“Earth is ghetto / I want to leave / Can you beam me up / I’m out on the street by the corner store / You know the one on 15th…“ I’m sure many of you have heard the viral song by Aliah Sheffield by now–it’s the toast of TikTok. If not, take a moment andContinue reading “[BOOKLIST] Earth Is Ghetto: A Booklist Where Aliens Land Everywhere”
Author Archives: Mel The Bookworm
[Review] A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara
(Find it HERE.) Jude, Willem, JB and Malcolm meet during their freshman year of university, and luckily the friendship lasts a lifetime–through failures, successes, relationships, jobs, deaths and heartbreak. They’re a motley crew–all different races, classes and sexualities–but the main character is Jude, the shyest and most secretive of the group, tortured by an unspeakableContinue reading “[Review] A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara”
Last Week In Books, Feb 7th – 14th: I’m Old and I Love You
I turned 40 last weekend, hence the delay on this post. Also, it’s Valentine’s Day! Go read some romance and love somebody up today, whether romantically, amicably or nobly. Before we get into it, the lovely image of myself above was shot by Grace Kim and edited by Uchenna. The shirt I’m wearing, which isContinue reading “Last Week In Books, Feb 7th – 14th: I’m Old and I Love You”
Last Week in Books, Jan 31-Feb 6: Let’s Bring This Back, Shall We?
Happy Black History Month! Let’s take a quick look back at some of the most interesting diverse books news from last week. OG Black speculative fiction writer Gerald L Coleman has put together the dopest, most definitive list of Black science fiction and fantasy I’ve EVER seen. Please check it out.[ Gerald L Coleman] ThisContinue reading “Last Week in Books, Jan 31-Feb 6: Let’s Bring This Back, Shall We?”
[HEAR ME OUT] I Am What Is And What Could Be: A Quick Thought On Why I Write What I Write and Read What I Read
The following post is an edited version of a rant on the Equal Opportunity Facebook. Follow it for lots of bookish news updates and rants. “Fourteen years ago, during my first year of college, I sat in a creative writing class and listened as my teacher, an elderly man, told another student not to useContinue reading “[HEAR ME OUT] I Am What Is And What Could Be: A Quick Thought On Why I Write What I Write and Read What I Read”
[REVIEW] Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
(Find it HERE.) Some books show you the lives of other people. Some books show you yourself. Some books do both. Song of Solomon has always been the last for me, although it’s always been hard to put my finger on exactly why. ⠀ This is a deceptively dense novel, packed with story and detail,Continue reading “[REVIEW] Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison”
[REVIEW]Jews, Confucians and Protestants: Cultural Capital and the End of Multiculturalism, by Lawrence E Harrison
(I can’t imagine why you’d want to, but find this HERE) (This is a slightly-edited form of a review originally posted in 2014 on Goodreads. Were I to write this now, it would be better organized, but even more scathing.) It’s taken me a long time to write a review of this, because I’m tryingContinue reading “[REVIEW]Jews, Confucians and Protestants: Cultural Capital and the End of Multiculturalism, by Lawrence E Harrison”
[HEAR ME OUT] Less Announcing, Less Buying, More Enjoyment: My Reading Plans for 2021
It’s pretty simple, really. Last year, I read $611.23 worth of books. That’s a lot of money. Then again, it doesn’t seem so when you realize that I read 122 books last year. That’s roughly 5 dollars per book, so–not so bad. When you add in the fact that libraries have been closed due toContinue reading “[HEAR ME OUT] Less Announcing, Less Buying, More Enjoyment: My Reading Plans for 2021”
[REVIEW] Vox, by Christina Dalcher
(Find it HERE.) Maybe today isn’t a good day to write about a dystopian novel in which hyper-conservative, racist, sexist ideals permeate the US, resulting in the election of a wannabe despot who encourages horribly oppressive policies necessitating an organized movement of diverse people working together to legitimately reclaim the country despite his last ditchContinue reading “[REVIEW] Vox, by Christina Dalcher”
[HEAR ME OUT] Eric Jerome Dickey, in Memoriam
It was a shock to wake up this morning and discover that best-selling author Eric Jerome Dickey has passed away at the relatively young age of 59. I read a lot of Dickey in my 20s, and the news really rocked me–he was a Black cultural institution of sorts, and his work had a hugeContinue reading “[HEAR ME OUT] Eric Jerome Dickey, in Memoriam”
Equal Opportunity Reader 