Mel The Bookworm

[REVIEW] A Plagued Sea, by Bo Young Kim, translated by Sophie Bowman

The very boring Kindle ARC cover of A Plagued Sea, displaying only the plain text title and author's name, is held up in front of an incoming wave on sunny Santa Monica Beach

(Lovecraft enthusiasts can buy this book here.) 3 minutes read time Mu-Young plans a relaxing beach town getaway with her niece Hyun. At first it’s a welcome respite from her controlling sister and the stresses of her job as a bodyguard, but the earthquake that hits the coast as soon as they arrive changes everything.Continue reading “[REVIEW] A Plagued Sea, by Bo Young Kim, translated by Sophie Bowman”

[REVIEW] The Colored Museum, by George C Wolfe

The colorful cover of the play The Colored Museum, depicting a Black woman in a headscarf stirring a cauldron, is held u in the aisle of a busy commercial flight. Sorry to my fellow passengers.

(Buy this book ethically at Bookshop!) About 3 minutes read time A hostess on the Middle Passage gives grim travel instructions. A Vietnam vet recounts how he helped his fellow soldiers reconcile with their futures. A drunk, impassioned drag queen tells it like it is, and still remains. An upwardly mobile Black man comes faceContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Colored Museum, by George C Wolfe”

[REVIEW] Another Appalachia: Growing Up Queer and Indian In a Mountain Place, by Neema Avashia

The paperback of Anofher Appalachia rests against a potted plant. The cover depicts an Indian family sitting in front of a clapboard house.

(You can purchase this book ethically here.) 2 minutes read time In the 1970s, a handful of Indian scientists signed contracts for good jobs at West Virginian chemical plants. As people do, they settled down and had children, including Neema Avashia. Like many children of immigrants, Neema’s identity ia a bit fractal. For every all-AmericanContinue reading “[REVIEW] Another Appalachia: Growing Up Queer and Indian In a Mountain Place, by Neema Avashia”

[REVIEW] Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke

The black and white Kindle cover of Yesteryear, depicting a bleak frontier landscape, lies on a white wooden picnic table near a red ceramic cup of coffee and a half-eaten breakfast burrito.

(This book is available on Bookshop.) Read time: 4 minutes Tradwife influencer Natalie Heller Mills seems to have it all. She shows off her successful organic farm, cheerful children, home-cooked recipes and red-blooded provider of a husband to millions on social media, proving that the conservative American dream can be a reality. Of course, realContinue reading “[REVIEW] Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke”

[REVIEW] It’s Not You, It’s Capitalism: Why It’s Time To Break Up And How To Move On, by Malaika Jabali

The blue hardback cover of It's Not You, It's Capitalism is held up by a Black woman's hand in front of a loaded bookshelf. The cover depicts a series of illustrated emoticons: a broken heart, a bag of money on fire, and an upraised, clenched Black Power fist.

(Buy this book here.) Read time: About 3 minutes 25-year old me would think that 45-year old me is ballin. 45-year old me thinks that I work too hard not to be. Both of us are pissed off. Somehow, the steady rise of my income is far outmatched by the upward sprint of the costContinue reading “[REVIEW] It’s Not You, It’s Capitalism: Why It’s Time To Break Up And How To Move On, by Malaika Jabali”

Last While In Books: Sorry To These Men

Keke Palmer, in a white business jacket, flips a page and says "Sorry to this man"

Read time: about 4 minutes Hello, fellow readers. I don’t seem to have the time to post bookish news updates on social media anymore, so here’s a roundup of some of the more interesting bits of literary news–diverse and otherwise–that I’ve come across recently. That’s it for diverse bookish news of the last while, fellowContinue reading “Last While In Books: Sorry To These Men”

[REVIEW] Crossfire, by StaceyAnn Chin

(Buy this book here.) Read time: about 3 minutes Back in the day, I used to attend poetry performances almost as often as church. (And I went to church a lot!) Unsurprisingly, I was especially drawn to the words of other Black women, and while like most people I’m made up of a million differentContinue reading “[REVIEW] Crossfire, by StaceyAnn Chin”

[REVIEW]Once Upon A Marquess, by Courtney Milan

The Kindle cover of Once Upon A Marquess depicts a young white woman in a Victorian dress sitting in a grassy field. The Kindle lies on a speckled ceramic table, nest to a saucer with a blue ceramic cup of milky coffee and a half-eaten scone on it.

(Buy this book here!) Read time: 2 minutes After her father’s death and her brother’s disgraced exile, Judith Worth is tasked with caring for her three younger siblings and keeping the family name in good, if socially lowered, standing. When a challenge to her hard won domesticity arises, there’s only one person she can turnContinue reading “[REVIEW]Once Upon A Marquess, by Courtney Milan”

[REVIEW] Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman

The Kindle cover of Dungeon Crawler Carl, depicting a burly man in boxers and a Persian cat running from a fiery explosion, lies on the ground next to a city water department manhole cover.

(Buy this book here.) Read time: 4 minutes One minute Coast Guard meathead Carl is rescuing his absentee ex-girlfriend’s prize Persian cat from a tree in the middle of the night. The next, every building on earth is smashed flat and at the behest of an alien voice, Carl and Donut(the cat) are forced toContinue reading “[REVIEW] Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman”

[Hear Me Out] A Year of Deeper Reading

Read time: 13 minutes (To skip to the booklist, click here.) I’m still here. Fellow readers, I almost quit the internet last year. And last month. And last week. And about an hour ago. Rest assured, this isn’t some “goodbye, cruel virtual world” post. You’re stuck with me for the virtual moment. But like many,Continue reading “[Hear Me Out] A Year of Deeper Reading”