Books by women – Page 4 – Equal Opportunity Reader

[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] Camp Zero, by Michelle Min Sterling

The Kindle cover of Camp Zero, depicting a close-up image of an Asian woman's face surrounded by parka hood with the title overlaid, sits next to a cocktail on a wooden table.

(Buy this book here.) Mixed feelings, thy name is Camp Zero. The writing is beautiful and tight. Sterling has clearly studied the craft in depth and the book has a technical precision to it that’s really admirable. There were many times in this book when I read a sentence and thought “wow, that’s a beautiful/sharp/movingContinue reading “[REVIEW] Camp Zero, by Michelle Min Sterling”

[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] When Stars Are Scattered, by Omar Mohammed and Victoria Jamieson

The cute cover of When Stars Are Scattered, depicting two cute Black boys observing the night sky, is held up against a dark sky by a Black woman's(my) hand.

(Buy this book here) Take a look at that book cover for a moment. It’s cute, right? Two little button-nosed Black boys taking in the night sky without a care in the world, right? Not quite. Omar and Hassan are Somalians living in a refugee camp in Kenya. Their parents are presumed dead and theirContinue reading “[REVIEW] When Stars Are Scattered, by Omar Mohammed and Victoria Jamieson”

[REVIEW] Garlic and the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen

The paperback cover of Garlic and the Vampire, depicting a sweet nervous young bulb of garlic in a walking skirt and books, a stake in one hand and a mallet in the other. A summery glass of beer is in the background.

(Buy this book here.) Sometimes, we need books that are sweeping, epic, and deep. Other times, we need books that are so cute that we want to pinch the pages and give them candy. Garlic and The Vampire is definitely the latter. This middle-grade graphic novel focuses on anxious little Garlic, one of the manyContinue reading “[REVIEW] Garlic and the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen”

[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”

[REVIEW] La Bastarda, By Trifonia Melibea Obono, translated by Lawrence Schimel

The simple, solid blue cover of La Bastarda is displayed on a tablet, held up against the twilight sky with the moon high and tiny above it.

(Buy this book here.) This is the first book by a woman from Equatorial Guinea ever translated into English. It follows Okomo, a orphaned teen living in her grandparents house in a traditional village. With her mother dead and her father absent, she only has her favorite uncle to turn to when she begins toContinue reading “[REVIEW] La Bastarda, By Trifonia Melibea Obono, translated by Lawrence Schimel”

[REVIEW]Linghun, by Ai Jiang

(BUY THIS BOOK) Linghun is a Mandarin word that can be translated as spirit or soul. It’s also the title of Canadian-Chinese writer Ai Jiang’s new novella. Fittingly, it’s about a place called HOME, where families impoverish themselves in order to call the spirits of their beloved dead back into their lives. Wenqi’s there becauseContinue reading “[REVIEW]Linghun, by Ai Jiang”

[REVIEW] Manhunt, by Gretchen Felker-Martin

the cover of Manhunt, depicting two plums caught in a net, one bitten, is displayed on a tablet lying on a hardwood floor. A can of pepper spray, a pocketknife, and a defense strap can also be seen.

(Buy this book here.) (EDIT: I tend not to read other reviews before I write my own, and it’s come to my attention that there are a lot of trans readers and writers that have very pointed #ownnormal critiques of this book. In the interest of practicing what I preach, before you read this review,Continue reading “[REVIEW] Manhunt, by Gretchen Felker-Martin”

[Review] Honey and Spice, by Bolu Babalola

The Kindle cover of Bolu Babalola's Honey and Spice, depicting two young Black lovers standing side by side, lays on a pink , red and white camouflage mat, surrounded by a fancy candle, a pink set of earbuds, and a tall pink cup with XOXO written on the side.

(Buy this cute book here.) This would make a really cute movie. Kiki Banjo hosts the hottest campus radio broadcast for Black students at a PWI. Malakai Korede is a transfer student and an up-and-coming filmmaker. Both of them are fit, fine, and have no time for relationships. But when professional opportunity comes knocking, theseContinue reading “[Review] Honey and Spice, by Bolu Babalola”