Books by Americans – Page 5 – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty

The Kindle cover of The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, depicting a sea monster eating a ship in black and white.

(Buy this book here.) This book is absolutely delightful and this review will do it no justice. You have been warned. Amina Al-Sirafi is a middle-aged single mother with bad knees who lives in a modest country house and minds her own business. She was also one of the most fearsome pirates who ever sailedContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty”

[REVIEW]Remedies for Disappearing, by Alexa Patrick

The beautiful paperback cover of Remedies for Disappearing, featuring a collage in varying shades of blue, a dark-skinned serene Black woman in the foreground, is held up by a Black woman's(my) hand in front of a late summer garden. A family of small wooden bunnies in tuxedos is in the background.

(Buy this wonderful book here.) FINALLY AND AT LAST! It’s been (rightly) noted that I can be rather hard on Black woman writers. (Apologies to Tiffany D Jackson, Tracey Deonn, Jasmine Mans, and others…) I think it’s because I’m aching for us to truly center ourselves and our experiences as our frame of reference, ratherContinue reading “[REVIEW]Remedies for Disappearing, by Alexa Patrick”

[REVIEW] The Cutting Season, by Attica Locke

The Kindle cover of The Cutting Season, depicting a plantation big house, is held up in of the panoramic green view of Boston's Peters Hill by a Black woman's(my) hand.

(Buy this book at the Equal Opportunity Bookshop) I know I keep saying that thrillers and mysteries are really #notmygenre, but books like this and Razorblade Tears are really trying to change my mind. (Notice that both of these books are blackity-Black. Representation matters!) Caren Gray is the general manager of the historic Louisiana plantationContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Cutting Season, by Attica Locke”

[BOOK REVIEW] The Call-Out, by Cat Fitzpatrick

The Kindle cover of The Call-Out, depicting two illustrated women having a fancy uptown lunch, is propped up on a table. Dining room shelves and the edge of a bowlof soup are in the blurry fore- and back- ground

(Buy this book here) This is a polite comedy of manners set in modern-day queer New York, about 6 women(5 of whom are trans), written entirely in rhyming verse, formatted like an old school LiveJournal blog. That’s a lot of concept for a 168-page book, and to its credit, it mostly works. Once you getContinue reading “[BOOK REVIEW] The Call-Out, by Cat Fitzpatrick”

[REVIEW] You Had Me At Hola, by Alexis Daria

The Kindle cover of You Had Me At Hola, depicting a stylized Hollywood heartthrob couple, is propped up in front of one of the best French 75 cocktails this writer has ever had.

(Buy this book here.) Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is an up-and-coming starlet looking to cement her rising career and recover from a bout of bad publicity after being dumped by her rockstar boyfriend. Ashton Suarez is a veteran telenovela heartthrob trying to break into the English language market while keeping his private life hidden from theContinue reading “[REVIEW] You Had Me At Hola, by Alexis Daria”

[REVIEW] Elite Capture, by Olúfémi O. Táíwò

The paperback version of Elite Capture is open facedown on a wooden kitchen table, next to a delicious dish of greens, egg and tomato. The cover depicts a silhouetted Black hand stealing the dot from the "i" in "elite". The title of the book is all in black typeface except for that "i".

(Buy this book here.) I think at this point we all realize that this idea many millennials have been fed of working really hard, socially climbing, and getting into powerful rooms and important tables to make changes is more or less a pipe dream. It’s not that it isn’t possible, it’s just that it’s notContinue reading “[REVIEW] Elite Capture, by Olúfémi O. Táíwò”

[REVIEW] Yellowface, by R.F. Kuang

The hardcover edition of Yellowface--it's bright yellow and glossy with a pair of stylized Asian eyes drawn above the title in white block letters. The books lies on a red and gold "Oriental" rug.

(Buy this book here.) I got a little tired of being the last blogger on the internet who hadn’t read this book, so I finally picked up a copy and packed it in my carry-on for an overnight flight. I had to sleep. I knew I had to sleep. I still stayed up and finishedContinue reading “[REVIEW] Yellowface, by R.F. Kuang”

[REVIEW] Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe

The paperback book Gender Queer is held up in between two evergreen trees. A cluster of daffodil blossoms peek up over the top of the cover in the space between the trees. Big symbolism here. Photography 101 game proper

(Buy this book here.) I’m back after a bit of unexpected hiatus. It’s Pride Month, and while I read queer stories whenever I want and not just in certain months, I think now is a good time to talk about this book. (I do have a sensitivity issue/unpopular opinion about some things in these pages,Continue reading “[REVIEW] Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe”

[REVIEW] Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby

The Kindle cover of Razorblade Tears, depicting two men in silhouette stumbling down a lonely dirt road somewhere in the South, is on a red lacquer coffee table. Flowers and votive candles are in the background.

[REVIEW] Wash Day Diaries, by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith

The purple cover of Wash Day Diaries, depicting a diverse foursome of Black women smiling, posing and embracing, lays on a table surrounded by hair gel, a boar bristle brush, a big tooth comb, and other Black hair tools

(Buy this book here) Hey, fellow readers. How’ve you been? I took a little break, and for a while wasn’t sure I’d be back in a hurry. This is partly because my Day Jobbe is eating my brain, and although steps are being taken to vanquish the zombie source of income, for a while IContinue reading “[REVIEW] Wash Day Diaries, by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith”