Stephany Writes

Categories: Best Of, Books

Best of 2021 | Reading Stats

Happy Monday, friends! It’s time for my last “Best of 2021” post. Today, I’m digging into my reading stats. As a reminder, I keep a very detailed spreadsheet of everything I read. 2021 was the seventh year of keeping this spreadsheet, and it’s truly become a regular part of my reading life. Each book has its own line where I list the title, author, start and finish dates, format, rating, diversity metrics, genre, source, publishing date, and a few other stats. It makes it really easy to pull together this post every year, and it’s just a fun way to look back on my reading!

So, let’s dive in to my 2021 reading stats!

Nitty-Gritty Details

  • Number of books read: 133 (-20 from 2020)
  • Number of pages read: 46,653 (-4,566 from 2020)
  • Money spent on books I read this year: $502.24 (+29.83). This amounts to $3.78 per book.
  • Percentage of books by and about BIPOC and the LGBTQIA+ community: 49, or 37% (+11% from 2020)
  • Number of books abandoned: 8 (-3 from 2020)

Format Breakdown

Last year, e-books were my most-popular format, but my e-book reading seriously fell to the wayside this year! Print reading was up 9%, e-books were down almost 17% (!), and audiobooks were up 7.5%. With the libraries closed and then functioning at greatly reduced capacity for most of 2020, I relied on e-books a lot more heavily than usual. Things are mostly back to normal now with the library, which is why my print reading bumped back up. In 2020, I also lost my commute in mid-March when we started working from home, which is when I mostly listened to audiobooks. But I’ve readjusted myself to this “new normal,” so I was able to get my audiobook listening time back in. I try to listen to at least two audiobooks a month, more if the audiobooks are short.

Genre Breakdown

Like every year, romance was my most popular category, although the percentage keeps falling every year (2% from 2020, 4% from 2019). My fiction reading took a real beating this year, so much so that my fiction/nonfiction reading is nearly neck and neck! My fiction reading was down 7.6% from 2020 and nonfiction also fell by a little over 1%. I read a bit more YA (up 3% from 2020) and mysteries/thrillers (up 4% from 2020). And this year, I added two new categories to my list that weren’t there in 2020: middle grade (1.5%) and science fiction/fantasy (3.7%). I can’t believe I read nearly 4% of the SFF genre. WHAT IS HAPPENING!

Source Breakdown

The majority of my books came from the library—around 59%, but that percentage is down 2% from last year. I read wayyy more print books from the library (+7.7%) than e-books from Libby (-9.1%). My next highest category is Amazon, which was up 2% from 2020. Coming in third is Book of the Month, which was also up 2% from 2020. Barnes & Noble, Thriftbooks, Target, and my local indie (Tombolo Books) followed behind (last year, I listed all of my bookstores as one line item, so I’m guessing I read slightly more books from bookstores). And rounding out the list are books I read using the Serial Reader app and that I got from a Little Free Library.

Month Breakdown

For the most part, I read 10-11 books per month. I had two months where I “only” read 9 books (as opposed to 2020, when I never read less than 11 books in a month). My best reading month was February—I read 15 books (it was also the month I did a readathon, so that helped!)

Ratings Breakdown

My 4- and 5-star ratings went up by 4% this year to 68.4%! Was I just more lenient with my ratings? Or am I getting really good at picking books I know I’ll love (and quickly abandoning those that aren’t working for me)? Who knows. My 5-star ratings went up by nearly 7%! My 4-star ratings stayed about the same, as did my 3-star ratings. My 2-star and 1-star ratings went down a bit. My average rating was 3.9 (last year, my average rating was 3.7).

Days to Read

Seven days is about my sweet spot when it comes to finishing books these days, mostly because I’m usually reading multiple books at one time. Twice, I was able to finish a book within 24 hours, but that’s very much an anomaly. I don’t consider myself a particularly fast reader (and I can easily get distracted by my phone); I just devote a lot of time to reading.

New Releases vs. Backlist

Last year, I read about the same number of new releases vs backlist books. This year, I read way more backlist! That feels much more normal to me, as I’m not the person always reading the latest new releases. I love backlist books!

Publishing Years

I like to keep track of publishing years, but I’m still not exactly sure how to use this info. This year, I listed out the past 5 years and then combined anything 2016 or beyond into one data point. The biggest number of books I read was from 2020, which makes sense, and 2021 books weren’t too far behind.

Odds and Ends

  • Oldest book (by pub date): The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (1844)
  • Newest book (by pub date): The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (August 31, 2021)
  • Author I read the most: Louise Penny (5 books)
  • Book I spent the most money on: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune ($25)
  • Time spent listening to audiobooks: 247 hours, 35 minutes (but since I listen at 1.5x or 1.75x speed, my actual listening time is much less than that!)
  • Longest book: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (1,275 pages)
  • Shortest book: White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson (178 pages)
  • Book that took me the longest to read: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (214 days)

How many books did you read in 2021? Did you read more e-books, audiobooks, or print books?

Categories: Best Of, Books

Best of 2021 | My Favorite Reads

Happy Friday, friends! Did everyone make it through the first official week of 2022 with their sanity intact? We made it!

Today, I’m continuing my “Best of 2021” series by recapping my reading year. I used to list my favorite reads of the year in a “top 10” format, but last year, I opted to break down my favorites by category and do some superlatives (a la Sarah’s Book Shelves Live). It was a super fun way to recap my reading and I was excited to bring back this format again. Let’s dive in!

Overall Favorites

Favorite Overall Book

Know My Name by Chanel Miller – This book is a masterpiece. It is Chanel’s story about being sexually assaulted by Brock Turner, the ensuing trial, and the aftermath. During the trial, Chanel was known as “Emily Doe” and then her victim impact statement (<– give it a read, if you haven’t) went viral after it was posted on Buzzfeed. In this book, Chanel takes back her story and speaks her truth. It’s a hard, harrowing book, but I am so grateful to her for writing it and bringing us into the nightmare she endured. I listened to this one on audio, which I highly recommend, as Chanel has such a soothing voice. Naming this book as my overall favorite of the year was a no-brainer, truly.

Favorite Fiction

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune – I adored this book. I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did, as fantasy normally isn’t my jam. But everything in this novel just worked for me. The magical elements, the characters, the love story. It was all so sweet and with a message I can fully get behind. In this novel, Linus Baker, a case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youths, is sent to Marsyas Island Orphanage where six magical youths (who have been classified as highly dangerous) live. He must inspect the orphanage, meet the youths, and determine whether or not to shut down the orphanage. There are themes of acceptance and diversity and inclusion woven throughout the novel, and it was just one of those books that made me happy-sigh when I finished it. This book has definitely earned its place on my all-time favorites list, for sure.

Favorite Nonfiction

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson – This book is a stunning work of research, depth, and thoughtfulness. In it, Isabel Wilkerson posits that the United States is a caste system where Black people are at the bottom and white, wealthy people are at the top. Any Black person trying to scale into a higher caste is frowned upon, degraded, and sometimes even killed. Wilkerson deftly outlines how the U.S.’s caste system is similar to the caste systems of India and Nazi Germany with stories and facts and history. It’s a long read and I recommend taking it slowly, as there is so much to digest, but it will be well worth your time.

Favorite Romance

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis – Oh gosh, what is there to say about this sweet love story? I tore through this book, reading the second half in one sitting, which is something I rarely do these days. Emmie completely stole my heart and I was so invested in her love story. I just wanted her to get her happy ending! She most certainly did (this is a romance, after all) and the journey to getting there was not without its tears or triumphs. The next time you need something light-hearted and sweet to read, pick this book up.

Favorites by Category

Favorite Literary Fiction

Writers & Lovers by Lily King – What a surprisingly wonderful read! I wasn’t expecting much from this book—literary fiction doesn’t always work for me—but it was an easy 5-star read. I listened to the audiobook, which was likely the way to go, and found myself completely immersed in Casey’s life. Her struggles with dating, jobs, writing, and money were something I could highly relate to, and her grief over losing her mom was so well-done. This one won’t work for everyone, but it was definitely the right book at the right time for me.

Honorable mention: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

Favorite Contemporary Fiction

The Guncle by Steven Rowley – I didn’t love this book while I was reading it. I liked it a lot! But I came into it with very high expectations—I was expecting a really silly but fun novel about a single gay uncle (Patrick) who has fun adventures with his young niece and nephew. While it has a cheery cover and title, this novel is not exactly cheerful. It is actually very heavy. It’s a story about grief, after all. The young niece and nephew are with Patrick because their mother has just passed away after a rough battle with cancer. Their father is in rehab. And their uncle is grieving not just the loss of his sister-in-law and best friend, but also a lover he lost years ago. There are moments of levity. Patrick is ridiculous in the best possible way. The setting is magnificent (Palm Springs!). When I finished this book, I felt like I had just been through an emotional journey. It made me laugh, it made me teary. Did it live up to my expectations? Not exactly. But the more I sat with this book, the more I realized what a phenomenal read it was. I read this book over the summer and I still think about Patrick, those kids, and their story. And that’s the mark of a truly great novel.

Honorable mention: One Two Three by Laurie Frankel

Favorite Historical Fiction

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler – This book was phenomenal. It was originally published in 1979, about a Black woman who is married to a white man and is celebrating her 26th birthday in 1976 when she is suddenly thrust back in time to the antebellum South. She continues to travel back and forth in time and the reason why is revealed within the pages—and it’s very compelling. This book was a hard read, as any book involving slavery is, but so well-written and poignant. One of those must-read books!

Honorable mention: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Favorite Contemporary Romance

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez – This book surprised me! I have not been a huge fan of Abby Jimenez’s writing, but this one was the exception. It follows Sloan, who is grieving a significant loss and suddenly finds herself face-to-face with a puppy who jumps into her car one afternoon! The owner, Jason, is out of town and his girlfriend is supposed to be watching the dog. Jason doesn’t find out that Sloan has the dog until a few weeks later. Thus begins the sweetest meet-cute ever of Sloan not wanting to give up the dog and Jason wanting his dog back and some seriously flirty phone calls and text messages. I just adored this romance. I loved Sloan and Jason’s bantering. I loved Tucker, the dog. And I loved the way everything came together in the end.

Honorable mention: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Favorite Historical Romance

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite – What a beautiful sapphic romance! I loved the emphasis on healing from trauma, women in science, and standing up for what you believe in. Lucy and Catherine were so much fun to read about, and my heart grew ten sizes as they realized the love they had for one another. There wasn’t a single thing I’d change about this book, even all of the astronomy sections.

Honorable mention: A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

Favorite YA

This Is My America by Kim Johnson – This was a stunning debut, and I honestly cannot believe it is Kim Johnson’s first novel! It was so well-written, propulsive, and poignant. The novel centers around 17-year-old Tracy who has been sending letters to Innocence X (a law firm that specializes in exonerating people who have been wrongfully convicted) since her father’s wrongful conviction seven years ago. He has less than a year before he will be executed, so her pleas are becoming more and more desperate. Meanwhile, a white teenager is found murdered, Tracy’s brother becomes the prime suspect, and he goes on the run. It’s a novel filled with twists and turns with an explosive finish, and I just couldn’t get enough of it! (Note: Bahni Turpin reads the audiobook and she’s excellent!)

Honorable mention: Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

Favorite Mystery/Thriller

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton – This book was so fascinating and I finished it completely awed by what the author had accomplished. The story is about a man named Aiden who has been tasked with solving the death of Evelyn Hardcastle. The only problem? Every day he will wake up in the body of someone else, reliving the day over and over again until he learns who the murderer is. I loved the setting of the novel—a creepy mansion—and all of the unique characters. It felt like real-life Clue! The novel was filled with twists and turns, and I’m still not sure how the author connected the dots as perfectly as he did.

Honorable mention: Thirteen by Steve Cavanaugh

Favorite Memoir/Essay Collection

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Novel by Patrisse Khan-Cullors – It’s hard to describe how important this book is. How essential to understanding what it is truly like to be Black in America, to be Black and queer in America. Patrisse Khan-Cullors, one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, takes us through her past—the painful moments, the horrifying ones, the traumatic memories—that led to where and who she is today. This book impacted me on a deep level, and it’s one you should definitely add to your antiracism reading list.

Honorable mention: The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Superlatives

The Most Disappointing DNF

The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary – I abandoned this book around page 100, unable to handle the silly characters or over-the-top plot. Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare was one of my favorite reads last year, and I had such high hopes for this book! It was such a disappointment. (It has a 3.64 rating on Goodreads, compared to The Flatshare’s 4.08, so I guess I’m not alone in my dislike!)

The Most Disappointing Book I Read

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry – Ughhh, this book. I honestly do not understand it’s 4.08 Goodreads rating (which is higher than Beach Read, a book I much, much prefer to this one). I didn’t love the characters, hated that the entire plot centered around miscommunication (my least favorite trope), and felt like the entire reading experience was a slog.

The Book I Was Most Surprised to Love

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab – I was so delighted by this book! I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, considering it’s a fantasy novel and pretty long (450 pages). Perhaps it was just reading a book at the right time, but I was fully invested in the plot, the characters, and even the fantasy elements.

The Book I Thought I Would Love More Than I Did

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – This book is clearly beloved. So many of my trusted sources gave it 5 stars and I expected to love it just as much! But it just didn’t work for my reading taste. While it is a fantasy novel, so a suspension of belief is a given, there were parts of this novel that felt too far-fetched (how does one woman have SO many fascinating “other lives”?). I also didn’t love the ending. It felt very, “Just be more appreciative of your life and your depression and suicidal ideation will go away!!!” Bleh.

Most Deserving of the Hype

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah – I am forever a Kristin Hannah stan, and this book was exceptional. I learned so much about the Dust Bowl era and what people had to do to survive during the Great Depression. While I wish she had ended the book differently, this is still a novel I am happy to recommend over and over again.

Least Deserving of the Hype

The Push by Ashley Audrain – This book was everywhere early in 2021 and I was glad to get my hands on a library copy quickly. But I just didn’t love it the same way other people did. Maybe the book was less impactful because I’m not a mother or maybe my expectations were just too high. Who knows!

The Book I Loved That Other People Hated

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware – This book has a low rating on Goodreads (3.54 on 137,000+ reviews) but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a solid thriller and the creep factor was high. I was really satisfied with the ending, too, which isn’t always a given with thrillers.

The Book I Hated That Other People Loved

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson – I am pretty amazed at how much I disliked this book because it gets rave reviews from so many people! The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes covers the same topic (in fact, there is some plagiarism controversy with the two books, which I don’t personally buy into it) and I found that book to be so much more compelling and better written. This one just wasn’t for me!

The Underrated Gem of the Year

American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures, edited by America Ferrera – With less than 5,000 ratings on Goodreads, this book is an easy option as my underrated gem. This collection of essays brings together so many wonderful voices—immigrants, children of immigrants, indigenous people, etc.—to discuss what it’s like to be living between two cultures. Not every essay is a masterpiece, of course, but all of the stories deserve to be told and listened to.

Best Audiobook Experience

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds – This book is a novel in verse, so listening to it rather than reading it was really the way to go. It’s read by Jason Reynolds who is a spoken-word poet, so he really knows how to read the book in the way it’s meant to be read. It’s a powerful story of family and honor and trust, and so uniquely written, and I just had to give it my top audiobook spot this year.

What books were most and least deserving of the hype for you?

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?