[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] 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”

[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”

Guest Review: All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M Johnson

A quick note: I’m Mel, the author of 99% of the reviews on this site. I’m a straight cis woman who firmly believes in equality and equity for LGBTQIA+ people. While I’ve been doing targeted reading for Pride Month, I haven’t really read a lot of queer books in any genre and I’m aware myContinue reading “Guest Review: All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M Johnson”

[REVIEW] Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby⠀(Buy it HERE.)⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 out of 5 stars.⠀ “I can’t watch This Is Us because even though the brothers are hot and the dad is a smoke show, in the first couple of episodes the fat girl doesn’t get to be much more than “fat”, and wow, no thank you!”Continue reading “[REVIEW] Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby”

[REVIEW] Felon, by Reginald Dwayne Betts

Buy it HERE. 🚔⠀I am a father driving/his Black sons to school & the death/of a Black boy rides shotgun &this/could be a funeral procession⠀~from “When I Think of Tamir Rice While Driving”⠀✊🏿⠀When it’s difficult for me to focus, I tend to read poetry. This short collection surprisingly filled an empathetic void in me IContinue reading “[REVIEW] Felon, by Reginald Dwayne Betts”

[HEAR ME OUT] A Thought On Injustice and Lost Voices…

(This post is an edited Facebook post. Follow EQR on FB blah blah etc.) If you haven’t gathered from the About Me page or some of my posts, I’m a Black American, living abroad. This blog is about books, not me, so I don’t talk about my own experiences often. My day job and lifeContinue reading “[HEAR ME OUT] A Thought On Injustice and Lost Voices…”

[HEAR ME OUT] It’s Aight: A long thought about what Legacy of Orisha means for Black spec-fic readers and writers…

Back in 2019, long before COVID-19 roamed the earth and drove us all inside brandishing cans of Lysol, the bookish internet was abuzz with news of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Virtue and Vengeance. I couldn’t check social media without seeing 50-11 posts anticipating the book and after putting a poll up on the Equal OpportunityContinue reading “[HEAR ME OUT] It’s Aight: A long thought about what Legacy of Orisha means for Black spec-fic readers and writers…”

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”