Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

Monthly Book Review | April 2017

April was another fantastic reading month for me – I read nine books and I’m way ahead of my goal to read 100 books this year. What can I say? I’m devoting a lot of time to reading lately, and it feels really good. This month, my favorite novel was The Underground Railroad, which is a novel I think everyone needs to read. It’s sensational.

Here are my book reviews:

Whisper No Lies by Cindy Gerard (★★★★★) – I could barely put this novel down; it was so good that I immediately wanted to reread it when I finished it. Cindy Gerard writes such intense romantic thrillers, and this one was especially intense as it followed a human trafficking ring, which was just so damn heartbreaking. One of these days I’m going to write a post about finding great romance novels, but if you’re looking for a romance that will easily keep your attention and isn’t cheesy, pick up anything by Cindy Gerard. (library e-book)

Extreme You by Sarah Robb O’Hagan (★★☆☆☆) – I reviewed this book earlier in the month for TLC Book Tours, and you can find my review here. It’s a great read for ambitious career-minded women, but as I’m not really the target audience for this type of book, a lot of the advice didn’t land for me. (hardcover)

Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid (★★★★☆) – This romance was such a fun time, and so much better than the previous book in this series (Truth or Beard). What I loved most was that it had a plus-sized protagonist, and that’s something you just don’t see in romance novels that often. I also found the juxtaposition of glamorous Hollywood and backwoods Tennessee to be such a unique mix, and made the romance all the more believable. The next book in this series is about Cletus, who is far and away my favorite Winston brother, and I cannot wait to dive into that one. (e-book)

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover (★★★★☆) – My book club is obsessed with Colleen Hoover, and I’m slowly working my way through her list of titles. I’ve had Hopeless on my Kindle for a long time now (I bought it during a Bookbub deal) and I finally got around to reading it and couldn’t put it down. The thing about Colleen Hoover is that she makes me want to give up on fiction writing completely because I’m not sure if I can write characters and scenes as real and believable as she does. Everything she writes just comes alive on the page. This book took a crazy turn about 75% of the way through – a turn I wasn’t expecting at all – and it just made this book even more unputdownable. Give it a read, but be warned, it’s basically a mushy YA love story. (e-book)

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn (★★☆☆☆) – I have really enjoyed Julia Quinn’s Smith-Smythe Quartet series, but this novel just didn’t do it for me. The whole plot seemed contrived, and the hero of the novel was not how I like my romance heroes to be (honest, kind, forthright). In the end, I wasn’t even rooting for the romance to succeed, and that’s never a good sign. (library e-book)

Still the One by Jill Shalvis (★★★★☆) – This was such a fun romance novel! It continued her Animal Magnetism series, and I basically never want this series to end because it makes me so happy. Romance novels involving animals? Hello, wheelhouse. This is one of those novels where the characters spend a lot of time hating each other, but are also not able to handle the rush of sexual chemistry they have for one another, which is one of my favorite romance tropes. Fun, cute, with great sex scenes… all I want in a romance novel! (library e-book)

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (★★★★☆) – I can finally say that I read, and loved, a Pulitzer Prize award-winning book! This book was masterfully written, heartbreaking yet hopeful. It’s a story about Cora, a slave on a plantation in Georgia, who escapes with another slave named Caesar through the Underground Railroad. Except the Underground Railroad is an actual railroad with engineers and conductors and tracks and tunnels. The book follows Cora’s journey as she travels this railroad and what happens afterward. I worried that the language of the novel would be too literary for my tastes, but it was actually super accessible and easy to read. There’s definitely a literary element to Whitehead’s writing, but it read beautifully and not literary just for the sake of being literary. And this quote, near the end of the novel, was simply outstanding:

“‘And America, too, is a delusion, the grandest one of all. The white race believes-believes with all its heart-that is it their right to take the land. To kill Indians. Make war. Enslave their brothers. This nation shouldn’t exist, if there is any justice in the world, for its foundations are murder, theft, and cruelty.'” (p. 285)

I am going to encourage everyone I know to read this book. It’s a hard, heavy subject but we need to continue telling the stories about the horrors of slavery and the way blacks were (are?) treated in our country, as if they were less than and not human beings. (hardcover)

All Wound Up by Jaci Burton (★★★★★) – I’ve read quite a few of Burton’s Play-By-Play novels that have been less than stellar. They started feeling formulaic and contrived. But I’ve stuck with her because the first few novels in this series were so good, and I’m glad I did because this novel felt more like the ones I read in the beginning. It was a fun plot with likable characters who didn’t seem too perfect. I also really respect the way Burton writes sports scenes – it really feels like you’re on the field and if I ever end up writing sports romance, she’s someone I could take more than a few lessons from. (library e-book)

A Separate Peace by John Knowles (★★★★☆) – I read this novel for my “read four classics” yearly goal, and it was really fantastic. It’s a quick read at just under 200 pages and I really loved the time period and this insight into an entirely different viewpoint. Most World War II books follow people involved in the war or deeply affected by it, but this novel tells the story of boys who are not yet able to fight in the war but know their time is coming, as they are in their final year of boarding school in New England. The novel is mostly about Gene and Phineas and their friendship and how it evolves during the year. (library paperback)

What was the best book you read in April?

Categories: Books

How to Read More This Year

When people ask me how I can read so many books, I usually blow them off.

“Oh, I don’t have much of a life,” I tell them with a laugh.

And, in a sense, that’s true. I don’t keep a very full social calendar due to being an introvert and needing tons of alone time. I’m not in a relationship and I don’t have kids. It leads to having lots of time to read. And it’s my favorite hobby, so I make the time for it. It’s something I can’t imagine not doing, so reading is something I make time for every single day.

I have a lot of friends who want to read more. I don’t really think anyone needs to read as much as I do. If you’re reading at least 1-2 books per month, you’re doing fine. But if you’re looking for tips on how to read more, well then, I’ve got you covered:

1) Listen to audiobooks.

Do you have a long commute? Do you spend a lot of time by yourself cooking or cleaning? Do you like to take long walks? All of these activities lend themselves to prime audiobook time. I listen to a lot of podcasts, which means I don’t really listen to a ton of audiobooks, though I’ve been trying to listen to more this year. I love to listen to audiobooks when I’m driving (I never listen to the radio anymore, instead opting for a podcast or my audiobook in the car), when I’m cooking, when I’m cleaning, when I’m taking Dutch on walks. Sometimes, I can even listen when I’m working, depending on the task I’m doing. You could easily knock out 1-2 books per month simply by listening to audiobooks.

2) Read before bed. 

I read before bed every single night. Sometimes, I can only manage a chapter before my eyes are too tired to focus and sometimes, I get in bed so early that I can read for 45 minutes or more. This is when I get the majority of my reading done. It’s such a habit for me that I feel weird if I go to bed without reading, even if it’s just a few pages. If you find that those hours right before you go to sleep are spent scrolling through Instagram or reading terrible news stories on Twitter, instead plug in your phone, set your alarm, and put it on Do Not Disturb. Then snuggle into bed with your book and read until you get sleepy. It’s the perfect end-of-the-day activity!

3) Read on your lunch break.

One of my favorite things to do is read during my lunch break. It really allows me to break up my day when I know I have at least 30 minutes (or more) set aside to dive into my current read. I used to feel embarrassed about reading at work, but I’ve been outed as a major bookworm, so now I have no qualms about it (and a good portion of my office reads on their lunch breaks, too!) If you’re looking for a pocket of time to get some reading in, your lunch break is the perfect time to do that. (And if you work from home, this works for you, too! I know too many of us tend to work through our lunch and, this way, you can physically set your computer aside and take an actual lunch break, complete with your latest book.)

4) Read in spurts.

I do a lot of my reading in spurts – 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there. It’s something that was apparent when I logged my reading for a week, as there were only four instances in the space of an entire week where I read for longer than 30 minutes. The majority of the time, I snuck reading in 5, 10, or 15-minute spurts. And that’s still my M.O. today – lots of reading in spurts. There are a lot of little times during the day when you can probably sneak in some reading. Get to your doctor’s appointment early? Reading time. Have 10 minutes before you have to leave for work? Reading time. Need to use the bathroom? Reading time. (Ha.) You’ll be amazed at how much reading you can knock out in these little spurts of time!

5) Give something up.

The real truth of how to read more is that you have to give something up. You can’t just expect to read more without changing your life in some way, whether that’s less TV or less social media. Think about it: if you told yourself that when you got home from work, you weren’t going to open up social media for the rest of the night, you’d be able to spend oodles of time reading. (This article explains it better.) But the truth of the matter is that I don’t watch much TV (it took me four months to watch one season of Gilmore Girls and that is not a joke) and I don’t have a full, active social calendar. In order to read more, you have to open up space in your life and that usually means giving something up. But in doing so, you will gain so much more than bingeing on a Netflix series or scrolling endlessly through Facebook. Social media and TV have nothing on a good book, in my opinion.

Have any tips to add on how to read more? Let me know in the comments!

Categories: Books

Book Review: Extreme You by Sarah Robb O’Hagan

“I figured that if I kept trying and experimenting to find where I was great and where I sucked, if I kept believing that I could excel somewhere, somehow, eventually I’d find my own path to my own kind of greatness.”

This is in the introduction chapter of Extreme You by Sarah Robb O’Hagan, a book about how Sarah went from being fired from two jobs in her twenties to becoming the global president for two extremely well-known brands. Gatorade and Equinox… ya heard of them, maybe? Through her years reinventing herself and her career, Sarah developed her Extreme You approach, which has five essential qualities:

  • Check Yourself Out – wherein you experiment with all sorts of hobbies, passions, and careers to find what truly lights you up
  • Ignite Your Magic Drive – to “build the stamina and the confidence to power through any challenge that comes your way.”
  • Get Out of Line – take chances with your career, using the skills you honed in Check Yourself Out and Ignite Your Magic Drive to give you the confidence to do so
  • Get Over Yourself – to recognize your weaknesses and notice patterns in what mentors and other people are telling you about where you need to improve, and then work to improve those areas
  • Pain Training – which is how you will live through your failures when they come (because they will come and you need to be prepared for handling them)

In the book, Sarah takes readers through every step of her process, using examples from her own life and from the lives of other “Extreme” people (like Olympic skier Bode Miller and ESPN anchor Sage Steele). It’s a truly inspiring account of how to truly kick ass and truly live out your passions.

But… and this was my main contention with the book… it was mainly about your career and how to continue to scale up the ladder. Which is fine. It’s a great book if you want to learn more about how to become a more badass career woman, but it’s just not something that lights me up. I’m never going to be the person whose highest aim is a corner office or to lead a team of people. That’s just not something I’m passionate about.

It’s also not in my personality. The people in nearly all of the examples in this book were very clearly outgoing extroverts who have no problem making their voices heard. That’s not who I am. I’m an introvert and I have social anxiety, which means speaking up in meetings and collaborative projects are difficult for me. (I’m very thankful that my current position caters to my shy, introverted needs!)

So, this book wasn’t exactly geared toward someone like me, but I did find lots of inspiration from Sarah. She was brutally honest about her failures and gave some really exceptional career advice. And her writing style was really easy to read and relatable and humorous at times. She’s definitely a unique person!

All in all, it’s perfect for people looking for career advice and a blueprint for moving through the ranks in a corporate environment, but if you’re thinking it’s going to be about how to be “Extreme” in your personal life, you’ll be disappointed.

Goodreads synopsis:

As a child, Sarah Robb O’Hagan dreamed she could be a champion. Her early efforts failed to reveal a natural superstar, but she refused to settle for average. Through dramatic successes and epic fails, she studied how extraordinary people in sports, entertainment and business set and achieve extremely personal goals. Sarah became an executive at Virgin Atlantic and Nike, and despite being fired twice in her twenties, she went on to become the global president of Gatorade and of Equinox—as well as a wife, mother, and endurance athlete.

In every challenging situation, personal or professional, individuals face the pressure to play it safe and conform to the accepted norms. But doing so comes with heavy costs: passions stifled, talents ignored, and opportunities squelched. The bolder choice is to embrace what Sarah calls Extreme You: to confidently bring all that is distinctive and relevant about yourself to everything you do.

Inspiring, surprising, and practical, Extreme You is her training program for becoming the best version of yourself.

You can connect with Sarah Robb O’Hagan on the Extreme You website and Twitter. Her book is available to buy from Amazon, HarperCollins, and Barnes & Noble. 

Click here to add this book to Goodreads!

I received this book for free from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions, unless otherwise stated, are my own.

No affiliate links were used in this post.

Categories: Books

Monthly Book Review | March 2017

Settle in, folks. This book review post is going to be a long one. Somehow, I read 11 books in March. I didn’t even realize I had read so much until I took a look back at my March reads and added it all up. Holy cow! I am way ahead of my goal of reading 100 books in 2017. Who knows if I will sustain this pace throughout the year, though? Right now, I just have a lot of time to devote to reading and since I no longer have cable and rely on Netflix for TV, I find myself less and less inclined to turn my TV on, preferring to settle in with a book instead.

I read so many great books this month, but it is easy to name my favorite: This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. It made my heart explode.

Here’s what I read in March:

Quarterback Draw by Jaci Burton (★★★☆☆) – I’ve seen this mentioned in other reviews, but it really feels like Jaci Burton has run out of ideas when it comes to her Play-By-Play series (this is the ninth book in the series). The characters weren’t anything special, there was no angst or real conflict. It was a pleasant read, but I wanted more. I didn’t feel any connection with the characters and I wish this author would write about more real characters with real families. Everything is a bit too perfect and there’s nothing special about that. (library e-book)

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham (★★★★☆) – I ended up enjoying this book way more than I thought I would. I’m not really a fan of Lena Dunham, but I’m also not not a fan? I am indifferent to her. I understand the criticism of her work and I understand why people love her. I listened to this on audiobook, which Dunham reads herself, and I found myself vastly enjoying her viewpoint. I think she’s someone I might get along with in real life because there was a lot I could agree with and understand. I don’t think I’ll be watching Girls anytime soon, but this was a good listen and gave me a different amount of respect for her. (library audiobook)

All Summer Long by Dorothea Benton Frank (★★★☆☆) – I reviewed this novel earlier in March, and you can read my review here. Quick review: a sweet novel, but not one I’d be quick to recommend. (paperback)

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (★★★★★) – I have been waiting for this book to make its way to me in the postal book club, and I was so excited to get it in the mail in the latest round. It lived up to my every expectation and was so much fun to read. The novel takes place in the future – 2044 – and everyone basically lives in virtual reality. The novel begins with the creator of the virtual reality simulation dying, which launches this crazy game that has everyone fighting to solve puzzles so they can win the prize money. I’m not a gamer, nor am I a connoisseur of 80s pop trivia, but I could still thoroughly enjoy and appreciate this novel. It was incredible. (paperback)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (★★★★★) – I have had this book on my nightstand since September, and I figured it was beyond time for me to finish my reread of this series and give the book back to my friend. There is truly nothing like these novels; they are a work of art. Also, I had forgotten so damn much about this series! It was amazing how much of it read like new information to me. I can’t wait to reread this series again. (hardcover)

Dare to Hold by Carly Phillips (★★★☆☆) – I read this book in one sitting on a Saturday, and it provided the perfect escape. I really loved the chemistry between the two main characters, and I think Carly Phillips really excels at making you feel their passion for one another. Fun and thrilling with some really excellent sex scenes. (e-book)

The Girls by Emma Cline (★★★☆☆) – What a creepy, disturbing book! We picked this for my work book club this month, and I was looking forward to reading it as it had been on my list for a while. I really love Cline’s writing style and found myself highlighting all the different passages. But the story itself disturbed and depressed me (it’s basically a fictional retelling of the Manson Family through the eyes of a girl who joined the cult right before all the murders happened). I never felt excited to pick up the book, but whenever I did, I got sucked into the story. (library hardcover)

When Lightning Strikes by Brenda Novak (★★☆☆☆) – This was a free Kindle book I snagged a while ago and read while at the gym. It was really not that good and the premise was rather silly, but it kept my attention enough that I kept reading. Meh. (e-book)

Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz (★★★★☆) – I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was phenomenal. It’s so rare for me to love an audiobook narrator (which is why I’ve had such trouble with audiobooks), so listening to this novel was so enjoyable. It’s a sweet YA romance but delves into a very serious topic: immigration and deportation. High school senior Jasmine is awarded a scholarship that will allow her to attend any college she wants for free. In order to accept the scholarship, she has to show proof of citizenship. Her family moved to the USA when she was very young on work visas, but those expired and they never renewed them. Jasmine has to come to terms with being an illegal immigrant… and her new boyfriend’s father is a congressman who is fighting against the rights of immigrants. It’s truly an outstanding portrayal of what it is like for people who come to America searching for a better life, and how the system works against them time and again. I was super impressed with Melissa de la Cruz’s writing and how she tackled an incredibly serious and heartbreaking topic in a way that felt hopeful. (library audiobook)

This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (★★★★★) – This might be the best book I’ve ever read, no lie. The writing is incredible and I truly never wanted the book to end. I took my time reading the novel because I just wanted to soak in every single moment with this family. This novel is about Claude and his family. It’s about how Claude wants to be a girl when he grows up. It’s about a family that wants Claude to be whomever he wants to be… but aren’t sure how to share Claude with the world. It’s about a wife and a husband who are trying to raise five kids. It’s about siblings and how powerful that bond can be. It’s a truly sensational piece of writing that everyone needs to read. (library hardcover)

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart by Sarah MacLean (★★★★☆) – Oh, gosh, am I glad I found Sarah MacLean. Her Regency romances are everything. They feature smart, feisty female protagonists and sexy, charming male protagonists, and engaging plots that seem to be completely different than everything else I’ve read in this subgenre. Her books are just so much fun to read, leaving me with only happy sighs. (library e-book)

What was the best book you read in March?

Categories: Books

Books I’m Embarrassed I Didn’t Like

I was listening to an episode of the What Should I Read Next? podcast, and the guest that week said something that made my ears perk up.

During each episode, Anne, the podcast host, brings on one guest to talk about three books they loved and one book they hated, so that Anne can give recommendations for what they should read next.

In the episode I listened to, the guest didn’t tell Anne the book she hated. She told her about the book she was embarrassed for not liking. As in, a book that seems universally loved, but just didn’t do it for her.

It made me think, are there any books I’m embarrassed about not liking?

I already know that, if I were ever on Anne’s podcast, my “hated” book would be Code Name Verity. (Which has been mentioned as a “love,” as well as recommended by Anne on the What Should I Read Next? podcast.) I still don’t understand what I missed in that book that everyone else raved about. I found it boring and a little over my head at times (there’s the embarrassment). What’s even more crazy is that it’s the one book my entire book club was unanimous in our distaste. Most of them didn’t finish the book. So, what are we all missing? I still don’t understand why that book is so widely loved.

I also get embarrassed when I try to read a business or science book, and it goes over my head. I couldn’t make it through Switch by Chip Heath or Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss. I managed to finish Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes, but the majority of the book was difficult for me and tainted my review. Twice, I tried to read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and the science parts were just so dense that I abandoned it. Maybe I’ll just watch the movie instead.

I tried Reading Lolita in Tehran, but only made it past the first few chapters before abandoning it. I feel a bit embarrassed about that, as that’s a book I really want to read, but I think I just tried to read it at the wrong time.

And then there are the award winners. These are the books I’m not even going to attempt to read, and that can be a little embarrassing. Like The Goldfinch. Nope, I cannot see myself settling in for a nearly 800-page book that doesn’t seem to pay off (at least from the reviews I’ve read). I’ve also been hesitant to read All the Light We Cannot See, simply because it won the Pulitzer in 2015. I’m weirdly intimidated by books that have won awards.

I also don’t read the classics. I read Pride and Prejudice for a high school project, but had to keep a thesaurus nearby while I was reading and, after spending a month barely getting through the first 100 pages, I just grabbed the CliffNotes version so I could finish the project. I’m going to attempt another Jane Austen novel this year, so maybe I’ll be more adept at reading such a classic novel now that I’m a little more “well read.” Or maybe I’ll still hate it and the entire novel will go over my head.

Of course, the term “embarrassment” should be taken as hyperbole. I’m not literally embarrassed. I don’t feel any guilt about abandoning The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or Reading Lolita in Tehran or Salt Sugar Fat. I don’t care about reading award-winning books or the classics. I read what I like. I abandon when I want to. I read purely for pleasure, not to make myself appear literary or to impress people with the breadth of novels I read.

It’s just interesting to look back on the books I hated or couldn’t get through, especially when the books are universally loved, and try to piece through why they just didn’t do it for me.

I guess that’s just what reading is. We’re not all going to love the same books. A good example of that for me is The Nest. Most people abhor that book, but I ended up really loving it and it was even one of my top 10 books of 2016. That’s the beauty of reading – we get to decide how we feel about the books we read, and what feels like a satisfying emotional journey to one person can feel like a waste of time to another person.

Are there any books you’re “embarrassed” about not liking or abandoning? Or, put another way, any books that are universally loved that you hated?