[REVIEW] Legendborn, by Tracy Deonn

(Click here to buy this book.) Me, last year when Bookstagram blew up with 5-star reviews on a YA book about a Black girl who is somehow involved in Arthurian legends: That is a really stupid idea. No way I’m reading it. Me, now, after reading that book: crackhead scratch WHERE’S THE NEXT BOOK? GIVEContinue reading “[REVIEW] Legendborn, by Tracy Deonn”

[BOOKLIST] Divas, Ghosts, and the Opposite of Stranger Danger: The Best Books Published in 2020(that I actually read)

It’s been a hell of a year, hasn’t it? I may be the only writer on the planet to feel this way, but I have absolutely no desire to rehash this year in all its pandemic-ridden, protest-fueled, iconoclastic glory. I don’t want to talk about publishing drama, Black Lives Matter booklists, trends, predictions, or theContinue reading “[BOOKLIST] Divas, Ghosts, and the Opposite of Stranger Danger: The Best Books Published in 2020(that I actually read)”

[REVIEW] Battle Ground, Jim Butcher

(Buy it HERE.) transcript of actual footage of me reading this book⠀sips wine⠀“Oh…this is a *fighting* book.”⠀longer sip⠀“Wait…is that gonna…are they gonna…OH SHIT!!”⠀gulps wine⠀“Is that (character we haven’t seen for several books)? That’s (character)! And they have big powers now? Go off, (character)! Get it! Hit the…OMG WHAT? Did that just happen?”⠀downs wine, pours newContinue reading “[REVIEW] Battle Ground, Jim Butcher”

[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”

[REVIEW] On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong

(Buy it HERE.) “Who will be lost in the story we tell ourselves? Who will be lost in ourselves?” This is a messy book. There’s a lot going on between its covers–PTSD, emerging sexuality, poverty, war, immigration, mental illness, class, race, abuse, art, gender performance. There’s a lot going on, but it all seems toContinue reading “[REVIEW] On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong”

[REVIEW] The Poppy War, Rebecca F Kuang

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5⠀⠀ First of all, yes, I know that’s not a poppy in the picture. There aren’t any growing in my neighborhood this year, unfortunately.⠀ Secondly, this review is a little spoiler-y. I won’t give away any major character-based plot points, but I will allude to a major event in the plot without giving any details.Continue reading “[REVIEW] The Poppy War, Rebecca F Kuang”

The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

(Buy it HERE.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 It took me a long time to re-read The Bluest Eye this go-round–not because it’s a difficult or complicated read, but because the prose is so dense and delicious that reading it is like eating an expensive dessert. I savored each sentence slowly, not wanting the book to end. From theContinue reading “The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison”