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J.’s Year In Books

J.’s 2025 Year in Books

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J. Shep

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https://www.christopherwhisperings.com/pages/j-...

Genre

Fiction

Member Since

July 2023

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J. Shep, author of The December Issue (2023) and After Me (2024), has taught at the high school and the university levels while directing plays for several decades. The Illinois resident enjoys writing, working with others on their craft, teaching, listening to music, and laughing.

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Hello! Regarding The December Issue, I am curious to know, what was your motivation to writing a novel that has the main character being a retiring writer that addresses the growing lack of respect in today's society, as his last piece? And when do you think you started to notice this change in our society?

J. Shep Thanks for this question! I think it's really interesting that you used the word "respect" and not "class," which was the topic of Paul's column. I am…moreThanks for this question! I think it's really interesting that you used the word "respect" and not "class," which was the topic of Paul's column. I am not sure I can recall my motivation for writing this book, but I do know at the time I wrote The December Issue, I cared about the ways people spend their time. I care about this topic to this day. I noticed that one's time can get frittered away with the most pointless activities, ones that don't better ourselves, others, or our worlds in any way. I placed Paul at this intersection between a fulfilling career and a fulfilling retirement, but he is grappling with what a fulfilling retirement means; in other words, he is exploring how to spend this newfound time. Exploring this topic may have been my motivation. Similarly, exploring the topics of class, offense, and responsibility, even as they intersect with respect, may have been another motivation. I just found them interesting to me and wished to present some views on them, placing them on the path of Paul's search for how to spend his retirement. (less)

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The best part of The December Issue was the way the plot unrolled. Those three parts were, to me, novel. They aren't like typical parts in a novel. How did you get the idea to structure your novel in this way? Thanks for such a thoughtful, warming, page turner of a book.

J. Shep Thanks for the question. I sometimes wonder how the three-part structure of the novel lands with readers, and I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! While I…moreThanks for the question. I sometimes wonder how the three-part structure of the novel lands with readers, and I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! While I do wonder how readers will react, I am happy with the choice. So far, the response to that aspect of the book has been favorable. Initially, I wrote the first part of the book and ended it; it was a novella. When I decided to develop the story, I knew I wanted to keep the integrity of the novella, so I didn't dive into that and expand. Instead, I continued the story. I think I knew there was a little more story to tell with Paul and these characters, so I picked up where the initial novella stopped. The second and third parts developed thoughtfully and realistically, and I was happy with the overall story as well as the arcs. Where much deliberation came in were the divisions. If I ended part one where it currently ends, there's not much of a cliffhanger. Had I added one more chapter before ending part one, it would have ended on a cliffhanger. I decided, as you know, to make each part its own, seemingly discrete story. I am grateful that you used the words "page turner," because my decision to delineate each part as I did doesn't, in and of itself, spur on a reader to turn the page once a section ends. I hope that's where enjoyment of writing style, characters, and themes comes in for readers! (less)

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J. Shep’s books

Average rating: 4.99 · 167 ratings · 15 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	The December Issue 4.98 avg rating — 98 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	After Me it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 2024	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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J. Shep's Blog

Something New from an Old Favorite

When I was in college, a university professor individually assigned us twentieth-century fictional novels for a specific project. While my peers were assigned Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, Muriel Spark, and, among others, Kingsly Amis, she assigned me An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden. It was tame, it was complex, it was moving, and, for someone who had forever had a strong relationship wi Read more of this blog post »

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Published on December 29, 2025 18:19

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J. is Currently Reading

J. Shep is currently reading

A Bright Ray of Darkness

by Ethan Hawke

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Dec 29, 2025 10:54AM

J. Shep is currently reading

Beartown (Beartown, #1)

by Fredrik Backman (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 12, 2025 01:29PM

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J.’s Recent Updates

J. Shep rated a book really liked it And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 04:45PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Shep rated a book liked it Anthem by Ayn Rand	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 04:45PM · like
J. Shep is now following Rumer Godden Author of In This House of Brede
Dec 29, 2025 05:54PM · like
J. Shep rated a book it was amazing The Battle of the Villa Fiorita by Rumer Godden	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 29, 2025 10:54AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Battle of the Villa Fiorita by Rumer Godden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Battle of the Villa Fiorita by Rumer Godden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Shep is currently reading A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 29, 2025 10:54AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Shep rated a book really liked it Woodsong by Gary Paulsen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 16, 2025 08:36PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Woodsong by Gary Paulsen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Woodsong by Gary Paulsen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J. Shep is currently reading Beartown (Beartown, #1) by Fredrik Backman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 12, 2025 01:29PM · like
J. Shep rated a book it was amazing The Professor's House (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels) by Willa Cather	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Willa Cather's descriptions and subtlety, especially of characters, relationships, and conflicts, did not let down again. As plot fell secondary to characterization and setting once again, she presents both in a way that maintains my interest from be ...more
Nov 30, 2025 12:16PM · like · see review
J. Shep has read The Sower of Black Field: Inspired by the True Story of an American in Nazi Germany by Katherine Koch (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 29, 2025 11:51AM · like
J. Shep rated a book really liked it Taming the Star Runner by S.E. Hinton (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I had initially read this to see if it might make a good gift for a horse lover I know, a young girl. This novella had something to do with a hard-to-tame horse, and I soon realized the title was a metaphor for the protagonist Travis and was less per ...more
Nov 26, 2025 01:22PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Taming the Star Runner by S.E. Hinton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Taming the Star Runner by S.E. Hinton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">