Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.22.24)

Last week, I had three 5-star reads. This week, I have three 4-star reads. Does that mean my next three books will be 3 stars?! ACK.

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2022

Short synopsis: Sewenee Chester is a long-time audiobook narrator who has stepped away from narrating romance novels because she just doesn’t believe in the happy endings anymore. But when a beloved romance novelist specifically requests her to narrate her last romance novel, she acquiesces. And then she’s paired with Brock McNight, the Fabio of romance narrators, to read this story and starts to fall for the man behind the voice.

There was so much happening in this romance, and it’s hard to encapsulate all of it. There’s the overarching romance, of course, which I was totally here for. I loved the rapport between Brock and Sewenee. They had such a sweet romance and I love that this book didn’t fall for the usual tropes that I expect from romance novels. They were two adults having an adult relationship and doing things like communicating with each other. What a concept! There were a lot of other plotlines to keep track of, with the bigger subplot being Sewenee’s grandma who is showing signs of dementia. They’ve always been close, so this is super hard on Sewenee. There’s also Sewenee’s failed career in acting, an accident that brought about a disability to her, and her difficult relationship with her father. It feels like a lot is going on, but Julia Whelan is adept at carefully crafting all of these plotlines together in a cohesive narrative. While I think this book could have been a bit shorter, I still very much enjoyed my time with it. (A must on audio because Julia Whelan is the GOAT of audiobook narrators.)

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black (★★★★☆)

Print • Library • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: A dick pic is how Rachel Abbott finds out her husband of thirteen years is cheating on her. While she’s ready to divorce immediately, he makes a pact with her: If she just stays with him until his election is over (he’s a mayor with his eyes on a seat in Congress), he’ll give her a million dollars and she can keep their home. She agrees because otherwise, she’s destitute. And then, on a whim, she meets Nathan who is young and sexy and she’s instantly attracted to him.

I really liked this romance! It wasn’t your typical romance, as it involved the heroine of the novel having an affair with a younger man, but since her husband was having an affair of his own, it all felt okay?! Listen, I’m anti-cheating in most respects, but I didn’t hate the way an affair was utilized in this book. I loved Rachel Abbott as a character and thought she definitely deserved to have some fun with a younger, sexier guy after what her husband had put her through. This is a novel about revenge, but it’s also about taking back your life and living in your truth. And it’s about two very hot people falling in love and having great sex. It was more closed-door than I was expecting, so that may appeal to anyone who wants to read a messy romance without all of the vividly described sexytimes. I loved it and I can’t wait to read more from this author. (This was her debut, and I am desperate for her next novel!)

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Fiction • 2021

Short synopsis: Weeks ago, Clara’s older sister Rose went missing and now she stands vigil by the window every evening to watch for her. And one night, she notices a strange man has moved into the house next door, the house that belongs to Mrs. Orchard, an older woman who asked Clara to look after her cat while she was in the hospital.

This was a slow, quiet novel and I really liked it. There are three points of view: Clara, Mrs. Orchard, and Liam (the man who moves in next door). Of all the storylines, I think I loved Mrs. Orchard’s the most and I don’t know if it’s because her words were so compelling or I just really loved the soothing voice of the narrator. There’s a mystery at the center of this story but that’s not what this story is about. It’s about these three people, people who are so different from each other but are loosely tied together. And it’s about grief and love and hope. There’s a strong sense of place in this novel and I just so badly wanted to visit this sleepy Canadian town. There was something so beautiful about the people and the town.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.12.24)

Cover Story by Susan Rigetti (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Fiction • 2022

Short synopsis: Lora Ricci is an aspiring writer living in NYC and working a dream internship at ELLE magazine. When she meets the dynamic and charismatic Cat Wolff, she’s immediately taken by her. Then, Cat asks Lora to be a ghostwriter for her and it feels like all of Lora’s dreams are coming true.

This was my favorite book of January and it’s hard to talk about this book without giving everything away. Here’s what I’ll say: First, I want to reread this book immediately to figure out all the little clues that I totally missed my first time around. Second, I think this book was genius and so very clever! Third, a lot of people compare this to the Anna Delvey story, which I admittedly know very little about (Inventing Anna is still on my to-be-watched list!) so I can’t say if this comparison is accurate. I can understand why some people didn’t like it (Lora’s voice could be so grating at times), but it completely worked for me. Give this one a try, please, so we can discuss it! (I listened to it on audio but I would recommend picking it up in print because there are lots of emails/texts and audiobook productions still haven’t figured out an easy way for those types of things to be read aloud.)

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (★★★★★)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: After Jacob makes a startling bad first impression with his new work colleague, Briana, he decides to send her a letter to explain himself and offer a new impression. This begins a series of letters that go back and forth, and the start of a strong friendship that begins to feel like something more.

THIS BOOK, YOU GUYS. This book was immediately placed on my “favorites” shelf the minute I finished it. This book touched me in so many ways. First, there’s Jacob who suffers from social anxiety (hence why he made such a bad first impression). The way this author explained social anxiety and the way it affects people was perfection. I felt like she was inside my brain, from stressing out over what to have for lunch when you’re meeting someone for the first time to needing all of the logistics explained when you’re going somewhere unfamiliar. And then there’s Briana. Now, I have my own Briana and the way this Briana was written is exactly the way my Bri cares for me and my social anxiety. She offers to drive us places, she gives me the logistics, she makes sure to choose places for dinner where I won’t be uncomfortable. She doesn’t make me feel crazy or make me feel like I’m a burden. She loves me, so she wants me to be comfortable in social situations. And that’s the way the Briana in this book cared for Jacob. Once she learned he struggles with social anxiety, she did whatever she could to help him feel comfortable. She took care of Jacob in a way that he had never been taken care of before, and man, it was so sweet. It is the ultimate gift to be treated that way.

There were other reasons why this book worked so well for me. I loved Briana’s character arc and storyline—she’s going through a divorce and trying to find her brother a kidney donor while he’s struggling with severe depression. She’s struggling and while she has to do a lot of internal work on her own to get to a place where she can accept Jacob’s love, she’s also cared for by him in a way she hasn’t been cared for before.

All in all, it was a sweet and impactful romance novel and I loved it so much. It’ll be hard to knock this one off my #1 romance for the year, which is crazy to say when we’re only two months into the year!

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (★★★★★)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Fiction • 2023

Short synopsis: Julia, Sylvie, Cecelia, and Emeline are four sisters close in age and growing up in a Chicago suburb. As they prepare to graduate high school and college in the early 1980s, their lives are upended in a way that has reverberations for decades to come.

The hype is real with this one! I cracked open this book knowing that it has become a beloved book for so many readers, and I had hoped to love it just as much as they did. And, thankfully, I did! There is so much happening in this book; there are strong themes of family, found family, and regret woven throughout the pages. I tend to love novels that follow a family over a course of a lifetime, and this one did exactly that. I also loved that a good portion of this book took place in the 1980s—these women were coming of age around the same time as my mom, so it was interesting to get a glimpse into what life was like for her. A review mentioned that nobody was likable in this book, and I couldn’t disagree more! There were so many likable characters, so many people I was rooting for. The only one I had a hard time with was Julia, the eldest daughter, but it was more that I just wanted her to make different choices, even though I could understand why she was making the choices she did. All in all, this book has beautiful writing and an engaging plot. While it is a character-driven novel, I felt like the plot moved along at a steady pace and I wanted to see what would happen next for this family.

What are you reading?                                                              

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.31.24)

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Fiction • 2023

Short synopsis: Cassandra’s life seemed like it was going fine… until she was dumped by her boyfriend and then fired from her job the next day. And then she discovers she can rewind time and fix her past mistakes. 

I love a good time travel book and when I saw a friend rated this book 5 stars—a friend whose taste generally aligns with mine—I added it to my TBR list and was pleased when it was available as an immediate audiobook download on Libby. This book starts out rough. Cassandra is unlikable and frustrating, and it felt like the plot was going nowhere for the longest time. If I was reading it in print, I probably would have abandoned it honestly. But since I could just dip in and out of it on audio while I was doing other things, I kept going and boy, I am so glad I did. The book turns a corner and I started to understand the point that the author was trying to make with this book. I started to understand Cassandra. She became as dear to me as Anne Shirley. She is someone I want to protect at all costs and keep safe. She is a beautiful soul whose brain just works a bit differently than other people. This book is a reminder to celebrate everyone’s differences and to embrace our own. It’s a reminder that we’re all just doing our best and it doesn’t hurt to give people the benefit of the doubt from time to time. I thought the time travel element was interesting, but at times, it could feel a little tired and redundant. And I wish the author had given us a different ending. But all in all, a lovely story with a great message.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake (★★★★★)

Print • Owned (Indie bookstore) • Queer Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: Iris Kelly has just had the worst one-night stand of her life and never expects to see her hookup again—until she auditions for a local play and comes face-to-face with her. Stevie is the lead actress in the play and asks Iris to be her fake girlfriend for the duration of the play. Iris goes along with it for her own reasons and their fake relationship starts to feel more and more real with each passing day.

Gosh, I really loved this romance. Ashley Herring Blake is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me because I just love the way she writes sapphic romance. I loved the relationship between Stevie and Iris, and the way their romance slowly developed in such a beautifully natural way. One of the big throughlines in this novel is Stevie’s anxiety disorder, and it’s something I could wholly relate to as someone with anxiety and who can really struggle with it when it comes to romantic relationships. At times, the way the author wrote about Stevie’s anxiety felt heavy-handed but mostly, I thought the depiction was true to life. The only thing that would make AHB a standout is if she threw out the dark moment—so many romance authors think it’s necessary, but I think there’s something special when an author can create tension and conflict in their romance novels without it (looking at you, Lucy Parker!). This is an open-door romance with some very spicy scenes, so be forewarned!

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Indie bookstore) • Mystery • 1934

Short synopsis: The Orient Express is on its way to its destination until it gets stopped by a blizzard. Then, things come to a crashing halt when it’s discovered that one train passenger was stabbed to death in his compartment. Thankfully, detective Hercule Poirot is there to solve the murder before anyone else is found dead.

I loved this mystery! My goal with these mysteries is to not judge them against anything else or the mysteries of today. Christie was one of the originators and all future mysteries draw from her, not the other way around. And by doing that, I found myself really, really enjoying myself and I sped through this short book (it’s under 275 pages!) last weekend. I loved the cast of characters, the “locked room” effect of a stalled-out train car during a blizzard, and I truly had no idea who could have been the murderer. I thought it was a cleverly told story with an ending I didn’t see coming. I’m going to watch the movie adaptation next, so I’ll report back my thoughts.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.22.24)

White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind by Koa Beck (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Spotify • Nonfiction • 2021

Short synopsis: Mainstream feminism has long been defined by parameters dictated and sanctioned by the white women they most benefit. In White Feminism, Koa Beck details the conventions that marginalized genders have needed to adopt to be recognized and exposes how they have been overlooked to champion a different feminist narrative.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s both a history of feminism and a call to action, reminding us of all the ways white women have failed to recognize the plight of our BIPOC community when standing up for feminist causes. I felt convicted at times and astounded at others, and feel a renewed vigor to have an intersectional worldview especially when it comes to feminism. I really appreciate Koa Beck for writing this book and being so brutally honest about white feminism and the danger it can pose. It’s not an easy read, but it was an important one for me to read.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens (★★★☆☆)

Print • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2020

Short synopsis: Quinn and Minnie are born on New Year’s Eve, in the same hospital, one minute apart. Their lives may begin together, but their worlds couldn’t be more different. Thirty years later they find themselves together again in the same place, at the same time. What if fate is trying to bring them together?

We picked this book for our January book club and I was really looking forward to it. It had a cute premise, so I settled in for a sweet, romantic story. Unfortunately, that’s not what I got. Instead, the story was slow and hard to follow at times because we kept dipping back and forth in time. I did love the characterization of Minnie and being in a place where she feels like a disappointment and keeps trying to move forward in life, only to keep falling backward. She was so relatable to me. I thought Quinn was one-dimensional and, quite frankly, a bit of a jerk and Minnie deserved better. It’s not a book I’d recommend, but I was the contrarian opinion in book club so you may enjoy it as much as they did!

The Honest Enneagram: Know Your Type, Embrace Your Challenges, Embrace Your Growth by Sarajane Case (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Nonfiction • 2020

Short synopsis: Find a way to bring out the best in yourself with this heartfelt, informative, and approachable guide to all things Enneagram.

Learning everything I can about the Enneagram is a niche interest of mine, so I bought Sarajane Case’s book on a whim and finally cracked it open this month. It’s a beautiful book filled with gorgeous illustrations and really simple explanations of each Enneagram type. She goes into the characteristics of each type, their wings and lines and subtypes, and then talks you through some of the ways you can better embrace who you are and find ways to grow by knowing your Enneagram type. I found it an approachable, easy to digest collection, and if you want to know more about the Enneagram, (or even just your type specifically!), pick up this book.

What are you reading?

Categories: Best Of, Books

Best of 2023 | Reading Stats

Hi, friends! I’m finally finishing up my “Best of 2023” series… in mid-January. This is the latest I’ve ever been writing these posts, so I hope you will indulge me in one more look back on my reading year with my reading stats post. As a reminder, I keep a very detailed spreadsheet (which I’m happy to send to anyone who wants it!), which helps me put this post together. The spreadsheet lists out the book title, author, page count, my rating, when I started and finished a book, and other details like if it’s a debut, if it’s diverse, where I sourced the book from, etc.

Now, let’s dive into what my 2023 reading year looked like!

Nitty-Gritty Details

  • Number of books read: 117 (-7 from 2022)
  • Number of pages read: 40,435 (-2,364 from 2022)
  • Money spent on books I read this year: $374.81 (-$50.18). This amounts to $3.20 per book.
  • Percentage of books by and about BIPOC and the LGBTQIA+ community: 30, or 26% (-12% from 2022—ugh)
  • Number of books abandoned: 14 (-1 from 2022)

Format Breakdown

This was so interesting to me because while my print reading didn’t change too much from 2022 to 2023 (+2.3%), my audiobook reading came in second place for the first time ever! It bumped up from 22.6% to 30.8%! And my e-book reading went down over 10% from 2022. Crazy!

Genre Breakdown

Genre Percentage Average Rating
Romance 32% 3.6
General Fiction 22% 4.0
Thriller 15% 4.1
Nonfiction 15% 4.0
Historical Fiction 9% 3.8
YA 4% 3.6
Fantasy 1% 3.0

Romance was once again my highest-read category—but down 1% from 2022 and my average rating was down .2 from 2022! A 3.6 rating is not great for me. General fiction was way up (9%!) although the average rating came down (from 4.7 in 2022, which is an astonishingly high rating). Thrillers were up 4% and the rating came down .1 from 2022—not too bad, there. Nonfiction came down 3% and the rating also came down by .2. Historical fiction went up by 1% but the better news is that I picked much better historical fiction novels in 2023—my rating was up .8 from 2022! Another surprising stat was YA. My percentage came down 12% (!) and my rating also came down by .5. It was not the year of YA for me, it seems. And finally, I only read one fantasy book this year, which I gave 3 stars.

Source Breakdown

Even though I love buying books, I’m pleased to see that I’m still getting over half of my reads from the library. (I get almost all of my audiobooks from the library and most of the romances I read.) My second most popular source was Amazon, but that percentage was down 5% from 2022. Book of the Month (BOTM) and indie bookstores were both up 2%, which was good to see. Target was down by .6%. And some of the smaller categories include Barnes & Noble, gifted books, Thriftbooks, and Spotify.

Month Breakdown

Pretty stable throughout the year! The most books I read in a month was 11 (January, July, August, and November) and the least was 8 (September, October). I’m guessing football is the reason my reading went down so much in September/October. I try to read while I’m watching the games, but I’m not always successful so that removes a whole day from my reading schedule.

Ratings Breakdown

 

I read a lot of 4- and 5-star books this year—almost 72% of the books I read! And that’s up 3% from 2022! However, my 5-star ratings decreased by 7.3% while my 4-star ratings increased by 10.4% (!!). My 3-star ratings decreased by 6.1% while my 2-star ratings increased by 3%. So maybe I felt more comfortable rating books 2 stars rather than giving them 3 stars? And maybe I also had a hard time giving a book that 5-star designation so I opted for 4 stars. This year, I want to track the half-stars I give a book so we’ll see how that shakes things out in 2024.

Days to Read

I don’t read fast these days and that’s because I’m usually reading multiple books at one time, and I’m very slow with my audiobook reading. (They have to compete with podcasts so I generally only listen to 1-2 hours of my audiobook per day.) This chart is about on par with what I did in 2022.

New Release vs. Backlist

I’m about 50/50 on my new release vs backlist books! I used to read a lot more backlist, but things keep trending toward more new release books every year. In 2023, my new release reading went up by 4.2%. Between 2022 and 2023, my new release reading went up by 10%!

Odds and Ends

  • Oldest book (by pub date): A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1947)
  • Newest book (by pub date): The Woman in Me by Britney Spears (October 24, 2023)
  • Author I read the most: Julia Quinn (3)
  • Book I spent the most money on: Happy Place by Emily Henry and The 1619 Project ($23)
  • Time spent listening to audiobooks: 345 hours, 41 minutes (which is 55 hours, 31 minutes more than last year!)
  • Longest book: America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray (606 pages)
  • Shortest book: Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham (183 pages)
  • Book that took me the longest to read: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (65 days)