Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.24.20)

Happy Monday, my friends! What a weekend. Between Lila’s appointment at the vet (she did beautifully!), baby snuggles, catching up with Lisa over lunch, a reading date with a friend, and a birthday party for my nephew, it was quite a busy weekend. So it goes! 🙂 It was a weekend that really filled me up, though, so that’s always wonderful.

I finished four books last week, what! Two romances, one audiobook, and a long character-driven novel. All were wonderful, so let’s dive into the reviews:

Books Finished

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren (★★★★☆) – I loved this contemporary romance, mostly because the majority of the book took place on a film set and I found that setting to be fascinating! Twelve years ago, Tate was betrayed by Sam, a boy she met during a trip to London after graduating high school. They fell in love during that trip… until he sold her story (about how she’s the daughter of a legendary actor) to the gossip rags. In the ensuing years, Tate became a household name in the entertainment business, starring in TV shows and movies. She’s ready to start filming her next movie… until she finds out that the screenwriter is Sam. It’s a beautiful story about second chances, the power of family, and trust.

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson (★★★★☆) – This was an inventive thriller that’s told in three parts. In Part I, we get the point-of-view of the father whose 18-year-old daughter has just been accused of murder. In Part II, we get the point-of-view of the daughter while she’s in prison awaiting her trial. And in Part III, we get the point-of-view of the mother during the trial. I enjoyed all three sections equally, although I felt like Part III was the weakest and I wanted more showing, less telling. But definitely add this one to your list if you love a good family drama/thriller!

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell (★★★★☆) – Man, I really loved this novel! It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, following the lives of two people—Claudette, a reclusive movie star, and her husband, Daniel. Together, Claudette and Daniel have two young children. Claudette also has an older son from a previous relationship while Daniel has two older kids from his first marriage that he hasn’t seen in years. The novel is essentially a series of vignettes with different protagonists, sometimes Claudette or Daniel, sometimes one of their children, and sometimes a completely random person (like Claudette’s assistant), but all with the centering focus of describing who Claudette and Daniel are, both together and separate. It is a character-driven novel, which isn’t typically my favorite, but I found myself able to sink into this story and fall in love with these incredibly flawed people. The writing was phenomenal, too, and I’m so excited to read more of O’Farrell’s work!

Good Guy by Kate Meader (★★★★☆) – I loved this book, especially the way it dug into misogyny and sexism in pro sports. The novel follows Jordan who is a sports reporter and podcaster who finally gets her big break—interviewing the “oldest rookie in the league,” Levi Hunt. Hunt has joined the Chicago Rebels, a pro hockey team, after a stint in the military, and he was deployed with Jordan’s husband, who died overseas, so there’s an extra-special connection there. It was a fun read but also an impactful one because misogyny in pro sports is a real issue and I’m glad Meader explored it in this book.

What I’m Reading Now

I’m currently listening to the audiobook of How the Light Gets In, the ninth book in Louise Penny’s incredible Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. We’re back in Three Pines in this book and it’s so lovely to be reunited with my favorite characters.

Last night, I started Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine by Damon Tweedy, MD. I’m only about a chapter in so I don’t have much to say about it right now, but I imagine it will be a really eye-opening read. And since I know I’ll probably need to take some breaks with that book, I’m going to pick up Under Fire by Scarlett Cole sometime this week. It’s romantic suspense and I’ve really loved Cole’s other novels so I have high hopes for this one.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.17.20)

Happy Monday! I had a really strange weekend, ha. I spent all day Saturday on a road trip. Mom and I drove to the other side of the state and back in one day, which ended up being 12 hours of driving. For two people who hate driving, this was stressful for both of us, but we got through it and I spent all day Sunday recuperating. I’ve also been having really disturbing dreams lately (like: a nightmare where I found someone murdered in my bathtub!!) so sleep has been less comforting. Whew. I’m glad I have a low-key week ahead of me (no plans until Friday!) so I can try to recover as best as possible.

On that note, let’s dive into my reading recap! I finished three books this week, and all of them received 4 stars from me so that’s a fantastic reading week. Yay! Let’s review.

Books Finished

> Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis (★★★★☆) – I loved this sweet contemporary romance so much! It was just the kind of light-hearted read I needed. It follows a woman named Grace who stopped in the small town of Lucky Harbor after leaving a job where she was sexually harassed. She was basically destitute and needed a soft place to land. Over the past few months, she’s been working odd jobs around town while also interviewing for jobs in her field (accounting) at nearby bigger cities. She gets a dog walking job from Dr. Josh Scott, an ER doctor and someone Grace has been crushing on. Over the course of the next few weeks, Grace takes on nannying duties for Josh’s young son and, well, you can see what happens from here. It’s the “forced proximity” trope that I dearly love in romance novels and it was incredibly well-executed in this one. Another winner from my fave romance author!

> The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (★★★★☆) – I loved this slim novel (it’s under 240 pages). It was such a lovely, heartwarming story about Taylor, a girl whose only goal is to leave her small town after high school. And she does just that. Not even a few weeks have passed since she left home and she ends up with a three-year-old girl who has been through obvious trauma. The toddler was shoved in Taylor’s car at one point, and there was nothing else for her to do but keep the girl.  What follows is a beautiful story about love, abandonment, and found family. There’s also this immigration subplot that feels startlingly close to today’s reality. (The book was written in 1988—had it been written today, I would have thought the immigration storyline to be a little over-the-top and trying too hard to be relevant.) Anyway, I loved this novel immensely and encourage others to pick it up!

> Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush (★★★★☆) – My mom and I listened to this audiobook (it’s 6 and a half hours long) during our long Saturday drive. It’s hard to find books that will meet both of our tastes, but I figured she’d be interested in this story, and I was as well. This is a memoir from former President George W. Bush’s daughters, Jenna and Barbara, about their life growing up in a political family, their time as First Daughters while they were in college and their incredibly strong sisterly bond. I really, really loved this memoir and the stories they told. (Giggling over the story of Jenna’s first date with her now-husband, Henry, whose car was parked in the exact spot Air Force One was about to land; having deep respect for what these women went through on and after September 11th; feeling appalled at Barbara’s college professor who told Barbara she could change her grade if Barbara would tell her father to vote against the war. !!) It’s a reminder that there is so much more to political families. Jenna and Barbara may be linked to their father’s presidency forever because of their last name, but they are truly their own people with their own political views, ideals, and motivations. The story of Barbara having a spirited debate with her father about gay rights was eye-opening, to say the least. I just really loved this memoir and even if you’re no fan of President Bush (I sure am not), I encourage you to pick up this book, if only to get a glimpse into what it’s like being part of a presidency.

What I’m Reading Now

I’m halfway through A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson. I’m listening to it on audio and it’s been a really intriguing read so far. I can’t wait to listen on my commute this week! I’m nearly finished with Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren, which I am loving, and planning on picking up Good Guy by Kate Meader (a new hockey romance series!) when I’m done. I’m also working my way through This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell, an Anne Bogel recommendation that is much different than I was expecting but in a good way. I’m about halfway through and really enjoying it. (What I’m not enjoying is the cigarette smell emanating from my library copy. Ugh.)

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.10.20)

Happy Monday! I had an excellent weekend. On Saturday, my mom and I did our mud run and it was so much fun! I honestly wasn’t looking forward to it (especially when we realized it was going to be cold—it was 38 degrees when we got to the race site), but it wound up being a really fun time and I’m so glad we did it. The rest of my weekend was spent recovering because, oof, my body is not used to that kind of activity.

Let’s switch gears, though, and talk about my week in reading because, well, I ended up abandoning a book that has gotten rave reviews from trusted sources, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. The book just wasn’t fully resonating with me and I found myself not excited to pick it up, so after giving it a good 100ish pages, I abandoned it. I can understand why people love the book, especially runners, but it just didn’t hold my attention.

Here are the reviews for the books I did finish this week.

Books Finished

Headliners by Lucy Parker (★★★★★) – Another 5-star romance from Lucy Parker. She never, ever lets me down and I’m just sad I read her newest release so fast and it’ll be months and months before I get a new book from her. This is the typical enemies-to-lovers trope that I love so much. Nick and Sabrina are forced to work together on a morning show after their own broadcasting contracts are canceled due to scandals. They have to figure out how to put aside their differences in order to save their careers and, of course, wind up falling in love in the midst of all this. I loved Nick and Sabrina’s chemistry and rapport and care for one another (after they stopped hating each other, that is). But what I really loved about this novel is that there wasn’t really a dark moment (aka, the part in a romance where the characters break up and all hope for their relationship appears lost). I was waiting for one of them to misinterpret the other’s intentions and have a big blowup (that could have been solved by them just listening to each other and being grown adults), but that never happened. There were multiple misunderstandings along the way, but each time, Nick and Sabrina acted like adults, listened to the other’s side of the story, and moved on. This novel is really making me rethink the dark moment for my own novel—while I love dramatic dark moments and I think they deserve their place in romance novels, I’m starting to come around to the idea that maybe there doesn’t need to be this dramatic scene. Maybe there’s a better way to create stakes for the relationship without having a huge breakup. Hmm. I’ve got some thinking to do!

Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone (★★★★★) – I read this book in less than 24 hours, something I can rarely accomplish. (I’m not a particularly fast reader—I just devote a lot of time to reading.) But this psychological thriller sucked me in from the beginning and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It’s about a female sociopath named Jane who has decided to exact revenge on a man named Steven for reasons that are revealed throughout the novel. I loved Jane’s character so much! She was introspective in a way I didn’t expect and so much fun to read about. I thought the book was well-paced and the ending satisfying. All I want from a thriller!

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone (★★★★☆) – This was an easy, quick YA book about a girl in high school who has OCD, something she hides from her close-knit group of girlfriends (who belong to the “popular” crowd at school). It’s only through meeting a new friend and learning about a secret poet’s society at school that she begins to discover a new side to herself and see herself as “normal.” I thought this book did a great job of discussing the intricacies of having a chronic mental illness, although there were times when the book veered into problematic territory of “girl with OCD finds love and suddenly her OCD is healed.” Let’s not do that, authors.

What I’m Reading Now

Currently, I’m dipping in and out of Forever and a Day, a contemporary romance by fave author Jill Shalvis, as well as my February book for the Unread Shelf Project, The Bean Trees. Today, I’ll start the audiobook for A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson during my commute to work. It’s a psychological thriller that may be a little too intense for me, but I’m intrigued enough by the premise to give it a shot.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (2.3.20)

Happy Monday, friends! I’m off work today (the day after the Super Bowl is a holiday, in my opinion) and planning a fun ladies’ day with my mom. We’re going to paint pottery, get massages, and get pedicures. Definitely a great way to spend a Monday, for sure. 🙂

I didn’t put up a What I’m Reading post last week, but I’m back in action this week with three books to review. I loved two of them and was rather “meh” on the third one.

Books Finished

The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas (★★★★☆) – The third book in the Lady Sherlock series (a gender-bending mystery series that imagines Sherlock Holmes as a woman), this novel follows the mysterious death of Charlotte Holmes’ dear friend, Lord Ingram’s, wife. He’s obviously the one being suspected of killing her and it’s up to Charlotte to clear his name. I loved this book from start to finish and couldn’t have guessed the whodunnit for the life of me. Another great mystery!

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (★★☆☆☆) – This romance novel has been getting a lot of buzz so I excitedly picked it for Book of the Month a few months ago. And… it was just okay. While I enjoyed the romance between the two main characters and thought the portrayal of chronic illness to be really powerful, the story arc was a bit disjointed and there were many times I was just… bored… with the story. I think this is more of a case of “good for you, not for me” – the story just didn’t meet my expectations for a good romance, but definitely pick it up if you want to add more diverse romance into your reading life!

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow (★★★★☆) – What a fascinating read! Catch and Kill is the story of how Ronan Farrow was able to get his investigative journalism piece revealing Harvey Weinstein’s serial sexual abuse (which includes rape allegations and sexual harassment). At first, Farrow wanted to publish the piece on TV as a special for NBC News, but his reporting quickly got squashed by the higher-ups when they learned what he was doing. He eventually took his reporting over to The New Yorker where it was published. This book is a horrifying, insidious look into a corrupt organization and the tactics powerful men will take to keep an even more powerful man happy. It sometimes veers into silly spy novel territory (this is why I dropped my rating from 5 to 4 stars), but is still an incredible read and I am so grateful for journalists like Farrow who seek the truth no matter the stakes and for the women who spoke up, laid out their trauma, and helped bring to light Weinstein’s despicable behavior.

What I’m Reading Now

Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message so Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller – I’m reading this for work and it’s about as exciting as you can imagine. 😉

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – I’m reading this on an app called Serial Reader, which I heard about on a podcast. This app helps people read classic novels by delivering them in bite-sized, magazine-style issues. Each issue only takes about 10 minutes to read so it’s a great way to read that classic novel that’s been on your TBR forever. I’m really enjoying the experience of taking such a big book and breaking it into these tiny passages. I feel like it’s helping me sink into the novel and understand it better than if I was trying to read it all at once. My plan is to provide a monthly update on my progress, so stay tuned. 🙂

Headliners by Lucy Parker – New Lucy Parker! New Lucy Parker! I pre-ordered the e-book for her latest release the minute I knew about it and was so delighted when it downloaded to my Kindle a week ago. It’s so much fun—exactly what I expect from a Lucy Parker romance!

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone – My current audiobook, about a 16-year-old girl struggling with OCD. It’ll be a quick listen (it’s 8 hours) so I should breeze through it this week.

Up Next

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight – Lisa recently read and raved about this book so I thought I’d give it a try myself since I’m really into narrative nonfiction lately. I’ll start it sometime this week.

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (1.20.20)

Happy Monday! I’m coming to you a bit sleepy from my busier-than-average weekend. It was one filled with friend time, reading, dog snuggles, newborn cuddles, and football, so it was a pretty lovely weekend! Just give me all of the coffee today, please and thank you. 🙂

Last week I finished three books. I had to speed through my last book because it was due to the library on Saturday and I couldn’t renew it. I don’t mind paying library fines, but I also didn’t want to hold onto a book too far past its due date for the people waiting in line. I know how that is!

Books Finished

Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson (★★★★★) – Oh, boy. This book destroyed me, and I really wasn’t expecting it to touch me in such a deep, profound way. It’s a story about friendship, following three women who meet at West Point and form close bonds that last far beyond their time at the academy, even as they’re split across the world once they graduate. It’s a story above love, with all three women tackling romance in vastly different ways. And it’s a story about the realities of war. These women joined West Point right before 9/11 happened, never imagining they’d be called to war. It’s a brilliant exploration of military culture, what it’s like to be a woman in the military today, and the endurance of friendship. These women are deeply flawed and many times not the greatest friends to one another, but they’re there for one another when it counts. And isn’t that the reality of friendship? We’re not always our best selves, but when it matters, we show up. I loved this book so very much. Even days after finishing it, I’m still thinking about the characters—the sign of a truly great novel.

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare (★★★★☆) – Ah, the “duke falling for his governess” trope. This one never gets old for me! Alexandra, whose main passions include astronomy and clocks, becomes the governess for Rosamund and Daisy. Chase, a man whose only passion seems to be bedding women, is now the guardian of these two girls and doesn’t know exactly what to do with them. All he knows is that they need to be educated so they can go away to school in the fall. The story is sweet, sharply feminist, and had me laughing out loud. I loved the build-up to Alex and Chase’s romance—and all the mischief the two young girls got into.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb (★★★☆☆) – I enjoyed this book, but I found certain aspects a bit problematic. The book details Gottlieb’s work as a therapist, including several of her clients’ stories, and the therapy she’s doing after going through a breakup. As someone in therapy right now, I thought the book was a wonderful thesis on therapy and what it’s like from a therapist’s point of view. I loved getting a glimpse into the way other people approach therapy, like the man who answered calls during his sessions or the woman who removed items from her purse when she arrived. The author states up front that many details of her clients’ stories have been changed or re-attributed to protect their identities, which is completely understandable. But it really lessened the impact of these stories because they weren’t real. They were made-up situations with fictionalized dialogue. So much of the book revolved around these stories and a part of me wonders if writing a novel, rather than a memoir, would have been the better approach. As it was, I spent more time wondering what aspects of the stories were true and what were made up, and it affected how I viewed the people and the work they were doing. However, even saying all that, I would still recommend this book and I can definitely understand why people are raving about it. It just didn’t meet my expectations.

What I’m Reading Now

The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas – My current audiobook read! This is the third book in the Lady Sherlock series and it’s been so lovely to dive back into Charlotte’s world again. 🙂

Up Next

I finished Maybe You Should Talk to Someone on Sunday evening and held off on starting something new. My romance for the week is going to be Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, a book I selected from Book of the Month a few months ago. Alongside that, I’ll be reading Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow.

What are you reading?