My Top Ten 2022 Favorite Books

December 19, 2022 |

Something I’ve come to really lean into this year is that my reading life is going to look different every single year and that that is okay. A decade ago, I could read 200 books a year; that was a time when I had far fewer outside obligations and I had the kind of mental space every evening to knock out 50-100-200 pages of a book. I’m in a completely different season of life now. Between school and being a mom, I’m learning that prioritizing and making space for reading simply looks different. Twenty minutes in the car of an audiobook? Excellent! Fifteen minutes in bed before I inevitable reach for my phone and zone out with TikTok? Also excellent. A day off work where I don’t have to do anything and can lie on the couch and read? A literal dream! Any and all of this is fine in my world, especially given how much reading I do outside of a traditional book. Beating myself up for not reading 100 books in a year is not a nice way to treat myself (and for the record, I’ll get about 90, which is still almost two books per week!).

I like to think of my “best of” list less of a best of and more of a favorites list. These are books that stuck with me or that I had a particularly good reading experience with. This year’s roundup of my personal top ten includes several buzzy books, as well as plenty of books that got little or no attention at all. Half of these books are ones I did on audio, since that is where I am able to get some of my heftier reading in now.

Different this year than almost any other year in my reading life since the start of writing about it is that there are few YA books. I read a lot of YA, but I don’t think as many stuck with me this year as in years past. It’s not that they were bad; it’s that there was little that at this point in the year I either remember or reference or think about. In general, if it’s not been a TikTok book of the moment, then YA in general has been quieter this year. I’ve seen it in my work at Book Riot and across social media more broadly. YA isn’t the hot category unless it’s a trendy title, and that’s not to say there hasn’t been good stuff. Rather, it’s not quite as impactful as it has been in the last decade+. I hope that we’ll see an upswing in those meaty, outstanding literary YA titles again in the coming year.

That said, what’s interesting is a lot of my favorites this year are adult books featuring teen or young adult leads. Crossover reads are knocking it out of the park, and I can’t help but wonder what would happen if more of the voices in those adult-published titles were showing up in actual YA. It’s also a nice reminder how these labels have a purpose for organization reasons but at the end of the day, they don’t necessarily mean anything at all. A good book is a good book, and those who get books into the hands of readers are skilled enough to know precisely how to do just that.

Onto my favorites of the year. Let’s dive on in.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

I know nothing about McCurdy or her role as a child actress, so I went into this memoir fresh. I picked the audio as I had access to a review copy as the book began gaining a massive holds list, and frankly, that was the way to go. This story of Jennette’s upbringing, her mother’s several competing mental illnesses and the way they directly impacted Jennette, Jennette’s own challenges with disordered eating and anxiety…it is powerful and incredibly hard to read. But it’s not all doom and gloom. This is a surprisingly hopeful memoir about how Jennette has worked hard to figure out who she is and what it is she wants from her life, despite a lifetime of trauma.

My last assignment for this semester of counseling school was a client case profile, and while I did not pick McCurdy, she was at the top of my list of potential options (and, as it turns out, two or three of my classmates did choose her). She’s going to inspire a lot of folks to do some important internal work with this book.

If you’ve held off on this because of the celebrity aspect, think of this far more as a mental health and mental illness memoir than a celebrity memoir. You’ll hear about the acting stuff, but that’s not the white hot center of this read. Audiobook listeners should go that round, as McCurdy’s voice telling her own story is so, so good.

The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté

Speaking of mental health books, I picked this one up on recommendation from my kid’s teacher who said Maté is an author who has done some really thought-provoking work in that space. I ended up listening to this on audio at the same time I was working on a school project on adverse childhood experiences, and the two were in uncanny harmony. Maté wrote this book with his son, and his son does the audiobook performance.

Trauma has been such a buzzword culturally, but it’s not really used correctly. Trauma is a response, not the incident that precipitates it. Trauma lives in the body and the mind, and it’s one of the reasons that it is impossible to separate the body from the mind. They are two intertwined entities that cannot be separated. This book explores the notion of why trauma is important to understand and how the notion of someone being “normal” is a complete falsehood. Our experiences create our responses, and trauma responses are so common across our culture–made even more apparent in individuals coming from any marginalized background or experience–that not acknowledging that is a major oversight. Normal is a lie; we’re all hurting in some ways and understanding, acknowledging, and working with that helps us not only understand ourselves but better engage with each other as complex, complicated people.

This is written for a general readership, so if you’re interested in mental health, it’s a great one.

Now Is Not The Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

I fell in love with Wilson’s writing and ability to craft young adult voices with Nothing to See Here. I read that one for an Audies committee I was on and even though I’m not a huge fiction-on-audio reader, it just worked.

So it was surprising I put off reading Wilson’s new book for as long as I did. But the reason was being unable to decide between the audiobook or the print edition. I went with print, but I can see the audio of this being just as outstanding. The book beings in a present period when a reporter reaches out to an adult Frankie Budge, but it quickly flashed back to Frankie’s 16th year. It’s summer in small town Tennessee and a weird boy has just moved to town. She and Zeke become friends less because they were into each other and more to keep from becoming bored. And in that forced friendship, the two of them accidentally begin a Satanic Panic in their small town. It is a funny book, but it’s also one full of so much tenderness and truth about what it is to be a teenager in a small town, desperate to have your voice seen, heard, and believed.

There is tremendous crossover appeal to this one, so I won’t be surprised if it sees an Alex Award sticker coming its way. I’d hand it to any teenager looking for a story of realistic misfits and the summer that changed their lives . . . on accident.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Obviously, another buzzy title up there with McCurdy’s, but both of these books have gotten such buzz for a reason. Zevin’s book follows two young adults, Sam and Sadie. They run into each other at a train stop in Harvard, and when Sam reaches out to Sadie, they begin to reconnect slowly to the friendship they had back in their youth in California. Eventually, they decide they’re going to begin to work together and build a video game. That game ends up defining their friendship over the next several decades as they build a video game company and see ups and downs in relationships both within and beyond their dyad.

At heart, this is a very simple book. It’s a friendship story. But because it is so simple, it’s a look at how complex and complicated friendship can be. It’s also a story of race and racism, of romance, and what happens in a culture that becomes obsessed with young talent. Zevin’s writing is immersive, and even though video gaming doesn’t do much for me, I found myself completely pulled into the video game elements of the story. This is another book that is published for adults, but it has great appeal for teen readers; Sam and Sadie’s story begins when they’re college students, flashes back to their teen years, and it grows as they move through their adult years.

In some ways, this reminded me of Joey Comeau’s Malagash, a favorite of mine from a few years back.

Trigger by N. Griffin

I’m so sad this YA survival story has gotten so little attention. It is a phenomenal and terrifying book about a girl raised in isolation by her father. She’s being trained to be a fighter. First and foremost, she’s a chess prodigy, and when she’s unable to be the winner her father demands of her, she’s forced to run. That, plus being trained in hunting, have made her a powerful force. Indeed, she’s prepared for the worst to happen and she and her father will survive when the world comes crashing down.

Except.

Didi knows how good she is. How she’s even better than her father says she is. She might be able to outrun even him. Out hunt even him. Survive.

This is an immersive story about the end of the world and about the ways in which grooming actually works–this is a father grooming his daughter to become a pawn in his game. But when she reverses course and chooses to no longer be a pawn in his game but instead put him in checkmate, suddenly, she’s the one who knows how to play the game best.

I read this one and a couple other survival YA stories out this year back to back. Griffin’s stood out.

True Biz by Sara Novic

Novic has written an absolutely brilliant book about a single year at a residential Deaf school. The third person POVs give a look at life as a student and an administrator, about the history–and discrimination and activism of–Deaf people. Each voice is unique, the book’s set up and execution is so smart, and the ending was as satisfying as it can get. This is an adult book but it has mega teen appeal.

Saying too much more about this one would ruin the impact of it. But it is an important contribution to Deaf literature and one that is as savvy and insightful as can be. As a bonus, you’ll get some mini lessons on American Sign Language (with a side of a snarky tone sometimes which is just outstanding).

Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Impostor Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson

I did this one on audiobook, adding it to my TBR as soon as I got through the three-part series on Go Ask Alice on “You’re Wrong About” (you can listen to those here, and guest Carmen Marie Machado is the perfect voice on this!). No matter what you think you know about the person behind the bestselling fake teen diary Go Ask Alice, I assure you that the true story is even wilder than you can imagine. This is a book that offers some incredible context to the life of Beatrice Sparks, the mastermind behind that diary and several others of the era. I was hooked from the beginning and found ways to be in my car just a little bit longer to keep listening. Sparks was a con artist who lied her way to not only the National Book Awards–being on the first ever panel to award the Young People’s Literature honor–but she stole the stories of real teens and profited nicely off them while doing real true harm to those families.

Interwoven in here is the panic over LSD, Satan, and how the Mormon Church helped create the environment perfect for books like this to find a widespread audience.

Again: even if you “know” the story, this book will leave you with more twists and turns than you can imagine. Listening to the 3-part podcast series will be your appetizer to the main course that is this book.

What The Fact?: Debunking Disinformation to Detangle the Truth by Dr. Seema Yasmin

Look: we need more lessons on media and information literacy. Yasmin’s book–which has an amazing audiobook production–is a must-read covering the differences among misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, while offering practical tools and insight into how to most smartly engage with media and social media. As someone who does this work and considers myself pretty savvy (I do have a librarianship background, after all!), I picked up a lot more knowledge from reading this.

There’s no bias here. And that statement will ruffle some feathers because of course there’s bias in everything. But I’ll let that statement stand, as Yasmin does a great job of saying it and explaining it, too. There’s no bias here.

This is a YA nonfiction title, but it is more than appropriate for middle school and adult readers, too.

Year of the Tiger by Alice Wong

I love Wong’s writing and her work in the disability space more broadly. This memoir is necessary reading for anyone wanting to know what it is like to grow up at the intersection of being marginalized and being disabled. But, in her trademark humor and snark, Wong rejects the idea she should be anyone’s hero or anyone’s inspiration. Rather, she demands action alongside her and fellow activists.

One of my favorite parts of this memoir is its setup. It’s highly designed, reading more like a scrapbook with art and creative storytelling elements than what might be expected with an adult memoir. It captures the spirit of Wong’s voice and points, while being a real visual experience in and of itself. There’s a really well balanced mix of essays showcasing the breadth and depth of Wong’s experience.

Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

It’s hard for me to think about the fact this book came out this year. It seems like it has been out a lot longer, but that might be because it’s a book I have been thinking about since I finished reading it back in January or February.

At 16, Sara Foster runs away from her northern California home. She’s been care taking for her younger brother after the early death of her mother, especially because her father is hot and cold and not reliable. But after her best friend and former girlfriend is found in the lake, dead, the next in a long line of people to be pulled from the water in a similar condition, Sara knows she needs out. She quickly befriends a guy with a car, they participate in an activity that leaves both of them haunted to make a little cash, and they head south toward LA. It is not an easy trip, and when they run out of money before making it to the city, they each take up a job, hoping to have enough for dinner. Eventually, Sara works her way out of the situation, abandoning the guy, and making a name for herself in the LA bar scene at the infamous Yerba Buena, a high-profile restaurant with a well-known chef.

Emilie is from the LA area and grew up with her parents and older sister, who is in and out of her life, as she wrestles with addiction. Emilie has always wanted the kind of life her Creole grandparents had, one filled with community and with adventure. The problem is, Emilie has no idea what she wants to do with her life–she’s on her fifth college major and going no where. So when she takes a job as a flower designer and ends up at Yerba Buena doing their table arrangements, she could never imagine what the position would hold for her: beginning a long affair with the famous restaurateur. She has feelings for him and enjoys the attention he shows her, a girl who is messy and lost and adrift in the world. But when Emilie discovers she’s his side piece, that he has a whole family and life outside their relationship, she calls it off and finds herself once again drifting.

When Sara and Emilie reconnect, both of them a little lost, broken, and struggling to build lives from the broken pieces of their past, it seems like immediate chemistry. But then Sara is cold in a way that surprises Emilie and things look bleak. . . then Sara gets the chance to explain, and the two of them find incredible comfort, recognition, and love with one another.

This is a beautiful, emotional character study of two young women trying to figure themselves out. It’s romantic and challenging, in that it invites the reader inside these lives while also keeping readers at the same distance with which Emilie and Sara keep themselves from others (and, initially, one another). There is a lot of fabulous stuff here about those messy years that are true and authentic, and the emotional realities of navigating life as a newly independent adult are authentic. It’s well paced and engrossing, the perfect kind of literary novel that refuses to be what one would consider a typical literary novel. There’s a lot to dig into when it comes to language, to imagery, to symbolism, but it doesn’t detract from giving these characters fully-considered arcs or lives.

My 2022 Favorite Things

December 9, 2022 |

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I have on my to-do list a post that digs into what it has been like to blog the book world for 15 years…and I think it might end up being a reflection on 16 years by the time I get to it. As anyone who is a caretaker can attest, the job is long and hard and carving out space to sit down and write can be tough. But with the new year in sight, and with the potential downfall of social media outlets, I want to get back into the swing of book blogging here at my first and forever home, Stacked.

To ease on in, something a little bit not bookish. I was opening up a package this week from a Black Friday weekend purchase and thought it would be fun to highlight a few of my favorite things from 2022. There’s no real rhyme or reason other than these things improved my life (and that might mean just a tiny bit) or I enjoyed them. I will put together a favorite books of 2022 before the year concludes, too–imagine that after almost a year of not being here, getting the promise of more than one piece to enjoy.

As always, thanks for being here. I hope you stay, and I hope we can reignite this incredible community of bloggers, librarians, publishing folks, and more at STACKED.

Crowned Athletics

I am not a Disney person at all. I know plenty of folks who are, but it’s just not my jam. I suspect as my kid grows up, that might change. But when a friend raved about Crowned Athletics, which creates workout clothes inspired by Disney characters, I checked them out with skepticism. I’m glad I let my guard down, though, because I absolutely love my tank tops from here. They’re fun, whether or not you care about the character who inspired them. I’ve got three of the tanks, all in the “flow” style, and you can absolutely size down in them (they go up to an XXXL). I’m used to buying inexpensive wares for yoga, so the price point on these made me pause, but they’re worth it. I have not tried anything outside the flow tops, but if they’re any indication, I suspect the other pieces are quality as well.

Yes, the front and back are different! The back on these is mesh, so there’s a lot of great air flow for those sweatier workouts.

Paru Tea Bar’s Okinawa Sugar

I love tea and usually drink 2-4 cups a day. For the last year or so, my hands down favorite is this Okinawa Sugar that my boss turned me onto. It’s sweet without being cloying, as it has a little bit of a bite to it, too. I drink it as is, but I can see that this could make a nice option with milk. I tend to buy a few full size packages at once and try out other smaller size flavors from PARU. Nothing from them has been disappointing, but this is, hands down, my favorite.

ZEYAR Highlighters

I went back to graduate school this year for clinical mental health counseling–a decision that is one of the best I’ve made in a long time–and I needed to stock up on some school supplies. These highlighters, which have a chisel-tip, have been fabulous. When I get to use a real print textbook and not an overpriced digital rental (the bane of my existence), these highlights do the double duty of allowing a neat underline and highlight, so I don’t have to toggle between a pen and a highlighter.. The colors are nice, they don’t bleed, and they’re just fun.

Three Ships Lip Treatment

I don’t have a fancy skincare routine, though I have really gotten into my jade roller in the last month or so because it feels so nice, but I do apply a lip mask nightly. I got this Three Ship duo in a subscription box a couple of years ago and I continue to buy it. I don’t really use the exfoliator because I’m lazy, but when I have used it, I really like it. For me, the lip mask, which tastes like buttercream, is worth it. You can usually buy this set new and unopened at a lower price on Poshmark (hot tip: most beauty products you want to try but don’t want to go full price on are worth looking for on Poshmark).

Mushroom Solar Lights

We’ve done more to make the outside of our home cozy in the last year or so than we ever have before. After losing the lattice fence between my house and my neighbor’s to a storm, the neighbor had it replaced since it was technically hers. Unfortunately, she did not realize after chasing down the contractors that it would be Fort Knox between our homes, rather than the friendly fence from before. As a result, we’ve tried to make it much less a fort and more an opportunity. We’ve strung up lights and made the garden in that area really pop.

One of the fun finds this year I included in our outside decor were these adorable mushroom lights. They’re solar powered, and they have a couple of settings, so you can do a solid light or a little bit of a pattern of lights. I’m excited to pull them back out after the winter.

Linen Sheets

I’ve never spent more than, like, $30 on a sheet set. This year, I realized it’s probably worth investing in really nice linens, especially the ones that are used every single day. Linen gets softer and cozier the more you wash it, and while it killed me to spend $100-some dollars between the sheets and pillow cases, these have been worth every single penny. I expect we’ll get many years out of these sheets, even if they aren’t name brand. I’ll reiterate that it is worth spending the money on nice things you use every single day if you’re in the position to do so. I’m hoping after the holidays to get a linen duvet to use on the comforter we have on top of these sheets which is riddled with tears from the animals.

Haden Electric Tea Kettle

After the second of my Wal-Mart ceramic electric tea kettles bit the dust last year–and both lasted me a solid year or so, which I’m not mad about–I decided to upgrade. I asked around for my friends’ favorite electric kettles and ended up choosing this one. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Even more than looking nice on my very small and very ugly countertops, it can be set to whatever temperature you need your water to be and it can hold water at 200 degrees. That is perfect for someone like me who, as noted above, is a 2-4 cups of tea person. I don’t have to reheat multiple times in the morning.

In addition to those “things,” there were other things that are less object-based and more learning/experiential based that fall into my 2022 favorites, too, including:

Buying my kid’s plastic toys at thrift stores–I stopped buying those big Little People farms, houses, tractors, etc., at the store and pick them up for $3 at the thrift, wash them in the sink, and viola!

Carving out time every weekend, sometimes both days of the weekend, to get up early and go work at a local cafe. I’ve been able to go during the weekday mornings as well, but those weekends are how I get true ME time away from my responsibilities as a mom, wife, etc. I love the place I go to and enjoy trying out all of the fancy lattes and their excellent avocado toast. Worth every single penny every single time. Whether it’s an hour I use to catch up on emails or three hours I use to do work for school, it’s time that belongs entirely to me. Yes, it means getting up super early on the weekends, but that’s how I fit the puzzle of my life together.

Finding a Zoom yoga teacher who has fit nicely into my life. I love my local studio where I teach but it is so hard to get to in-person classes. I decided this year to try a new teacher who has some ties to my studio, and her classes have been so phenomenal for my practice and teaching. I always tell my students that you’ll find several teachers in your yoga life you love and sometimes it takes work. I’ve been lucky to find so many good ones, and I always appreciate having a wealth of talent from which to choose for my needs.

Prioritizing ten minutes of reading a day. It is hard, especially when I have school, to read for me anymore. I won’t lie: doing the work I do on censorship has really taken a toll as well, and so, too, is the reality of being a mom. But I’ve tried hard to be conscious of taking 10 minutes a day to read, be it when I get into bed or on drives to/from school drop off for my kid via audiobook. I think I’ve read about as much on audio this year as in print, and even though my reading life looks and feels worlds different than a few years ago, it’s still there, it’s still important, and I still find so much value in it.

Choosing one thing for lunches and automating that part of my life as much as possible. I don’t like eating the same things all the time. Or at least, that’s what I THOUGHT. This year, I discovered how much a routine has helped me feel less frustrated about feeding myself and a family three times a day. I pick whatever the lunch is for the week and let that be what it is. If I choose something else during the course of the week, that’s fine, but knowing there is a plan helps take that mental load off. Lately, it’s been a lunch of a peanut butter English muffin with some kind of side (pretzels, etc.). It’s not glamorous nor photoworthy, but it is one less thing on the mental load. (And I hear folks who meal prep talk about the benefits of it, but I don’t like meal prepping because to me, it feels like eating leftovers for days–someone else in my family does this, though, and it works well for him!).

I’d love to hear what things helped you this year. What did you love? What do you talk about all of the time? What made your days just a touch brighter?

I Had a Baby

August 3, 2022 |

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? And by a minute, I mean…a few months. A lot has happened in my life since I last posted here. I’m reading a lot less and writing basically none, and that’s due mainly to the fact that I added a small human to my family in May. While I had an overall average pregnancy (no major complications, the usual aches and pains – uncomfortable but manageable), my birth and postpartum were pretty traumatic. I’m fine and so is the baby, but it was definitely not the birth experience I hoped for. However, now that we’re currently exiting the “fourth trimester” and kinda sorta getting the hang of taking care of a baby, I find myself with some time to do a little more than just feed the baby, burp the baby, change the baby, rock the baby, and try to squeeze in some food and sleep for myself.

As far as my reading life goes, I did read a few helpful pregnancy books before delivering, plus I occasionally page through a couple of baby-care books when I can. I’m also forcing myself to read a chapter or two of an actual print book – not related to babies, just for fun – every week. I thought I’d be able to continue my audiobook listening, but I’ve found it difficult to be able to focus enough on the stories while caring for the baby. Those tasks demand just enough of my mental energy to make following a book at the same time mostly impossible. Instead, I put on some low-energy television that I can still follow while only paying half attention to it (Survivor was our show of choice in the first month, but I mainly re-watch crime procedurals now).

I’m hoping to be able to get back into reading and writing more as the baby sleeps longer and my family gets more efficient and practiced with our baby-care duties. To kick off this goal, here’s a rundown of my recent reads.

Pregnancy and Baby-Related

Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong – and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster

I dislike the clickbait subheads on Oster’s books, but I really appreciate her straightforward discussions about pregnancy and caring for an infant. She’s an economist who writes about where the “conventional pregnancy wisdom” comes from – namely, the studies behind the advice and guidance doctors, other mothers, and the internet give new parents.

I found this book super helpful for right-sizing the actual risk of my activities to my baby in utero, and the conclusions I drew are mainly that there’s a lot less risk than you’d think. Just as I expected, much of the guidance about what to avoid (anything that tastes good or is mildly exciting) is fear-mongering and not based on science. For the most part, the only things that will harm a fetus are binge drinking (small amounts of alcohol are fine and not shown to cause harm), excessive caffeine (two cups of coffee a day are fine), and smoking and other recreational drug use (any amount). Foods pregnant people are often told to avoid, like sushi, are fine to consume if they’re from a provider you trust and stored safely. In my area of the world, food-borne illness such as listeria has more widely been found in melon, ice cream, and prepared salads, none of which pregnant people are told to avoid.

Oster does a good job of laying out the facts about each study, including whether it’s a good study in the first place or if there’s actually been a study done on a particular piece of guidance at all (it’s really hard to do ethical studies on pregnancy!). She repeatedly emphasizes that she wants the reader to draw her own conclusions about what she should or should not do/consume, giving examples from her own life (she chose to continue to eat turkey sandwiches; a friend of hers chose to avoid them). For my part, it helped me as a first-time mother calm my fears about harming my child and made me feel a bit freer in those precious months before my life would change entirely.

Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster

What I remember most from this follow-up to Expecting Better is that women who forego the epidural tend to push for shorter amounts of time and have faster recoveries. Because of this, I wrote in my birth plan that I wanted to wait and see how my pain was before getting the epidural. I ended up asking for it before I was even admitted to the hospital because the pain was so bad – I believe I would have passed out from it if I hadn’t gotten the pain relief. It was definitely the right choice for me and if I have another baby, I will take the epidural immediately again. (I also only pushed for about 15 minutes so it doesn’t seem like it had any effect on that!) This is another good book from Oster, though I admit not a lot of it stuck with me.

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, Second Edition by Myra J. Wick, M.D., Ph.D.

I chose this as my pregnancy preparedness guide because I wanted an alternative to What to Expect When You’re Expecting, which had reviews that indicated even the most current edition had out of date information and the writing style spoke down to its audience. This is a straightforward, no-nonsense book from the experts that breaks down a pregnancy week by week, discussing what symptoms are normal, what symptoms are more serious and may require medical attention, and other useful ways to prepare for a new baby.

Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby’s First Years, Second Edition by Walter J. Cook, M.D., and Kelsey M. Klaas, M.D.

More of the same from the Mayo Clinic. This guide discusses common themes in the first half (feeding, sleeping) and then goes month-by-month in the second, covering milestones and normal growth.

Baby 411: Your Baby, Birth to Age 1 by Dr. Ari Brown and Denise Fields

This is a great dip-in, dip-out guide to everything baby. We’ve used it when we had a specific question or concern – just turn to that page and find the answer. It’s interesting to see what advice conflicts with the Mayo Clinic book or the pediatrician. The authors of Baby 411 suggest using distilled water, then boiling it, before mixing it with powdered formula (the former because of fluoride that newborns don’t need; the latter to sterilize the powder, which does not come sterilized). Our pediatrician says neither is necessary for an otherwise healthy newborn. So while there are many good books on the subject of babies, some discretion and decision-making will always be required.

Just for Fun

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

This is the print book I’m currently making my way through. I bought it at the last Texas Book Festival pre-Covid; it was among the set of books I purchased that I read fairly quickly after buying them, which is unusual for me (like many a bookworm, I acquire many more books than I actually read). This was one of the few I hadn’t gotten around to yet. It’s an epic YA fantasy with an ensemble cast about a world whose Prophets disappeared many years ago – and a prophecy that speaks of the birth of a new Prophet that could either save or destroy everything. Five teenagers, some with magical powers, are each caught up in the adventure.

I’m halfway through it, which feels like a minor miracle considering my reading is constantly interrupted or simply relegated to the back burner in favor of other activities (mostly feeding myself and sleeping). I’m enjoying the book, but not loving it, and I think that’s largely due to the fact that it’s really difficult for me to push from my mind thoughts about what I Should Be Doing (laundry, listening for the baby waking up, washing bottles, tidying the house, etc., etc.) and focus on just reading. The book is a bit of a slow burn as Pool slowly reveals how each character is connected to each other and to the larger story. Chapters cycle through each character’s point of view, making this a good readalike for teens who enjoyed that aspect of Game of Thrones but want something a bit more on their level.

The Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth

I had never heard of this author before, but I really enjoyed this story about the tense relationship between a woman and her mother-in-law, and what happens when the mother-in-law is found dead (presumably murdered). This is less domestic noir and more tragic family story with a bit of suspense thrown in. Hepworth is really good at crafting three-dimensional, difficult, but sympathetic characters, and the mother-in-law in this story stuck with me long after I finished the book and learned how she died. If you enjoy psychological thrillers but want something a bit less soapy, I recommend giving Hepworth’s books a try (I also read and can recommend The Good Sister).

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

This author duo specializes in melodramatic psychological thrillers with a huge twist (or two) at the end. They are a lot of fun, though not of the highest quality. I started this one on audio while pregnant and finished it while caring for a newborn. I got a bit impatient with it, though, knowing that there would be a trademark Hendricks/Pekkanen twist at the end, and I looked up spoilers online before finishing it. The twist isn’t nearly as clever or satisfying at the one in their first hit, The Wife Between Us, and it made the book mostly forgettable for me, but it was an enjoyable few hours that helped pass the time in those first few long nights with a newborn at home.

Rainbow Cakes on Book Covers

June 20, 2022 |

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I’ve had on my to-write list for a while a few things, one of which is a post reflecting on the fact this blog had its 14th birthday in April and how much has changed in both my life and in Kimberly’s lives since. I’ll get to it, but as a means of wading back into the world of book blogging for fun, how about a trend that is delicious and timely? I’m talking about rainbow cakes on book covers.

Find below a few book covers, all capital-R romance titles, featuring a delicious rainbow cake on the cover. I’ve done my best to find the designer information, and I’ve included the Amazon description for included titles so you can build yourself the tastiest reading list imaginable. Interestingly, all three books are out this year. I hope we’ll see more of this design incorporated into more books, too–it’s a perfect nod to queerness and sweetness, all at once.

Are there others that I’ve missed? Tell me about those delightful queer cakes in the comments below.

Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond. Cover design by Sarah Horgan.

Amy, a semicloseted queer baker and bartender in mid-2010s Oklahoma, has spent a lifetime putting other people’s needs before her own. Until, that is, she’s fired from her job at a Christian bakery and turns her one-off gig subbing in for a bridesmaid into a full-time business, thanks to her baking talents, crafting skills, and years watching rom-coms and Say Yes to the Dress. Between her new gig and meeting Charley, the attractive engineer who’s just moved to Tulsa, suddenly Amy’s found something—and someone—she actually wants.

Her tight-knit group of chosen family is thrilled that Amy is becoming her authentic self. But when her deep desire to please kicks into overdrive, Amy’s precarious balancing act strains her relationships to the breaking point, and she must decide what it looks like to be true to herself—and if she has the courage to try.

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall (10/18/22). Cover design by Elizabeth Turner Stokes.

Paris Daillencourt is a recipe for disaster. Despite his passion for baking, his cat, and his classics degree, constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a curdled, directionless mess. So when his roommate enters him in Bake Expectations, the nation’s favourite baking show, Paris is sure he’ll be the first one sent home.

But not only does he win week one’s challenge—he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan. Sure, he’s the competition, but he’s also cute and kind, with more confidence than Paris could ever hope to have. Still, neither his growing romance with Tariq nor his own impressive bakes can keep Paris’s fear of failure from spoiling his happiness. And when the show’s vicious fanbase confirms his worst anxieties, Paris’s confidence is torn apart quicker than tear-and-share bread.

But if Paris can find the strength to face his past, his future, and the chorus of hecklers that live in his brain, he’ll realize it’s the sweet things in life that he really deserves.

D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins.

D’Vaughn and Kris have six weeks to plan their dream wedding.

Their whole relationship is fake.

Instant I Do could be Kris Zavala’s big break. She’s right on the cusp of really making it as an influencer, so a stint on reality TV is the perfect chance to elevate her brand. And $100,000 wouldn’t hurt, either.

D’Vaughn Miller is just trying to break out of her shell. She’s sort of neglected to come out to her mom for years, so a big splashy fake wedding is just the excuse she needs.

All they have to do is convince their friends and family they’re getting married in six weeks. If anyone guesses they’re not for real, they’re out. Selling their chemistry on camera is surprisingly easy, and it’s still there when no one else is watching, which is an unexpected bonus. Winning this competition is going to be a piece of wedding cake.

But each week of the competition brings new challenges, and soon the prize money’s not the only thing at stake. A reality show isn’t the best place to create a solid foundation, and their fake wedding might just derail their relationship before it even starts.

A Few Brief Reviews

March 30, 2022 |

I had such good intentions to get back into blogging when I wrote my post back in January, and now it’s been over two months and I’m just getting around to it now. Life happens. The second trimester is over and I’m well into my third (8 months along!), and with it has returned fatigue plus some exciting (read: irritating) new pregnancy symptoms. I’ve been frantically trying to get all my ducks in a row at work so my coworkers aren’t overwhelmed while I’m on maternity leave, plus getting ready for the baby. As I’m sure is typical of first-time parents, I feel like there’s always something else to be done for baby prep, and it’s left little time for other things. But I wanted to get in a quick update here at Stacked.

Firstly, we chose Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson as our Cybils winner. We all really enjoyed this magical story about a socially anxious necromancer. You can read more about the book and why we chose it, plus more about the other winners, on the Cybils page here.

Aside from Cybils books, I’ve been reading mostly audiobooks, and most of those have been thrillers for adults that I don’t need to pay 100% attention to. Spoiler alert: most have been kinda bad. But still enjoyable! I go to the library’s Overdrive site, select audiobook thrillers available now, and basically choose the standalones that sound kind of interesting. Here are brief reviews of a few of them.

No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield

This one was pretty good. It’s one of those that relies on a big twist partway through the novel, and how much you enjoy the book will likely depend on whether you saw the twist coming – and whether you think it’s any good. It’s about two women, one suspected of killing the other, and is narrated by both – the dead one from beyond the grave. Characterization is good and I feel like the twist was well-executed and fun. I also appreciated that this one didn’t end like I thought it would.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

This is another one that I thought was pretty good. It’s one of the growing body of books that addresses Covid-19 directly: a man and a woman meet in Dublin, start dating, and then lockdown hits. They’re not allowed to visit each other, so their solution is to…move in together. After only knowing each other a few weeks. This will go well, right? Of course, both people have their own hidden reasons for choosing to put their relationship on superspeed, and they both have a lot to hide from their pasts. Howard is good at unraveling all these secrets through the course of the book, not giving too much away at once but not holding it all for the end either, and again this one didn’t end like I thought it would.

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

I regret to write that I didn’t think this one was that great. It was…fine. I liked that it was about intrigue with the Supreme Court (a justice falls into a coma and gives power of attorney to one of his law clerks, who must unravel a huge international conspiracy while avoiding being assassinated), but I felt the pacing was off – it kind of dragged, surprising for a book with such an exciting premise. I didn’t love the narrator either.

Falling by TJ Newman

A pilot’s family is kidnapped mid-flight, and he’s told by the kidnapper that he must crash the plane or his family dies. The kidnapper tells the pilot he has a confederate on the plane, and he can’t trust anyone or call law enforcement. What will the pilot choose? Is there a way to save both his family and the plane full of innocent people? And where exactly is the kidnapper directing the pilot to crash the plane, and why? I really didn’t care for this one. It’s suspenseful, but left a bad taste in my mouth. My biggest issue was the main character’s (and other characters’) takeaway that the hijackers kind of had a point. Yuck.