Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

Bookish Q&A

A few weeks ago, Engie posted a bunch of fun bookish questions that she got from a podcast and I am fully stealing these prompts to reflect on my own reading life. Let’s get into it!

1) How do you define mood reading and are you a mood reader?

I define mood reading as taking into account your emotions and how you’re feeling currently when choosing what book to read next. Mood readers don’t stick to a strict TBR list when deciding their next book. Rather, they might have a stack of library books at their bedside table and once they finish their current read, they will peruse that stack of books to decide which one feels right for them to read right now. Maybe that’s a romance because they just read a heavy book or because they’re having a tough week and want something light. Or maybe that’s a fast-paced thriller to get out of a book slump.

I am not a mood reader. I have a very strict TBR list that I try not to deviate from. (More on that below!)

This is not to say I am never a mood reader. Usually, if I’m going through something really difficult (a big change, grief, high anxiety, etc.), I will stick to solely reading romances because they’re easy and light and exactly what I need at the moment. But generally, mood reading is not my thing.

2) Do you have a TBR? Do you stick to it?

Yes and yes. I keep many different TBR lists, such as shelving things as Want to Read on Goodreads, keeping up a list of romances I want to read, and buying books (my bookshelves are their own version of a TBR list). I pull from those lists to create a smaller TBR that I follow. Here’s what it looks like right now:

I read one romance in between each of my other categories:

  • Must Reads – books I want to read ASAP (these are books that have been recommended to me a lot or are very buzzy right now)
  • Books I Own – I pick a section of one of my bookshelves and choose an unread book to slot into the category
  • Goodreads TBR – I use a random number generator to generate a number that correlates to my Goodreads want-to-read shelf

3) Do you cry reading books? If so, what books have made you cry?

It’s rare for me to cry but it does happen. I remember tearing up at the end of The People We Keep by Allison Larkin, but mostly for happy reasons. I cried a lot when I read Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin—that book tore me up. I’m sure there have been other instances but I can’t remember them off the top of my head!

4) Do you use reading to escape, learn, or critically reflect?

I use reading to escape and to learn. I credit reading as to why I went from a very conservative Republican (I was hugely anti-abortion and a huge George Bush fan at one time!) to a liberal Democrat because I took the time to read about different perspectives and cultures, and it caused me to do a deep internal shift on my values and what I want from our society as a whole. I love the escape I get from reading (romance is my favorite genre, after all!), but I also want to continue learning and growing as a person through what I’m reading. That’s why I am so committed to reading diversely and reading as many books about social justice and antiracism as possible.

5) What is a book that made you laugh out loud?

Oh, this is hard because it’s rare for a book to make me laugh out loud. This is going to be a very odd choice but the books that Amber Ruffin and her sister Lacey Lamar have published have had a very cheeky tone to them, even when they’re talking about really awful racist incidents they’ve dealt with. Some of the back-and-forth banter in their books has made me laugh out loud. (You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism and The World Record Book of Racist Stories)

6) What is a book that you don’t really know how to feel about?

Hmm… maybe Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. On the one hand, I understood that she was trying to show us a dystopian society that doesn’t look too scarily different from our current reality. But on the other hand, I’m not really sure the point she was trying to make and I think a lot of it got lost in flowery language.

7) Are you more likely to read on a sunny day or a cloudy day?

The weather doesn’t dictate when I’m going to read—I read almost every day regardless of the weather.

8) Do you usually “set the mood” when you read? Candles, lights, etc.?

Nope. I mean, I’ll make sure I have good lighting (whether that’s natural or artificial) so I’m not straining my eyes to read, but I don’t set up any sort of cozy ambiance when I’m reading. I do love to read in my cozy chair in my room and maybe I’ll have a cup of coffee next to me, but that’s about it for setting the mood.

9) Can you leap from book to book or do you need buffer time between books?

I am most definitely a leaper! That’s the benefit of not being a mood reader—I know exactly what’s coming up next to read so I grab the book, a new bookmark, and get to it!

Do you read to escape, learn, or critically reflect?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.22.24)

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Mystery • 1937

Short synopsis: The tranquility of a lovely cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot. She was young, stylish, rich, and beautiful, a girl who had everything – until she lost her life. Despite the exotic setting, nothing is ever quite what it seems…

My second Agatha Christie novel for this challenge, and it was another 4-star read for me! It’s a slower-paced novel, with the murder not happening until more than 100 pages into the novel, but once that happens, everything kicks into high gear and doesn’t stop moving until the end. I had a feeling about this murder and who might be the culprit, and while my instincts were correct, the reasoning was all wrong. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but thankfully I could flip back to the first chapter where everyone is introduced and their reasons for being on the ship are revealed. That was helpful! This was my second Christie novel where everything took place in a closed environment (this time, it was a ship) so I think I need my next Christie to have a different type of setting/plot. But so far, so good on this challenge of mine!

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Library • Historical Fiction • 2020

Short synopsis: The Exiles is the story of three women—Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna—who are all struggling to survive in their own ways. It’s the 1840s and Evangeline is sentenced to 14 years in prison for assault (the circumstances of which are a little suspicious). She’s also pregnant and has to endure a harrowing overseas journey to complete her sentence at Van Diemen’s Land, a penal colony in Australia. Hazel is also on that journey—she’s been sentenced to 7 years for stealing a silver spoon. And Mathinna is an Aboriginal girl who has been forcibly removed from her tribe and “adopted” by the white governor of Van Diemen’s Land. 

This was such a heavy book. It was one of my suggestions for March book club, and I think it will lend to a very good discussion, but I couldn’t listen to more than an hour a day of the novel because it was so harrowing. (I really struggle with plots about prison; it’s a big anxiety trigger for me.) But it was also so interesting. I knew little about how Australia was colonized and even less about how it was essentially colonized as a penal colony. It’s something I would get an offhand reference to in historical romances (“he was convicted and sent to Australia”), but I hadn’t realized how horrific it truly was, and how it displaced Aboriginal people. There were a lot of hard things in this novel, but this was also a beautiful portrait of female friendship and female empowerment. I loved the way the women came together in this story, and I thought the novel wrapped up in a wonderful way. It’s a novel I would have a hard time recommending to everyone, but if you’re not scared off reading a heavy historical book, pick this one up.

Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Library • Historical Romance • 2022

Short synopsis: Adelaide Frampton is known as the Matchbreaker—she uses her superior skills as a thief to help brides avoid the alter. Henry, Duke of Clayborn, has spent his life building an impeccable reputation free from salacious gossip. When the two find themselves on a breakneck journey across Britain to stop a wedding, Clayborn finds it impossible to resist this woman who both frustrates and fascinates him.

I haven’t read a Sarah MacLean romance in quite a while, and I missed her books! In my opinion, she’s writing the best historical romances out there, even if they may be a bit anachronistic. But eh, it doesn’t bother me and I’d much rather read about a badass group of women taking over London than the true reality of women during this time period, you know? This book was so much fun—I loved Adelaide’s character so much and the way she easily went toe-to-toe with Henry. The way they fell in love with each other was so sweet, and I loved the way everything came together at the end. There were so many badass ladies in this novel—from the leader of the “girl gang” that Adelaide is a part of to all the women who are part of their network in different inns and bars throughout London. If you’re looking for a fun historical romance that’s full of female empowerment, give this one a try! (And, really, all of Sarah MacLean’s romances.)

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

My Bookish Red Flags

Do you have any bookish red flags? I can’t remember where I heard people talking about this concept (maybe it was an episode of Currently Reading?), but I was immediately here for the topic. While I don’t think I have relationship red flags, I for sure have bookish ones. Let’s discuss.

1) I use my Kindle without a cover. I used to have a cover for my Kindle, and maybe someday I will again, but for now, I like being able to hold a naked Kindle in my hand. It’s so much easier! I have a little pouch that I’ll put my Kindle in if I’m going to take it out of my apartment so it’s protected during travel, but otherwise, I let it be naked and free.

2) I read in the bathtub. We all know I love my bubble baths and what I love most about them is being able to sneak in some reading time while I’m taking a bath. It can be a dangerous prospect (see above: naked Kindle), but I have a lifetime of reading in the bath under my belt so I’m much better about keeping my book/Kindle dry than I was when I was a kid. (We won’t talk about the number of times I dropped a Baby-Sitter’s Club book in the bathtub, oops.)

3) I prefer Goodreads to StoryGraph. I know it’s not cool to like Goodreads anymore, and I do appreciate that StoryGraph is a woman-owned company, but I am still partial to Goodreads. All of my friends are there so I get to keep up on what they’re reading. And I find the interface easier to navigate than StoryGraph. (I have started using StoryGraph this year—I’m rating books once I finish reading them—but until more people are using that app, I’ll stick to Goodreads.)

4) Even if a book is highly recommended (either by a friend or a podcast), I won’t add it to my list if it has less than a 3.7 star rating on Goodreads. This is my most toxic trait, I think. Sometimes a podcaster will rave about a book and tell me why they loved it. If it sounds like a book I would like, too, I’ll pull up my Goodreads app to add the book to my shelf. But if I find out it has a 3.6 rating on Goodreads, I exit out of the app without adding it to my want-to-read shelf. Why do I do this to myself?

5) I don’t buy books that have ugly covers. I opted for the Kindle version of My Brilliant Friend rather than buying the book because I really don’t like the cover. There have been a few Agatha Christie mysteries that I’ve wanted to buy for my reading challenge but all of the covers are so displeasing to the eye that I’ve put off purchasing them. (And I’ll probably end up just getting the Kindle versions because I need my book covers to be pretty!) Sometimes, I’ll opt to pay more for a hardcover version of a book if the paperback isn’t aesthetically pleasing. RED FLAG.

What are some of your bookish red flags?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.11.24)

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (indie bookstore) • Fiction (Speculative?) • 2022

Short synopsis: After experiencing a lifetime of debilitating depression, Dorothy begins an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma. In doing so, she intimately connects with past generations of women in her family—starting with Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to come to America.

This book was compulsively readable. It had such an easy writing style, even though the topics being discussed could be harrowing. This is a story of generational trauma and the impact it has on generations of a family. It’s also about so many badass women doing what they can to survive throughout history. It’s truly amazing to see the legacy of Afong Moy’s family line throughout the years. The heart of this novel, though is Dorothy and wanting to create a better legacy for her daughter, Annabel. I really loved the ending sequence of this book, although some of it felt a bit out there for me (who likes books firmly rooted in reality) because it showcases how one simple change can have lasting impact. All in all, I loved this book and would easily recommend it.

You, with a View by Jessica Joyce (★★★★★)

E-Book • Library • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: Noelle is grieving the unexpected loss of her grandma when she comes across a box filled with love letters and pictures of a man who was not Noelle’s grandfather. She creates a viral Tik Tok video to find the man in the pictures. She finds the man, but what she doesn’t expect is that the man’s grandson is Theo, her former high school nemesis.

I loved, loved, loved this romance. I had the silliest grin on my face the entire time I was reading. It was the kind of book I couldn’t put down but also wanted to savor. And I was seriously sad when I finished it because I just wanted more of Noelle and Theo. The author covered a lot of subjects in this novel—grief, success, failure, love, family, etc.—and she did it all with a deft hand. I loved the natural arc of Noelle and Theo’s relationship, as well as their own character arcs as they are dealing with their own issues that they need to deal with. There is a dark moment in this book, but it wasn’t one stemming from miscommunication or anything over the top. It felt like a really honest moment that could happen in any relationship, and it was resolved perfectly. I can’t wait to reread this book at some point, and I’m super excited to learn that the author has a new romance coming out in July!

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Library • Fiction • 2021

Short synopsis: An electrifying novel about the meteoric rise of an iconic interracial rock duo in the 1970s, their sensational breakup, and the dark secrets unearthed when they try to reunite decades later for one last tour.

I tried this novel in print first, but it wasn’t working for me so I set it down in favor of listening to the audiobook. And that was the right choice because I ended up loving this book. This novel is narrated by a full cast of characters (with Bahni Turpin as Opal, which was perfect casting) and I couldn’t get enough of it. There is a very specific scene that was very hard to listen to—it made my stomach turn but it was so well-written with vivid detail that I had to commend the author for making me feel so much for something that never even happened! This novel can be compared to Daisy Jones and the Six because both novels are (fake) oral histories of iconic (fake) 70s-era bands, but that’s where the similarities end. I loved both books immensely for vastly different reasons. This book had a message to it and by the end of the novel, I felt so deeply for these characters and their stories, and so grateful to Dawnie Walton for writing this story.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.4.24)

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks (★★★☆☆)

Print • Library • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: Callum has been given an ultimatum by his now-deceased grandfather: He must marry by 35 or else he will lose his family’s funeral home. Enter: Lark. No, she’s not interested in becoming his wife. After all, she’s still grieving the loss of her husband two years ago. But she’s more than happy to help Callum in his search for a wife! But the more time she spends with Callum, the more uncertain she is about Callum ending up with anyone other than her.

Generally, these ultimatum tropes—must marry before X age or else!—are not my favorite. I just don’t think it’s a very realistic trope? Then again, are any of these romance tropes realistic? Probably not. What I loved about this book was the setting: It took place in Galway, Ireland, which is a city I’ve visited and loved. I also really loved the rapport between Callum and Lark. They were very sweet to each other, and I loved the simple, natural way they fell in love with each other. Additionally, I loved that Callum was demisexual (someone who is only sexually attracted to people they have built a close emotional bond with). What a great detail! What I didn’t love about this book was Lark’s character. Lark seemed like a very unevenly drawn character: Outside of work, she was this sunny, confident person who was always up for an adventure. At work, she was shy and insecure. She was supposed to be leading a team, but she let people on her team push her around, and I just so badly wanted her to stand up for herself. It was really hard to read the scenes at her workplace because what was happening to her was wholly unacceptable. All in all, it was a fine romance but I wish the author had given Lark a bit more gumption.

The Seven-Year Slip by Ashley Poston (★★★☆☆)

Audiobook • Spotify • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: Clementine is reeling from the sudden loss of her beloved aunt and, for the time being, is living in her apartment. One day, she comes home and there’s a strange man named Iwan in her apartment. He tells her that Clementine’s aunt is letting him stay there. Only this man exists seven years in Clementine’s past. What happens when she tries to find him in the present?

I listened to this book and it’s one of the few times where I think I would have enjoyed the novel a lot more if I had read it in print. The narrator’s style just didn’t work for me; she was overly dramatic and made the writing feel really cheesy. I loved the unique take on time travel in this novel: It only happened in this specific apartment and Clementine could never quite predict when it would happen. Some days, she would come home and her apartment would be firmly in the present. Other days, it would be seven years in the past. I also loved the slow, sweet way Clementine and Iwan began to fall in love in this apartment. I think this novel, at times, could be a bit too predictable. I never like to use that term when reviewing romance novels because they are supposed to be predictable. But the foreshadowing in this novel was heavy-handed and I would have appreciated a defter plot.

How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety by Ellen Hendrikson (★★★★☆)

Print • Library • Nonfiction (Self-Help) • 2018

Short synopsis: Dr. Ellen Hendrikson takes readers on a journey to better understand the roots of social anxiety and why it endures—and how we can rewire our brains through our behavior. Using her techniques to develop confidence, think through the buzz of anxiety, and feel comfortable in any situation, you can finally be your true, authentic self.

I really loved this book. I struggle with social anxiety and it can often be a very isolating experience. There are times when I’m at Starbucks with Mikaela and the thought of going up to the register to order my drink feels insurmountable. So I order the drink from my phone instead. I have such a hard time making conversation with people I don’t know. My mind just goes completely blank—what questions was I supposed to ask? I have to really push myself to be social because it’s not in my nature. My nature is to stay at home where everything feels safe. But that’s not what I truly want. What I truly want is to experience the world around me, form strong connections with people, and let my full self live out loud. This book does an excellent job of breaking down exactly what social anxiety is and why some of us struggle with aspects of social behavior that come so easily to others. And then she breaks down how we can get ourselves to a place where we don’t feel so defined by our anxiety. My social anxiety is so much better than it used to be, but I still have a ways to go. It will always be something I struggle with, of course, but the more I work on improving my social anxiety, the less grasp it will have on my psyche. (More to come on this subject; I took so many notes while reading that I may write a blog post!)

What are you reading?