Another Word For Love (2024) by Carvell Wallace is such a beautiful memoir that, after listening to it, I had to purchase it so I could browse its wisdom whenever I want. The author reads the audiobook himself, so I recommend that version if you do audiobooks. Wallace was raised by a single mother whoContinue reading “Another Word For Love”
Tag Archives: racism
Mazywood
Mazywood (publication day September 22, 2026) by Tananarive Due scared me so much one evening I had to stop reading it until daytime! With two timelines–beginning in the Golden Age of Hollywood, it follows Mazelle Washington, a child star when films were still silent, through her lifetime, and alternates with a present day timeline followingContinue reading “Mazywood”
Our Sister’s Keeper
Our Sister’s Keeper (publication day June 9, 2026) by historian Jasmine Holmes is a superb historical fantasy/ horror novel set in a fictional 1920s Mississippi town called East Cobb. East Cobb is the black sister to the white town of West Cobb, and it’s different than most–it’s thriving and everyone seems happy. Thea and herContinue reading “Our Sister’s Keeper”
Fledgling
Fledgling (2005) is Octavia E. Butler’s last published book before her untimely death in 2006. It is, unfortunately, the last book-length writing of hers that I had left to read–I was saving it for a while, but after reading the amazing biography Positive Obsession I decided that it was time. In Positive Obsession, Morris warnsContinue reading “Fledgling”
Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget
Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget (publication day May 12, 2026) by Reyna Grande is a beautifully-written collection of memoir pieces about a variety of things. Grande writes about her relationship with her parents, who separated when she was little, and who she spent several years away from when they came to theContinue reading “Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget”
Now I Surrender
Now I Surrender (English publication day March 3, 2026, original Spanish 2018) by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer defies genre. It is historical fiction, set mostly in the 1800s during the Apache wars in the desert southwest where the borders between the United States, Mexico, and “Indian territory” changed often. But there are multipleContinue reading “Now I Surrender”
The Reformatory
I just about have no words (with reverent awe) for The Reformatory (2023) by Tananarive Due, but since writing about books is the reason for this blog, I have to come up with some. First, this book is an example of my belief that white people need to read books written by black people (andContinue reading “The Reformatory”
Firekeeper’s Daughter, Warrior Girl Unearthed, and Sisters in the Wind
So I read Warrior Girl Unearthed (2023) by Angeline Boulley in September, and immediately had to read Boulley’s first book Firekeeper’s Daughter (2021, Goodreads Choice Award for YA), and was thrilled to find out she’s just published a third book, Sisters in the Wind (September 2, 2025), which I also devoured. They are each amazingContinue reading “Firekeeper’s Daughter, Warrior Girl Unearthed, and Sisters in the Wind”
All the Sinners Bleed
All the Sinners Bleed (2023) by Anthony award-winning S.A. Cosby was a gripping, frightening mystery/ thriller set in rural, coastal Virginia featuring former FBI agent, and the county’s first Black sheriff, Titus Crown. Racial tensions are coming to a head, with local white people wanting to parade in support of a Confederate statue and TitusContinue reading “All the Sinners Bleed”
One of Our Kind
One of Our Kind (2024) is bestselling YA author Nicola Yoon’s adult fiction debut, so I was very much looking forward to it, and I was not disappointed. That being said, a quick scan of some of the Goodreads reviews told me my opinion was in no way universal–many people did not like it atContinue reading “One of Our Kind”
