What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

This collection has been on my radar for a while. With a title like that, it’s one that sticks out and sticks with you. But I am not often in the mood for story collections, so it stayed on the periphery for quite some time. However, I have to say, I think I am coming…

Dominicana

I have wanted to read this for so long! There’re so many books I say that about, but this is one I knew right away I wanted to read. I think the only Dominican author I’ve read is Julia Alvarez (In the Time of the Butterflies) and while I thought it was amazing, it was…

A Woman Is No Man

This debut novel received quite a bit of press when it was published last year. I saw many, many reviews from readers who both loved it and found it heart-breaking. And I knew that I wanted to read it, that one day I would read it. But the thing is, knowing how intense of a…

White Teeth

Last year, around this time, I read my first Zadie Smith novel, NW. To be honest, as I said at the time, it was not my favorite…I was a little disappointed by it, after hearing so many amazing things about Smith. However, she has written so many books and I knew someday I would try…

Patsy

I read Dennis-Benn’s first novel, Here Comes the Sun, just over two years ago now. And while I’m terrible at remembering details from all the books I’ve read (which is actually part of why I started writing reviews in the first place), I do usually manage to hang onto feelings. And I know after I…

The Farm

I’m not sure how much I’ve talked about this on the blog, but before I went back to school for my MPH, I did prenatal breastfeeding and childbirth education. And I loved it. It’s actually what prompted me to go back to school for public health. Anyways, the reason I bring that up is because…

A Place for Us

So, this is is a little bit of a slant, but this was the book I chose to read for the September Just One More Pa(i)ge Reading Challenge. The prompt was to read a book by an immigrant or refugee, in recognition of Constitution and Citizenship Day on Sept 17th. Now technically Mirza herself is…

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

This first novel by Ocean Vuong (who has previously published a collection of poetry that has been on my TBR for years) is the most recent book that I’ve seen sweeping the reading community. I’ve seen nothing but amazing reviews and recommendations and so I knew that, eventually, I’d want to read it. But I…

Americanah

After reading two of Adichie’s nonfiction pieces over the past few years, Dear Ijeawele and We Should All Be Feminists, and loving them, I knew that I was going to have to get around to reading some of her fiction sooner rather than later. I asked on bookstagram to see where I should start and…

America Is Not the Heart

I have had this one on my TBR, and on my shelves, for months now. One of my favorite bookstagrammers, Christine (@readingismagical), has recommended this one over and over as a favorite of hers, so I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was going to be my pick for the May prompt…