Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (4.9.18)

Happy Monday, friends! Near the start of the weekend, I was worried that I might not have any books to talk about this week – at least books I’ve finished. It was a really busy week and weekend and I only grabbed reading time in snippets, like right before bed or on my lunch hour at work. But I did end up finishing two books this week even in the midst of my crazy schedule. One was a romance (and I was more apt to pick it up this week because my anxiety was all over the place and I just needed something light-hearted) and the other was an audiobook that I listened to on my commute.

Books Finished

Title: Take the Lead
Author: Alexis Daria
Format: e-book
Published: 2017
Rating: ★★★★☆

I’ve been hearing a ton of buzz in romancelandia about this novel, and since I’m trying to read more diverse and queer romance this year, I decided to pick it up as my diverse romance for April. I was nervous because I have really high standards when it comes to romances and a lot of the books that are frequently recommended in this genre just don’t do it for me. Thankfully, Take the Lead totally delivered. The novel is basically inspired by Dancing with the Stars and involves the love story of trained dancer Gina, who has just been told that she has to make it to the finals in The Dance Off or else she’s out of a job, and Stone, a reality TV star. His family has been part of the popular wilderness show Living Wild for a number of years, so he’s a macho outdoorsman who lives off-the-grid in Alaska and doesn’t know much about LA or dancing or any of that. And, of course, these two opposites attract as Gina helps Stone open up, both with his feelings and with his dancing. I was thoroughly impressed with this debut and wanted to spend all my time in their little world. (Add to Goodreads.)

Title: Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Author: Trevor Noah
Format: Audiobook
Published: 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

If you’ve never listened to an audiobook before and don’t understand the appeal, do yourself a favor and download Trevor Noah’s memoir. I promise you: it will be completely worth the listen! The audiobook isn’t too long (just under 9 hours) and he is a fantastic narrator. He uses voices perfectly and for me, he totally captured the spirit and heart of South Africa. I didn’t know much about Trevor Noah or his life before listening. All I really know about him is that I love him on the Daily Show and his recent comedy special was amazing. And I was blown away by this memoir. It only covered his life in South Africa (I was dying to know how he ended up in America and becoming the new host of the Daily Show, but alas, that wasn’t the reason for this book), but it was everything I expected: funny and sad and heartfelt and silly and maddening. All of the emotions! Trevor Noah truly endured a lot throughout his childhood and early adulthood, and it was astounding and heartbreaking. I highly, highly, highly recommend this book and I think it’s such an important read. (Add to Goodreads.)

What I’m Reading This Week

  • Everybody’s Son by Thrity Umrigar – I didn’t really have much time for reading this week due to my busy schedule and when I did have some free time, I just wanted to read my light-hearted romance novel. Still, I managed to read 150 pages of this novel and I’m sure I’ll finish it early this week since I don’t have much going on. It’s interesting, for sure, but also makes me angry, which is why I’m less and less inclined to pick it up. (Angry in a good way…? Like, it’s bringing up emotions in me that I know the author wanted.)
  • The Way Home by Cindy Gerard – My romance pick for this week! Cindy Gerard is my absolutely favorite when it comes to romantic suspense and I’m excited to dive in this week.
  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil Degrasse Tyson – This is my nonfiction pick off my “immediate TBR” and I’m apprehensive about it. I’m just not sure it’s going to be accessible enough for me! My plan is to go slowwwww with it, maybe just a few pages a day, and really try to understand what he’s saying. That said, I’m also not averse to abandoning it if it’s not serving me. We’ll see!

What are you reading this week?

Categories: Books

Reading Wrap-Up | March 2018

I thought a lot about how I wanted to structure my monthly book report on my blog. Obviously, now that I’m writing a weekly What I’m Reading blog post, it’s almost as if I don’t even need this monthly roundup. But alas, here I am, writing a monthly reading roundup. What can I say? I love looking at my reading stats and talking about my favorite books. So here we are! This was actually really fun to pull together and I hope you enjoy it.

March Reading List

In March, I read 11 books and abandoned one. Here were my favorites from this month:

  • Overall favorite: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (review)
  • Favorite romance: Roomies by Christina Lauren (review)
  • Other favorites (all books I gave 4 or 5 stars to):
    • Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan
    • Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis (review)
    • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (review)
    • Love Hacked by Penny Reid (review)
    • Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West (review)
    • Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser (review)
    • Irresistibly Yours by Lauren Layne (review)
  • Book I was lukewarm about: I Found You by Lisa Jewell (review)
  • Book I didn’t like: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (review)
  • Book I abandoned: First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies by Kate Andersen Brower

I read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine for my work book club and The Wedding Date for my local book club. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was the book I read to fulfill my “read four classics” yearly goal. All other books I read because they were on my monstrously long TBR list!

Other Book Stats

  • Number of pages read: 3,750
  • Breakdown of formats: physical copies (5), e-books (5), audiobooks (1)
  • Book that took me the longest time to read: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (15 days)
  • Book that took me the shortest time to read: Roomies (2 days)
  • Breakdown of genres: romance (6), thrillers (2), fiction (2), and nonfiction (1)
  • Number of diverse reads: 1 (8% <– yikes!)
  • Where I sourced my books: Overdrive/library (6), Book of the Month (2), Target (2), Amazon (1)
  • How much I spent this month: $56.53

Favorite Book Quotes

“‘Because,’ explained Mary Rommely simply, ‘the child must have a valuable thing which is called imagination. The child must have a secret world in which live things that never were. It is necessary that she believe. She must start out by believing in things not of this world. Then when the world becomes too ugly for living in, the child can reach back and live in her imagination.’” – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

“However, it is easier to mock and deride individual fat people than to fix food deserts, school lunches, corn subsidies, inadequate or nonexistent public transportation, unsafe sidewalks and parks, healthcare, mental healthcare, the minimum wage, and your own insecurities.” – Shrill

“On your wedding day, you’re choosing to love that person forever, but that’s just the beginning. You have to continue to choose them, every day. It’s not like your other options are going away – it’s up to you to turn them away. Marriage isn’t what it once was to a lot of people. And if you really want it to work, you’re not making a one-time vow – you’re committing to a lifetime of remarrying that person every day.” – Not That I Could Tell

What was the best book you read last month?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (4.2.18)

Happy Monday, friends, and happy April! I am super looking forward to this month because my mom and I leave on a cruise at the end of it. Yayyyyy! We booked this cruise sometime in the fall of 2017, so to say we’ve been looking forward to it for awhile is an understatement. April is also the month I get to see my guys at Pod Save America live, and I couldn’t be more excited about that. I’m also hoping to spend some afternoons at the pool and put some real work into my novel this month.

But before all that, let’s dive into my reading life in the last week of March, shall we? It was another great week of reading for me because I finished three novels (two being romances, which I read super fast).

Books Finished

Title: Roomies
Author: Christina Lauren
Reason for reading: For fun
Published: 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

So, I need to preface this review by saying that I understand why many people are a little leery of this novel, especially with the debates about DACA and immigration in the news. In a way, the plot can be seen as insensitive because the hero in this novel is an Irish immigrant whose visa expired more than four years ago. And yet, due to his whiteness, he has certain privileges that other black or brown immigrants don’t have. And, honestly, that privilege is never brought up in the novel and it can be off-putting for some people. I get that totally. But also? I loved this novel, and I just had to realize that this novel can be problematic and I can love it, too. The characters were so well-written and real. The plot moved along at the perfect pace, and the way Calvin and Holland fell in love with each other felt natural and beautiful. But I think what I liked most about this novel was that while the romance was the central figure, it was also about Holland and her process of finding herself. When the novel begins, Holland is a girl with an MFA in creative writing who wants to be a writer, but is uninspired and feels that she’s just letting life happen to her. She works at her uncle’s playhouse, selling merchandise, and she knows she’s destined for way more than that, but doesn’t know how to go out and get it. Her fears and vulnerabilities were so real and I could see a lot of myself in her. She was a really easy heroine to like and root for. And I love how she came full circle in this novel. (Add to Goodreads.)

Title: Not That I Could Tell
Author: Jessica Strawser
Reason for reading: March Book of the Month pick
Published: 2018
Rating: ★★★★☆

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this thriller as much as I did, maybe because I’d read two lukewarm reviews of the novel that tempered my expectations. (Maybe that was a good thing?) I actually thought it was a truly well-written thriller that wasn’t too over-the-top with crazy twists and turns. And the characters were all super likable; the author didn’t fall into the trap of writing about female relationships in a negative way. Even the contentious relationships had a true-to-life feel to them. As I’ve had time to reflect on this book, I think the core of this book isn’t about the disappearance of a neighbor and her kids. It isn’t about the investigation into her disappearance or her estranged husband’s maybe-guilt. It is about these neighbors, about sisterhood, about vulnerability and opening up. It’s about motherhood and how lonely and isolating it can be. It’s about singlehood and how lonely and isolating that can be. It’s about how we need to watch out for each other and how women can come together and help each other. So, I can really see why this book was compared to Big Little Lies because that was the overarching theme of that novel, and I really think this was a good read-alike to that book. All in all, I really, really liked this novel and I’m really glad I gave it a chance! (Add to Goodreads.)

Title: Irresistibly Yours
Author: Lauren Layne
Reason for reading: For fun!
Published: 2015
Rating: ★★★★☆

This was such a quick, fun read and one that was hard to put down because I enjoyed the characters so much. This novel is about Cole (a character who was present in some of Layne’s previous novels) who is a notorious womanizer and freelance sports writer. He’s hoping to be hired to a full-time sports writer position at the magazine he often writes for, Oxford, and thinks he’s a shoo-in because he already has a relationship with the editor-in-chief and other staff. Enter Penelope, a woman who lives and breathes sports and wants a chance to prove she has what it takes to make it in the cutthroat sport writing world (a world where there aren’t too many females leading the way). Cole and Penelope meet during a baseball game, where he’s enamored with the way she watches the game with her entire being… until he realizes she’s his competition for the job of his dreams. Guys, I loved Penelope. I loved her so damn much that I wish she was a real person because I’d like to be her best friend. It was obvious from the beginning that she wasn’t Cole’s usual “type” – she was short and skinny with no chest and had no fashion sense – but there was something about the fact that she wasn’t his usual type that drew him to her. Their love story was sweet and hopeful and made me happy sigh when I finished this book. (Add to Goodreads.)

What I’m Reading This Week

  • Everybody’s Son by Thrity Umrigar – I recommended this book to my book club as our April read, and everyone was on board, so I’m diving into it this week! By the synopsis, I know it’s going to be a really heavy read, so I’m bracing myself for it by making sure I have some romances on deck to read when I need a break from the heaviness.
  • Take the Lead by Alexis Daria – I’ve heard amazing things about this book (it’s basically like Dancing With the Stars in romance novel form), so I think I’ll start it sometime this week.
  • The Way Home by Cindy Gerard – I’ll be starting this romance after Take the Lead. Cindy Gerard is my favorite romantic suspense author, so I’m really looking forward to this one.
  • Born a Crime by Trevor Noah – I like to listen to one nonfiction and one fiction audiobook every month, so I started Trevor Noah’s memoir yesterday. I actually won a copy of his book through a Goodreads giveaway, but I wanted to listen to it on audiobook because I hear his narration is fantastic. My library didn’t have this on audiobook, so I used up my one free Audible credit to listen to it. So far, so great.

What are you reading this week?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.26.18)

Wow… what a week of reading it was for me! This week, I finished four books, although it feels a little like cheating to say that because I read the majority of Nobody But You the week prior. But alas, I finished it this week, so it counts toward my total. This balances out last week when I “only” finished one book. (I say “only,” because it’s uncommon for me to only read one book a week. I realize one book a week is a massive win for most readers! I’m just obsessive about this hobby of mine, haha.) Anyway, let’s dive into what I read last week and my reading plans for this week.

Books Finished

Title: Nobody But You
Author: Jill Shalvis
Reason for reading: For fun!
Published: 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Oh my, I loved this book from beginning to end. It was the perfect romance. This novel finishes up Shalvis’s Cedar Ridge series and we finally get Jacob’s story, who has been MIA in the previous novels. He left Cedar Ridge when he was 18 to join the military, and while he has returned once a year to visit his mom, none of his other siblings know about his visits. But now he’s on leave and has decided to spend it in Cedar Ridge, reconnecting with his family. And during one of his first days back, the most original meet-cute happens when recently divorced Sophie docks her ex-husband’s boat (the only thing she got in the divorce; she took it out of spite) at his dock and he comes out to tell her she can’t dock there. I felt the zing from the moment Sophie and Jacob met and couldn’t wait for their love story to evolve. It was perfect in every sense of the word and I never wanted this book to end. (Add to Goodreads.)

Title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Author: Betty Smith
Reason for reading: Yearly goal of reading four classic novels
Published: 1943
Rating: ★★★★★

This book took me forever to read (over two weeks!), but it was so well worth my time. (Though I’m astonished how many people read this book in middle school. I don’t think I was reading 500-page novels in middle school! Ha.) It’s a coming-of-age story about Francie Nolan, a young girl who lives in Brooklyn. Her family is poor and I could feel their struggles seeping through the pages. As the novel progresses, Francie grows from a precocious little girl to a woman in her late teens who is desperate for education and love. She encounters setbacks, tragedy, and heartache, but she never loses herself in the midst of it all. Francie is a character I don’t think I’ll ever forget. (Add to Goodreads.)

Title: Love Hacked
Author: Penny Reid
Reason for reading: For fun!
Published: 2014
Rating: ★★★★☆

I said last week that Penny Reid is hit or miss for me, but this book was definitely a hit. It wasn’t a typical romance with the typical hero, which I really appreciated. Sometimes, I can get annoyed when a romance author doesn’t follow the “rules” of romance (I know, I know, I’m working on it), but in this case, it totally worked. This novel follows the story of Sandra who has been on 30 dates, nearly all of which have ended with the man sobbing uncontrollably and her referring them to her psychotherapist friend. On its own, the premise sounds a little unbelievable and it is, but this is Penny Reid and it’s not unusual for her to have a wacky premise like this. All of these 30 dates take place at the same Indian restaurant, and so this is how she meets Alex, her ever-present waiter whom she secretly pines for. It’s after one disastrous date that she has an “encounter” with Alex and begins the process of unraveling who this gorgeous man is. What I appreciated most about this novel is how different it was, especially with a hero like Alex who really wasn’t someone I rooted for at the beginning due to how close-lipped he was about himself. But eventually, as his secrets were slowly revealed, I grew to love him and want the best for him. It was truly a beautiful story about the power of love and how it can change us for the better. (Add to Goodreads.)

Title: Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman
Author: Lindy West
Reason for reading: On my “immediate TBR” list
Published: 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Do yourself a favor and read this book. I think it holds the top spot of my favorite book of 2018 so far. It was well-written, poignant, funny, vulnerable, powerful… and every other word I can think of. It’s a book of essays that talks about everything from what it’s like to be fat in a thin-centric world to dealing with trolls on the Internet to rape culture in the comedy world. And it is excellent. I found myself nodding my head in agreement during the chapters on fat acceptance, feeling so much disgust about how she was treated when she spoke up against rape jokes in stand-up comedy, and just generally feeling so grateful to Lindy and the way she speaks up even to her own detriment. She is no stranger to trolls and has had to develop a thick skin to deal with the onslaught she receives due to being a woman writing on the Internet – and I know for a fact that I would not be able to handle that world as she does. (Just one mean comment on my blog and I want to burn it all to the ground, so…) I was inspired by Lindy and just want to shove this book in everyone’s hands. A must read. (Add to Goodreads.)

What I’m Reading This Week

  • Roomies by Christina Lauren – My romance read for the week! I bought this novel at Target a few months ago because the premise sounded perfect. A marriage of convenience trope? I’m here for that.
  • Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser – This was my March Book of the Month (<– affiliate link, you get a free book if you sign up using my link!) pick, described as Big Little Lies-esque, which is one of my all-time favorite novels. It’s gotten some mixed reviews, though, so I’m going into it with lessened expectations, which may help me enjoy the novel more! We’ll see.
  • Irresistibly Yours by Lauren Layne – I may or may not get to this one this week, but I’m adding it to the list just in case. My upcoming week and weekend aren’t too busy, which will make for copious reading time, and I can always make time for a Lauren Layne romance. Her books are quickly becoming some of my favorite contemporary romances to read!

What are you reading this week?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.19.18)

It’s been a weird week for reading as I only finished one book. That’s probably because A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a long book (around 500 pages and the font is tiny!) and it’s taking me a long time to read it. But that’s okay! Quality not quantity, right? Here’s what my reading life looked like last week, and what I’d like to accomplish in this upcoming week.

Books Finished

Title: Holiday in the Hamptons
Author: Sarah Morgan
Published: 2017
Reason for reading: For fun
Rating: ★★★★☆
Format: Library e-book

This book was all kinds of fun and I read it while I slogged through the beginning of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, so it was a much-needed break from that novel. I had requested this book through Overdrive back in January and I came off the waitlist a few days before Dutch died, and I had to return it without reading it because the two main people in the novel are involved in pet-centric professions and I could not handle it at that time. But I was ready for it this week, and even though there were moments when I got a little heartbroken thinking about my beloved Dutch, it was also the light-hearted read I needed. In this novel, professional dog walker Fliss visits the Hamptons to help her grandma who took a bad fall and needs someone to help her walk her dog. What she doesn’t expect is that her ex-husband Seth (a veterinarian – see why I needed to return it?!) is now living in the Hamptons and she’ll have to run into him again and again. I could wholly relate to Fliss (she grew up with an abusive father as I did) and her struggles to believe in the love Seth had for her, and it was a truly beautiful story of faith, trust, and love. (Add to Goodreads.)

Books Abandoned

I started listening to the audiobook version of First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies by Kate Andersen Brower, but only made it halfway through the second chapter before I had to shut it off because it was making me too angry. Before starting the book, I read some reviews of First Women that said it was overly critical of Michelle Obama and they were not lying. The author seemed to have some sort of beef with her, as she mentioned over and over again how much Michelle hated being a First Lady. (This makes me wonder how the author feels about our current First Lady, but I digress.) Anyway, you don’t come after Michelle Obama. I shut that shit down real fast. Not one I’d ever recommend, unfortunately.

What I’m Reading This Week

  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith – I have a little more than 200 pages to go with this novel, and I have a feeling I’m going to be sad to let Francie go when I finish it. She had become so dear to me, probably because I can relate to her so well. I mentioned last week that the beginning was a little boring for me, but I’m really, really enjoying this novel now. I can see why it’s on so many people’s all-time favorites list!
  • Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis – This romance is the perfect, light-hearted companion to ATGiB. It may even be one of the few romances that I rate 5 stars.
  • Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West – Once I finish ATGiB, this is my next read! On top of my normal TBR that I use Goodreads to keep track of, I have what I like to call an immediate TBR and these are books that received or are receiving a lot of buzz and I want to read sooner rather than later (because, let’s be honest, books get lost easily in the mammoth that is my Goodreads TBR). Currently, I have 45 books on this immediate TBR, which means it’s not really all that immediate, ha. But I’m trying to knock off two books a month off this list (I alternate between a nonfiction book and a fiction book), and Shrill is the next book on the list. Excited to dive in later this week!
  • Love Hacked by Penny Reid – I’ll probably finish Nobody But You sometime today, so my next romance is Loved Hacked. Penny Reid is really a hit-or-miss romance author for me (I find her books unnecessarily long, which is probably due to the fact that she’s a self-published author and could use a stronger editor). I haven’t loved her Knitting in the City books as much as others, so I think I’m going to give this one a try and if I don’t like it, just move on.

What are you reading this week?