Ever want to step out of your comfort zone and step into as many books as possible? That is what She Happily Reads Podcast is all about! Join me as I discover new books, new authors, and possibly even new tropes that I like, while also reading genres I already love! ♡
It was strange, how easily and quickly protection could cause destruction. Sometimes, Vasher wondered if the two weren’t really the same thing. Protect a flower, destroy the pests who wanted to feed on it. Protect a building, destroy the plants that could have grown in the soil. Protect a man. Live with the destruction he creates.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Ladies and gentleman, we are out of the woods! The reading slump is over and we’re back in it with none other THE Brandon Sanderson. This is actually my first Sanderson read, and I was NOT disappointed. Warbreaker is a complex novel that is as funny as it is challenging, thoughtful, and rich. You get magic, and love, and commentary on ideals that we can easily apply to our lives and beliefs. Thought-provoking, indeed.
Most readers have gone through a period where they wanted to read, but couldn’t, or had no desire to read and didn’t. It can be disheartening and worrisome when the activity that typically brings us so much joy has lost its luster. “Will I ever read again?” you may think dramatically to yourself whilst standing in the rain, clutching your favorite novel and shaking a fist at the sky.
The short answer is yes, you will read again. But it may take some time and some changes on your part in order to make that happen. Today’s episode of She Happily Reads explores the different strategies I’ve used in the past to successfully get through a reading slump. Take a listen and try any of the tips discussed in this episode. When it comes to reading slumps, the only way over is through!
“Consumers are fickle—they crave something new, but not that kind of new. They want to be challenged but comforted at the same time. They desire fresh takes, but only in a form that’s familiar to them. That’s to say, audiences will accept something different as long as it feels the same.”
Elissa sussman, Funny You should ask
Towards the beginning of August, I found myself once again in the throes of contemporary romance, but I have to admit—I was excited to be there. Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman was a highly anticipated novel for me, one I was sure I would love because of the stellar reviews and the intriguing plot. And much like the above quote, and like my expectations for a lot of romance novels, I thought I was getting a story that felt familiar yet new.
This novel follows a writer/journalist named Chani Horowitz, who, by some stroke of luck, is given an assignment to interview an up-and-coming, insanely attractive actor named Gabe Parker. Gabe has just been cast as James Bond, and the world is abuzz with how this American HIMBO could be cast as the stylish, sophisticated, and very British spy. Chani spends three days with Gabe, and from their unconventional time together, she is able to produce an article that not only helps to sell Gabe as Bond, but also puts the question in everyone’s mind–did more happen between the two of them than either of them are letting on? Ten years later, however, Chani and Gabe are thrust back together to recreate the magic of that first interview and to breathe life back into Gabe’s career after a series of public blunders and a few stints in rehab. With Gabe now sober, and Chani now divorced, the two reconnect to face each other and the spark they’ve been running from for a decade.
Funny You Should Ask is a book for those who love the mythos behind celebrity and all things celebrity culture, those who wish they could peek behind the curtain, if you will. In the end, this book didn’t work for me completely, but I still recommend it for a fast, entertaining read. If you want to hear more of my thoughts on this novel, give the latest episode a listen:
Only one thing is more powerful than a wish, and that is a purpose.”
–“Raybearer” by Jordan Ifueko
Raybearer by Jordan Ifeuko is the story of a girl named Tarisai who, by command of her mother, leaves the only home she has ever known to compete for a place in the prestigious Anointed Council of the Crown Prince. The issue is, Tarisai’s mother has instructed her to kill the prince once she has completed this task. But the only way to *be* anointed is to earnestly love the prince, and so Tarisai is torn between the mother she barely knows and the new family she is growing to love.
Raybearer is a powerhouse of a novel. It has strong characters, worldbuilding galore, and many nods to Nigerian culture. I am BEYOND happy that I picked this novel up, and I can’t wait to read the companion–Redemptor! Please check out this episode as I talk about my second five star read of the year.
“For more than half a decade he’d thought of her every day, and here she was. Ian drank her in. He found her lovely. He found her obscene. He found her. “Here you are,” he said aloud, and smiled.”
–The Huntress by Kate Quinn
The Huntress by Kate Quinn is a force of a historical fiction novel, offering a triple POV, triple timeline story of a Huntress being hunted. Oftentimes, the story is brutal, with an incorporation of real life historical influences that make you cower, and at other times, the story is relatable, funny, and heartwarming. In typical Kate Quinn fashion, this novel is immersive, accessible, and romantic—a perfect read for someone in the mood for a historical and mysterious tale.
If you can believe it, we’re more than halfway through 2022! And with that, naturally, comes reflection. My reading goal for this year is to read 35 books. So far, I’ve read 21 books–some great, some not so great, and some that simply fell somewhere in between.
In this episode, I breakdown some of my thoughts on my reading year so far, and get the opportunity to discuss some of the books I haven’t yet talked about on the podcast. I also go into what books are on my TBR for the second half of 2022, and what my most anticipated release is!
What’s your favorite book so far this year? And what are you most looking forward to reading? Comment down below!
When I watch you sleep,” he said shakily, “I feel overwhelmed that you exist.”
–Beach Read by Emily Henry
I didn’t know regular life could feel like this, like a vacation you don’t have to go home from.”
–People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Somehow, it never occurred to me that this was an option: that two people, in the same hug, could both be allowed to fall apart. That maybe it’s neither of our jobs to keep a steel spine.”
–Book Lovers By Emily Henry
For the past two weeks, I’ve been reading summer romcoms.
I had this big idea to start a new series on the podcast called Battle Royale, where I pit 3 books against each other in an attempt to see which one I like the best (ultimately, which one I give the highest star rating to). While I have seen all three of these books, Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation, and the recently released Book Lovers many times at the store, I just hadn’t picked them up. Until now, of course. And so, I must say, the last two weeks have been fun. It was nice immersing myself in the world of one author and seeing the world through the characters they create, through the plots they have constructed around them.
While most of the time I see these books under the banner of SUMMER READ, I have to say these books aren’t without a certain amount of reflection, emotion, and dare I say it–drama. I grew emotional and misty-eyed through all three. Some heavy topics are hit and explored. These are adult books, but there was something nostalgic about reading them. I couldn’t put my finger on it. It wasn’t until I was halfway through Book Lovers that I realized what it was. When I was a teenager, I loved Sarah Dessen novels. I remember picking up my first one, That Summer, probably around 2003 or 2004, when I was around thirteen years old, thinking (for some reason) that it was purely a teen summer romance, which I was apt to read. What I got, and what I continued to get from Sarah Dessen, were these sweet romances paired with strong female characters learning, stretching, growing. Coming of age, if you will. And I realized that Emily Henry’s novels have the same feeling; they feel like the “coming-of-age” of adult women, of women in their late 20s and 30s who don’t quite have it together, and haven’t exactly grown into the person or into the lives they want for themselves. Or maybe they have, like Poppy in People We Meet on Vacation, but now they want something different. Familial relationships are important in Emily Henry’s novels, and they are explored, a theme I would run into quite a bit in Sarah Dessen’s novels. And so, now at 32 years old, it felt nice. Like a warm hug, a soft hello in a different form–novels that explored some of those themes from my teenage-hood in an adult way. In a way that once again applies to me.
I haven’t read a Sarah Dessen novel in years. Anyone can read YA, but I know a contemporary YA novel in 2022 *may* not affect or impact me the way it would have in 2005. And that’s okay. I’m aware that the feeling I got at 15 or 16, of connection, of being seen, of being on summer vacation away from school and sitting in my childhood bedroom with the sun spilling through my windows–it won’t ever be like that again. I can enjoy a YA book, love it to pieces, but I know that feeling–it can’t come back. But I can get new feelings. Similar feelings. I’m happy Emily Henry is writing to fill a void I didn’t even know was there.
“Words are seeds, Casiopea. With words you embroider narratives, and the narratives breed myths, and there’s power in the myth. Yes, the things you name have power,” he said.
“Gods of Jade and Shadow,” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The things you name have power. Meaning, the words we say have power, and words can come unbidden–rushed, and chaotic, without much thought, which can breed mistake and regrets. And words can come carefully–slow, well marinated, and thought-out–the results of many days and nights thinking. And words can give power to our knowledge, to our history, to our children as we pass down stories (both truth and both flights of fancy) that can enthrall, teach, and connect us to our ancestors. I particularly wanted to highlight this quote from the 2019 novel, Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia because this book, in many ways, is a love letter to the fairytale. To the folklore. It’s evident in the way the story is told, and it’s quite evident with this quote about myth, and the power that myths have.
Please listen to the latest episode of She Happily Reads as I break down the aspects of this novel that I loved, and the aspects that left me wanting a bit more than what I got. But, even coming away from not particularly loving this book, I have a deep respect for the narrative, the writing, and the loving care Moreno-Garcia has for the beautiful artform of the folktale.
In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, they were still willing to believe that because the Empire was geographically vast, and had armies and a complex bureaucracy and a religion and all the other great institutions that came with it, it would simply…endure. That it was an entity greater than the sum of its parts, rather than a huge collective delusion that required constant maintenance at gigantic expense of treasure and blood.”
–The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan
When we think of justice, we often think of balance, of heavy scales finding themselves leveled by the addition or subtraction of weights. But justice is not a concrete, black or white concept. The definition of justice can change based on who is doling it out; for some, a life for a life constitutes as justice, while others think imprisonment is justice enough. Who’s wrong? Who’s right? Well, it all depends on who is in power. And therefore, justice is really more about power than right or wrong, than concrete definitions of fairness. Who holds the power holds justice in the palm of their hands, to do with as they will, and that’s the truth of the matter.
The Justice of Kings, the first novel in a new fantasy series, explores this theme–and does it well, might I add. Although I have some critiques, I’m hopeful that this novel could be the first building block in an explosive series that makes me think a little deeper around the world around me, and the power–and justice–that encapsulates it.
“A clean home, a clean body, and clean company. Do you know where that leads?”
I could not have been more than five years old when she taught me this. I looked way up at her as she spoke. “Where does it lead, Gran?”
“To a clean conscience. To a good, clean life.”
–The Maid by Nita Prose
Who do you have around you?
Sometimes company is chosen, and sometimes it’s thrust upon us based on circumstances we have little control over. The people who live next door, the coworkers you work closely with (but perhaps you maybe wouldn’t have hired), the new friends and the old, and of course, family. Whoever they are, the people we interact with can have a meaningful impact on our lives, whether we choose them or not.
In The Maid by Nita Prose, a heartwarming story about an unconventional maid at an upscale hotel, Molly Gray finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery that changes her life. At the beginning of the novel, Molly is, for lack of a better word, struggling. Her grandma, who was not only her parent-figure but also her best friend, has recently died. She is in deep financial trouble. She feels misunderstood at work, lost in a world that her Gran used to help her make sense of.
For a long time, Molly’s primary company was Gran. Molly’s parents unfortunately were not in a position to raise her, and Gran, for all intents and purposes, was not necessarily the person that Molly chose. But throughout the book, we can see that Gran was the best company for her; she was loving, patient, and understanding, and even after Gran’s death, we consistently see Molly ponder upon the lessons Gran instilled within her. Even after death, Gran is still keeping Molly company.
Constrastly, the company Molly has chosen is Rodney, a slick, attractive bartender at the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly struggles to see the disingenuous nature of Rodney: his criminality, his lies, and his deceit. She makes attempts to be around him, in the hopes that they may enter into a romantic relationship. But her attempts to win his approval and to be in his orbit inevitably threaten her safety and land her in sticky situations.
The Maid has a happy conclusion of course, and in the end, Molly prevails and finds herself surrounded by the best company–such as Mr. Preston and his daughter, Charlotte–people who choose her unexpectedly. But I couldn’t help but think about the quote at the beginning of this post during and after reading The Maid. Sometimes we want certain people in our lives for shallow reasons. We try to enter into friend groups because we want to seem cool, or have proximity to power, or we try to desperately win the romantic attentions of someone because they are beautiful or talented or well-liked. Throughout life, we have moments where we are striving to belong somewhere. Sometimes it can feel like we’re knocking on doors that no one wants to answer. But I agree with Gran–clean company is integral to our lives. And sometimes it takes a while to find it, or sometimes it finds you, like in The Maid. Molly doesn’t seek help; the help comes to her.
Ultimately, being around good people, people who have pure intentions and good hearts who show up for you in unexpected ways is a gift. Like Gran said, good, clean company can be the best thing for us. Life will always have plenty of messes, but it sure helps when we have great people to help us clean them up.
She Happily Reads 