Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (11.30.20)

Hi, friends! Happy Monday. I don’t really have a specific bookish moment of the week! The only bookish moment that stands out for me was how I felt reading Love on Lexington Avenue, which is the first book I’m reviewing today. I gave it 5 stars because it just made me so darn happy! It was one of those books that I wanted to read cover to cover when I started it, and was soooo hard to set down. I love when that happens! That’s what makes the reading experience so pleasurable.

Let’s dive into my book reviews because I have quite a few! (A five-day break from work definitely sped up my already-fast reading pace, haha.) I finished five books this week (I’m 10 away from hitting 150!) and here are my reviews:

Love on Lexington Avenue by Lauren Layne (★★★★★)

One-sentence synopsis: Claire has sworn off relationships after finding out her husband was a serial cheater during their marriage, but when she starts having feelings for her rough-around-the-edges-but-surprisingly-sweet contractor, Scott, she learns that protecting her heart might come at the cost of her happiness.

Ooh, this novel was perfection! I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance, and this one satisfied all of my desires. Claire is going through a complicated mix of emotions, as she’s grieving the loss of her husband while also trying to reconcile her hatred for him (he died during a boating accident and was found with one of his many girlfriends). Scott, on the other hand, is going through his own internal struggles, including a desire to settle down after many years of traveling the globe and working on complex contracting projects. I loved their banter and sweetness together, and when they started to fall for each other… ahhh. All of the heart eyes! This is a beautiful love story to sink into if you’re looking for something heartfelt and lovely. (Closed-door romance.)

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (★★★☆☆)

One-sentence synopsis: Gifty is determined to better understand the suffering around her, as she still grieves her brother who died of a heroin overdose in high school and watches her mother struggle with suicidal ideation even years later.

This is one of those books that just didn’t work for me, but I can see why people are raving about it. It’s well-written and complex and heartbreaking, an intimate exploration of the opioid epidemic and the effects it has on families. The book also touches on the immigrant experience and being Black in America. It’s a character-driven novel, which is a subgenre I tend to struggle with unless the characters are compelling enough to keep my interest. I really had a hard time connecting with anyone in this book. Gifty was especially difficult for me, as there were so many moments when I wanted her to open up to people and just try to form connections. I think anyone who enjoys character-driven stories and complex themes will enjoy this book. It just wasn’t for me.

Come Away with Me by Karma Brown (★★★★★)

One-sentence synopsis: Tegan has endured a devastating loss after an accident and her husband suggests they open their Jar of Spontaneity to pick out three dreams to fulfill.

Oh man, this book! It’s a brutally real exploration of grief and moving forward after a devastating loss. Come Away with Me is told from Tegan’s perspective, as she is trying to figure out how to forgive her husband (he caused the accident) while grieving the loss of her baby. I want to mention these things, even though they aren’t in the book’s description because they could be major trigger warnings for some people. The author’s depiction of grief is so spot-on, nearly too real at times, and I was completely drawn into Tegan’s world where all she can think about is all she lost. Some reviewers said she was a bit of a brat and hard to handle, and she was. She really, truly was. But that’s just what the grief experience is like for some people, and she has earned every bit of her “brattiness.” (For the record, I didn’t see it as brattiness but more that she was depressed and wounded beyond belief.) As someone who has struggled with depression, I felt seen in Tegan’s struggles. I know that feeling of wanting to pretend you’re okay so the people around you don’t worry, of thinking everything is fine until one tiny thing happens to bring you back down, of worrying that the only way you’ll ever be happy again is to be medicated. Tegan broke my heart, and while this book is certainly sad, it is also hopeful and fun. Tegan and Gabe are exploring so many wonderful countries and having so many great experiences, and that fills up the bulk of the book. It is so fun to follow along on their journey around the world! Anyway, I think I’ve yammered on enough about this book. It’s well worth the read if you can handle the difficult subject matter! It may even have earned a place in my top-10 of the year.

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar (★★★★☆)

One-sentence synopsis: Nishat, a closeted lesbian teen, enters a school competition to start a henna business and is annoyed when Flavia, the girl she’s crushing on, decides to have the same business. 

Writing a one-sentence synopsis for this book was nearly impossible! Do I focus on Nishat’s sexuality, as she came out to her parents at the beginning of the novel and they had a disappointing response, leading to fractures in her familial relationships? Do I focus on the cultural appropriation of Flavia (an Afro-Brazilian) and her teammate Chyna (a white girl) starting a henna business alongside Nishat (who is a Bengali Muslim)? Do I focus on Nishat and Flavia’s growing relationship? Do I focus on the bullying, the racism, the homophobia? Needless to say, there is a lot going on in this book. But it all kinda works. It’s not perfect—this is a debut, after all—but it’s not as all over the place as you might think. Instead, it’s a brilliantly woven story about a young Muslim girl who knows that she is gay and just wants to be accepted for that. I loved Nishat’s character so very much, especially the close relationship she has with her sister. There were times when Nishat drove me crazy, though, especially how she always seemed to just accept the bullying and racism she experienced. But that may be my white privilege showing. I want her to stand up for herself, but I know that is way easier said than done, especially as a minority. All in all, though, this was a really fun debut and it’s a quick read so it may be a good one to pick up if you’re trying to meet an end-of-year book goal!

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (★★★★★)

One-sentence synopsis: In this book, Ibram X. Kendi discusses what being an antiracist really means and what a just, equal society should look like.

As expected, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you’re going to read one book about antiracism work (although, come on, you can do better than that), it should be this one. This book takes you through all the different systems that are set up to be racist, how policies are at the heart of antiracism work, and the differences between being an antiracist and being an assimilationist. (Here’s how assimilationists are defined in the book: “Assimilationists can position any racial group as the superior standard that another racial group should be measuring themselves against, the benchmark they should be trying to reach. Assimilationists typically position White people are the superior standard.”) I learned so much from this book, even though I thought I had a good idea of what antiracism is and should look like. But I was still seeing everything from my lens of whiteness. This is a book I will read again, and soon, most likely do a close reading chapter-by-chapter to truly begin to do the work of unraveling my own racist ideas and understanding what needs to happen to build an antiracist society. Bottom line: You need to read this. Yes, you! Even if you have attended BLM marches, given money to racial justice charities, and believe wholeheartedly in antiracism work. We can still do better. We can still learn more. It starts by understanding all the ways policies and procedures and rules and society as a whole have failed the Black community… and what needs to be done to make it better for them.

What I’m Reading This Week

  • Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare (e-book) – I’m nearly halfway through this fun historical romance and I am enjoying it so much! The last historical romance I read was a snoozefest, so this book is reviving my love for the subgenre.
  • Atomic Love by Jennie Fields (print) – This was a BOTM pick from a few months ago that I decided to pick up and read. It’s billed as being part love story and part spy thriller, and that is just right up my alley. I’m not too far into it yet, but I’m liking it!
  • Sadie by Courtney Summers (audiobook) – I’m still working my way through the archives of the Currently Reading podcast, and in a recent episode I listened to, one of the hosts raved about the audiobook version of Sadie (it’s apparently very well-produced). A recommendation like that from Katee or Meredith rarely proves me wrong, so I have this queued up to start this week!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (11.23.20)

Happy Monday, friends! I actually have two bookish moments of the week. What, what! First, I hit my Goodreads goal of 135 books over the weekend and that was super lovely! Can I knock out another 15 before the year is up? Time will tell! I’m not going to try too hard to hit that magical 150 number, but it would be fun to get to!

My other bookish moment of the week was exploring Tombolo Books, an indie bookstore in my town. This bookstore opened a few months before the pandemic hit and I haven’t had a chance to visit it yet! Thankfully, they are open for in-person shopping (you have to schedule a time to visit) and I picked up three books (The Fire Next Time, The House in the Cerulean Sea, and Written in the Stars) that I’m excited to read soon. I had planned this shopping date with my friend B. and then halfway through poking around the bookstore, all of my other friends showed up for a pre-birthday surprise! I’ve helped organize five of these birthday surprises over the past six months so I’ve been looking forward to how my friends were going to surprise me, and I was most assuredly shocked! Hehe. It was a lovely surprise.

Alright! Let’s dive into my reviews for this week. I finished two books and have another four in progress (whew!):

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes (★★★★☆)

One-sentence synopsis: After Shonda’s sister questions why Shonda always says no to opportunities, she commits herself to a year of always saying yes.

Oh man, I loved this book so much! It was so inspiring. And what a perfect time to read this book, as I’m thinking about 2021 and what I want to accomplish next year. It definitely made me want to commit to my own “year of yes,” as someone who also says “no” way too often. During this year of yes, Shonda gives a commencement speech at her alma mater, loses 100+ lbs, goes on Jimmy Kimmel, turns down a marriage proposal, is interviewed by Oprah… and more. It was fascinating to see her transformation as the book progressed, as she began the year scared and anxious and sad, but as she said yes to more opportunities and yes to herself, she grew more confident and happier and more alive. I’m a longtime lover of Shonda’s TV shows (she is the showrunner for Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Private Practice, and How to Get Away with Murder) and I always picture her as this larger-than-life, super-confident woman but she’s not. Like anyone, she has vulnerabilities and anxieties and issues. This is a feel-good story and it’s a great time to pick it up, as it will give you a lot of inspiration for tackling your own challenge in 2021!

Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean (★★★☆☆)

One-sentence synopsis: Twenty years after Grace’s first love betrayed her, he has returned and she realizes she never stopped loving him.

This novel was just… boring. The characters were flat. The sexual tension that I expected wasn’t there. And while most historical romances can be quite anachronistic (authors try to make these novels so very feminist during a time period that was most assuredly not), this one felt like it leaned into the unreality more than it needed to. Still, I gave this novel three stars because I thought the last 30% of the book was much better than the first 70%, and I appreciated the look at a different section of society than most Regency romances (which typically follow high society people like dukes and earls and marquesses). In this book (and the two earlier books in this series), we follow working-class people and I thought MacLean did a great job of humanizing these individuals who aren’t given much space in historical novels, especially not in romance.

What I’m Reading This Week

  • How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi – I’m still working my way through this book! I have a few more chapters to go, and feel like it’s one of those books I’ll want to read again (maybe even slower than I am now!) because there is so much information to glean from the pages.
  • Come Away with Me by Karma Brown – I’m nearly finished listening to this novel, only a few hours to go. It’s excellent and may even be a five-star read for me.
  • Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi – I’m a little more than halfway through this story, and it’s… fine. I went into it with the highest expectations based on how much I love Homegoing and it’s definitely not striking the same chord with me. But I’m going to stick with it and hope it pays off in the end!
  • Love on Lexington Avenue by Lauren Layne – I can always count on a Lauren Layne romance to give me all of the happy feels, and this one is definitely doing that for me!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (11.16.20)

My bookish moment of the week was giving a friend a long list of book recommendations! She reached out to me, telling me that I always gave her the best recommendations (which, hello, heart eyes!) so it was a delight to look over my recently read list, as well as some of the books on my TBR, to give her about 10 books to request from the library. I consider this friend to be one of my “book twins,” as we tend to have the same taste in books so it’s always easy to recommend books to her! I looooove when friends reach out to me for recommendations!

I didn’t publish a reading update last week since I wanted to post about the election results (and I only finished one book that week!), so this update comprises two weeks of reading. I finished four books, three of which were 5-star reads!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (★★★★★)

Short synopsis: Simon is a closeted gay teen trying to get through high school and corresponding with another closeted gay teen through email. They both go to the same school but remain anonymous to each other. When Simon finds himself falling for his secret email buddy, will he have the courage to come out?

This YA love story was SO cute and I started it the night before the election. It was the perfect “brain candy”-type read I needed to get me through those very uncertain times. I loved Simon as a character—he’s definitely a teen so he can be angsty at times, but he’s ultimately a good kid who is trying to figure out how to come out to his family and friends. There was a great focus on friendship, and I loved how authentically high school friendship was written about in this book. Simon and his friends had their flaws and their jealousies, but they were ultimately good to each other and supportive when it mattered. Of course, I was mostly interested in the blossoming relationship between Simon and his email buddy, and I was so excited for the reveal of who it was! This is a book I will most definitely read again because it gave me such happy feels!

Hidden Away by Maya Banks (★★★☆☆)

One-sentence synopsis: Garrett’s latest assignment is to get close to a woman named Sarah whose brother has been on the wanted list for a whole host of government agencies… but what happens when he starts to fall for his assignment?

I really, really liked this book. I thought it was fast-paced, well-written, and I loved how it all came together in the end. But what I didn’t love is that this is the third book in this series with a weak-willed female character who had to be saved by her male counterpart. Honestly, at this point, I can’t tell any of the women apart because they’ve all been written from the same mold. There was even this really awful scene of five adult men bullying a teenage boy because he had hurt their teenage sister. Was this boy a bully? Yes, he was. But the sister should have been annoyed at her brothers trying to fight her battles for her, rather than crying from happiness. (Yes, that really happened.) I keep reading her books because I do love the writing, but she gets one more chance from me. If the next book in this series follows the same format, I’m done. (Open-door romance.)

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah (★★★★★)

Short synopsis: Joanna is a graduate student studying ornithology and is spending a few months in rural Illinois to conduct her research. Her routine is thrown off by the arrival of Ursa, a child who is barefoot, covered in bruises, and claims to be an alien from a faraway galaxy who is on Earth to find five miracles.

Listen, I know the synopsis sounds crazy. Aliens and galaxies and miracles? It’s all a little far-fetched, but the premise works. This book is pure magic from beginning to end; it’s the kind of book that makes me so happy to be a reader. I was captivated by Ursa, struggling right along with Joanna about what to do about her, and caught up in the imagery of this tiny rural area. And I’ll admit: I didn’t really know what to believe. Was Ursa an alien? Or was she just a lost little girl who wanted to believe in something bigger? There’s a beautiful love story intertwined in this book that made this book just a touch more lovely for me. (You know me: I love a good love story.) A must-read!

Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas (★★★★★)

Short synopsis: A friend of Charlotte Holmes’s, Inspector Treadles, is found locked in a room with two dead men and is charged with their murders. It’s up to Charlotte and her team to clear his name.

The only disappointing thing about this novel is knowing I’m going to have to wait months and months for the next Charlotte Holmes mystery! Argh! I loved everything about this novel: the team Charlotte has amassed to help her solve crimes, the little details Charlotte was able to figure out based on her own intuition, the way the mystery was revealed, and, of course, Charlotte’s penchant for cake. 🙂 It was a solid mystery, one I honestly couldn’t figure out on my own, and every little detail that was unveiled was perfectly done. Now I’ll just try to sit here patiently as I await Book #6.

What I’m Reading Now

  • How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (print) – I’m halfway through this book, and it’s going to be one I recommend to everyone. I thought I knew what antiracism work looked like, but this book has shown me I have so much more to learn.
  • Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean (e-book) – I’m really rather bored with this Regency romance, which is unusual for a Sarah MacLean book. I keep thinking about abandoning it, which is always a good sign that I should.
  • The Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes (e-book) – I’m about halfway through this book and it’s been a good read so far. Shonda Rhimes is hilarious and I can fully relate to so many of her fears and vulnerabilities (who knew we had so much in common?!).
  • Come Away with Me by Karma Brown (audiobook) – I’m planning on starting this audiobook today! It won’t be an easy read (it involves a major tragedy in a young couple’s life) but other friends have raved about it, so I’m going to give it a shot.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (11.2.20)

There’s an elephant in the room and I’m not going to acknowledge it. Not because I don’t care, but because we all need a little distraction right now. So, instead, I bring to you this week’s reading recap, which is filled with great books. Two romances, a biography, and a YA thriller—so many genres! I had a great reading week for sure.

My bookish moment this week was watching my mom’s neighbor hand out picture books to children who came by to trick or treat. (She also handed out bags of candy—she’s not a monster!) She was also dressed as a handmaid and, you guys, I just need to meet and become friends with this woman. She’s like my literary twin! I need to get over my shyness and introduce myself and tell her how much I love the Little Free Library she has in her yard.

Anyway, let’s discuss my reads!

It’s in His Kiss by Jill Shalvis (★★★★☆)

One-sentence synopsis: Becca has escaped to small-town Lucky Harbor after a difficult family situation, never expecting to fall in love with the first person she meets in this new place.

I loved this romance! It was pure fun from start to finish, and there was a lot of depth to the plot, as Becca is trying to heal after some traumatic things have happened to her. This novel is the 10th book in the Lucky Harbor series (but like most romance series, you don’t have to read the books in order) and it’s so fun to see some of my favorite characters pop back up in this novel. While I think some things wrapped up a little too easily—it always drives me crazy when authors feel the need to make everyone one big happy family at the end; that’s just not real life!—this was still a solid romance with some very steamy scenes! (Open-door romance.)

You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe (★★★★☆)

One-sentence synopsis: For the first time, a woman pens a biography of George Washington and doesn’t hold back about his flaws, including about the enslaved people he owned.

This was an excellent biography and I really hope Coe is planning on writing more books about our presidents because I learned so much in just 230 short pages. This book includes charts and other infographics that detail little things about Washington, like all of his illnesses, the “frenemies” he made while he was president, his war history, etc. Washington is an incredibly flawed character and he did not have many fans when he left the presidency, and I enjoyed this more nuanced take on his life. But what struck me most when reading this biography was learning more about his wife, Martha. Her life was a difficult one—losing her first husband, then both of her children, and countless grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Not to mention, she had to share Washington with the country. He was away from her for years fighting in the war and then became president. And a year after he left the presidency, he was dead. I felt a lot for Martha and was encouraged by the way she soldiered on, even in the face of so much tragedy. Anyway, this is a great, accessible biography and I encourage everyone to give it a try!

Driven to Distraction by Lori Foster (★★☆☆☆)

One-sentence synopsis: When prim and proper Mary hires rugged bad boy Brodie as her driver, sparks fly.

Ehhhh… this book relied a little too heavily on stereotypes, and I was actually surprised to learn it was published in 2018 because it felt very dated. The characters felt two-dimensional and the plot seemed to drag on and on with no apparent destination. Until this weird mystery subplot was introduced that was just so cheesy and unrealistic that I started skimming those sections. Not a great sign! This is the first book I’ve read of Lori Foster, who is a prolific romance novelist, and I’ll give her another shot… but this isn’t a novel I’d recommend. (Open-door romance.)

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (★★★★☆)

One-sentence synopsis: For her senior capstone project, Pip decides to investigate a five-year-old murder that took place in her town.

THIS NOVEL WAS SO GOOD. The only reason it doesn’t get five stars from me is because parts of it were a little too unbelievable—such as a seventeen-year-old launching such a complex murder investigation with no experience or training. (This was, like, Serial-level investigation and Sarah Koenig is no slouch in the experience department + had a whole team working with her.) But as long as you can get past that (which I could), this novel is incredible. I loved Pip so much, and her partnership with Ravi (whose brother allegedly killed his girlfriend five years ago, which is the murder Pip is investigating with the intent to clear his name) was such a sweet little addition. This novel took so many twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting, and I loved them all. I truly could not figure out who the murderer was or the motive, so the reveal was completely unexpected. All in all, an insanely good debut novel!

What I’m Reading This Week

  • Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas – This is the fifth book in the Lady Sherlock series, and I was thrilled when I came off the holds list at my library. I’m listening to it on audio, my favorite way to consume this series. I’m only an hour in and I’m already so happy to be back in the world of Charlotte Holmes.
  • Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – I’m reading this YA novel to fulfill November’s prompt for the Unread Shelf Challenge (read a book in your favorite genre). I don’t have any traditional romances on my unread shelf (my actual favorite genre; I always read those quickly!) but YA romance is a close second, so it fits.
  • How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi – Ah, yes. I am finally plucking this book off my shelf to read. I am planning on taking this book slowly, perhaps one chapter a day. This is not a book to speed-read through.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (10.26.20)

My bookish moment this week is having a fun conversation about self-help books with a coworker over chat! She wanted to recommend two really great titles that she just read and loved (Atomic Habits and Digital Minimalism) and I’m hoping we can read at least one of them for our work book club soon. I think Digital Minimalism, especially, would make for a great discussion! Anyway, I just love talking books with people and it was a nice interruption to my workday. 🙂

I finished two books since my last update, which was on Wednesday. I sped through a thriller and also finally finished my “slow but steady” read that I’ve been reading since August! I’m thinking about the next “slow but steady” book to pick up—probably something off the Serial Reader app.

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris (★★☆☆☆)

One-sentence synopsis: Three generations of Indigenous women tell their life stories.

I read this book because a good friend recommended it to me, and then lent me her high school copy. I chose it as my “slow and steady” read for the fall, reading about 10 pages a day until I finished it. I wanted to like this book, I really did, but it just did not work for me at all. The story is set up in three parts, starting with the granddaughter telling the story, and then the mother telling the story, and finally the grandmother. In each story, the mother figure is this terrible person with no love or compassion for her, someone who is really easy to root against. And then, the mother figure would try to explain her actions when she was telling the story. I assume the lesson to take from this is that humans are flawed and complicated, but to me, it just didn’t work. The explanations didn’t make me feel any sort of compassion toward these women when they’re treating their children and the people around them like shit. I wanted more from their lives and more from this story. Not one I would recommend, unfortunately.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (★★★☆☆)

Short synopsis: Twenty-five years ago, police were called to a home where they found three adults dead in an apparent suicide and a healthy 10-month-old baby crying in a crib upstairs. That baby is now all grown up and has inherited this house, knowing nothing of its sinister past.

Oooof. I had high hopes for this book, but it just did not meet them at all. I was expecting something dark and twisted, especially with the way the premise is laid out, and at times it felt more like a feel-good fiction novel than a thriller. I appreciated all the twists and turns the novel took, as certain things were revealed slowly (and most of them, I only predicted right before they were unveiled). I also liked that most of the characters were easy to root for, which is not always a given in a thriller. But it just didn’t live up to my expectations for a thriller and ultimately, it’s kinda forgettable.

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown – abandoned

I was listening to this book on audio and around the 51% mark, I decided to abandon it because I just wasn’t on board with the message it was trying to send. (The book was about a queer teenager who was asked by her father to pretend to be straight for her senior year after they moved to a conservative city in Georgia.)

What I’m Reading This Week

What are you reading?