Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.26.25)

Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Nonfiction • 2021

Short synopsis: A fascinating exploration of the intricacies of how we remember, why we forget, and what we can do to protect our memories, from a Harvard-trained neuroscientist.

I enjoyed this book a lot, although I think it might have been a lot more impactful for me if I had read a print version rather than listening to the audiobook. There was so much practical application here, and I didn’t slow down to take it all in like I should have. I love learning about how our brain works and this book was no exception. Learning the science behind how we store memories and why we can sometimes forget the simplest tasks was fascinating. The author also talks frankly about dementia, how it happens, and what to expect from our loved ones experiencing it. I have not been personally affected by dementia (my great-grandma had it, but I wasn’t involved in her care), but it’s something I’m terrified of. The author did an excellent job of explaining the science behind memory as well as what we can do to help improve our memory. I am someone who is constantly leaving things at my mom’s house or forgetting to do a task unless I’ve written it down or do it right then and there, so I was heartened to learn my faulty memory for things like that is fairly normal. This is a quick read (it was just 6 hours on audio), but an impactful one.

Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell (★★★☆☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Contemporary Fiction/Romance • 2024

Short synopsis: In the summer of 1999, aspiring writer Sawyer, newly engaged and increasingly lonely, forms an unexpected bond with Nick, the skeptical boyfriend of her fiancé’s too-close colleague. As their weekly city adventures deepen into something more, Sawyer must confront what—and who—she truly wants before summer ends.

This book was so fun… and yet I have so many complicated feelings about it. I loved the setting of NYC in the summer of 1999. It was a time before cell phones and before 9/11 happened, and things just felt different (or at least I assume they did; I have yet to visit NYC). I loved that Sawyer was able to get out and see the city with Nick by her side, and I just loved their adventures and banter. It all just made me really happy! My complicated feelings about the book have to do with Sawyer and Nick’s blossoming relationship. Sawyer’s fiancé is basically MIA this summer because he’s working 80-hour weeks for a big case for his law firm. They barely see each other, functioning more like roommates than two people getting married in a few months. I just really needed Sawyer to say something. I needed her to stop being such a doormat with her fiancé and have an honest conversation with him. But she never did, and it was so frustrating. I wanted more introspection from Sawyer and more forward momentum. She eventually does start making some decisions about her life, but it all happens off page and I feel like that was a real disservice. So, I’m left with my complicated feelings.

Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom (★★★★★)

Print • Library • Historical Fiction • 2023

Short synopsis: This is the fictionalized retelling of a real woman. Her name was Goes First, and she was a Crow Native woman who marries a white fur trader and is renamed Mary to assimilate into his culture. She’s fifteen when she marries him (he’s in his thirties) and learns a new language and a new way of life, all while remaining true to her indigenous roots.

I first heard about this book on Sarah’s Book Shelves Live, a book podcast that I love. But I didn’t put it on my TBR list until Birchie raved about it. Previously, I had read and loved The Kitchen House by Grissom and I had a feeling this book would captivate me just as much. And it absolutely did. I love that the book begins with a chapter from the great-granddaughter of Goes First—this helped me feel better about a white woman writing an indigenous woman’s story. (Grissom’s afterword is also not to be missed!) This is the kind of story that you just want to sink into. It’s one to take your time with and let the story unfold for you. There is so much emotion to this book, so much joy and pain, and I found myself continuously impressed by our main character and the way she always stood up for what’s right, no matter the consequences. She was an incredible woman and I’m really glad her story got to be told.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.12.25)

The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Thriller • 2024

Short synopsis: A woman falls to her death from a London bank’s rooftop, and you’re arrested for her murder. You claim you tried to stop her, but as the police uncover holes in your story and your lawyer doubts you, one question remains—what secrets are you hiding, and who are you protecting?

This was an excellent thriller! I thought it was told in such a clever way that I haven’t really seen in the thriller genre, and I’ll admit I was so curious about what was happening and why this woman was being charged with murder when it seemed like the woman on the rooftop fell to her death on her own. The novel goes back and forth in time as we uncover more about the story between the two women and what really happened that night. There was one character in the story where I went through so many emotions about! First, I hated them. Then, I was disgusted by them. And then I had the utmost empathy for them. I couldn’t believe the roller coaster the author took me on! Will this thriller stand out for me at the end of the year? Probably not. But it was a great read nonetheless.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (★★☆☆☆)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Contemporary Fiction • 2011

Short synopsis: When Willa Jackson’s old classmate restores her family’s once-grand estate, a buried skeleton is unearthed, unraveling long-hidden secrets and stirring up the town’s troubled past. Now, Willa and Paxton must confront a decades-old mystery that binds their families and threatens to reshape their lives.

This book was a snooze. I think the best way to get a sense of what you’ll be reading in this book is to peek at the Goodreads synopsis because it is filled with overwrought writing that doesn’t really say anything of value. I found all of the characters to be one-dimensional and boring. There wasn’t enough meat to the plot to make me care about what was happening. The mystery at the center of the novel felt like an afterthought. There were some magical, ghost-y elements to the novel that could have been interesting… but they just weren’t. I don’t even know why I kept reading this book other than it was short and didn’t take much brainpower to read. Meh.

The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert (★★★★☆)

E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2015

Short synopsis: Forced into an arranged marriage for a business alliance, Teague O’Malley is ready to resist—until he meets Callista Sheridan and vows to protect her from the danger she hides. But as their connection deepens, Callie’s dark secret threatens to destroy them both.

This book was a reread for me. I originally read Robert’s The O’Malleys series in 2017 and I felt like it was time to revisit it. I loved this book, even though it definitely falls into the category of dark romance and I don’t normally love that subgenre. But this one somehow works for me. The novel starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up the whole time. I felt the chemistry between Teague and Callista crackling on the page, and all of the characters in this novel were so well-drawn—some I immediately fell in love with and some I wanted to strangle. I love when an author can elicit such emotion! I’m glad I picked this one up again and looking forward to zooming through the rest of the series.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (3.3.25)

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Hoopla • Fiction • 1926

Short synopsis: Unmarried and stifled by her oppressive family, Valancy Stirling, upon receiving shocking news, breaks free to embrace love, adventure, and a life beyond her wildest dreams.

As many of you already know, this was our book selection for this round of the Cool Blogger’s Book Club, run by NGS. I was looking forward to reading another L.M. Montgomery book. Anne of Green Gables is my all-time favorite book (so much so that I’m collecting as many different editions of the book as I can!), but I read Emily of New Moon by Montgomery and hated it. (It does not hold up well; there are some very problematic plotlines!) I was curious how I would feel about this book. Good news – I absolutely loved it. Valancy was a perfect character. She was relatable, funny, sweet, and everything I want in a main character. I wanted the best things for her, and I definitely wanted her to get away from her vile family that didn’t treat her right. This book had a great pace and such a sweet love story. I really like how the author showed how the love between Valancy and Barney grew slowly, especially from Barney’s perspective. It wasn’t insta-love, but rather two people getting to know one another and realizing a deep, abiding love between them. What a great pick for the CBBC!

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Spotify • Fantasy • 2024

Short synopsis: Fifteen years after mysteriously vanishing and reappearing in a West Virginia forest, Jeremy Cox—now a renowned missing persons investigator—and his reclusive childhood friend Rafe Howell must return to the magical realm that once held them captive to find a missing woman and confront the buried secrets of their past.

Another book club pick, this time for my in-person book club! I’ll be honest: I wasn’t super thrilled that this book was the one that got picked because magical realism isn’t something I normally love in books. However, I am here to eat my words because I couldn’t get enough of this sweet fantasy story! From the moment the book started, I was immediately drawn into the world of Jeremy and Rafe and couldn’t wait to discover how the magical realm fit into the plot. All of the characters were so well-drawn and easy to root for, and I was really curious how this book would end. Would Jeremy and Rafe stay in their magical world forever, or would they rejoin the real world again? There were parts of the middle of the novel that felt a little slow and meandering, but the story quickly picked up and I found myself so happy with the way things wrapped up. If you’re looking for a book that will take you away from the realities of today’s dark world, pick this one up!

The Favorites by Layne Fargo (★★★★★)

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

Short synopsis: An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating about a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice.

This book was sensational! It took me a while to get through (17 days!) but that’s not because it was a bad book. It was just very dramatic and I had to be in the right mood to pick it up. I love any book that gives me an inside look at the sports world, and this one was about two ice dancers who had an on-again, off-again relationship on and off the ice. Katarina Shaw is a complicated figure (let’s just say if you didn’t love Carrie Soto in Carrie Soto Is Back, you won’t like Katarina), but unlikable women in sports is like catnip for me. GIMME. There is so much going on in this book; it is part memoir from Katarina’s point of view and part transcripts from an unauthorized documentary. It’s a book filled with scandal and heartbreak and excellent ice dancing scenes (I am so mad I can’t look up some of these routines on Youtube; I had to settle with rewatching Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir routines, ha). There is complicated female friendship, competitiveness at the highest level, and sketchy Russians. This is not a book I’d recommend to everyone, but it worked so well for me. (4.5 stars, rounded up to 5)

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.26.25)

Please note: The third book on this post talks about diet and weight loss. Feel free to skip if that’s triggering for you! <3 

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Thriller • 2022

Short synopsis: Harry is thrilled to marry Edward, who has distanced himself from his powerful, old-money family—until she’s drawn into their world of wealth and dark secrets. When the enigmatic patriarch, Robert, hands her a cassette with a shocking confession, she realizes uncovering the truth could be deadly.

This was an excellent thriller, filled with twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. And the final few chapters had my heart pounding! I couldn’t stop listening for anything. I was immediately drawn to Harry and wanted her to get everything she wanted, and I immediately disliked Edward’s rich family and the very weird games they would play with each other. (They have a really wild game called Krampusnacht, which is a real celebration in Germany but they take things a bit too far. Just looking at pictures of Krampus creeped me out, and they played the game in a dark, creepy mansion.) I was surprised by the ending and really loved the way everything turned out! A caveat: I listened to this book on audio and the narrator could not do an American accent to save her life. There was only one character with an English accent (Harry) and everyone else had an American accent, but everyone had the same flat affect to their voice. I feel like this shouldn’t be that difficult if you’re an audiobook narrator? But alas.

Beginner’s Luck by Kate Clayborn (★★★☆☆)

Print • Owned (Indie Bookstore) • Contemporary Romance • 2017

Short synopsis: Scientist Kit Averin is focused on stability, but a determined corporate recruiter, Ben Tucker, upends her plans—both professionally and romantically. As their attraction grows, they must decide if taking a chance on love is worth the gamble.

This was a pretty cute romance, but man, it took me forever to finish. I was never super compelled to pick it up, and that’s probably because I found both of the characters in the story to be pretty bland. Kit’s a scientist who could be doing more with her life, but doesn’t care to climb the corporate ladder. Ben’s a recruiter who is still trying to right the wrongs of his teenage wild days. They are both fine. But I was never engaged with their love story, possibly because it felt doomed from the start, as Ben lives in a different state and is only in town to help his father for a short period of time. The dark moment of the novel was really silly and one of those times where I just wanted to shake a character and say, “Just communicate!” This is Clayborn’s debut and I can see how much she has grown as an author since this book. And that’s a great thing!

Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar by Jessie Inchauspé (★★★★★)

Print • Owned (Amazon) • Nonfiction • 2022

Short synopsis: Improve all areas of your health—your sleep, cravings, mood, energy, skin, weight—and even slow down aging with easy, science-based hacks to manage your blood sugar while still eating the foods you love.

I picked up this book based on a recommendation from Tobia, and I am so glad I did! I am not one to read a diet book, but I do need to figure out how to lower my A1C and fasting glucose so I’m not diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the next few months. This book is broken into two parts: In the first part, the author goes into the science behind glucose, fructose, and sucrose (the three molecules that make up most foods). She talks about carbohydrates, fats, protein, and fiber, and how we need a combination of all of them to maintain steady glucose numbers. And she delves into what exactly happens during a glucose spike, and how too many of them can release elevated levels of insulin throughout our body—elevated insulin levels on a regular basis can lead to health problems. In the second part of the book, the author provides a set of hacks that we can use to help keep our glucose levels stable throughout the day. This includes exactly how we eat food (fiber first, then protein and fats, and finally starches and sugars), how to create a balanced breakfast, and the reason to start every meal with a “green starter.” Some of the advice got a little much (I’m not going to start every meal with a tablespoon of vinegar and then end every meal with 20 minutes of movement—who has time for that?!) But the author said it best when she said we’re not supposed to do all of these hacks all the time. Even doing them some of the time will be beneficial to our overall health. I can’t wait to put some of these tips into action and hopefully, it will lead to a lower A1C number at the end of April!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.12.25)

Good Material by Dolly Alderton (★★★☆☆)

Audiobook • Spotify • Contemporary Fiction • 2024

Short synopsis: After Andy’s long-term girlfriend Jen breaks up with him, he is heartbroken and adrift. As he pieces together their past, he may finally learn that love stories have more than one ending.

I would give the first 90% of this book 1.5 stars and the final 10% of the book 5 stars. This book is mainly about Andy pining after his ex-girlfriend and doing increasingly weird things to try to figure out where their relationship went wrong (very weird: meeting with a therapist to pretend to be Jen to see what kind of advice the therapist would give him). The last chapters of the book switch to Jen’s perspective and oh, that’s when things got so interesting! I loved being in Jen’s head and learning more about what she was thinking in the days and weeks leading up to the breakup and her reasons for the breakup. I could wholly relate to Jen and I wanted more from her. I don’t know why the author decided to spend 300+ pages in the head of a sad white male comedian who was just so bland. At the very least, she could have made him slightly funny but we didn’t even get any good jokes out of him! Ugh. I don’t know if this was a gender-switching sort of thing (instead of the man being the one to break up with the woman and the woman being heartbroken, we get the male perspective), but it just didn’t work for me. (2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.)

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston (★★★☆☆)

E-Book • Library • Contemporary Romance • 2023

Short synopsis: Two estranged exes, Theo and Kit, accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they’re over each other—except their old feelings refuse to stay in the past. 

This is a steamy, steamy book, my friends. Please steer clear if you don’t love open-door romances because this book had a little bit of everything: straight sex, gay sex, sex toys, threesomes… whew. This is a book about finding yourself after a lifetime of feeling less than perfect. It’s also a book of second-chance love and taking the brave act of putting your heart back into the hands of someone who hurt you deeply. The book is split into two sections: the first half of the European tour, which we get from Theo’s perspective, and the second half from Kit’s perspective. I enjoyed being in Kit’s head much more than Theo’s, and perhaps that’s because they finally admitted their feelings for one another. Before they did that, this book was a straight-up orgy of them hooking up with random people every night and trying to one-up the other. It was fairly exhausting! But once they came together as a couple, swoon. I just loved everything about it! I also could have done without all of the long descriptions of food and wine and the places they were visiting, but I imagine that is a huge highlight for other people. I just find all of that pretty boring so I skimmed a lot of it. All in all, not my favorite romance but a solid one.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (★★★★★)

Print • Owned • YA • 2020

Short synopsis: After their father dies in a plane crash, Camino in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira in New York discover they are sisters, forcing them to navigate grief, family secrets, and their newfound connection.

This was a novel-in-verse, which is what Elizabeth Acevedo is known for. I’ve read another book by her (The Poet X – also 5 stars) and I am just consistently impressed with the way she’s able to create a complex, compelling narrative through poetry. There was so much happening in this book – grief and poverty and lies and trauma and queerness and culture and love – and somehow this author weaves all of it together in such a beautiful way. These two young girls are navigating the hardest loss of their lives (their father) without knowing that they are sisters, and when they do learn about each other and begin the tentative work of exploring a new relationship together, it’s magical. I just loved this book from beginning to end.

What are you reading?