The Crossover (2014) by Kwame Alexander won both the Newbery and Coretta Scott King awards that year, along with many other awards. I am very late to this classic, but I was looking for a short, quick read by an author of color, and this one came up on Libby. I love a novel-in-verse andContinue reading “The Crossover”
Tag Archives: weight neutral
How To Fake It In Society
I will always be thrilled when K.J. Charles (among many others, Death in the Spires, All of Us Murderers) publishes a new novel, which she did in April 2026 with How to Fake It in Society. It’s 1821, and watercolor paint creator Titus Pilcrow has just been told by his landlord (a former lover) thatContinue reading “How To Fake It In Society”
The Twilight Garden
I was a big fan of Sara Nisha Adams’ The Reading List (2021) and so when I saw she had a new book, The Twilight Garden (2023), I knew that I had to read it, and I was glad that I did. Sometimes you just want a book that takes you somewhere else into someoneContinue reading “The Twilight Garden”
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years (2024) is Shubnum Khan’s first novel published in the U.S., but she also has published an earlier novel and a memoir. Set along the coast of South Africa among the Muslim Indian community there, The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is delicious, heartbreaking, gothic historical literary fiction that hasContinue reading “The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years”
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency (publication day June 2, 2026) by Lev AC Rosen is a funny mystery/ thriller featuring four friends in New York City who get involved over their heads in a situation and have to pull together to get out alive. This is my first Rosen book, and I will probably tryContinue reading “The Disaster Gay Detective Agency”
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”
Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler
Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler (2025) by Susana M. Morris is one of the best biographies that I’ve read, about one of the most amazing authors of speculative fiction that ever lived. Although I’ve not reviewed any of Butler’s work in this space (that’s changing next week with a reviewContinue reading “Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler”
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”
A Grandmother Begins the Story
A Grandmother Begins the Story (2023) by Michelle Porter is an inventive, beautifully-written book that tells the story of five generations of Métis women and the bison and the land they live on. The audiobook is read by a full cast of 16 different actors, who read the chapters written from the perspectives of theContinue reading “A Grandmother Begins the Story”
The Library of Flowers
The Library of Flowers (publication day May 3, 2026) by L.C. Chu (aka Lily Chu) has a little bit of everything. This hard-to-categorize, enjoyable fantasy/historical/ romance/family drama/coming of age features Lucy Hua, the latest in a long line of Hua women perfumers who can create perfumes that can affect emotion or even summon true love–calledContinue reading “The Library of Flowers”
Reading While Fat 