Indigenous Writers – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] The Truth According To Ember, by Danica Nava

The Kindle cover of The Truth According To Ember, depicting a long haired, smiling, attractive Indigenous couple facing each other, sits on a balcony, propped against a potted plant, with stripes of sunlight splashed across it.

(Buy this book here.) Before I begin, let’s all please clap a little for this, the very first romance novel about Indigenous people by an Indigenous writer published by a traditional publisher. Then, let’s all boo those publishers for depriving us all of something so good for so long. And then, let’s clap again becauseContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Truth According To Ember, by Danica Nava”

[REVIEW] The Wildest Ride, by Marcella Bell

A Black woman's hand holds up the Kindle cover of The Wildest Ride, depicting a very handsome Black cowboy, in front of a weathered white wooden fence.

(Rope a copy of this book for yourself here.) This rodeo romance is pure wish-fulfillment fantasy. Lil Sorrow(that’s her real name) is a former teen rodeo champ sidelined for years by sexism and family obligation. AJ Garza is a bull riding circuit superstar trying to take home one last prize pot before retiring to focusContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Wildest Ride, by Marcella Bell”

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 Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones

My hand holds up a Kindle displaying the cover of The Only Good Indians--a mysterious pair of antlers in the dark. In the background, there is a huge and creepy old house, a condemned sign barely visible.

(Buy this book.) Listen. This horror novel has been out for two years now, so I’m just going to go ahead and start with a spoiler. The monster is an elk. If you’re like me and your initial response to that is to lean back and say “pfffft, LAME!”, then you should also read thisContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones”

[REVIEW] Fevered Star, by Rebecca Roanhorse

The black and white cover of Fevered Star is seen from above resting in the lap of a woman in a pink and white striped summer dress, a Thai iced tea with boba balanced on one knee.

(Buy this book!) Let me just rip the band-aid off; meh. I wanted to love this book because of what it is. I love fantasy that steps away from the hoary old medieval Europe tropes. This series, set in a world based on pre-Columbian South American cultures, follows a clash between age-old forces of lightContinue reading “[REVIEW] Fevered Star, by Rebecca Roanhorse”

[READING CHALLENGE] Kill Your #TBR!

Holy crap, how it is already August? I moved back to America ELEVEN MONTHS AGO and I honestly have no idea what’s going on here, still. What I do know is that I’ve amassed and imported an astonishing number of books that I intend to read. I haven’t made a big deal of it, butContinue reading “[READING CHALLENGE] Kill Your #TBR!”

Last Week In Books: All My Ruff Ryders, Meet Me Outside

It’s rare that I use this space to highlight anyone outside of the world of literature, but I think I have to make an exception this week for Earl Simmons, aka DMX. While he did pen an autobiography, he wasn’t known for his book. Still, he lived a dichotomous, tortured, nakedly expressive life on parContinue reading “Last Week In Books: All My Ruff Ryders, Meet Me Outside”

[REVIEW] Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubgeshig Rice

(Find it HERE.) Evan Whitesky is a loving father, doting husband, and pretty good moose hunter who lives on an Anishinaabe reserve in Northern Canada. As he preps for the upcoming winter, a massive power outage cuts the reserve entirely off from the outside world. While Evan and his family are somewhat secure, partially becauseContinue reading “[REVIEW] Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubgeshig Rice”

[REVIEW] Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse

Black woman with afro-puff seated, reading a copy of Black Sun

(Find it HERE) First review of the year! This is the first published novel in the Between Earth and Sky epic, a fantasy series based on the histories and mythologies of pre-settler Meso-America (think Maya, Inca, Aztec, etc). Despite the very unique worldbuilding, in many ways it’s still a very traditional fantasy story. There’s aContinue reading “[REVIEW] Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse”

[REVIEW] Black Indian, by Shonda Buchanan

(Find it HERE.) Why don’t I like this book? ⠀⠀ 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”