Mel The Bookworm

[REVIEW] The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly, Sun-Mi Hwang

(Buy it HERE.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5) “The important thing is to understand each other. That’s love!” This book follows Sprout, a pathetic old laying hen with a big heart and a dream. She survives a terrifying coop cull and embarks on a new life in the fields as a free hen. Her lowly circumstances don’t keep herContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly, Sun-Mi Hwang”

[REVIEW] Slave Play, Jeremy O. Harris

(Buy it HERE.) “I think it’s really important to reiterate that what we all just explored was incredibly difficult and triggering, but it was also fantasy.“ For the month of March I gave myself the stealth challenge to only read works written by women. However, a friend who reads far more than I do gotContinue reading “[REVIEW] Slave Play, Jeremy O. Harris”

[REVIEW] Odd One Out, Nic Stone

(Buy it HERE) ⭐⭐⭐/5Courtney loves his best friend Jupiter. Jupiter loves girls. New girl Rae isn’t sure who she loves or how she feels about it. Odd One Out explores their individual perspectives & the questions they have about their emerging sexualities & relationships.⠀🏳️‍🌈⠀I love how casually diverse this book is. Race, culture and sexualityContinue reading “[REVIEW] Odd One Out, Nic Stone”

[REVIEW] Tampa, Alissa Nutting

Tampa is possibly the most repulsive, disturbing, and un-enjoyable book I have EVER read. It’s also literarily and socially important, but because of its subject matter I wouldn’t recommend reading this. Tampa is a pathological little story told by Celeste, a self-described “pretty blonde” middle school English teacher who seduces her favorite students into sexuallyContinue reading “[REVIEW] Tampa, Alissa Nutting”

[REVIEW] Opposite of Always, Justin A Reynolds

(Buy it HERE.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5) I was expecting this book to be something totally different than what it was. The synopsis led me to believe it was a sci-fi time travel tale focused on fixing sad past mistakes, much like last year’s tear-jerking Netflix original See You Yesterday. And it is all of that, but unlikeContinue reading “[REVIEW] Opposite of Always, Justin A Reynolds”

[REVIEW] When My Brother Was An Aztec, Natalie Diaz

“When My Brother Was An Aztec/he lived in our basement and sacrificed my parents/every morning. It was awful.” Natalie Diaz’s When My Brother Was An Aztec is a legit masterpiece. Go read it, now. Books of poetry are sometimes navel-gazing, self-absorbed bores but this one is simply amazing. I slurped it down in two shortContinue reading “[REVIEW] When My Brother Was An Aztec, Natalie Diaz”

[HEAR ME OUT] These Blues Ain’t New: Why I’m Not Busy Posting Big Black Booklists or Anti-Racist Manifestos

Look. We’re all on the internet right now, so let’s not pretend I need to explain the current atmosphere to you. George Floyd was murdered by a police officer on May 25th and sparked a brushfire that soon roared into a full on inferno, sparking protests and demonstrations across not only the USA but theContinue reading “[HEAR ME OUT] These Blues Ain’t New: Why I’m Not Busy Posting Big Black Booklists or Anti-Racist Manifestos”

[REVIEW] Invisible Life, E. Lynn Harris

(Buy it HERE.) Raymond Tyler Jr. is Black, middle-class, and upwardly mobile. He has a job at a hot law firm in NYC, a loving Southern family, a supportive friend group and a really nice apartment. He’s a catch on the dating market, and everyone wants to know when he’ll get married. He’s also inContinue reading “[REVIEW] Invisible Life, E. Lynn Harris”

Last Week in Books, June 9th – June 16th

Time? What is time? What did I really mean when I said I would do a news post every week? The world may never know… A biopic about Shirley Jackson, author of The Lottery (aka that creepy short story in everyone’s English textbook) was released last week,with Scientologist Handmaid Elisabeth Moss playing the writer. It’sContinue reading “Last Week in Books, June 9th – June 16th”

[REVIEW] Let’s Talk About Love, by Claire Kann

(Buy it HERE.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5⠀💕⠀Ok so first of all, isn’t that a *gorgeous* book cover? Second – good grief. When was the last time I actually read an ink and paper book? The Kindle is getting a workout lately! ⠀💑⠀It’s rare that a book completely surprises me, but this one did. After all, who expects anContinue reading “[REVIEW] Let’s Talk About Love, by Claire Kann”