Greedy

There is something about the title of this book that felt aggressive in a way that made me not want to read it, despite the fact that it was compared to Samantha Irby (whose essay collections we are never meeting in real life and wow, no thank you I love) and seemed topically to be spot on…

Men We Reaped

I read my first book by Ward, her novel Sing, Unburied, Sing, a few years ago. It was an affecting reading experience, emotional and expressive, lyrical and illuminative. But the story style, the slow-moving family saga and ghost story mix, is one that I have to be in the right mind-space for, because it can easily cause me…

Beautiful Country

I'd seen a few reviews and/or TBR stacks featuring this memoir, but it shot to the top of my personal TBR when I read a twitter thread about a horrible interaction the author had with an attendee at an event at which she was on a speaker panel. It was infuriating to read about, so…

When Stars Are Scattered

I saw this one reviewed by @andreabeatrizarango on bookstagram a few months ago (maybe a year ago? - my conceptual handle on time passing right now is questionable at best). She spoke so highly of it, so I added it to my TBR for the next time I was in the mood for a quick read…

Empire of Pain

Alright. I did it. In one of the most overwhelming #bookstagrammademedoit reading choices I've ever made, with particular shout outs to @thestackspod and @irisbooklist, I decided to give this one a go. I've never really seen a nonfiction book talked about like this one was, with so much hype. I hesitated to read it though, because I worked in youth…

The Natural Mother of the Child

I, like so many people in the book world, was sucked into the Barnes and Noble 50% off hardbacks sale at the beginning of this year. It was basically irresistible. And this memoir was one of the selections I made. I haven't really seen it around much, but with a background in childbirth and breastfeeding education…

All That She Carried

I'd seen this one on the "new books" shelf at our library, but didn't really have an idea what it was about. When it won the National Book Award for nonfiction this past year, I mentally moved it up my TBR. And I decided that Black History Month was the impetus I needed to go…

World of Wonders

I am not so much into nature writing, as you probably already know (or you can check out my reviews for books like The New Wilderness for a more detailed vibe on this front), but for some reason I have had this little collection on my backburner TBR for a while now. I don't know…

Girlhood

Alright so I haven't seen that many people read/review this one. But about a month ago when I was shelving at the library it sort of jumped out at me from the shelf and I decided to bring it home and give it a try. It took me awhile to start it, actually, and thankfully…

How the Word Is Passed

In this work of nonfiction, Smith presents a contemporary exploration of the history of slavery in America and the way it's inextricably intertwined with the formation not just of this country, but on an international historical scale as well. Combining investigative journalism, interviews/conversations, and personal stories/reflections, Smith guides the reader through the way this history…