Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

January Reading Wrap-Up

Books Read

(1/8) What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena (★★★★☆ – audiobook, Libby, 2024) – a domestic thriller trying to solve the murder of a teenaged girl in a small town

(1/8) What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (★★★★☆ – print, Book of the Month, 2025) – a girl who has lived with her survivalist father her whole life finds a new way of life when she escapes Montana for California

(1/8) Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone (★★★★★ – print, Book of the Month, 2025) – a slow-burn romance with themes of grief, friendship, and moving forward after loss

(1/16) Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (★★★★☆ – print, indie bookstore, 2023) – a stunning piece of literary fiction where a woman’s husband begins to turn into a great white shark (trust me, it’s not as weird as it seems!)

(1/17) Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao (★★★★★ – e-book, Amazon, 2024) – a sweet queer romance about a trans woman and a butch lesbian falling in love

(1/19) The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆ – print, indie bookstore, 1936) – someone is murdering people and leaving the ABC Railway Guide at each dead body

(1/20) In Light of All Darkness: Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America’s Child by Kim Cross (★★★★☆ – audiobook, Spotify, 2023) – a true crime book that delves into all of the details of Polly Klaas’s kidnapping and subsequent search in 1993

(1/25) Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison (★★★★★ – print, indie bookstore, 2021) – a cozy, friends-to-lovers romance with all of the holiday vibes

(1/28) I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney (★★★☆☆ – audiobook, Hoopla, 2025) – an obituary writer accidentally pens his own (fake) obituary and in the process learns the true meaning of life

(1/30) State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (★★★☆☆ – print, library book sale, 2021) – an intense political thriller about a novice Secretary of State and a major conspiracy plot that she’s trying to solve

(1/31) One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin (★★★★☆ – e-book, Libby, 2024) – Rob wrote a one-star review of Natalie’s book, Rob and Natalie have to learn to get along since their best friends are married to each other… what could go wrong?

Book Stats

  • # of books read: 11
  • # of pages read: 4,134 pages
  • Genre breakdown: romance (4), fiction (3), mystery/thriller (3), nonfiction (1)
  • Format breakdown: print (6), audiobook (3), and ebook (2)
  • Fastest read: The ABC Murders (3 days)
  • Slowest read: State of Terror (11 days)
  • Star average: 4.1

Superlatives

  • The best book I read in January: Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
  • My least favorite book in January: I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney
  • The book I didn’t expect to love as much as I did: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
  • The book that lived up to the hype: What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown
  • The book with the strongest sense of place: Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison

Reading Miscellaneous

Unread Shelf Project | January prompt: A book that starts with the same letter as your name: I chose Shark Heart for this prompt, which is a book I bought at my favorite local indie (Tombolo Books) with Birchie when she was in town in February 2025. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover! (Books it beat out: Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi, Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent, and Sipsworth by Simone van Booy.)

Where I traveled this month: I spent most of my time in the United States, visiting NYC, Montana, California, Washington DC, Vermont, Texas, and Maryland. I took a short jaunt over the pond to the UK.

DNFs: Only one DNF in January, which was an audiobook. I started reading A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo since I had loved her other novel (Last Night at the Telegraph Club), but it did not have the same magic. It was a little too YA for my tastes and I didn’t love the way she talked about queer people. (I believe Engie told me this book was bad; I should have listened.)

Something I learned from my reading: I learned the very specific process of embalming, from the moment a mortician receives a body from the hospital to the final stages. Not something I thought I would ever learn, but there we go.

What’s Coming Up in February

Here are some of the books on my upcoming TBR for this month:

What was the best book you read in January?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.2.26)

Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison (★★★★★)

Print • Owned (indie bookstore) • Contemporary Romance • 2021

Short synopsis: To save her struggling Christmas tree farm, Stella Bloom enters a high-stakes holiday contest and ropes her best friend Luka into a fake relationship—only to discover that pretending to be in love might lead to something very real.

You guysssss. This book gave me all of the happy, dopey, lovey-dovey feels. Friends-to-lovers is my favorite romance trope, even though, yes, it doesn’t really make sense. I don’t care! It soothes some little part of my soul. Stella and Luka have been best friends for 11 years, and it’s obvious to everyone around them that they are meant to be together forever. While Luka seems ready to take the leap, Stella continues to hold back—she’s already lost so much in her life and doesn’t want to risk losing her best friend, too. This is a book I could see myself rereading every December because it is filled with holiday sweetness. It’s set at a Christmas tree farm! And two friends are falling in love! What’s more Hallmark holiday movie than that? This book won’t appeal to everyone (I have quite a few friends who gave it 3 stars!), but for me, it was the best reading experience.

I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney (★★★☆☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Fiction • 2025

Short synopsis: After accidentally publishing his own obituary and being declared legally “dead” by his workplace, a risk-averse obituary writer confronts his grief and fear of living by attending strangers’ funerals.

I had read some rave reviews of this book, and while I am not usually one to pick up a book written by a white man about a white man, I decided to give it a try and see what all the buzz was about. And, as I expected, it was just fine. The writing was engaging and funny, though at times Bud felt like a caricature of the sad-sack man archetype. He struggled to access emotional depth—even in therapy—and didn’t seem to know how to connect with people unless it was through sarcasm and humor. His character arc was largely lovely, but something happened near the end of the book that nearly had me throwing my phone across the room. I really should have seen it coming, but ugh. It felt like a lazy shortcut to deepen Bud’s character far too quickly. There are some interesting thoughts here about death, grief, and the funeral industry as a whole, but ultimately, this isn’t a book I expect to have much staying power with me. (Recommendation source: Lazy Genius)

State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (★★★☆☆ 1/2)

Print • Owned (library book sale) • Thriller • 2021

Short synopsis: A novice Secretary of State serving under her former rival must race to expose a global terrorist conspiracy after coordinated attacks plunge the world into chaos.

I’ve had this book on my TBR for a long time because what could be better than a political thriller co-written by someone who has intimate knowledge of Washington and someone who writes my favorite mystery series? Sign me up! Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly the knockout I had hoped for. This book is long, at almost 500 pages, and I really felt the length. It was a slow-moving conspiracy story with a large cast of characters and multiple secondary plotlines to keep track of. However, it was still well-written and kept me engaged, and things really sped up in the last 150ish pages—I couldn’t put it down until I knew how everything would unfold! Ellen, the novice Secretary of State, was such a badass, and I couldn’t help but feel there was a lot of Hillary Clinton in her. She’s fiercely loyal and unafraid to stand up for herself, but also vulnerable and soft at times.

The biggest challenge with this book is reading it during the downfall of our democracy. The novel asks us to believe in accountability at the highest levels of power, and right now, that belief feels more fictional than the conspiracy itself. It’s hard not to feel a sense of grief reading about functioning checks and balances, real accountability, and leaders who are forced to answer for their decisions. Oh, what a world that is! Imagine leaders being held accountable and justice being served. Sigh.

The best part of this book was the small nods to Three Pines and our glorious Armand Gamache. It was unexpected and so delightful! All in all, this is a book that will work for you if you love political thrillers, but be aware that you may have complicated feelings after reading it.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.26.26)

Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao (★★★★☆ 1/2)

E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Contemporary Romance • 2024

Short synopsis: After Isabel rescues Mira from her abusive ex and offers her a place to stay, an unexpected, undeniable attraction sparks—despite Mira insisting she’s not into women. 

Oh, my heavens, I adored this romance. Isabel + Mira 4ever. Mira has been spending her nights on a friend’s couch after breaking up with her boyfriend who was essentially financially abusive to her. She’s a Ph.D. student and barely making ends meet in NYC, but lived a cushy life thanks to her boyfriend. Isabel offers her the spare room that’s been empty since her ex-girlfriend moved out (it was her art studio), and thus begins a tentative friendship that blooms into so much more. There is so much happening in this novel beyond Isabel and Mira’s love story. There is Mira learning to be independent after a bad relationship while also fighting for a union contract at her university. There is Isabel who is still grieving her sister’s sudden death and dealing with another sister’s estrangement. The way both of them learned to trust each other with their secrets and their hearts was beautiful to witness. I will be keeping an eye on this author, and I’m ready for her to release another book!

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (indie bookstore) • Mystery • 1936

Short synopsis: There’s a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway Guide beside each victim’s body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover, and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill, who will then be Victim C?

I am oh-so-slowly making my way through Agatha Christie’s extensive backlist, and I picked up this book at an indie bookstore while I was traveling. The premise is so intriguing! I loved that this book was from the point of view of Poirot’s sidekick, Hastings, which gave us a unique look into this investigation and the way our dear Poirot works. The twist in this mystery was so well-done and I never saw it coming, which made it that much more satisfying. Do Christie’s novels have the best writing? No. But we’re not reading her books for that! She writes really inventive mysteries, especially considering the time period.

In Light of All Darkness: Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America’s Child by Kim Cross (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Spotify • Nonfiction (true crime) • 2023

Short synopsis: In Light of All Darkness embeds readers in one of the most famous true-crime stories of our generation—the kidnapping of Polly Klaas—a case as pivotal in the history of the FBI as the Unabomber or Oklahoma City bombing. 

Friends, if you love a good true crime podcast, then you’re going to love this book. In 1993, 12-year-old Polly Klaas was kidnapped from her own bedroom while hosting a sleepover with two friends. It was a time when techniques like dusting for fingerprints were still relatively new, and victim advocacy as we know it today was far in the future. This case had far-reaching ramifications, and the book explores the many elements involved in the search for Polly and her kidnapper. It’s not only a chronicle of a horrific tragedy, but also a deep dive into how investigations like these unfold.

One of the most striking insights was how little law enforcement understood about interviewing victims at the time. Polly’s two friends were present during the kidnapping, and while they weren’t physically harmed, they experienced significant trauma. Their stories changed over time, which led investigators to suspect they were lying. With what we now know about how trauma affects the brain (especially in children!) it’s clear they were doing their best to process an overwhelming experience. And not being believed by these authority figures did not help matters!

At times, the author goes a bit too far into the weeds and I found myself tuning out when she was diving into something that wasn’t totally related to Polly’s kidnapping or the investigation. Overall, this is a compelling book that taught me a lot about how the FBI operated in the early 1990s—and how this case helped shape meaningful changes that followed.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.20.26)

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone (★★★★★)

Print• Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Fiction • 2025

Short synopsis: Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again.

Cara Bastone is quickly becoming an autobuy author for me. This is the second romance I’ve read from her, and I loved it just as much as the first. This is a heavy novel, as it deals with grief and loss and moving forward after tragedy. But it’s also a beautiful exploration of finding yourself after being completely broken by loss. What I loved about this novel is that it talks about soulmates who aren’t romantic partners. Lenny, the main character, considered her best friend, Lou, to be her soulmate. They lived together and went through so many ups and downs as a pair. As someone who considers my mom to be my soulmate, I could relate to Lenny so deeply. This kind of loss terrifies me, and the way Lenny completely fell apart afterward felt so true and raw and real. This novel isn’t only about grief, though. There’s also a love story and Lenny’s adorable relationship with the little girl she’s nannying for. I thought the love story was so well done. It built slowly, and Miles was so tender with Lenny. They waited a long time to even share a first kiss because Miles didn’t want to interfere with Lenny’s healing process. Everyone who is grieving unimaginable loss should have someone like Miles—someone you can call when the grief feels too overwhelming to bear. This novel touched my soul deeply, which isn’t something I expect from a romance, and I can’t wait to read her next release!

What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Thriller • 2024

Short synopsis: When a teenage girl named Diana Brewer is found murdered in a hayfield, the idyllic town of Fairhill, Vermont, shatters, turning a close-knit community into a landscape of fear, suspicion, and the urgent question of who among them is responsible.

Ooh, this thriller was so good! I love a Shari Lapena thriller, but the last one I read from her was a big disappointment, so I went into this one with apprehension. The novel jumps between many points of view: Diana’s best friend, the parents of Diana’s boyfriend (who quickly becomes a prime suspect), a teacher at the school, Diana’s coach, Diana’s mom, etc. There are also journal entries from one of Diana’s friends, as well as passages from Diana’s own point of view as she checks in on the investigation in a ghost-like state. It’s a propulsive novel, and while I had a pretty good idea who the murderer was, the author still took me on a ride with plenty of twists and turns. Will this thriller stand out at the end of the year? Probably not, but it was an enjoyable, fast-paced read that kept my attention.

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (★★★★☆ 1/2)

Print • Owned (indie bookstore) • Literary Fiction • 2023

Short synopsis: After a newlywed husband is diagnosed with a condition that will turn him into a great white shark while leaving his mind intact, a woman confronts love, grief, and inherited trauma as she decides whether to fully embrace connection in the face of inevitable transformation and loss.

This book got a lot of buzz a few years ago, but the premise was so absurd that I didn’t consider it for myself. But then trusted readers started to rave about it, including people who also thought the premise was absurd but loved the book anyway, so I bought the book, let it sit on my shelf for almost a year, and plucked it off my shelf to fulfill the January prompt for my Unread Shelf Challenge (a book that starts with the first letter of your name). This book was beautiful. It is poetic and heartfelt and thoughtful. It’s about motherhood and love and grief and moving forward after loss. When I finished the book, I just stared off into the distance for a while, thinking about the premise. Because, while yes, no condition will turn someone into a great white shark, some diseases and conditions change the people we love. That takes them away from us. That changes who we are as we take care of them. And they change the people who are dealing with the condition; they might become more angry or violent, more despondent or melancholy. We all become different versions of ourselves after something like a cancer diagnosis or a sudden disability. I think the author did such a beautiful job of showing the nuances that come from both sides of these experiences.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.12.26)

Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned From Staying Put by Annie B. Jones (★★☆☆☆)

Audiobook • Hoopla • Nonfiction (Essays) • 2025

Short synopsis: In Ordinary Time, Annie B. Jones argues that, sometimes, choosing to stay—rooted in small towns, long marriages, quiet faith, and ordinary days—can be a courageous, radical adventure that reveals we don’t have to leave our lives to find meaning, joy, or our deepest dreams.

I really wanted to like this audiobook. It was my last one of 2025 and a quick one—right around 6 hours. Annie B. Jones runs The Bookshelf Thomasville, an indie bookstore, and From the Front Porch, a book podcast. She’s a real-life Kathleen Kelly, and I’ve always really enjoyed her voice and perspective. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me. I wanted Annie to be more introspective, but the book stayed surface-level. I wanted her to dig a little deeper, and if you’re not willing to do that in an essay collection like this, then you shouldn’t write an essay collection.

This is one of those books where it feels like the author didn’t have enough content for an entire book. The first few essays where she digs into staying put and what it means to carve out a life in a small town, were strong, but after that, the book flows into a bunch of disconnected stories about basketball and Ringo Starr and haircuts?!?! It wasn’t well-organized and felt a bit frenetic at times.

I guess I should have guessed this wasn’t a stellar book since Jamie of The Popcast (who is a friend of Annie’s) didn’t give it a green light. (She has green-lit other friends’ books but says upfront that she “doesn’t always green light her friends’ books,” and, well, here’s the proof.) All in all, a rather disappointing read!

Roland Rogers Isn’t Dead Yet by Samantha Allen (★★★☆☆)

Print • Owned (Target) • Contemporary Fiction • 2024

Short synopsis: When a fledgling memoirist is hired to ghostwrite the life story of a recently deceased Hollywood heartthrob—who can still talk via a kitchen speaker—one frantic month of secrets, clashing visions, and supernatural deadlines becomes an unexpected journey toward truth, identity, and home.

I want to start with the disclaimer: this is not a romance. It was sold to me as a romance, and romance is the primary genre it’s being marketed as and categorized under on Goodreads, but it is not a romance. And I think it will severely affect how you feel about the novel if you go into it thinking you’re reading a sweet queer love story. Instead, I believe this novel should be marketed as contemporary fiction. And under that lens, it’s an excellent book.

It tells the story of two men at a crossroads in their lives—one dealing with a bad breakup and a stalled writing career, the other a heartthrob movie star who is finally ready to come out. This novel tackles heavy themes—religious trauma, homophobia, and hate crimes—so it’s not a light read. The story includes a magical realism element: after a skiing accident leaves him dying, Roland can no longer interact with the physical world, but he can still communicate by inhabiting the smart technology in his house. It’s a strange premise, but that was the part of the novel I loved the most because I thought it was such a clever way to tell a story, and the author added some really fun elements that I wasn’t expecting.

That said, the novel didn’t fully meet my expectations. (Mainly because I thought I was reading a romance novel!!) Roland, in particular, didn’t feel fully realized and at times came across more as a caricature than a complex character. Plus, the ending left me unsatisfied. All in all, an uneven reading experience for me.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Fiction • 2025

Short synopsis: Raised off the grid by her enigmatic father in rural Montana, a teenage girl flees to a rapidly changing 1990s San Francisco to uncover the truth about her past—only to have her search for identity challenge everything she’s been taught to believe.

My first book of 2026! And it was an excellent start to my reading year. This novel has been everywhere, and it made a lot of lists of the best books of 2025. I really liked this novel, and easily fell in love with Jane, the main character. She was so easy to root for! She was innocent in so many respects, growing up off the grid and barely interacting with anyone other than her father, but she was also brave and smart and open and warm. I thought the author did such a great job showing us all the ways she was learning how the world worked in real time, and sometimes that meant dealing with some hard truths and consequences. There was such a sense of time and place with this novel, whether that was Jane’s life in a remote cabin in Montana or the bustling world of San Francisco in the 1990s during the tech boom. I just loved this book, though, and I can absolutely understand why people are raving about it!

What are you reading?