deep understanding and belief that their body—their very own—is not necessarily an accomplishment, not a reward, not a reflection of a laudable work ethic or intense tenacity, but of a series of factors that are largely out of their own control.

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Libby • Historical Romance • 2004

This might be my favorite book in the Bridgerton series! I have been very vocal about my “meh-ness” about this series and wishing Netflix had picked up a better historical romance series to make a show about, but I really loved Francesca’s story. She’s been pretty absent in the Netflix series so far, and even in the book series, as the last we heard about her was that she was recently widowed after her husband of just a few years died suddenly. This story starts with Francesca’s husband’s death as a prologue and then picks up four years afterward when she decides she’s ready to get married again because she’s desperate to become a mother. Then there’s Michael, who has loved Francesca from afar for years, even when she was married to his cousin. When his cousin died, he inherited the earldom and quickly fled to India, but now he’s back in London and he realizes his love for Francesca has not waned one bit. I love a good unrequited love trope, and this one was really sweet. I wish the author had given us more insight into Francesca’s desire for motherhood because it kind of disappeared after it was initially brought up. This story is spicy so prepare yourself for some very hot sexytimes! I thought they were *chef’s kiss*. All in all, a really delightful romance with characters I loved to root for and a propulsive plot that was fun to follow along with.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.11.23)

I kicked off my 2023 reading year with three 5-star reads in a row! I feel like that very rarely happens, so it’s always a pleasant surprise when it does. Here are three books I would highly recommend!

Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis (★★★★★)

This was such a lovely book to start my 2023 reading year. It’s about Noelle and Sam who find themselves spending eight hours together on a random winter afternoon when a blizzard closes down the roads and they find themselves stuck on a highway, waiting for it to reopen. Noelle needs a phone charger and Sam can help with that. They have a sweet time together, getting to know each other while Noelle charges her phone, but then the roads open and they leave, never to see each other again. Except they do. Over the next few months, chance encounters put them together again and again and again, until Noelle has to ask, “Is this fate?” I love the way Lia Louis writes romances (I rated her other book, Dear Emmie Blue, 5 stars as well!) Noelle’s story just pulled at my heartstrings and I love all of the secondary plots happening in the midst of her love story with Sam, which really didn’t take center stage until late into the book. It’s a slow-burn romance with no sexy scenes, so it’s the perfect one if you’re just looking for a sweet story about a girl trying to find herself.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (★★★★★)

I was hoping to get to this book last year, but I didn’t request it in time. If I had, it most definitely would have been my favorite myster/thriller of the year! (So yes, it’s already a contender for a favorite of 2023.) This book has gotten so much buzz and I was so worried it would fall flat for me, but it lived up to all of my expectations! In this novel, Jen witnesses her 17-year-old son murder a stranger right in front of her. He’s arrested and she goes to sleep that night filled with fear and worry and crushing heartbreak. The next morning, she wakes up and it’s the day before the murder. The next time she wakes up, it’s two days before the murder. Over and over again, Jen wakes up on a day she’s already lived and she soon realizes she’s in a time loop and she doesn’t know why. Is she supposed to stop the murder? Is she supposed to find out why her teenage son becomes a murderer? This novel was filled with so many twists and turns, and I loved every single minute of it. It was such an inventive way to tell the story and the ending was *chef’s kiss*. A must read, if you love thrillers!

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny (★★★★★)

This is the 18th (!!) book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, and how Louise Penny continues to write such perfect books so far into a series is beyond me. I won’t get into the nitty-gritty details of this book because this series MUST be read in chronological order, and I don’t want to give any plot points away for those of you who are not as far into the series as I am. What I will say about this novel is that the central mystery was excellent and I just love the way Penny plays with these ideas of criminal psychology and fear and love and culture. It all comes together in such a unique way. This book was pretty dark at times, but still, I loved it so very much.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books, Recurring Series

Best of 2022 | My Favorite Reads

And here we are: my favorite “Best of 2022” post to research and write. It’s time for my annual review of my best reads of 2022 (and some fun superlatives). I love putting this post together, going through all of my 5-star reads and trying to figure out which ones deserve to be listed as my absolute favorites. This year, I struggled between two books for my overall favorite book of 2022. I went back and forth between them for days, unsure which one really deserved the top spot. I thought, “Maybe I make them both my favorites?” But I am nothing if not tied to my structure, and I forced myself to choose a favorite. I’m pretty happy with my final decision; it feels right!

Like the past few years, this post is broken down into my overall favorites (favorite overall book, favorite fiction, favorite nonfiction, and favorite romance), my favorites by genre, and then some fun superlatives (many of these categories came from the end-of-year episode from Sarah’s Bookshelves Live). Let’s get into it!

Overall Favorites

Favorite Overall Book

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau – When I came across this title as I was compiling a list of all my 5-star reads from 2022, my heart skipped in my chest. Yes. I remember this book. I remember how it made me feel. I remember these characters and the strong sense of place and the way I felt when I finished this novel. It was a beautiful story about family and religion and chosen family and love and motherhood and music and growing up. Mary Jane is a character I loved from the moment she appeared on the page and I only grew to love her more with every new thing I learned about her. It’s the kind of book that reminds me why I love reading so very much. It most definitely has earned its place as my favorite book of 2022.

Favorite Fiction

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – The book that oh-so-nearly took my top spot. This was a favorite of many people this year, and I am so happy about that because it’s an excellent read. I loved the main character, Elizabeth Zott, who is trying to be a scientist during a time when women were supposed to stay home and tend to the kids. She encountered sexism, difficult managers, and more, and ultimately, winds up teaching chemistry to mothers via her cooking show. This book was a pure delight (though it is filled with heavy themes; do not be fooled by its fun cover!) and I enjoyed being in this world so much.

Favorite Nonfiction

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad – This book was a masterpiece. Suleika Jaouad has such a beautiful way of writing, and how she managed to write about her cancer diagnosis in her early twenties, the cancer treatment that nearly killed her, and the road trip she took when she was declared cancer-free is beyond me. This book is magnificent. It’s brutal. Suleika doesn’t shy away from showing us all facets of herself: the good and the bad. Cancer patients aren’t angels on earth: they are real humans going through one of the shittiest things a person can go through and aren’t always the most pleasant people to be around. I was sad to learn that Suleika’s leukemia had returned in late 2021, but from her Instagram, she seems to have finished treatment and can now focus on healing and getting her life back. I can only hope she has many, many years of health and happiness ahead of her.

Favorite Romance

Book Lovers by Emily Henry – How could I have any other book as my favorite romance of the year? This book gave me all of the happy feels, and I believe it is the book that has finally edged out The Hating Game as my all-time favorite romance. Nora and Charlie’s banter and the sweet way they fell in love just warmed my heart, and it was the kind of book I coudn’t put down and thought about long after I finished it. I thought it was realistic, completely adorable, and didn’t fall for many of the romance tropes that grind my gears. I loved it!

Favorites by Genre

Favorite Literary Fiction

N/A – I went through my list and I didn’t read too much literary fiction this year and what I did read wasn’t anything I could list as a “favorite.”

Favorite Contemporary Fiction

All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle – This was such a sweet book about a lovable curmudgeon, which is one of my favorite fiction tropes. Hubert Bird is a lonely man who is living alone and sustains himself with his regular phone calls with his daughter who lives in Australia. He lies to her during these phone calls, talking about all the things he’s doing and people he’s seeing, when he’s not doing anything or seeing anyone. The story is about how Hubert forms his own community to ease his loneliness (and prove to his daughter that he does have friends), and it was just so beautiful.

Runner-Up: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Favorite Historical Fiction

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I know some people balk at calling this historical fiction since part of it takes place in the 1990s. But y’all, that was 30 years ago at this point and I feel confident calling this historical fiction. This is the story of Carrie Soto, a tennis legend, and her return to the court to win back her title. Carrie is unapologetically herself and, well, she can be a bit of a bitch, but there was just something about her that I loved and couldn’t get enough of. This story was propulsive, fun, and I flew threw it. (Note: There has been some criticism of Taylor Jenkins Reid, a white woman, writing about a Latina character. Since these criticisms are coming from people of color, I do take their criticisms to heart and hope TJR does as well. It’s not that white people cannot write about POC; it’s about the fact that the majority of writers who are POC are not given the same publishing dollars and platform as white authors like TJR. More here.)

Runner-Up: The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

Favorite Contemporary Romance

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake – Before I read this book, I had yet to read a satisfying sapphic romance. Most of the ones I’d read didn’t feel realistic or were really bland and boring. But this one had everything I wanted in a good f/f romance: witty characters, a propulsive plot, a great meet-cute, and a dark moment that felt totally realistic. I loved it so much!

Runner-Up: The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

Favorite Historical Romance

A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy – This book is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover. The cover is… not great, but the story inside more than makes up for it. It’s a really fun historical romance involving a husband and wife who only saw each other on their wedding day, and the next time they come across each other, it’s two years later on the streets of London… and they don’t even recognize each other. What a fun concept, huh?! I loved it, mostly because enemies-to-lovers is my jam.

Runner-Up: Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare

Favorite YA

Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian – This was such a magnificent story about three teens growing up in the middle of the AIDS crisis at the end of the 1980s. Each holds a different connection to AIDS: Judy, whose uncle has AIDS; Art, who documents the AIDS crisis through photographs; and Reza, who is hiding his sexuality because he’s scared of AIDS. It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking story about how the AIDS crisis was affecting teens during this time, and I am so grateful to the author for writing it.

Runner-Up: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Favorite Mystery/Thriller

The Maid by Nita Prose – If I was still listing out my favorite books 1-10, this book would be high on the list. It was such a fun thriller and I liked that it was more about Molly, the main character, and the found family she created for herself than the mystery at the heart of the novel. Molly was a character I couldn’t help falling in love with. She was so sweet and I wanted to protect her at all costs. When I finished this book, I hugged it to my chest.

Runner-Up: The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard

Favorite Memoir/Essay Collection

You Got Anything Stronger: Stories by Gabrielle Union – This was such a beautiful essay collection from Gabrielle Union, covering so many topics. Some of the more poignant essays were Gabrielle talking about her struggle to conceive and ultimately using a surrogate, her stepchild coming out as trans and how she and her husband (Dwyane Wade) responded, and the time she found herself in a white supremacist bar in Croatia in 2019 and had to run for her life. She is open and vulnerable, talking about motherhood, aging, life in Hollywood, and more.

Runner-Up: A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold

Superlatives

The Most Disappointing DNF

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – I was really excited to start this book and thought it was going to be a home run, but it turned out, I was really, really bored by the plot and gave it up after about 150 pages. I really gave it a try, but it was not for me. At least right now.

The Most Disappointing Book I Read

The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin – I recently reviewed this book on my blog, so you guys know why I was so disappointed in this book. There were multiple instances of fatphobia, casual racism, and classism. This book was written in 2018, and the author should know better.

The Book I Was Most Surprised to Love

How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love by Logan Ury – I have never had any inclination to read a book about dating, but a friend recommended this to me and I decided I had nothing to lose. Imagine my surprise when I ended up loving this book and taking so much away from it! Logan Ury packs in so much interesting tidbits about the science of dating as well as practical tips for making dating apps work better for you.

The Book I Thought I Would Love More Than I Did

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – Everyone I know has raved about this book so I jumped into it with high expectations, but it just fell flat for me. I think it was just not the right book for me, but I can understand why other people love it!

Most Deserving of the Hype

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy – This book got all of the buzz in the last quarter of 2022, and I think it was well-deserved. I listened to the book on audio, and while it was a hard book to listen to at times due to the relentless abuse McCurdy suffered from her mother, it was impactful and I am so glad she was able to write this book for herself, if for nothing else.

Least Deserving of the Hype

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz – Ughhh, this book. It was such a slog. The main character, Jacob, was so boring and one-dimensional and the foreshadowing was heavy-handed. I also thought the book within the book (which was supposed to be this best-selling masterpiece) was not really that well-written. Maybe I’m just not into white male protagonists anymore. Anyway, this novel got a ton of buzz in 2021 but I just didn’t get it.

The Book I Loved That Other People Hated

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan – This book has a pretty low Goodreads rating (3.67) but I gave it 5 stars! I think I just read it at the right time because the whole premise just worked perfectly for me, and I flew through the book. I think it’s a book that would be hard to read in the post-Roe America we live in now, though.

The Book I Hated That Other People Loved

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery – This book has a 4.11 rating on Goodreads, and I HAVE QUESTIONS. This is the kind of book that did not age well, and did not have the same charm as Anne of Green Gables. It also involved a really troubling relationship between Emily (age 11) and a family friend (age 36), especially since he routinely asked her if she found him attractive. Gross.

The Underrated Gem of the Year

Susannah Nix’s “King Family” series – I had a hard time choosing a book for this category, as I didn’t read too many underrated books that I really, really loved. In the end, I chose the King Family series by Susannah Nix. This is a contemporary romance series, and I really want Nix to be a lot more popular than she currently is. She writes such fun romances and I devour each and every one! Plus, how can you deny titles such as “Cream and Punishment,” “Pint of Contention,” and “Mint to Be”? COME ON.

What was your favorite book of 2022? What book did you read in 2022 that you don’t think was worth the hype?