Black Authors I Want to Read

 

Welcome to Black History Month, a celebration of Black Americans Black Excellence stretching all the way back to 1926 with the creation of Negro History Week. It’s one of those things that has mixed feelings among the Black community that aren’t relevant to this blog or this post in anyway except a short reminder that reading books by Black Authors, and/or about the Black experience is not something that should be delegated to February’s short 28 days.

Black authors are a small piece of the Black community who are finally starting to get the recognition they deserve. This is a list of some Black authors I’ve had on my radar, and the books of theirs I’d most like to pick up. To be clear these are all authors I’ve never read before (some of them are shameful admissions), next week are the ones I have.  Use this to browse for new authors, books, or just to see a small extension of my ever growing TBR pile.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie –That Thing Around Your Neck, Americanah

Jay Coles– Tyler Johnson was Here

Natasha Deon – Grace

Heidi W. Durrow -The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

Yaa Gyasi – Homegoing

Alex Haley -Roots, Queen

Zora Neale Hurston -Their Eyes Were Watching God

Reni Eddo-Lodge – Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race

Helen Oyeyemi – Boy, Snow, Bird

Warsan Shire – teaching my mother how to give birth

Zadie Smith – Swing Time, On Beauty, Changing my Mind, The Autograph of Men,

Nic Stone -Dear Martin

Alice Walker -The Color Purple

Rene Watson– This Side of Home

 

Happy Reading!

January Wrap-Up & Haul

Happy end of January friends! How was the start of your reading year? Was it a nice slow start, or did you dive right in for a double digit month?

According to Goodreads I’ve read 7 books this month, technically I’ve read 10 but I’m willing to settle on 8. Let me explain below:

Chaos Awakens by Carys Mainprize

The first novel i read this year has not yet been published so Goodreads can’t count it. It is the second novel in my best friends fantasy series that features Gods and angels, demons, and a whole host of other supernatural beings all fighting to save, or destroy, the three worlds. It was a beta read and one day I will review this damn series on this blog.

Black Girl Magic: A Poem by Mahogany L. Brown

I don’t know if this should count towards my Goodreads goal but Goodreads counts it making it my first Goodreads read of 2018. This is a beautiful, and powerful poem about being a Black girl/woman and how no matter what anyone else says we are full of magic. I cried reading this poem, in the middle of a bookstore i sat down and cried. I gave this one a 5/5 stars and highly recommend it for any library.

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Harry Potter #5-#8 by J.K. Rowling

Next, in quick succession, I finished up the Harry Potter series which I started just before Solstice. Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows, and Cursed Child took up the majority of my reading time this month and you can see all my thoughts on them right here. All together these 4 books rated 3.75/5 stars.

The Hogwarts Library by J.K. Rowling

This little companion set to the Harry Potter Series is three books total: The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Quidditch Throughout the Ages, but Goodreads counts the set as one book. This is a bit frustrating but I’ll let it slide since they are quite little and I read them all in a sitting. I gave them 3/5 stars and I talk about these in my Harry Potter Series Chat as well.

 

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed by Pat Rothfuss

This is not a book for children. That’s really the only thing that needs to be said of it; it looks like it’s for children but it’s really just not. It’s cute and fun and makes you do a double take. 4.5/5 stars.

Know Your Beholder by Adam Rapp

This is one of those books that I can’t quite describe. The best i can do is to say that it is about a man named Francis Falbo who is suffering from a period of severe agoraphobia who is writing a memoir of sorts about not only his shit show of a life but the lives of his tenants, who live in the 5 apartment units he’s split his old family home into. Among other things he tells us about his divorce, his old band, his tenants whose daughter has gone missing, and his tenant who is drawing nudes of middle aged Black men. A lot happens. It’s hilarious and bizarre and i gave it a 3.5/5 stars.

Nine Pines by August Birch

It’s currently January 29th so i’m starting this short story collection as soon as I’m finished typing this and will update this post accordingly before the 1st of february. I discovered August Birch through his Instagram @August.Birch.Writer and I just got his book so i want to get to it before I get bogged down with moving and such. It’s crime thriller (?) so i’m not sure how I will like it. We shall see.

 

So about 8 books. 3,254 pages (not including the beta read). A good month if you ask me, and I still have 2 days left

Teeny Tiny Book Haul

I didn’t buy a single book this month….I did get 2 though!

The first thing I got was Nine Pines by August Birch, a collection of short stories (I did have to install a Kindle App on my phone for this so I hope it’s worth it.).

Then my best friend gifted me this beautiful signed edition of The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle by Patrick Rothfuss and I DIED. Dead. Gone. I am super in love and count this month as a win.

 

And that’s all she wrote ( actually I wrote about 10,000 words of my novel this month too). How big, or tiny, was your book haul? Let me know and I’ll see you next week with some Black History Month celebrations.

 

 

 

 

Book Chat: Harry Potter by J.K.Rowling

 

The year is 2018 and the last millennial has finally read Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling; a series that has made more fans and more money than god. I’ve done it. I’ve read it.

If you’ve been here before, or you follow my Bookstagram (and you should) then you know that I never wanted to read this series.It’s a natural prejudice against things that become insanely popular; they don’t tend to be all that good, just easily consumed. So I went into this expecting to have a little fun but not to *like* it all that much.

Let’s see how that worked out. Now below is a spoiler free (in case anyone else has been living under that rock with me. I wouldn’t know. It was dark and cozy and full of other great books to read), and is just brief thoughts on each book accompanied by a cute little quote.

Sorcerers Stone– 3 stars

“ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?”

This book is quite clearly a young children’s book (a bit on the young side of middle grade). It introduces us to the Wizarding World and from what I hear a lot of people have fond memories of it. I really didn’t like it. It was painful. The ending was irritating and predictable. I simply did not have that much fun reading this. Had I not already committed to reading the entire series I wouldn’t in anyway felt inspired to pick up the next book.

Chamber of Secrets– 2.75 stars

“When in doubt, go to the

This book, for me at least, was completely forgettable. I was just annoyed by the entire thing and it, even more than the first, made me not want to keep reading. This book seemed to just be Harry not communicating and leading to every problem in the plot. That turned out to be my main issue with the entire series; Harry withholding information for no other reason than to further the plot.

Prisoner of Azkaban– 4 stars

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

The third book in the series wasn’t just the first book I enjoyed but I really fucking loved it. In this book we are introduced to some fun and complex characters, there was a plot capable of a twist and also holding my interest, and it was the first time I started to really like our Golden trio. It’s not the best book in the series but I had a lot of fun reading it.

Goblet of Fire– 4

“Just because it’s taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn’t mean no one else has spotted I’m a girl”

This one was a better book than the previous one but I liked Prisoner of Azkaban just a tad bit more. i still loved this one though. Again there were some interesting characters and a plot twist that caught me completely off my guard. If looked at by itself this would probably have been a 3 star book but I really liked it as an addition to the series.

Order of the Phoenix– 3 stars

“Give her hell from us.”

This. Book. Dragged. I hated it, I hated Harry,I hated the story, I hated having to read it. This one was another that overused Harry having a shitty and illogical personality just to further the plot and there were several times that I wanted nothing more than to DNF it. The only thing that saved this from being a 2 star was that around page 400 t kind of caught my attention. The story picked up a bit and I found myself actually *wanting* to read it. Fred and George Weasley were my favorite arc in this book and they made it enjoyable. The ending was pretty forgettable but I stayed up until 4am twice for it so it has to get at least a 3.

Half-Blood Prince– 4 stars

Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.

I flew through this book. Not just in comparison to the 10 or so days it took me to read the previous one but I genuinely finished it in about 2 days. This was fast paced, all of the characters were interesting, and fun, I absolutely loved it. This was the one where i truly started to be a Harry Potter Fan. it’s also the book where I became Ron and Hermoine trash. I have loved them for quite a bit up until this point but this was the book where I started getting so anxious about their relationship and wondering just WHEN they were going to finally get together. My only complaint about this book is that the ending, which I feel is supposed be emotional, just didn’t do much for me. I think Rowling has a hard time making me feel things when she wants me to.

Deathly Hallows– 5 stars

“ARE YOU A WIZARD OR WHAT?”

This is by far the best book in the series. It veers off of the standard story line that the other books have been following and es us on a wild and emotional adventure (emotional for the characters, not for the reader). The characters arcs in this book are great and had me obsessed (Ron & Hermoinie killed me). It was climactic and a fitting end to the journey. Except for the epilogue. It was unnecessary fan service and it ruined the end of the story for me. It took away that satisfaction of the end of a journey.

The Cursed Child– 3 stars

“My geekiness is a-quivering”

This is the 8th installment of the franchise written as a play set 2 decades after the Battle of Hogwarts. It read like fanfiction and I have decided to treat it as such. It adds nothing to the story and was only mildly enjoyable; the best part of the whole thing for me was adding Scorpious to my view of the world. That doesn’t mean I don’t think you should read it, it’s a journey. Just an unnecessary one.

Hogwarts Library– 3 stars

A compilation of “Fantastic Beasts and Wear to Find Them”, “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”, and “Quidditch Throughout the Ages”, this is a cute addition to the Wizarding World. Maybe not something you’d want to read unless you, like me, get giddy about world building.

 

The world is by far my favorite thing about the Harry Potter series. I said above that Rowling didn’t do a great job making anything all that impactful for me so there wasn’t much attachment to the characters so much as the story itself. If these books hadn’t been part of a massive series or if i hadn’t binged it over the course of a month i don’t know that I’d have had such strong feelings about it.

Though I will say that for the lack of emotional impact this series somehow had one of the best romances I’ve ever read. I know Rowling herself says she regrets Ron and Hermoine’s romance and I can’t for the life of me think why. It was amazing to read and I adore them.

In all my rating for the entire series comes to 3.52 stars out of 5 and I’d say that’s pretty accurate. I wouldn’t be opposed to rounding up to an even 4 stars and calling it a day. So yes, I admit it, I *liked* it. Hell didn’t freeze over but the government did shut down.

 

 

 

2018 TBR

In 2018 I am making a resolution to stop setting so many fucking goals for myself.

It’s super common in the book community, and for myself, to set monthly TBRs, reading challenges, writing challenges, Instagram challenges, Goodreads goals. etc. etc. etc. It’s ridiculous and the reality, for me at least, is that it’s impossible to keep up. So this year I’m setting reasonable goals and instead of monthly TBRs I’m starting with a loose list of books I want to get to for the entire year. Les Go:

GoodReads Goal: 70 books. This is almost double what I read this year but 5 less than I’ve read in 2015, and 2016 each. It’s a doable goal.

Writing Goals: Write for 45 minutes every day. Last year was supposed to be the year I finished my novel and ahahaha nope. Didn’t happen. So this year I have a more specific goal.

Blog Goals: 1 post a week. I have a full list of blog posts already pre-planned for every week of the year, plus a few extras. Get organized is also a general goal I’ve had recently.

Instagram Goal: 6 posts a week, plus interact with the community more.

2018 TBR: So this is split into three categories. There are the books I already own that I want to make sure I get to this year because come on. I can’t keep just collecting these things. They aren’t for show. Then there are books I’ve been hearing about and/or are by favorite authors that I know I absolutely want to pick up soon. Then finally there are new releases that I’ve just heard a thing or two about and think would be nice. There’s 21 of these books. Buckle up.

On My Shelf:

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: I don’t actually know much about this other than it’s a contemporary thriller and I saw it in a Little Free Library.

 

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant: This is historical fiction and I think it’s a Biblical story? Or something? I don’t read blurbs but this book looks right up my alley and I’ve been seeing it in my favorite shoppe forever and finally grabbed it a few months ago.

 

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert: I have had this book for YEARS. It’s about a girl who get’s leprosy. I think. I could be looking these up but I like going into things blind.

 

American Gods by Niel Gaiman: I have zero idea what this is about but everyone wants me to read it.

 

Smokejumper: A Memoir by One of America’s Most Select Airborne Firefighters by Jason A. Ramos & Julian Smith: This is a memoir by two firefighters in California? I found it in a free library and it’s pretty and I love it.

 

Know Your Beholder by Adam Rapp: Oh! I know this one. It’s about a man with agoraphobia whose mother has just died and his wife has just left him. He rents out rooms in his house to a colorful cast of characters and his life is slowly crumbling. I’m into it. Just picked it up on New Years Eve and I want so badly to read it.

 

Incendiary by Chris Cleave: All I know about this is that I LOVED his book Little Bee and the covers of that book and this one

 

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Again. i have no idea what this is about but I know I have to read it.

 

2018 New Releases:

 

Tyler Johnson was Here by Jay Coles: This is about a boy whose brother, Tyler, is murdered in a police encounter. I’m all about reading about police violence in the new year. I am from the US and live in a city were racism and police misconduct are the every day.. Also can we TALK ABOUT THAT COVER. Black boys and softness? Here for it.

Wires and Nerves volume 2: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer: This is the second in the graphic novel companion series to The Lunar Chronicles, one of my ely favorite series.

 

A Reaper at the Gate by Sabaa Tahir: This is the 3rd book in the Ember in the Ashes series. I’m not excited about it. The first book was one of my favorite books of the year but the second one was so bad that I just…I just don’t care. But I will read it because why the hell not.

The Thorn of Emberlain by Scott Lynch: This. Book. Is. Coming. Out. This. Year.

 

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas: This is about a world in which abortion is illegal and that’s as far as I got in the blurb before deciding I wanted to give it a go. It caught my eye because I am a birth worker and this looks like a vulva and I seem o just be attracted to things that look like vulvas.

 

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas: This does not have a cover yet. I don’t know what this is about except that I really enjoyed Angie Thomas’ last book The Hate U Give.

 

Toil & Trouble: 16 Tales of Women and Witchcraft edited by Tess Sharpe: This is an anthology about women and witchcraft. Go figure.

Misc:

Renegade by Marissa Meyer: HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS WAS COMING OUT? 2017 was a trash year for me and I didn’t know this was a thing. I don’t know what it’s about but I adore Marissa Meyer and want to own and read all of her books

 

New People by Danzy Senna: This is the newest book by one of my favorite authors. I don’t know or care about the synopsis, I want to own and read all of her books.

 

You Are Free by Danzy Senna: Again I do not know what this is about but I love me some Danzy Senna, her book Caucasia is one of my all time favorites.

 

Dear Martin by Nic Stone: This I have been seeing all over bookstagram and it is about a teenage boy who is trying to understand the institutionalized racism he’s living and so starts writing letters to Dr. Martin Luther King. Again. I’m about it.

 

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline: This is about a future in which First Nations people are being hunted for their bone marrow. Kayla from BooksandLala talked about it a couple of times since reading it and I’m really interested in it.

 

The Boy on the Bridge by M.R.Carey: I only want to read this because I loved The Girl With All the Gifts. Also apparently they are a part of a series!!! I didn’t know that!!!

 

And that is my 2018 TBR and goals. It was a long ass post without very much info on any of the books because I’m trash but let me know what your goals are and if you want to or have read any of these books!

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 Reading Wrap Up

Well. The year has changed and goals were not met. Who is surprised? This blog has been several years of me not doing the things I said I was going to do but let’s not focus on that right now. Let’s focus on the positive.

First positive is that you should definitely look at the sidebar and check out my Bookstagram because there’s books and cats over there. Bless.

The next positive is that I read 39 books! Granted several of them were the Kingkiller Chronicles several times over. Oops.

So what DID I read? First we’ll see by genre, then by author gender (because i wonder about it), and finally by star rating. Afterwards we’ll see my Top and Bottom 3 reads of the year. Boom. Let’s go.

Boop. There you are. NOW. The main attraction.

#3 Worst Book of 2017

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon was one of my most anticipated reads of 2017. It was horribly disappointing, problematic, and not all that well written. This is a book about a teenager girl with SCAD, that illness where she is allergic to everything. Then she falls in love. To put it mildly it is a gross concept that someone put glitter on.

 

 

 

 

 

#3 Favorite Book of 2017

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue was am unexpected bookstore find. I recognized the author from the novel Room and she does not disappoint. After a long reading slump this book had me enthralled. It is about a Nightingale nurse set to watch over a young girl who claims to have survived 4 months without food. It’s fucking fascinating.

 

 

 

 

#2 Worst Book of 2017

Just Like a Caucasian by Odera O’Gonuwe. This is an indie author new release that I found on Instagram. It’s about a group of people coming together to make a documentary about race, oppression, and privilege. I bought it right away and it’s trash. That’s harsh but the reality is that this novel is not even edited, it reads like a rough draft, an idea. I don’t like it. At all.

 

 

 

 

#2 Favorite Book of 2017

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. Oh this must be the birth nerd in me but I adore the TV show Call the Midwife and the memoir it is based on was golden! It is a true story of a midwife in an impoverished area of London in the 1960’s. I loved the writing, I loved the honest look at the subject matter. I adored it.

 

 

 

#1 Worst Book of 2017

The Girl Who Played Go by Shan Sa. This one was almost #2, and Just Like a Caucasian would have been #1 but what decided it for me was that The Girl Who Played Go ate my entire March. I had to BRIBE myself to read it (funnily enough my bribe was that if I read it I’d be allowed to by Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon). I honestly can’t remember much about what it’s about, it’s a struggle that’s for sure.

 

 

 

 

#1 Favorite Book of 2017

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. Who is surprised? This book is a masterpiece. You can read my review for it here but if you want to skip that then let me just tell you that this book made me cry constantly. I did. Not. Stop. A book about Black women prospering? Yes plz. Thanks. I love it.

 

 

And that, dear friends, is that. I shall see you next week with my 2018 TBR.