Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (8.27.18)

Reading was a struggle last week. It was this weird feeling where I felt like I was fighting for every page I read. Reading felt… hard and boring, in a way. I was much less excited to reach for my books, preferring to scroll Instagram or play a game on my phone instead. I can’t remember the last time I felt that way, and I’m not really sure what caused it. I was busier, as I’m trying to finish up a freelance project and I’m attempting to walk 10,000 steps every day. So maybe it was just having a little bit more on my plate and needing my downtime to be less mentally focused. Who knows. But I honored this feeling as best as I could, knowing it would pass and I’d be back to voraciously consuming books.

Even still, I finished two books this week! But one of them was an audiobook that I only had an hour left in when Monday rolled around, ha.

Books Finished

Title: You’ll Grow Out of It
Author: Jessi Klein
Format: Library audiobook
Published: 2016
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: This book of essays by a female comedian explores many different topics of womanhood, from how to find good porn to dealing with fertility issues when you’re not even sure you want to have a child.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this essay collection from Klein. I don’t know of her work at all, but have had this book on my TBR list for a while. I listened to it on audio and that was the perfect way to consume this book because Klein reads it herself and had me laughing out loud during some of her stories. She has a great voice and this book felt like I was sitting down with a funny friend to hear stories about her life. Highly recommend for a fun, easy read.

Title: A Princess in Theory
Author: Alyssa Cole
Format: Library e-book
Published: 2018
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Thabiso, an African prince, has been betrothed to Naledi since birth. But then Naledi’s parents fled the country and she spent her life bumping from foster home to foster home after they died in a car accident not long after coming to America. But the time has come for Thabiso and Naledi to marry, so he flies to America to secure his bride.

My Thoughts: This novel was just pure fun, and I really loved both Naledi and Thabiso’s characters from the beginning. They had their own unique hangups that they needed to sort out before falling in love, but it all worked out perfectly. I will say that I think the author could have tightened up the beginning so that the ending could have been better fleshed out because it felt like the ending came so suddenly that it gave me whiplash. All in all, though, a fantastic read and I can’t wait to read the next book in this fun series!

What I’m Reading This Week

  • Beartown by Fredrick Backman – I have a little more than 100 pages left in this novel and it is completely shattering my heart. It’s so beautiful and so tragic and so timely.
  • Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren – I started this romance over the weekend and it’s offering a nice light-hearted companion to Beartown. I flew through the first half of it in just two days.
  • My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante – Once I finish Beartown, I’m going to start this novel. I’m really not sure if it will be my cup of tea, but I’ll give it my usual 70-page try and hopefully, it will surprise me!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (8.20.18)

What a weekend! Whew. I’m writing this post on Sunday evening, as I try to get my bearings with a new week on the horizon. This week will bring a viewing of Crazy Rich Asians with some work friends, my annual review at work, and lots and lots of writing as I work on a big freelance assignment. Last week, I finished three books! But two of those were novellas, so they were super quick reads at under 150 pages. Here are my reviews:

Books Finished

Title: Never, Never: Part Two
Author: Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
Published: 2015
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Plot Summary: In Part Two of this trilogy, Silas wakes up with no memory but finds out that his girlfriend Charlie is missing and he needs to find her before time runs out.

My Thoughts: As much as I loved Part One of this series, Part Two was majorly disappointing! I’m on the fence if I even want to read Part Three, but since the books are so short (around 145 pages), I guess I’ll just finish it out to see what happens. I am interested to know why they have lost their memory! This book took some turns I wasn’t expecting and didn’t particularly enjoy, so blah.

 

Title: Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America
Author: Michael Eric Dyson
Published: 2017
Format: Library hardcover
Rating: ★★★★★

Plot Summary: Dyson doesn’t hold back in this book about race relations today and all the ways white privilege has paved the way for black indignity. Short, impactful, and will leave you forever changed.

My Thoughts: I don’t even know how to accurately describe how incredible this book was, but it’s one I want to put in the hands of everyone I know. It’s a book that will make a lot of white people squirm, but damn do we need to squirm. Dyson really gets to the heart of race relations today and what it’s truly like to be black in America. He talks not only about the different times he’s been stopped by the police but also about the times he’s been asked to leave churches and universities due to his more progressive views, views that not everyone is ready for. He writes honestly and poignantly about his life and about the ways white privilege and white fragility have infected our culture and made black people feel othered. There were so many quotes that just stopped me in my tracks because damn, does Dyson have a way with words. Please read this book. You won’t regret it.

Title: Ninja at First Sight
Author: Penny Reid
Published: 2015
Format: Library e-book
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Plot Summary: In this novella, readers learn the origin story of Greg and Fiona, a married couple who are present in the first four books of the Knitting in the City series.

My Thoughts: I was told I *must* read this book before reading the fifth book in the Knitting in the City series because it gives greater context to Greg and Fiona’s story, as we learn how they got together. And… I just don’t get it? Maybe I will once I read that fifth book, but this felt like something that could have easily been incorporated into that book in flashback scenes. Also, I kinda hated this book solely on the fact that her mom was written outrageously awful. She tells her daughter, who had brain cancer a few years ago, that she’s “cutting her out of her life” if she goes away to college. Um, what? In what world does this make sense? I understand that the author wanted Fiona to have a troubled relationship with her mom, but that’s a little over the top and unrealistic.

Book Abandoned

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan – I abandoned this book on page 71 because it just wasn’t keeping my interest. I felt like the author was trying too hard to create a plucky heroine, but it just didn’t work for me. It was also just… boring. I didn’t feel any sense of excitement whenever I picked up the novel and I found my mind wandering when I was reading. Probably one of those “good for you, not for me” books.

What I’m Reading This Week

  • You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein – I have one hour left in this audiobook, and it’s been such a fun listening experience over the past week. It’s a book of essays written by a comedian, and those can generally be hit-or-miss for me, but I’ve actually found myself laughing through some of her stories!
  • Beartown by Fredrick Backman – I am less than 100 pages into this beautiful novel, and while I haven’t gotten to the meat of this story just yet, I can tell it’s going to be one I completely love. The writing is so beautiful and I’m reading this book slowly to soak in every word.
  • A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole – I’m reading this alongside Beartown and it’s a fun, light-hearted companion. It’s giving me Coming to America vibes, haha, but I don’t hate that. I love both the main characters and I’m excited to see how everything comes together!
  • Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren – Once I finish A Princess in Theory, I’m going to start this book! I was completely captivated by the first Christina Lauren novel I read (Roomies) and I hear this one is just as great.

What are you reading this week?

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?