Booklists – Equal Opportunity Reader

[READING CHALLENGE] Holiday Chill Time

(There’s no booklist this time, but if you want to check out the Bookshop click here!) I don’t know about you, fellow readers, but this year has been a BEAST. I’ll probably do a retrospective of everything later but you know what I, and probably a lot of you, need right now? REST. When DecemberContinue reading “[READING CHALLENGE] Holiday Chill Time”

[READING CHALLENGE] Read Some Diverse Poetry

(Click here to skip straight to the booklist.) Y’all, I know it’s late, but the month I’ve had, with all its glorious ups and downs? Bear with me. Anyway, all whining and crowing aside(more about that crowing coming later) November is a great time to read poetry. The year is almost over, our brains areContinue reading “[READING CHALLENGE] Read Some Diverse Poetry”

[READING CHALLENGE] Diversity is Scary!

(Click here to jump[scare] straight to the booklist.) Welcome to October, fellow readers. With Halloween coming up, I think it’s a good time for spooky diverse reads. For much of modern horror history, difference often was the horror. Now, diverse writers are turning those tropes on their heads and giving us nuanced takes on fearContinue reading “[READING CHALLENGE] Diversity is Scary!”

[READING CHALLENGE] Read Some Real American History

(If you’re just here for the booklist, click HERE. Thanks! ) So I’ve been back in the US for a year now. There’s a lot going on here at the moment, and a lot of America’s current problems are directly related to history. This isn’t a surprise to any thinking person. Our current hot buttonContinue reading “[READING CHALLENGE] Read Some Real American History”

[READING CHALLENGE] Kill Your #TBR!

Holy crap, how it is already August? I moved back to America ELEVEN MONTHS AGO and I honestly have no idea what’s going on here, still. What I do know is that I’ve amassed and imported an astonishing number of books that I intend to read. I haven’t made a big deal of it, butContinue reading “[READING CHALLENGE] Kill Your #TBR!”

[Reading Challenge] Arab-American Heritage Month

Did y’all know that April is Arab-American Heritage Month? I definitely didn’t. Apparently, it was only made official last year, although it’s been celebrated since 2017. One of my favorite things about curating this bookish space on the internet is that I get to learn things and illuminate my blind spots publicly, sharing what IContinue reading “[Reading Challenge] Arab-American Heritage Month”

[READING CHALLENGE] Read All The Women

whew This is extremely late. Things have been busy offline for me lately, but instead of boring you with that, let’s just jump into a reading challenge for what remains of this month. March brings spring, flowers, and a month-long celebration of women’s history for us to read through. There’s a lot I want toContinue reading “[READING CHALLENGE] Read All The Women”

[Booklist] And No-one Kills The Black Boy: A Selection of Black Boy Heroes

A young Black boy sits against a white wall with a notebook and pencil in his hands, staring into space pensively

Black boys are precious. Let me say that again. Black boys, and the men they grow into, are precious. It happens to be International Men’s Day today. As a result, the internet is full of Things About Men, good, bad, political, personal, and all points in between. I find myself thinking about the men IContinue reading “[Booklist] And No-one Kills The Black Boy: A Selection of Black Boy Heroes”

[Booklist] 1984 Is Trash: Dystopias From The Global Majority

An Asian woman with sunglasses and a ponytail stands with her back to the camera. She is wearing a stylish leather jacket with two cameo faces worked into the leather of the back, and more along the shoulders and gusset.

Why yes, I did wake up and choose violence today. Why do you ask? Let me first say that for the time, place and the politics of its day, 1984 was brilliant. It contained very pertinent criticism of post-WWII European governments, strong warnings about government surveillance and police states, and it revolutionized social science fictionContinue reading “[Booklist] 1984 Is Trash: Dystopias From The Global Majority”

[Booklist] Let The Circle Be Unbroken: A Few Favorite Books About Black American Families

Black family sitting down and having a meal at a table.

We all come from families and have family stories– whether epic, painful, dramatic, loving or joyful. It’s the last two that I think are particularly important to find in stories of Black American families, especially in the current climate. No matter the trauma and oppression we may face in America, Black families still have love,Continue reading “[Booklist] Let The Circle Be Unbroken: A Few Favorite Books About Black American Families”