Books by Black men – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djèlí Clark

A hardback copy of The Dead Cat Tail Assassins lays on a yellow cushioned ottoman on top of a few other books and a Kindle.

(Buy this book here!) I’m back, annoyed with everything, and politically and emotionally exhausted so let’s talk about a fun book today, fellow readers. An extraordinarily well-written fun book that happens to have won an Alex Award (for adult books that have special appeal to teen readers), but a fun book, nonetheless. Eveen has noContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djèlí Clark”

[REVIEW] Crazy As Hell: The Best Little Guide To Black History, by Hoke S Glover III and V. Efua Prince

The paperback cover of Crazy As Hell, black with bright orange block text, is held by a Black women's hand(my hand) in front of a heaped indie store's bookshelf.

(Buy this book) Black Americans are simultaneously unlikely and affirming, resilient and fragile, cautious and crazy. It’s that last dichotomy that this little book of historical vignettes of Blackness in America delves into. Instead of taking refuge in respectability and uprightness, the authors highlight how much of Black history and its makers are absolutely batshitContinue reading “[REVIEW] Crazy As Hell: The Best Little Guide To Black History, by Hoke S Glover III and V. Efua Prince”

[REVIEW]A Treasury of African-American Christmas Stories, edited by Bettye Collier-Thomas

The classically styled Kindle cover of A Treasury fo African American Christmas Stories lays on a yellow cushion next to a bowl of salsa and a highball glass.

(Buy this book here.) While most Decembers I re-read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, this year I had the good fortune to work on a stage production of Scrooge’s adventures as an audio describer(more info on what that means soon). That means I also had the bad fortune to hear, read, and see my favorite ChristmasContinue reading “[REVIEW]A Treasury of African-American Christmas Stories, edited by Bettye Collier-Thomas”

[REVIEW] Black Star, written by Eric Glover, drawn by Arielle Jovellanos

The Kindle cover of Black Star, depicting a woman trapped in a glowing space tube, is held up in a dark movie theater in front of a projection screen. The movie playing is the classic camp film Dark Star.

(Buy this book here.) I’ve had a remarkably pleasant year in reading, by which I mean I’ve liked almost everything I’ve read. If I haven’t liked it, I’ve understood it, so my reviews in 2024 have all been pretty positive, although mildly so. Everything’s been good, but nothing’s really knocked my socks off. (Let’s ignoreContinue reading “[REVIEW] Black Star, written by Eric Glover, drawn by Arielle Jovellanos”

[REVIEW] Blood At The Root, by LaDarrion Williams

The Kindle cover of Blood At The Root, depicting a magical Black boy standing in front of an ancient tree, is held up in front of a slightly less ancient, very green real world tree.

(Buy this book here.) Malik Baron has had the usual fantasy hero’s rough start in life. He’s an orphan who’s finally aged out of the abusive foster homes he grew up in, and he has the prickly, exasperatingly self-destructive, suspicious personality to show for it. He also has erratic magic powers and no idea whereContinue reading “[REVIEW] Blood At The Root, by LaDarrion Williams”

[REVIEW] The Truth of the Aleke, by Moses Ose Utomi

The Kindle cover of The Truth of the Aleke, depicting four young Black people in traditional garb standing upside down beneath a clay fortress, takes up the entire screen.

(Buy this book here.) Somehow, this sequel to my favorite fantasy book of 2023 manages to be both entirely the same and completely different from its predecessor. Once again, a beautifully written story set in a Nigeria-inspired fantasy world revolves around a boy hero, although this time around instead of sweet teachable Tutu we haveContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Truth of the Aleke, by Moses Ose Utomi”

[REVIEW] A Fledgling Abiba, by Dilman Dila

The paperback cover of A Fledgling Abiba, which depicts a person surrounded by geometric patterns, is held up by a Black woman's hand in front of a handmade upcycled mural displayed in Roslindale Substation.

(Buy this book here.) Sometimes a writer has to work really hard to take the reader into another world, crafting and creating wonder out of both imagination and the collective fantastic. Other times all a writer has to do is write what is familiar to them for an unfamiliar audience. I think this novella actuallyContinue reading “[REVIEW] A Fledgling Abiba, by Dilman Dila”

Last Year In Books: Words I Adored In 2023

A collage of the 5 books I adored this year

(Purchase these and other books I read this year here.) 2024 is only fourteen days away. In a total departure from the near-panic of previous years, I think I’m totally ready for it. I do hear that there’s this thing called Christmas sometime in between now and the new year that I’m not at allContinue reading “Last Year In Books: Words I Adored In 2023”

Last Week In Books: Yes, That’s My Real Voice

The face of writer Melissa A Watkins, surrounded by the crumpled pages of writing drafts and musical scores. The image is titled "Artist Portrait No. 25: Melissa Watkins"

Fellow readers! Didya miss me? Whether or not you did, here I am again with one of my intermittent news updates covering the world of diverse books and diverse readers. Let’s jump right in! See you next time I have a spare moment to do a round-up, beautiful people. If you want to buy someContinue reading “Last Week In Books: Yes, That’s My Real Voice”

[REVIEW]The Rose That Grew From Concrete, by Tupac Shakur

(Buy this book here.) So, the poems in this book are absolutely terrible and we need to talk about that. Put away your pitchforks and torches. I said what I said. This book of posthumously published poetry by one of hip-hop’s most lauded voices is…pretty bad. The rhymes are trite, the metaphors banal (when they’reContinue reading “[REVIEW]The Rose That Grew From Concrete, by Tupac Shakur”