Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (8.13.18)

I cannot believe it’s already mid-August and kids are back in school and it’s almost time for football. Time is a crazy thing. My weekend was pretty great, as it was fairly low-key. I needed that because my upcoming week is going to be busy, busy and the weekend even more so. I got in some reading time at the pool, lots of naps, and a pedicure date with my mom.

Last week, I finished two books and really loved both of them. Reviews below!

Books Finished

Title: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
Author: J.D. Vance
Published: 2016
Format: Library hardcover
Rating: ★★★★★

Plot Summary: A memoir about a man who grew up poor in Appalachia, but manages to escape the cycle of poverty to become an Ivy League-educated lawyer.

My Thoughts: I loved, loved, loved this memoir. Maybe it’s because I read it two years after the election and approached it solely as a memoir, not as a commentary on the state of the working-class society and why so many of them voted for Trump. This is simply J.D.’s experience growing up poor, with a revolving door of fathers and a mother who struggled with addiction. And it was a story I could relate to all too well. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of quotes that resonated with me, and it really made me stop and reflect on my own childhood and how growing up poor and in a volatile home environment affects me even now. (In fact, I’m planning on writing more about this on Wednesday, so stay tuned for that.) This is a book I would wholly recommend, but with a word of caution: don’t think about this as social commentary. Don’t think you’re going to “get into the minds of Trump supporters” with this book. Instead, approach it as a memoir and to expand your worldview of what it’s really like to grow up poor in middle America.

Title: Wicked and the Wallflower
Author: Sarah MacLean
Published: 2018
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Lady Felicity must land a husband, and when a mysterious stranger named Devil promises her he can help her with this mission, she accepts on one condition: she won’t be satisfied with a marriage without passion.

My Thoughts: New Sarah MacLean! New Sarah MacLean! This book starts her brand-new Bareknuckle Bastards series, which looks to be totally fun. In this first book, we follow Devil who reigns over Covent Garden, a place that ladies such as Felicity should never be. From the get-go, I was captivated by both Felicity and Devil (gotta admit, the way he wielded his walking stick was pretty hot!) and rooting for them. They were both completely stubborn and completely right for one another. Like most MacLean novels, I wished this one was a bit shorter (400+ page romance novels are not my jam), but I was still so happy every time I opened my Kindle to read this book and cannot wait for the next one to be released.

What I’m Reading This Week

  • Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson – I’m about 100 pages into this slim volume, and it’s been so eye-opening. I didn’t realize it would actually be written like a sermon, but it is and I love it.
  • Never, Never: Part Two by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher – I read Part One two weeks ago and immediately requested Part Two from my library, which I picked up this weekend.
  • Beartown by Fredrik Backman – You guys, it’s time. IT IS TIME. I have put off reading this novel for reasons I don’t even understand. Maybe because I’m worried it won’t live up to the hype. Maybe because I know how much I’m going to love this book and want to savor the anticipation. For whatever reason, I have put off reading this book and I’m stopping that nonsense this week. It’s time for me and Beartown to get acquainted.

What are you reading this week?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (8.6.18)

Happy Monday! I had such a fantastic weekend, full of friends and puppy cuddles and naps. I got to see Chip on Friday evening and he got super excited when he saw me, doing zoomies all over the apartment. It was so cute! That boy totally has my heart, 100%. I also got to celebrate a dear friend at her bridal shower and was thrilled when I won the “how well do you know the bride and groom” game. Of course, I lived with the bride-to-be for a year, so maybe I had a bit of an advantage. 😉 And, on Sunday, I had brunch with friends to celebrate another dear friend’s birthday. All in all, the perfect weekend and I’m diving into Monday feeling really and truly blessed about this life of mine.

Last week, I finished three books and gave all of them 4 stars. Let’s discuss:

Books Read

Title: Lies She Told
Author: Cate Holahan
Published: 2017
Format: Library audiobook
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: This thriller is told in two alternating plotlines. First, there’s Liza who is a thriller author and has 30 days to produce her next masterpiece. And then there’s Beth, Liza’s character in her newest novel, who suspects her husband of cheating and ends up killing his mistress (not a spoiler, it’s in the synopsis). But as the novel progresses, the lines between Liza’s real life and Beth’s fictional one become increasingly blurred.

My Thoughts: Oh man, I loved this novel. I listened to it on audio, and I was concerned that I was going to get the alternating plots mixed up, but thankfully, there were two different narrators with very distinct voices so it was easy to keep them separate. I found the storyline to be so unique and refreshingly different from what we see so often in women-led thrillers nowadays. The twists and turns felt honest and never overly dramatic. And I found the ending to be so satisfying. I would highly recommend this novel if you love a good twisty thriller!

Title: The Woman in Cabin 10
Author: Ruth Ware
Published: 2016
Format: Library hardcover
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Lo is a travel journalist sailing on a luxury cruise, the kind that’s so exclusive that there’s only a handful of people on board. It seems like the assignment of a lifetime, until her first night when she wakes up to what can only be the sound of someone being thrown overboard. Only, everyone on the ship is accounted for and it’s up to Lo to figure out what is truly going on.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this thriller, and maybe it’s because I went into it with very low expectations. I loved the setting because what’s creepier than a cruise ship that has just a handful of guests and no cell service? And I loved all the twists and turns – it kept me guessing to the very end! I’ll admit that I fairly loathed Lo. I have a hard time with unreliable narrators and Lo is right up there with Rachel from The Girl on the Train. She made a lot of dumb decisions in her quest to find out what happened, but she redeemed herself in the end. All in all, a pretty solid thriller but probably not one that will particularly stand out in my mind.

Title: Never, Never Part I
Author: Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
Published: 2015
Format: Library paperback
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Charlie and Silas wake up one morning with no memory of who they are, and it’s up to them and them alone to figure out what happened.

My Thoughts: Oh, boy, do I love Colleen Hoover novels and this one is no exception. The concept behind this novel is so unique, and I just had to know what happened. Of course, this is only part one in a three-part series so I immediately requested part two from my library after I finished this book (I was prepared to buy the e-book, but it’s not available through Amazon weirdly). This novel was everything I love about Hoover’s writing, and I especially just adored the back-and-forth between Charlie and Silas.

What I’m Reading This Week

What are you currently reading?

Categories: Books

Reading Wrap-Up | July 2018

I want to start this reading wrap-up with a disclaimer. Often, when I talk about the amount of books I read in a month, I receive comments from people who seem to be self-conscious about their reading life. It happens frequently, so I’m not trying to call anyone out here, but I do want to say that I don’t give my monthly reading total to brag. And it’s not a competition. If you only read one book this month because you were busy corralling kids while on vacation or traveling for work, that’s fine. If you only read one book this month because you chose to binge on Netflix, that’s fine. If you only read one book this month because that’s all your mind could handle, that’s fine. I’m a reader through and through, which means I set aside a lot of time to read in my life. (I’m also single and childless with a low-stress job, which means I have more hours in a day to get things done than most people.)

I also don’t feel like reading is the right hobby for everyone. I wish it was, only because I derive so much joy from it myself and I think reading does wonders for opening up one’s worldview. But for some people, reading just isn’t fun. It’s work. And so, I’m not going to sit here and implore everyone I know to read as much as they can. Read if you want, or don’t. But please don’t feel as if I am bragging when I tell you how many books I read, or that the fact that I can read so many books a month means I am superior. I’m not. I’m just a woman who loves to read and makes a conscious effort (at the detriment of other hobbies) to read as much as I can.

Okay! With that said, let’s get onto my reading wrap-up! In July, I read 13 books and abandoned two. My average rating was 3.9, which is the exact average rating I had last month. I had a few 5-star reads mixed in with a bunch of 4-star ones, so it was a pretty solid reading month for me.

Books Read

1) A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole (★★★☆☆) – I found this historical romance to be lackluster in the romance department, but really interesting when it comes to the historical element. I learned so much!

2) The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (★★★★☆) – This cozy mystery was slow to start but super stressful for a good chunk of it due to a secondary plot involving the chief inspector. Not for the faint of heart!

3) Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality by Jacob Tomsky (★★☆☆☆) – I was unimpressed with this memoir and didn’t find it as dishy about working in hotels as one might imagine.

4) The Strongest Steel by Scarlett Cole (★★★★☆) – This romance was so much fun to read that I nearly stayed up late one evening to read the whole book in a night. (I paced myself, however.)

5) The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (★★★★☆) – Pick up this book if you want to read about a bisexual man living in the 1700s and in love with his best friend who goes on a tour of Europe only to be attacked by highwaymen and pirates.

6) Intermediate Thermodynamics by Susannah Nix (★★★☆☆) – A slow plot and lackluster romance mean I probably wouldn’t fall over myself to recommend it, but I loved reading about a woman rocket scientist and how she dealt with constant misogyny and sexism at work.

7) The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (★★★★★) – A beautifully written novel that brings a human element to the topic of immigration and deportation. A must-read.

8) Someone Like You by Lauren Layne (★★★★☆) – This novel had a pretty heartbreaking side plot that had a major bearing on the overarching romance, but it never felt like it was too much or overpowered their love story. A very satisfying read.

9) The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (★★★★☆) – I loved every minute I spent with this book and could relate the Molly, the main character, more than I’ve ever related to a character. Highly recommend, especially if you love sweet YA love stories.

10) The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager (★★★★★) – Another 5-star Riley Sager novel for me! His thrillers are just so damn compelling, and I couldn’t put this one down for anything.

11) Make Me Crave by Katee Robert (★★★★☆) – Just one of those sexy romances that had a really silly premise, but was carried out in a semi-believable way. And those sex scenes – whew!

12) The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson (★★★★☆) – This is the kind of self-help I love: giving me some great quotes to think about without overwhelming me with a bunch of action steps and to-dos. I hope he writes more books!

13) Lies She Told by Cate Holahan (★★★★★) – The premise of this thriller was so incredible and the execution so flawless that I couldn’t give it anything less than 5 stars. Highly recommend.

From the above list, the three books that I wholly recommend and think just about any reader will like are The Sun Is Also a Star, The Last Time I Lied, and Lies She Told.

Book Stats

  • Number of pages read: 4,019
  • Breakdown of formats: e-books (5), physical copies (5), audiobooks (3)
  • Book that took me the longest time to read: The Cruelest Month (9 days)
  • Book that took me the shortest time to read: Make Me Crave (3 days)
  • Breakdown of genres: romance (5), nonfiction (2), historical fiction (1), YA (2), mystery/thriller (3)
  • Number of diverse reads: 4 (31%)
  • Where I sourced my books: library/Overdrive (10), Amazon (2), Book of the Month (1)
  • How much my books cost me this month: $19.97

What was the best book you read in July?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (7.30.18)

This was my last low-key weekend for the next few weeks, so I tried to enjoy the extra downtime as much as I could. I’m happy to have a few busy weekends on my schedule in August, but also aware that it will limit my alone time, which can lead to anxiety and overstimulation. Just have to make sure to build in some alone time when I can!

Last week, I finished three books and I’ll be interested to see if I can read at this same frenetic pace when my weekends are much busier than usual.

Books Finished

Title: The Last Time I Lied
Author: Riley Sager
Published: 2018
Format: Hardcover
Rating: ★★★★★

Plot Summary: Emma was 14 during her first summer at Camp Nightingale, a summer that ended in tragedy when her three cabinmates turned up missing and were never found. Now, fifteen years later, Emma returns to Camp Nightingale, this time as a painting instructor, with a secret mission to find out what really happened to her friends.

My Thoughts: I loved Sager’s first novel, Final Girls, and I was curious to see if his second novel would be just as captivating. The answer is yes. I think I loved this book more than Final Girls! The setting was terrific (come on, a sleepaway camp? Yes, please.) and I really enjoyed each and every character, even the ones that were written to be unlikable. I was also surprised by all the twists and turns this book took, and definitely didn’t see the ending coming. If you’re on the lookout for a really great thriller, pick this one up!

Title: Make Me Crave
Author: Katee Robert
Published: 2018
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Roman has an investor interested in Allie’s women-only gym/women’s shelter, but she hasn’t taken any of his calls about it. When she takes off for a vacation to a Caribbean island for a week, he decides to follow her there to make her finally listen to his spiel.

My Thoughts: Romance novels often require you to suspend belief, and this one definitely required that because in any other setting, a man chasing a woman down on vacation is creepy and stalker AF. But there’s a good reason why Roman is so intent on his investor taking over Allie’s business and it didn’t come across as creepy as it might seem. The chemistry between Allie and Roman was sizzling from the get-go, and I was pulling for them to make it. They both brought a ton of baggage into their vacation-fling-turned-something-more, but I really love the way they worked through it. There was just something so sweet and lovely about their love story. I thought the ending was super rushed and since the book was only 225 pages, I definitely think the author could have tacked on an extra few chapters to flesh it out, but still a fun romance novel. (Be warned: this book has a lot of sex scenes, so if that’s not your jam when it comes to romances, you might want to steer clear.)

Title: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
Author: Mark Manson
Published: 2016
Format: Library hardcover
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: A profanity-heavy book in the self-help genre that begs the question, you only have so many fucks to give, so what do you really give a fuck about?

My Thoughts: I loved this book. I had a feeling I would because self-help like this is my jam, and I found so much incredible insight from Manson’s words. I saved so many quotes from this book, and it really made me think about my life and the pain I’ve experienced in an entirely new way. Manson states clearly that it’s our negative experiences, our suffering, our pain, and our fears that help us to live more fully and happily. It’s only by going through those peaks and valleys that we find our truest selves. “We suffer for the simple reason that suffering is biologically useful,” Manson writes in the book. “It is nature’s preferred agent for inspiring change.” It wasn’t the epiphany I was hoping to get from this book (I mean, yeah, not sure most of us want to know that suffering is useful to our overall sense of self), but it’s one I’m continuing to ruminate on as I think about this book and Manson’s words.

Book Abandoned

Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis – I abandoned this book on page 55, and it’s the first time I’ve ever abandoned a Jill Shalvis novel. Her contemporary romances are some of my favorites to read, but this women’s fic novel left a lot to be desired. I found the writing to be a little over-the-top cheesy and the main character to be supremely unlikable. Meh.

What I’m Reading This Week

  • Lies She Told by Cate Holahan – This is my book club’s August pick that I’m reading a bit early. I downloaded the audio version last week and have been dipping in and out of it. It’s a fascinating thriller and I have no idea where it’s going!
  • The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware – Reading this for my work book club. It’s been on my TBR list for a long time now. It gets mixed reviews from the people I follow on Goodreads, so I’m hoping that by going into the novel with low expectations, it will exceed them!
  • Never, Never Part 1 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher – This is a short little novel at just under 160 pages, and I usually speed through Hoover’s longer novels, so I figure I’ll finish this one in just a few days if that.
  • Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance – I’ve heard so many mixed reviews of this novel, so I’m going into it with very low expectations (guess that’s my theme of the week).

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (7.23.18)

Happy Monday! I am starting the week with my heart so full, after a lovely weekend spent with my best girlfriends at Anna Maria Island. It’s just about an hour south of where we live, so it was a nice, quick beach getaway for all of us.

This week, I finished four books! That may be a record for me, but it’s only because I was nearly finished with Intermediate Thermodynamics and one of the books was an audiobook. Let’s get into my reviews:

Books Finished

Title: Intermediate Thermodynamics
Author: Susannah Nix
Format: e-book
Published: 2017
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Plot Summary: Esther strikes a deal with her next-door neighbor, Jonathan. If he will take her best friend on a few dates to distract her from her terrible ex-boyfriend, then Esther will be his science advisor for the sci-fi screenplay he’s writing.

My Thoughts: While I didn’t love this novel as much as I loved Nix’s first one, it was still a pretty decent rom-com. I loved Esther, who is a real-life rocket scientist and is dealing with a lot of sexism at work due to being a female in a male-dominated space. And I always love an enemies-to-lovers romance trope, so I enjoyed watching Esther and Jonathan morph from hating each other to falling in love. I only wish we could have gotten Jonathan’s POV. I find it so hard to really get invested in a romance when it’s only from the female POV. Still – this novel was entertaining and who can deny how cool it is to read about a female rocket scientist?!

Title: The Sun Is Also a Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Format: Library hardcover
Published: 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Plot Summary: Natasha and Daniel meet each other hours before Natasha and her family are due to be deported to Jamaica. They spend the day together, falling in love and trying to hope fate wouldn’t be so cruel to tear them apart just when they found each other.

My Thoughts: This book is so lovely. It’s a timely read, as it delves into the topics of immigration, deportation, and being a person of color in a society that celebrates whiteness. It’s also a quick read, as I sped through the novel in a matter of days. I loved the perspectives of Natasha and Daniel, and how differently they viewed the world. And I loved the way they fell in love with each other. It was quick for Daniel, slower for Natasha, but they both got there in their own way, both just trying to hold on to these moments together with the understanding that it could all get ripped away from them. It’s a really sweet, light-hearted YA novel that tackles an incredibly serious topic, and Nicola Yoon has my heart forever.

Title: Someone Like You
Author: Lauren Layne
Format: Library e-book
Published: 2016
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Lincoln and Daisy meet at a wedding – Daisy’s sister’s wedding, to be exact. She’s the maid of honor, he’s the best man. Unfortunately, they meet at the worst time: Lincoln is unavailable and Daisy’s recently divorced. And then Daisy stumbles upon Lincoln’s secret for why he is so unavailable and their lives become entwined in a way that will heal both of their hearts.

My Thoughts: This is book #7 in Lauren Layne’s Stiletto/Oxford series, and throughout those first six books, Lincoln is a present force. He’s the charming playboy in all those books, but there’s a seriousness to him. So serious that I figured the “secret” that Lincoln’s been harboring is that he’s gay (and believe me, I was here for that). But that’s not the secret! It’s actually a lot more heartbreaking than I could have imagined, and it gave me a profound respect for Lincoln. This book had the potential to get overwhelmed by the overarching plotline, leaving the romance as an afterthought, but it didn’t. The romance felt like the perfect complement to the difficult experiences the characters were trying to heal from. It helped them come to terms with their past and it was a really beautiful thing.

Title: The Upside of Unrequited
Author: Becky Albertalli
Format: Library audiobook
Published: 2017
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Molly is 17, never been kissed, and has had 26 unrequited crushes. But this summer, something’s going to change. She has a fun new summer job that comes with a cute coworker named Reid, and her twin sister just started dating someone new who has an adorable hipster best friend named Will.

My Thoughts: This was one of those super sweet YA love stories with a lot of complex teenage angst. I could wholly relate to Molly as the idea of having so many unrequited crushes because you’re too scared to put your heart on the line was definitely my reality in high school. The idea of not believing anyone would want to date you because fat girls just don’t get to have that kind of love life is also very, very real. I loved how all of this was addressed in the book in a way that was honest without drifting into the realm of self-loathing. It helped me put into words the way I sometimes still feel when I date and why online dating is so much easier for me than going up to a stranger and flirting. The potential for rejection is huge, and it’s especially heartbreaking when you don’t fit into that ideal mold of womanhood. So, I appreciated the perspective of this novel so much and I can’t wait to read everything else Albertalli has written!

What I’m Reading This Week

What are you reading?