Hello, friends! I really want to be back to my normal blogging schedule but, oof, this moving process is keeping me busy! I’m still living at my old place and making trips a few times a week to drop off smaller items. And this week, I’m getting some fun things delivered, like a new nightstand, an area rug for my bedroom (the whole apartment is hardwood), and a new shower curtain and bathroom accessories. It’s all coming together!
Anyway, I owe you guys some book reviews, so here are the last three books I finished in September. 🙂
Hestia Strikes a Match by Christine Grillo (★★☆☆☆)
Audiobook • Hoopla • Fiction • 2023
Short synopsis: In a near-future America torn apart by a second civil war, 40-year-old Hestia Harris navigates heartbreak, family division, and the absurdity of dating during chaos.
The only reason I kept reading this book is that I was invested in the world that the author built. It felt fairly prescient, and it helped me get a glimpse of what life could be like if things take a turn here in the U.S. In this version of America (which is set in 2023), the country is split between the Union and the Confederate States, and everyday life feels like surviving a war zone—terrorist attacks are frequent, nightly curfews have been set, and getting certain goods is nearly impossible. I think the author did a great job of creating this world that didn’t feel all too dystopian, sadly.
Hestia’s husband has left her to fight for the Union, so she’s figuring out what’s next for her. Annnnnd that’s where the book lost me. It was so boring! It was mostly about Hestia going on dates with really bland dudes and getting into relationships that aren’t going to last. I just wanted her to enjoy being single for once! I found her hard to root for because I just wanted her to do something interesting, but alas, all she wanted to do with her time was date stupid men. (I mean, fair, but just not something I’d be wasting my time on.)
Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine (★★☆☆☆ 1/2)
E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2025
Short synopsis: A bestselling romance author flees to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery, but the rugged resort proprietor soon has her fearing she’s living in a rom-com plot instead.
This was a pleasant read, but I was left wanting more. It definitely read like a debut, and ugh, I just couldn’t stand Margot, the FMC. She came across as selfish, spoiled, and overly codependent on her sister. It really didn’t help that the author kept putting Margot in these really ridiculous situations—starting at the beginning when Margot arrives in Alaska and, on seeing a wild animal, jumps into the arms of the first man she sees and wraps her legs around his waist. I don’t know, that just would not be my first instinct?! It just gets even wilder from there.
The author tried to give Margot a redemption arc, but I just couldn’t buy it. What annoyed me the most was the book’s underlying message that happiness comes from being in love with the right person. Margot’s entire character arc seemed to hinge on falling in love again, which doesn’t feel like the most sustainable foundation for a new relationship. Who needs therapy when there’s a hot mountain man you can climb like a tree?! I know it’s a romance novel, so a happily ever after is part of the deal, but I just needed to see more personal growth from Margot. Instead, it seems like her codependency tactics continue on.
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (Amazon) • Nonfiction • 2017
Short synopsis: Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being.
Wow, this book taught me so much! Mostly, it taught me that I really need to figure out my sleep hygiene habits because getting good sleep every night is the key to all of our other biological systems working as they should. The top things I learned were:
- Everyone needs at least 7 hours of sleep per night (even people who think they can function just fine on 5-6 hours of sleep).
- The best thing to do for sleep hygiene is to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. (<– I’m struggling with this since I like doing the 6am workout classes at the gym. I am not waking up at 5am on the weekends!)
- It’s okay to take naps! But they should be less than an hour and before 3pm. (I’m really trying to curb my love of those 2-3 hour naps on the weekend!)
- When you wake up, you shouldn’t feel tired during the first few hours of the day. If you are, you’re not getting enough sleep. (Uh-oh.)
- Teenagers have a different circadian rhythm than younger children and adults. This is why they want to stay up later and sleep later—it’s biological!
While this book did make me very sleepy while I was reading it (this happens all the time when I’m reading a dense nonfiction book!), I learned a lot and will take these lessons with me as I really work on my sleep hygiene. If you don’t want to read a 350-page book about getting better sleep, then I’ll just point you to this blog that lists the 12 tips for good sleep.
What are you reading?
Moving is exciting !
Oh the elusive sleep -I try to get past 6 hours but post menopause makes it impossible!
I’ve got so many books on the go, but for book club I’m reading None of this is True by Lisa Jewell. Only in a couple chapters and looks like a good one !
I’ve read a few Lisa Jewell books and have liked them all. I haven’t read None of This is True yet, though!
I’ve heard of Every Trope But You on the Bad on Paper podcast, and one of the hosts LOVED it. But I really really really take her recommendations with an entire vat of salt because her favourite book was The Idea of You, which I thought was one of the worst-written books I have ever read IN MY LIFE. I’ll probably give it a pass. My TBR is already teetering.
I got this recommendation from the same host! I was subscribed to her substack at the time, and it sounded good and got a rave review from her. But ugh, it was NOT GOOD.
Those first two books sound REALLY annoying! And- I own Why We Sleep but am afraid to read it. And reading your review, now I know why. I’m supposed to only nap before 3 pm??? How are you supposed to do that if you, um, have a job? And I don’t WANT to get up at 5:30 on weekends!!! I just feel like reading this book is going to ruin my life. Ignorance is bliss, right? Until, of course, my body breaks down because I don’t get enough sleep. Maybe I’ll look at that blog you linked to.
I’d say read the blog post and try to implement some of the habits! I am also guilty of napping after 3pm. Sometimes you just need a little power nap to power through the evening. I get it!
The sleep book sounds scary to me, too. My CPAP machine tells me I have a good sleep score and under five apnea events per hour – but I can only ever seem to get 6 hours of sleep. I’m better than I was, but I’d sure like to sleep longer.
I’m listening to The Joy Luck Club, which is interesting. I’m reading We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Make Something by Amie McNee. So far, it’s not as inspiring as I’d hoped.
Ugh, that must be frustrating! If I go to bed early enough, I can get the recommended 7-8 hours but I am often going to bed much later than I should. I’m also not getting as much deep sleep as I want to, even with the CPAP, which is frustrating.
The sleep book sounds fascinating and also I think it would make me feel worse about my current sleep situation. I have been taking medicine for my restless legs which I think DOES help a bit, but I still feel so tired in the morning and all day. Ugh.
You are in the middle of moving! How exciting! I can’t wait to see photos of your new place. You always make your spaces so beautiful and cozy. But of course moving is always a stressful thing! How are the kitties doing? Have you introduced them to their new home?
The sleep book definitely made me anxious about my own sleep hygiene habits, but also helped me see how important it is to make sleep a priority!
The cats are doing good – maybe a little concerned about all of the boxes stacking up in the apartment ha. They haven’t gone to the new place yet. I’m going to wait until after everything is all moved over. I’ll close them up in the bathroom while the movers are here and wait to bring them over until the movers have left. Hopefully they aren’t too traumatized!
I had a tough time with Any Trope But You, too. I am just really tired of “tribute to romance readers” and “winks to the reader with how trope-y this book is!” I had to keep reminding myself Margot was written to be annoying in the first half, so we could go on her ~~~journey~~~ with her, but the payoff never arrived!
Cait, we continue to be the same person because those were my exact thoughts while I was reading this book! I guess now the trope is to talk about the tropes in romance novels?! And I, too, am tired of this new trope. I need authors to be a little more creative than that. Gah!
I’m reading “From Eternity to Here” by Prof. Sean Carroll, “Gulp” and “Stiff” by Ms. Mary Roach, “Being Mortal” by Dr. Atul Gawande, “Pronoun Troubles” by Prof. John McWhorter, and “Says Who” by Prof. Anne Curzan right now. I prefer not to mention all the books I’m reading right now, as that would make my comment longer than 500 words.
I’m actually thinking whether Dr. Matthew Walker is going to be relieved or concerned when he knows that the book “Why We Sleep” made you very sleepy while you were reading it, Stephany. But, I think he’ll at least be relieved if you’re reading this book right before you fall asleep.
I also think that when you’re in this moving process, Stephany, you don’t necessarily need to be on your normal blogging schedule.
In his introduction, Matthew Walker talked about how this book could make people sleepy and that he wouldn’t feel offended if we got sleepy and needed a nap while reading his book! Ha. It’s a dry subject, but still a fascinating one.
I picked up Gulp at a used bookstore earlier this year – I tried reading Stiff many years ago but couldn’t get into it, so I’m hoping I have better luck with this one.
I hear you on being stuck having to finish the book because there is just one thing that keeps one reluctantly reading.
I am currently anxiously awaiting a book from the library to my kindle which I need to read SOON for book club – “What You Are Looking For Is in the Library”.
In the meantime I am reading “The Doctors Blackwell”, nonfiction by Janice Nimura about the first women doctors in the US. And “Three Bags Full” by Leonie Swann which is a murder mystery wherein the detectives are sheep. It’s amusing and insightful but I might DNF that one as there are too many characters, both sheep and people, which makes it a chore to read.
The Doctors Blackwell sounds fascinating – I’m adding that to my TBR! I am also incredibly intrigued about a book about sheep detectives – whaaaat. An incredible premise!
Well those two books were disappointing as it seems.
I totally agree on your assessment of Why We Sleep. So interesting. I only listened to it as audiobook but I learned so much.
Yes, I really enjoyed Why We Sleep and learned so much!