Stamped From the Beginning

This book is intimidating – it is heavy and thick – but I knew as soon as I saw the IG-hosted readalong from @melanatedreader, @_pagesgaloree, and @booksteanhenny that that was the community to read with and the time to pick it up. (As an exciting addition, my college roommate messaged and wanted to join as…

How We Get Free

This book was chosen by a friend as the first book of an Anti-Racist Book Club that she started. I know that the reactions to white people, white women, starting book clubs like this to address racism is very understandably skeptical as an empty gesture that will soon be moved on from… All I can…

Washington Black

I got this book a few months ago in a Books that Matter subscription box. I had seen it around, but it hadn’t necessarily been towards the top of my list. And honestly, I’m glad I didn’t jump on it and buy it here, because the UK version of the cover is freaking GORGEOUS. Though that’s…

Sister Outsider

This is my very first Audre Lorde. I have never been much into poetry, so it’s not completely surprising. However, I’ve been trying to read more diversely, including more diverse nonfiction, so to be honest, from that perspective, it’s about time I picked something up that she’s written. A few months ago, I put out…

Becoming

Obviously, I wanted to read this. Everyone who reads is reading this. Even people that don’t read are reading this. Everyone, I repeat, everyone should read it. That is all. Becoming by Michelle Obama “If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.” Basically, this is Michelle…

when they call you a terrorist: a black lives matter memoir

I’ve had this one on my TBR for a few months now, having heard multiple times how good it is. And when I saw it on Book Outlet last time I was perusing the site (I won’t say how often I do that…gotta keep my book-buying complex on the DL as much as possible, haha)…

Long Way Down

I cannot remember where I first heard about this book, but I do know that I ordered it as soon as I saw it/learned what it was about. On theme with the recent increase of YA literature that tackles important social and equality-based themes, particularly those that are violence and race related (i.e THUG), this…

An Unkindness of Ghosts

This book was already on my 2018 TBR list (you can see it on my Back the Backlist Challenge list) when my long-distance book club decided, for a number of reasons, that we wanted to focus on making our February book an #ownvoices choice. This was the book I suggested and, after voting, it was…

Small Great Things

This book was the January choice for my long distance book club. I’ve read a couple books by Jodi Picoult (she is ridiculously prolific), and have enjoyed them, but it’s been years since the last one. I vaguely remember that they all have certain things in common, like alternating POV narration and, of course, a…

Between the World and Me

This is where I usually try to have a little quip-y introduction, or a short story about myself and how I ended up reading this book, before I start the actual review. I find that it adds a little personalization to what is otherwise, hopefully, a fairly objective review (though I suppose that a review,…