Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (8.12.19)

Happy Monday! I’m pleased to report that I was able to cross one of my August goals off my list this weekend: completing a no-spend weekend! I bought groceries on Friday afternoon but the rest of the weekend was spend-free, even though I contemplated a trip to Target to shop for some things “just because.” I’m glad I talked myself out of it because that probably saved me at least $75, if not more. I’m actually considering doing these no-spend weekends once a month because it is good practice for saying no to shopping and eating out. We’ll see!

I finished two books last week, so another solid reading week for me. My reviews:

A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole (★★★★☆)

Oh, how I loved this romance. There is a cast of diverse characters, including a bisexual character and a nonbinary character, and I loved the way the nonbinary character’s pronouns were seamlessly woven into the story once their preference was stated. This is the story of Nya, who made an appearance in the first book in Cole’s Reluctant Royals series but it’s been so long since I read that romance that it took some time to jog my memory of who she was. Nya has been through a lot in her life – her mother died when she was young and her father was recently convicted of poisoning her country’s princess – and she’s trying to heal from the trauma. And then there’s Johan, the “playboy prince” who is trying to prepare his half-brother to become king of their small country soon. Johan and Nya concoct a plan in which they will pretend to be engaged, which suits both of their needs. It will allow Nya to get away from a country that has caused her so much trauma and allow Johan to hopefully help his country vote positively on a referendum if they think he’s settling down. I loved the character arcs of both Nya and Johan and the way they came together at the end. Such a beautiful love story.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (★★★★★)

This novel might be the buzziest book of 2019, and I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype. I also worried that all the descriptions about nature would make the book feel like a slog. However, park your preconceived notions at the door, friends. This book is worth all the hype. The story begins in 1969 when Chase Andrews, the town’s golden boy, is found dead in the marsh and all signs point to Kya (also known as the Marsh Girl) as the killer. From there, the story dips back and forth in time. We’re taken back to the early 1950s to learn about Kya, how she was abandoned by her family and learned to fend for herself. And we’re brought to the “present day” storyline of 1969 where the death of Chase Andrews is being investigated. Eventually, past and present storylines converge, and I found myself unable to put the book down until I knew how it all ended. Where the Crawdads Sing is a beautifully written story and I actually really enjoyed the descriptive writing. It helped to bring me into the marsh and feel like I was right there with Kya – in her shack, boating through the marsh, with her birds, etc. A book that was totally worth all the hype, in my opinion.

What I’m reading this week…

> Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, on audio. I have just under six hours left in this audiobook and I am loving it. The narrator is fantastic, which helps my enjoyment of the novel as it’s literary fiction, which isn’t always my jam. But this one is working for me!

> You Had Me at Hello by Mhiri McFarland. I just started this cute romance that takes place in Manchester, England, and involves the “reunited lovers” trope.

> A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I’m finally reading this novel! I’m only about 50 pages in, but already deeply love grumpy Ove.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (8.5.19)

Making Up by Lucy Parker (★★★★☆)

I really enjoyed this romance by one of my new faves, Lucy Parker. It’s part enemies-to-lovers, part reunion trope. Trix is a circus performer who has just been given the starring role in a production after the previous girl falls during a performance and breaks her arm. Leo is a makeup and special effects artist who is going through a rough time career-wise and joins the production to start building his career back up. Trix and Leo were close friends in school but had a falling-out and are now sworn enemies. While I didn’t love this romance as much as her previous novels, it was still a fun read with such a unique setting!

Hooked On You by Kate Meader (★★★★☆)

I loved this hockey romance, which wraps up the Chicago Rebels series from Kate Meader. Bren and Violet have been dancing around each other for the past few books and it was nice to finally get their story. However, the book did make me emotional because of Bren’s relationship with his daughters. He’s a recovering alcoholic who went to rehab and is doing all he can to be a better father to his girls. It gave me a lot of feelings as my father also struggles with addiction but was never able to beat them for my brother and me. His addictions always came first. Bren works so hard every day to stay sober for his daughters and I loved watching their relationship with him blossom throughout the book. I think that was the strongest element in the novel, even though the chemistry between Bren and Violet was evident on the page and I loved how they broke down their walls to let love in.

Selfish, Shallow & Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on The Decision Not to Have Kids, edited by Meghan Daum (★★★★☆)

Oh, do I have thoughts about this book. So many thoughts that I’m planning on writing a post about being childless (and maybe wanting to remain that way) this week. This is a book of 16 essays with writers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, talking about how they came to terms with being childless and what it means for them today. Some of the writers went to great lengths to get pregnant, while others never felt the compulsion. There were a lot of opinions in this book that I didn’t agree with but I came away with a lot of food for thought and I appreciate reading about such a wide range of experiences.

What I’m reading this week…

> Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I’m nearly halfway through this novel and only started reading it on Saturday! I was immediately drawn into the story and am finding it hard to put it down.

> A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole. Yay! My hold for this romance finally came in. I love Alyssa Cole’s contemporary romances and this one features two characters that were present in the other books, so I’m excited to finally read their story!

> Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, on audio. I abandoned the audiobook I was reading last week (The Last Romantics) because I just didn’t find the story compelling enough. Also, I didn’t love the narration. Anyway, this means I get to start Rules of Civility! Fingers crossed it works better for me than The Last Romantics.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (7.29.19)

Happy Monday, friends! I had such a great weekend – the perfect mix of downtime and being social, which I haven’t gotten for a few weekends in a row. Lately, there have been plans on plans on plans so it was nice to take it easy this weekend.

I finished four books last week – woop! It was a very good reading week for me and – spoiler alert – all my reads were four or five stars! Let’s review

A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas (★★★★☆)

I wish I had read a physical copy of this book rather than listening to the audiobook. I think it would have been a better experience for me. This is the second book in the Lady Sherlock series. Charlotte Holmes has earned a bit of notoriety in the papers (although everyone thinks a man named Sherlock is solving the mysteries) and attracts the attention of the wife of Charlotte’s would-be love interest. She comes to Sherlock’s home (where “he” conducts “his” business) to ask about finding an old lover that she thinks might be dead. What I loved most about this novel is how much I couldn’t guess how the plot would unfold! It concluded in a completely different way than I expected, but was so satisfying, too. And the last line of this book has me wanting to rush out and get the third novel ASAP.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (★★★★☆)

Christina Lauren is an all-time favorite for me, and they did not disappoint with this novel. Olive and Ethan, mortal enemies, are the only people at a wedding (Olive’s sister married Ethan’s brother) who didn’t get sick from the buffet. (Olive has food allergies that prevented her from eating the buffet and Ethan thinks buffets are gross, so they had separate meals.) Olive’s sister implores her to take the honeymoon she was supposed to go on – and Ethan’s brother does the same to him. So, they have to spend 10 days with each other and try not to kill one another in the process. And, as it turns out, they don’t actually hate each other. They actually really, really like each other! It’s a sweet romance that had me laughing out loud throughout the novel, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by how it all turned out in the end.

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (★★★★★)

Anne of the Island is the third book in the Anne of Green Gables series, following Anne as a young adult in college. She navigates education, her growing feelings for Gilbert Blythe, dating, and friendship throughout the novel. I know people have said that the Anne books aren’t worth reading past the first novel, but I vehemently disagree with that opinion. There’s something so human and relatable about these novels as Anne begins to grow up and recognize how different life is going to be as you say goodbye to childhood and enter adulthood. Friends grow up, get married, move away, become parents. I remember struggling so much with this passage of time when I started college. Anne struggles in the same ways and there was something so beautiful about how she came to terms with it.

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (★★★★★)

It’s hard to wrap my mind around this book to give a coherent review, but it’s a book that I think all white people need to read. We all must come to terms with our racist assumptions and behaviors because no matter how “good” you think you are or what an “ally” you think you are, white people grew up in a society that puts them ahead of people of color. All white people – rich and poor alike – have benefited from this system and it’s only by understanding our racial bias, listening to people of color when they try to educate us on our racism, and working hard to challenge our internalized beliefs that we can begin to build a society that helps rather than harms people of color.

What I’m reading this week…

> Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids edited by Meghan Daum. I’m still on the fence about having kids myself (most days, I just don’t think I’d enjoy motherhood all that much), so this collection of essays has been really comforting to read.

> Making Up by Lucy Parker. My faaaaaaave! Lucy Parker books are the best, most especially because the settings are so unique! This book follows Trix, who is a circus performer, and Leo, who is a makeup artist, and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

> The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin, on audio. My hold just came through for the audiobook of this novel that’s getting some major buzz. I’ll start it on my commute this week.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (7.22.19)

Hello! Happy Monday. 🙂 Whew, I had such a busy weekend and I am definitely on the struggle bus this morning. Give me all the coffee! There was a reading date, a pool party, a pottery event, a writing date, and axe throwing. Typically, I like 1-2 weekend events so I’m feeling very introverted-out right now. I’m longing for a weekend with zero plans on the agenda. Maybe someday!

Last week, I only finished one book since I didn’t have a ton of reading time over the week. Too many plans! Here’s my review:

Elliott Redeemed by Scarlett Cole (★★★☆☆)

This was a sweet romance, but everything felt just a little too “perfect” and even the dark moment wasn’t as intense as I expected it to be. It follows the story of Kendalee, whose 14-year-old son is in the hospital dealing with serious burns on his legs after he burned down their home. On top of dealing with all that, Kendalee is separated from her husband after she found out he was cheating on her. And then Elliott, guitarist for a rock band, stops by the hospital to cheer up the kids and meets Kendalee’s son. Elliott and Daniel form an instant bond – and then so do Elliott and Kendalee when they meet for the first time and sparks fly. As the novel progresses, Elliott and Kendalee become intertwined in each other’s lives and Elliott does whatever he can to make her life easier: giving her a room in his large home to stay in (she was essentially homeless after the fire), giving her money so she could quit her minimum wage job at a grocery store, etc. It just all felt a little too perfect for me and I was left wanting more.

What I’m reading this week…

> White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. I’m reading one chapter a day in this book, and it’s been incredibly enlightening and thought-provoking. I have highlighted the hell out of it and have dozens of Post-It notes sticking out of the pages.

> A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas, on audio. I thought I would fly through this audiobook this week because it’s just over 10 hours, but since I listen to it while I’m driving, sometimes my mind wanders. And you can’t really let your mind wander while reading a mystery! I have to constantly rewind the audiobook, so I’m thinking mysteries might not be the best for me on audio. TMYK, right?

> Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery. I’m about halfway through the third book in the Anne of Green Gables series and like all the books, it’s been such a breath of fresh air to read.

> The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Enemies-to-lovers might be my favorite romance trope (which is why The Hating Game is my all-time favorite romance), so I’m just delighted by this novel. Plus, it takes place in Hawaii!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What’s a Silent Reading Event?

A few people asked for more details about silent reading parties and what they entail, so I thought I’d write a post about my experience attending one in my city and how you can go to one in your city! 🙂

I first heard about these silent reading parties from a Bookstagrammer I follow whose city throws pretty epic silent reading parties once a month. They usually take place on a Saturday morning or afternoon at a fun bar in the city, and it looked like so much fun.

So, I did a quick Google search for silent reading parties in my own city and found one that a local literary society throws on the second Tuesday evening of every month. I bookmarked the date in February, thinking I’d go by myself and check it out. Buuuut… I chickened out in February. And also in March. And again in April.

Finally, I brought up this event to my book club, knowing if anyone was going to be as excited about attending something like this, it would be them. Most of them were interested, which filled me with so much glee. I knew I would be able to finally attend this event if I had a friend or two to go with!

I planned to go to the June meeting, and it was really fun! I’m glad I finally had the courage to go. Here’s what the event entailed:

Our silent reading event took place at a meditation center and started at 7:30pm. My friend and I got there maybe 10 minutes prior to the starting time and there were four people there: the host, the person who runs the meditation center, and two other women. We were instructed to sign in, take off our shoes, and find a comfortable place to sit. There were a few chairs scattered around the room, along with an assortment of large pillows and BackJack floor chairs. One woman was seated in one of the chairs, two other women were using BackJack chairs, and a man had constructed what is essentially a bed out of a bunch of pillows. My friend and I chose BackJack chairs along with pillows to rest our legs on. (Halfway through the event, I ended up adding a second pillow to rest in my lap and found it much more comfortable to read that way.)

We were asked to silence our cell phones and the man walked around the room with a basket to take them from us. My phone was in my purse across the room so I said it was already stowed away. My friend didn’t want to give up her phone (she didn’t use it, but she just felt better keeping it near her just in case), and they didn’t badger her to give it up. It was more of an encouragement if you wanted to be tech-free during these 90 minutes.

And then, the man rang a gong (yes, really!) to signal that we were entering the period of silence. Everyone stopped talking, opened their books, and started reading.

It was so calm and peaceful for those 90 minutes of reading. Nobody was whispering or checking their phones or walking in and out of the room. The only sounds were people turning the pages in their books or opening a highlighter to highlight a page they were reading.

I’ve mentioned before how I’m not the type to sit down for an hour or two and just read. I read in short snippets, 10-15 minutes at a time. The longest period I tend to read is when I read on my lunch break, but even then, I take breaks to play a game on my phone or scroll through Instagram for five minutes. With this silent reading event, though, I was forced to sit down and read for 90 minutes straight.

And it was glorious. I was shocked when the man rang the gong to signal that time was up because I wasn’t prepared for it to be over so soon.

After our silent reading period was finished, we went around the room sharing what book we were reading. I’ll admit I felt a bit out of my depth with the books these other people were reading; just… not the kinds of books I like to read and very highly literary. I felt a bit silly showing my Louise Penny mystery, even though I’m not ashamed of my love for cozy mysteries. It would have been really fun to shock this group with a romance title, though!

But that’s what our silent reading event was like! My friend and I have talked about having our own little “events” together every once in a while – just getting together on a random weekday evening and meeting in a park to read. But I also think I’ll return to this silent reading event again. I wasn’t able to make it to July’s event, but hopefully, I can go in August!

If you’re interested in checking out one in your city, I’d suggest doing a google search (“silent reading party + your city”) because that’s exactly how I found mine! You could also check out Silent Book Club, which has chapters throughout the world. Another option is to check Meetup.com to see if there are any silent reading meetups around you. (My city had one for a while, but it’s now disbanded.) If none exists where you are? Why not create your own? All you have to do is find a venue willing to host your event and spread the word!

Have you ever been to a silent reading event? If not, would you want to?