[REVIEW]Royal Holiday, by Jasmine Guillory

(Buy it HERE.) ๐ŸŽ„โ €As much as I love Black romance, this is somehow the first book by Jasmine Guillory I’ve ever read. As romances go, this one is pretty standard. Social worker Vivian gets the chance to accompany a relative to the UK for Christmas–while they work hard styling royals, she plans to read, drinkContinue reading “[REVIEW]Royal Holiday, by Jasmine Guillory”

[REVIEW] Black Indian, by Shonda Buchanan

(Find it HERE.) Why don’t I like this book? โ €โ € I really wanted to. It’s a memoir of the author’s multiracial family, who were coded Black by American caste norms but felt culturally closer to their Choctaw and Coharie Indigenous ancestors who purchased and integrated African slaves, then expelled their mixed descendants in a bidContinue reading “[REVIEW] Black Indian, by Shonda Buchanan”

[REVIEW] A Bastard’s Degree In English, November St. Michael

(Buy it HERE.) ๐Ÿโ €โ €3 things: โ €โ €1) I haven’t been adulting particularly well lately. Spare a good thought in the direction of this reader when you can. โ €โ €2) November is Native American Heritage Month and for the rest of the month I’ll be reading and reviewing indigenous writers and their work.โ €โ €3) But before that–what better thingContinue reading “[REVIEW] A Bastard’s Degree In English, November St. Michael”

[I’m A Writer] Black In Asia, A Spill Stories Anthology

(Check out this anthology HERE.) So this is a little different than the usual fare around here, if only because I’m in the book that this post is about. Yes, that’s me staring at you from the photo above, and the book I’m holding has a little story to it that I’d like to elaborateContinue reading “[I’m A Writer] Black In Asia, A Spill Stories Anthology”

[REVIEW] The Meaning of Mariah Carey, by Mariah Carey

(Buy it HERE.) ๐ŸŽถโ €This isn’t the best book I’ve read all year, but it’s certainly the most surprising. I was expecting Mariah Carey(the glamorous award-winning diva) to fill a few frivolous pages with brand names, romantic liaisons and shady entertainment gossip with a few childhood anecdotes sprinkled in. What I was not expecting was MariahContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Meaning of Mariah Carey, by Mariah Carey”

[REVIEW] Freedom Is A Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the Foundations of a Movement, Angela Y Davis

(Find it HERE.) Back in March, my favorite radical independent publisher Haymarket Books made several titles available for free as a contribution to keeping the world mentally occupied and socially engaged during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns. I downloaded them all and immediately started reading this collection of speeches and interviews from Angela Y. Davis, famouslyContinue reading “[REVIEW] Freedom Is A Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the Foundations of a Movement, Angela Y Davis”

[REVIEW] Emergency Skin, N.K. Jemisin

By now we’ve all heard the incredible news that the Grande Dame Nouvelle of Black speculative fiction, and spec-fic in general, N.K. Jemisin herself, is one of the 2020 recipients of the MacArthur Genius Grant. (If you hadn’t heard–well, now you have!) I’m a huge Jemisin fan, considering her the heir apparent to the throneContinue reading “[REVIEW] Emergency Skin, N.K. Jemisin”

[REVIEW] Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo

(Buy it HERE.) ๐Ÿ›ซโ €Yano Rios is on a flight from NYC to Santo Domingo when a mechanical error causes the plane to crash. There are no survivors, and his teenaged daughter Camino is devastated when the anticipation of her father’s yearly visit turns into unspeakable grief and sudden financial insecurity for her and her aunt.Continue reading “[REVIEW] Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo”

[REVIEW] Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Tomi Adeyemi

(Buy it HERE.) Let me begin this review by putting on my flame retardant suit and face mask. sighOkay, I get that people love this book, and the series it forms the center of. I even get why they love it. I want to love it, too. It’s fantasy, it’s epic, it’s romantic (sorta), it’sContinue reading “[REVIEW] Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Tomi Adeyemi”

[REVIEW] The Black Traveler’s Guide To Incheon, by The Blerd Explorer

(Buy it on Amazon or Apple) The city of Incheon sits right in the shadow of Western Seoul, South Korea. It holds two international airports, several beaches, and one of the world’s more interesting Chinatowns, but most people skim past it and head straight to Seoul’s more popular attractions.๐ŸŒโ €That’s where this handy travel guide byContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Black Traveler’s Guide To Incheon, by The Blerd Explorer”