Bookish and Black #35
Happy Fall to all who celebrate!!!! We made it to the best month and season of the year. Although I love summer, I feel like October kicks off a 3 month stretch of the year that is unmatched. 75% of my family and my husband’s family are also born during this time so it’s pretty much a nonstop party.
books books books
September was a weird reading month for me. The first 3 weeks of the month I pretty much had no interest in reading and read just one book. Then the last week or so I went into over drive and read pretty much a book a day. Ebbs and flow right? Let’s get some reviews:
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazlewood (3 stars): It’s the Love Hypothesis but worse. It honestly feels like the author changed the names, location and STEM field, added 2 more sex scenes and a crazy ending and said “completely different book”. But it was…the exact same book.
A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña (4 stars): I enjoyed this rom com so much! Two former BFFs are forced by their meddling grandparents into a fake engagement to save their family businesses. An absolutely crazy plot…but it was a fun romp of a read.
Electric Idol by Katee Robert (3.5 stars): The second book in the Dark Olympus series, this book follows Psyche and Eros. I enjoyed this one even more than the first book though the whole “my mom wants you dead so we have to get married” plot was doing too much. But Eros and Psyche are two great characters so still worth a read IMO!
On the Hustle by Adriana Herrera (4 stars): The follow up to Here to Stay, this features the FMC from the first book’s childhood bff. It’s a (former) boss/employee romance but there’s no weird shady business I swear! Pretty steamy with a great cast of characters.
Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be by Nichole Perkins (2 stars): I was so excited for this essay collection but ended up not enjoying it at all. The overall thread that runs through was the author’s relationship with sex and love. I just couldn’t connect with it and some stuff made me uncomfortable.
True Biz by Sara Novic (4.5 stars): This book was so wonderful! It will definitely be a top recommendation for me. It follows students at River Valley School for the Deaf. It’s an excellent story but what really made it shine for me is how the author interspersed ASL signs, articles, and history throughout the story in a way that added so much to the text.
You Made a Fool Out of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (5 STARS BABBBBY): People have been saying that this is the messiest book of 2022 and I see why. It’s messy but at it’s core it’s a story of two people who have been through deep heartbreak and trauma working to heal themselves and finding each other in that process. How they find each other? Well. That’s another story. Read it and tell me what you thought!!
The Last White Man by Moshin Hamid (3.5 stars): I didn’t particularly enjoy this read but I’m glad I read it?? It follows a white man who day wakes up find he is now Black. Soon, similar stories are popping up that this is happening to people all over the world. At the core it’s a story of confronting long-held biases and seeing firsthand how skin color determines treatment. I think this book is worth a read for sure.
New releases I’m excited about include: One the Hustle (reviewed above) and Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. A lot of holiday novels get released in October as well. I’m excited for So This Is Christmas by Jenny Holiday and Season of Love by Helena Greer
life these days
I’m trying to make October a no buy month (I’ve already failed miserably but each day is a new start). I am hosting a PowerPoint Party tomorrow but I still don’t know what to make my presentation on!! Share any ideas with me. It’s time for my yearly quest to eat all the apple cider donuts I can. I was able to get the Telfar bag I’ve been coveting. I just planned 3 trips (one without the baby!!) and I’m so excited to be doing fun things again.
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