Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I Read in November

Hey, hey! It’s time for my November book update. I was really surprised when I sat down to write this post, as I realized I read 12 books in November! That’s my biggest reading month since May (I’ve been averaging 9-10 books recently). And I rated all of my books 4 or 5 stars, except for one anomaly. I am either getting better at selecting the books I know I’ll enjoy or becoming too generous with my ratings. Ha. Anyway, let’s dive into my reviews:

My Favorite Book of November

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century, edited by Alice Wong (★★★★★) – This is the kind of book that I want to press into everyone’s hands. There is so much about the disability experience that able-bodied people (like myself) do not understand and/or take for granted. There were stories about using public transportation while disabled, the lack of resources available to Deaf people in prison, the Indigenous experience of chronic illness, fostering joy through disability, and so much more. It was a beautiful collection of stories from people who normally get silenced—in media, in publishing. It was a wonderfully diverse collection that really changed the way I viewed disability rights. When we say “Black lives matter,” we must also remember that disabled Black lives matter. When we fight for environmental policies, we must remember that disabled people will be the ones most affected by climate change. When we think about prison reform, we must center the experiences of disabled inmates. A must-read, in my opinion.

My Favorite Romance of November

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (★★★★★) – I haven’t read too many sapphic romances, but it’s really something I want more of in my reading life. In this book, Lucy is a budding astronomer and answers a letter from a widow, Catherine, to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text. Lucy is healing from a heartbreak and Catherine is coming to terms with her abusive marriage and what’s next for her. As Lucy and Catherine work together on this astronomy text, they find themselves falling in love with one another. It’s a really sweet romance and I loved all the astronomy facts! Some reviewers said that the novel got a little bogged down with all the astronomy, but I found it fascinating. But I love astronomy so much that I took an elective course on it in college, so there’s that, haha.

Other Favorites of November

A Better Man by Louise Penny (★★★★★) – What an absolutely delightful mystery! Is that weird to say? Maybe, but Louise Penny’s cozy mysteries are always delightful. I don’t like talking too much about the plot in these novels because it can give away things that happen in earlier books, and the enjoyment of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series is reading it from beginning to end. Anyway, this novel had a really excellent central mystery, and even though I pinpointed the “whodunit,” I was way off on the motive. It was quite a shocking reveal! There was also a slightly melancholy side plot that sent me into my feels.

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall (★★★★★) – What an outstanding book that could be uncomfortable at times. In this book, Mikki Kendall posits that white feminism has continually diminished and forgotten Black women in their movement, especially poor Black women. White feminism has centered on the needs of privileged women while forgetting that the truest form of equality is meeting the basic needs of the many. Each chapter involves a specific part of Black womanhood that has been forgotten by white feminism and it’s a call to action to remember that housing inequality, food insecurity, racism, and educational disparity are all issues that need to be solved, and solved for all women. Please add this one to your list, especially if you’re working towards an anti-racist ideology.

You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar (★★★★★) – Who knew that a book all about the crazy racism a Black woman has experienced her whole life could be funny? Amber Ruffin is a comedian and her sister, Lacey, has worked a bunch of “regular” jobs in their hometown of Omaha her whole life. In that time, she’s encountered racism in all its forms—from scary situations with police during regular traffic stops to microaggressions in the workplace—and this book is a collection of those stories. While the tone is light-hearted, these stories are infuriating and awful and sad. Black people are subjected to so much terribleness from white people, and these are the stories white people need to read to remember that Black people have lived through situations we cannot even fathom.

Honorable Mentions

  • Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare (★★★★☆) – This was such a delightful “rags to riches” story involving a duke who wants his mom to stop hassling him about getting married so he pretends to choose a lowly barmaid as his fiancee. I really loved the rapport between Pauline (the barmaid) and the duke’s mother—it was really sweet, and Pauline needed that motherly figure in her life. Tessa Dare can do no wrong in my eyes!
  • Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig (★★★★☆) – I really struggled with this book, and I think that was the point! In this novel, Ginny Moon is a recently adopted 12-year-old who is autistic and simply wants to reunite with her “Baby Doll,” which she left at her mom’s house when the authorities took her away. It’s hard watching Ginny struggle to communicate and connect with her new family. At times, I felt for the mother who adopted Ginny because Ginny could be very difficult to love but as the story progressed, I found myself growing more and more irritated with her and more and more protective towards Ginny.
  • Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez (★★★★☆) – This book is an incredibly well-researched primer on how evangelical faith became what it is today. It travels through time from the 1950s until today, showing us how leaders in the Christian church have always been political and have always tried to make their stamp on politics and American life. If I have one criticism of the book, it’s that I wanted a little more nuanced thoughts from the author. At times, it felt like I was reading a textbook because the writing was so dry and bare bones.
  • Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis (★★★★☆) – I really liked this contemporary romance, way more than I enjoyed the first book in this series. In this story, Lanie has taken a new job at a winery in California, escaping the grief of the sudden loss of her husband—and finding out that he was a serial adulterer with multiple wives she knew nothing about. This book is chock-full of fun, interesting characters, including a pair of precocious twins that I fell completely head over heels for! This was just a fun, light-hearted book that gave me happy feels. It’s not going to change your life, but it will make you happy.
  • A Gentleman Never Keeps Score by Cat Sebastian (★★★★☆) – This was such a wonderful M/M romance! Hartley has become a recluse after news of an arrangement he had with a rich benefactor comes to light. Sam owns a nearby pub and needs to break into Hartley’s home to steal a rather salacious painting of his friend. Hartley and Sam become embroiled when Hartley sees him skulking around his home and later develop a friendship… that becomes something more. This book had some very steamy sex scenes, so be prepared, friends! Whew.
  • The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (★★☆☆☆) – Oh, you guys. I really did not like this book! There is some discussion that Jojo Moyes plagiarized this book to write The Giver of Stars, but I don’t know if I quite believe the hype in that. I read TGOS last year and really liked it, and wanted to give myself some time between books before I read this one. I found this book to be so much more boring compared to TGOS with very underdeveloped and underwhelming characters. What I liked about this novel is the discussion of “blue people” and how they encounter their own form of discrimination—I thought Richardson made a very compelling argument about that. Otherwise, this novel was a slog with an extremely far-fetched and dissatisfying ending.
  • Cuff Me by Lauren Layne (★★★★☆) – Best-friends-to-lovers is my romance kryptonite, and this book delivered for me. Vincent and Jill have been long-time partners in the NYPD but there’s always been an undercurrent of sexual tension. When Jill comes back from a three-month hiatus with a ring on her left finger and the news that she’s leaving for Chicago in just a few short months, Vincent decides it’s time to finally make his move. This book was just everything I was looking for, and I enjoyed every minute I spent with it!

November Book Stats

  • # of books read: 12
  • Fastest read: Cuff Me by Lauren Layne (3 days)
  • Slowest read: Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez (22 days)
  • Star average: 4.25
  • % of books by or about BIPOC or the LGBT community: 42%
  • Sources: Libby (6), Amazon (4), library (1), Target (1)
  • Formats: print (5), e-book (5), audiobook (2)
  • Abandoned books: 1 (The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver)
  • Goodreads goal check-in: I’m currently 17 books behind schedule to read 150 books this year. For my adjusted goal of reading 125 books, I’m 5 books ahead of schedule.

What was the best book you read last month?

Categories: Books

What I Read in October

October was an excellent reading month. I finished 10 books and gave the majority of them 4 or 5 stars. I even had a hard time choosing my favorite book of the month, as there were multiple contenders. I’m still way behind on my goal to read 150 books this year (looking like it will be around 130), but that’s okay. Now I just giggle whenever I see the number of books I’m behind in the Goodreads goal tracker!

Let’s dive into the reviews of the books I read in October:

My Favorite Book of October

This Is My America by Kim Johnson (★★★★★) – What an incredible debut! When this novel begins, Tracy’s father has just 267 days left until he will be executed. He was sentenced to death row for a crime he didn’t commit seven years ago, and every week since his sentencing, Tracy has written letters to Innocence X to ask them to take his case. And then one of Tracy’s classmates is found murdered and her brother is the main suspect. For Tracy, it feels like history repeating itself. This novel was propulsive and heartbreaking but also hopeful. Tracy was an easy character to root for, and her story feels all too familiar. I listened to this book on audio, and it was my first novel read by Bahni Turpin (a favorite among audiobook lovers!) and I can see why she is so beloved. Her narration was fantastic!

My Favorite Romance of October

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (★★★★★) – I finished this book on the same day I started it, something I can rarely do these days. I’m just so glad I started it on a day I had no plans and could just sit on the couch and read for hours! When Izumi finds out that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan (making her a princess!), she travels to Japan to meet him and learn all about life as a royal. Of course, she quickly realizes this life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be with scheming cousins, a distant father, and so many rules that make her head spin. But learning more about her culture and her family and getting closer to her dashing imperial guard (swoon) might make things a bit easier. This novel was just plain fun—a bit of The Princess Diaries and a bit of Crazy Rich Asians—and I’d love to see this made into a Netflix miniseries of sorts. I can just imagine the beautiful scenery of Japan and the sweet romance playing out on screen! Please, please, please.

Other Favorites of October

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel (★★★★★)- Laurie Frankel does it again! She delivered another 5-star read for me in this incredible story of three teenage sisters growing up in a town tainted by the water supply. Mab, Monday, and Mirabel are triplets who have grown up in the town of Bourne, a city that made national news headlines when their water supply turned green—most likely due to a chemical plant releasing chemicals into their water. It’s caused untold damage to the town with residents getting cancer, babies being born with disabilities, and loved ones dying. When a new family arrives in town (big news, as the triplets haven’t seen any new residents in their lifetime), it unleashes new secrets and mysteries to uncover. I really loved the way this story was told (each chapter alternating between one of the triplets’ perspectives) and how it all came together in the end. It was a beautiful story about justice and sisterhood and love, and I honestly can’t wait to see what Laurie Frankel does next.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig (★★★★☆) – I read this book when I was deeply depressed, and I think that was the exact right time to read it. It’s a memoir of Haig’s own experience with depression and how he found his way out of it. I really appreciated it and could empathize with him, and it was the kind of book I needed to read when things felt so incredibly overwhelming. It’s not for everyone, and his advice is not exactly life-changing, but it worked for me at that point in time.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (★★★★☆) – I love Hoang’s commitment to writing romances with neurodiverse characters, and this one is no different. After Anna’s boyfriend decides he wants to see other people for a while, she joins a dating app to do the same (just to spite him) and meets Quan. Quan, who is dipping his toes back into dating after cancer treatment, and Anna have an immediate connection but things go terribly awry during their first date. But somehow Quan isn’t scared off and instead wants to continue seeing Anna. It’s a really sweet romance and I could relate so much to Anna’s dating struggles. It’s hard out there when your brain works differently than other people’s! While I was hoping for more from Quan’s storyline (he was just a little too perfect at times and a bit one-dimensional) and there were so many times I just wanted to shake Anna and force her to be more of an active participant in her life, this novel was still really touching and poignant. I enjoyed it!

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (★★★★★) – I read this novel for the October challenge for the Unread Shelf Project, which was to read a book you’re secretly afraid of. I was “secretly afraid” of the emotion in this story and how heavy it would be, considering it’s a WWII novel. And it was definitely a heavy book! But an incredible one as well. This novel follows a young German woman who finds herself pregnant at the height of Nazi occupation and must do whatever she can to survive. It’s not a story for the faint of heart as there is a bevy of trigger warnings, especially graphic depictions of Jewish people being murdered and rape, but it was a really propulsive story that I had a hard time putting down.

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean (★★★★☆) – The newest Regency romance from Sarah MacLean was a hit for me, although I think it could have been 50 pages shorter, easily. This book is the first in a new series about the Hell’s Belles, a group of unmarriageable young women who are taking on London society and making sure scoundrels are put in their place. Sesily and Caleb’s story was such a fun one to read, and I’m anxiously anticipating the other books in the series!

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (★★★★★) – I had a really hard time deciding between This Is My America and this book as my favorite of the month. This book was just so good, so intricately plotted and fun. It’s part-mystery and part-scifi, following a man who has to find out who murdered Evelyn Hardcastle, and to do so, he’s going to inhabit different guests at the party she is at. There are seven guests he must inhabit, each reliving the same day over and over again. He has until midnight of being in the seventh guest’s body to solve the murder. The setting is the early 1900s at a creepy mansion filled with rich people, and it’s so evocative! It felt like being in a real-life Clue game. It was a really fun read and the ending was completely satisfying.

Honorable Mentions

Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis (★★★☆☆) – I found this book to be a bit cheesy and predictable. It’s marketed as women’s fiction (a departure for Shalvis, who typically writes contemporary romance), but I don’t know if she nailed the genre as much as she’d hoped. It read much more like a romance to me, which is fine, but I was just expecting something different.

Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin (★★★☆☆) – Oof, this book. I really wanted to like it more than I did, but it was just really hard for me to get past the asshole-y hero and the naivete of the main character. I did love the Muslim representation, however, and the sweet emphasis on family and community. But it was just one of those novels that I’m not going to remember I read in a few weeks.

October Book Stats

  • # of books read: 10
  • Fastest read: Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (a few hours)
  • Slowest read: Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (9 days)
  • Star average: 4.3
  • % of books by or about BIPOC or the LGBT community: 40%
  • Sources: Barnes & Noble (2), Libby (5), Book of the Month (1), Little Free Library (1), library (1)
  • Formats: print (5), e-book (3), audiobook (2)
  • Abandoned books: 1 (My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrick Backman)
  • Goodreads goal check-in: I’m currently 17 books behind schedule to read 150 books this year. For my adjusted goal of reading 125 books, I’m 4 books ahead of schedule.

What was the best book you read in October?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (10.4.21)

Happy Monday, friends. I think this might be my last “What I’m Reading” post. Of course, I’ve said that before and brought these posts back, so never say never. But as my reading has slowed down from the frenetic pace I was reading in 2020 and 2019, I find myself struggling some weeks to finish a book so I can write these posts. Instead, I’m going to move to a monthly reading recap. I’m making this change mostly to take the pressure off myself to finish books quickly so I can post about them in this recap. Reading is supposed to be fun, a hobby, not something that I put pressure on myself to do.

Maybe my reading will pick up again and I’ll bring these posts back, but for now, this is the last weekly reading recap, and I only have one book to review! So this will be a quick recap. 🙂

Rising Star by Susannah Nix (★★★★☆)

This Hollywood romance follows Griffin, an actor who is finishing up his role in a long-running medical drama, and Alice, a Ph.D. student who is taking some time off from finishing her dissertation and picks up a job as an extra on the show. When Alice gets kicked out of her apartment and Griffin needs a dog and house sitter for 3 months while he films a movie, the stars align for them and she becomes his roommate. And we all know what happens from there: They fall in love, of course! It’s a slow build to the romance, which I really loved because it made the moment they finally put their feelings on the table that much sweeter. It was a sweet romance with a lot of heart, and I enjoyed my time with it.

What I’m Reading This Week

I’m currently reading One Two Three by Laurie Frankel, and only have about 100 pages to go until I’m done with it. I am enjoying this novel so much! It’s written in such an interesting way (from the perspectives of 16-year-old triplets, and the chapters alternate between them) and I’m breezing through it.

After I finish that, I’m going to pick up The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrick Backman. I’m also going to start Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig on audio.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (9.27.21)

Happy Monday! This was a big family-focused weekend, and it was really lovely. I went to my nephew’s birthday party, which took place at a big trampoline park, and I even got on the trampoline for a while, which was a whole lot of fun! I also got to see Mikaela for a writing date, although we had a shortened meeting since the Panera we went to closed at 7! (Our writing dates are usually two hours long, and we arrived at 6.) It’s so weird to see how staffing shortages are affecting companies like Panera. The Panera nearest to me closes at 3 p.m. every day! Crazy. Sunday was spent with the fam, watching football, which was delightful as always.

I finished two books last week, and I’m hoping my reading pace will pick up a little now. I was slowly reading through Caste (25 pages per day) and A Place for Us was a nearly 400-page book that really felt like a slog for me.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (★★★★★)

This book is truly excellent. It is so well-researched and well-written, and some of the research truly blew my mind. In this book, Isabel Wilkerson posits that there have been three caste systems in place: the original caste system of India, the caste system established by Nazi Germany, and the caste system in the United States that puts white, wealthy people at the top of the caste and Black people at the bottom (originally established during slavery and continues to this day). The comparisons to the U.S. caste system and Nazi Germany’s were especially chilling—like the fact that the founders of the Nazi party used U.S. race laws as a basis for developing Nazi laws. And even for them, some of our laws (like the one-drop rule) were too harsh. There was also a passage about how people in the U.S. would gleefully send postcards to family members to show and describe lynchings that were happening near them. Or how in Germany, former Nazi leaders aren’t revered. There aren’t statues of them. And, in school, teaching about the history of Nazism is super important. All of that seems pretty obvious things that should be done, and yet, in the United States, we are just now reckoning with all of the Confederate statues we have and the Confederate leaders whose names line streets and schools. Not to mention, even talking about slavery and race is becoming illegal in schools (critical race theory, anyone?). Anyway, this book really blew my mind. It was a hard read but an incredibly important one, especially for white people. We have to read these stories. We have to better understand how we are complicit in this system.

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (★★★☆☆)

Gosh, this book was such a slog for me! I expected to like it more than I did since it’s gotten rave reviews from everyone on my Goodreads list, but it just wasn’t for me. The novel focuses on an Indian-American Muslim family as they gather to celebrate the wedding of their oldest daughter, Hadia. She’s invited her younger brother, Amar, who has been estranged from the family for three years. The novel jumps back and forth in time, spanning decades as we learn more about this family and how Amar came to be estranged. The book read more like a series of vignettes, dropping us into a different time and place every few pages and from the point of view of either Hadia, Amar, or their mother. I think where the novel lost me, though, was in the last few chapters of the book, which take place nearly a decade after Hadia’s wedding and is just a series of navel-gazing chapters from the father’s point of view and honestly, I didn’t care to hear from him at all. Maybe it’s my own father issues at play here, but it felt like a redemption arc that I wasn’t here for. I basically skimmed those chapters and by the end of it, I really think that section could have been removed and the novel would have been just fine. Maybe even better. Anyway, not a favorite for me but most people rave about it, so I am most definitely in the minority here!

What I’m Reading This Week

I’m currently making my way through Rising Star by Susannah Nix, a contemporary romance that takes place in Hollywood, which is one of my favorite settings, especially for romance. Either today or tomorrow, I’m going to start One Two Three by Laurie Frankel. Her previous book, This is How It Always Is, is one of my favorite books but I’m trying to temper my expectations for this one. Surely it won’t be as good as that one, right?!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (9.20.21)

Happy Monday, friends. This weekend was a bit of a quiet one for me, which I needed after an emotionally draining week. I didn’t even have the energy/inspiration to do my usual Wednesday and Friday blog posts! Whaaat. This week, I was also less inclined to read and more inclined to lump on the couch and watch episode after episode of Brooklyn 99 (which I’m rewatching and finding it to be such a comfort right now).

Somehow, though, I finished two books this week—a short, 5-hour audiobook and a contemporary romance that took me ELEVEN DAYS to read (unheard of for me, especially for a romance novel). Neither book was particularly great (in my opinion), so I’m hoping the problem with my reading life right now is just that I’m not reading anything super engaging, not that I’m losing my reading mojo.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal (★★★☆☆)

In this YA novel, we follow two high school girls during a particularly brutal night in their lives. Lena and Campbell don’t know each other before the novel begins but will form an unbreakable bond by the end of it. The novel starts during a football game at the high school. Campbell is working at the concession stand and Lena has stopped by to get a Coke when a fight breaks out right outside the stand. The police are called as things escalate and Lena and Campbell have to figure out how to find their way out of the melee without getting hurt themselves. The novel switches back and forth between Lena and Campbell’s perspectives, and it should be noted here that Lena is Black and Campbell is white. Obviously, they are experiencing this night in two vastly different ways, and I found it to be such an interesting way to tell this novel (especially considering a Black author wrote Lena’s perspective and a white author wrote Campbell’s.)

YA novels can sometimes be hard to rate because, many times, the ones that may fall flat for me may be perfectly written for younger readers. I love it when YA books don’t feel YA, but I also recognize that’s not the point of this genre either. This is the kind of book that will likely be incredibly impactful for high school readers, but for me, I found it hard to sink into the story. There were so many details that didn’t make sense and seemed thrown in just to create tension. And so many other details were left out of the story, making it hard to form a connection with the characters. All in all, a book that is probably best left for the readers the YA genre is intended for.

Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur (★★★☆☆)

Annie has come to Seattle to visit with her best friend, Darcy, for two weeks… and to tell her that her job is relocating her to London. She decides to surprise Darcy with the visit, only to find out that Darcy is away on vacation with her girlfriend and won’t return for a few days. Enter: Brendan, Darcy’s brother who has had a crush on Annie his whole life. Brendan has some free time and decides to show Annie the best of Seattle while she’s here, and maybe also convince her that love isn’t a waste of time. Sparks fly between the two of them and it makes Annie question what she wants: Does she really want to move to an entirely new country for a job she doesn’t even really like? Or has she found her happily ever after in Seattle? It’s a sweet contemporary romance, but considering that it took me 11 freaking days to read it, it didn’t really keep my attention. I didn’t believe in the chemistry between Annie and Brendan, and I grew very tired of all the rom-com tropes (especially the grand gestures from BOTH characters at the end). I’ve read two novels by this author and neither have been particularly great, so I think she’s just not for me.

What I’m Reading This Week

  • Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson – Still slowly making my way through this book (which I think is part of the reason why my reading has slowed down so much lately). I should finish it sometime this week, though!
  • A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza – Another book I am reading oh-so-slowly. I only got through 150 pages last week! Ergh. I’m enjoying it, so I don’t want to abandon it, but I will also be happy when I finally finish it and can move on to something else.
  • The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary – I loooooved Beth O’Leary’s debut, The Flatshare, and I’m hoping that I enjoy this one just as much! I’ll start it today or tomorrow.

What are you reading?