Category: Read This Book

[2/17] Read This Book: LOVE by Toni Morrison

Post author By Katisha Smith
Post date February 16, 2021

Sponsored by Let's Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih.

Estranged childhood friends Sebastian and Oscar reunite at a wedding. Both are gay, and after more than a decade, the two couldn’t be more different. Newly single, all Sebastian wants is to settle down. But for Oscar, outraged by what he sees as the death of gay culture, settling down isn’t peace, it’s surrender. While they struggle to find their place in a rapidly changing world, each is drawn into a cross-generational friendship that treads the line between envy and obsession. And as they collide again and again, both men must reckon not just with one another but with themselves.

Welcome to Read This Book, the newsletter where I recommend a book you should add to your TBR, STAT! I stan variety in all things, and my book recommendations will be no exception. These must-read books will span genres and age groups. There will be new releases, oldie but goldies from the backlist, and the classics you may have missed in high school. Oh my! If you’re ready to diversify your books, then LEGGO!!

Tomorrow is Toni Morrison Day when we will celebrate the birth of literary titan Toni Morrison. Proving that publishing a book is not just for young people, Morrison’s first book The Bluest Eye was released in 1970. Instead of suffering the sophomore slump, Toni Morrison published Sula followed by Song of Solomon, which garnered critical acclaim and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1988, Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature for Beloved. Today’s recommendation is one of the books Morrison published later in her career.

Love by Toni Morrison

In life, Bill Cosey enjoyed the affections of many women. In death, his hold on these women: wife, mistress, daughter, granddaughter, employee, may be even stronger. Three generations of women in a fading beach town attempt to stake their claims on both the memory of Bill Cosey as well as his estate using anything and everything at their disposal including outright violence.

The best part of reading Toni Morrison is always the way she has with words. No one does words the way Toni Morrison does words. Also like many of Morrison’s works, Love focuses on the many facets of relationships between Black women while highlighting how their intersections of race and gender influence their lives and the lives of those around them. Also similar to Morrison’s other works, Love uses non-linear storytelling while also blending narration from both the living and dead. What I enjoyed most about this story is I didn’t always know who was currently telling me their side of the story. Sometimes I could glean the narrator from the context clues, but I wasn’t always certain. No matter the narrator, there was an interesting story to tell about the lives of the many women in Bill Cosey’s life. There was also an American history lesson elegantly weaved throughout by Morrison.

When I read a Toni Morrison book, I never feel like I’m fully comprehending the entire story. Most of the time, it never really clicks for me until the end. However, I always enjoy every step of the journey. If that’s one of the reasons you also gravitate to Toni Morrison, then don’t hesitate to read Love. If you don’t tend to gravitate toward Toni Morrison, Love could definitely serve as your introduction.

Until next time bookish friends,

Katisha

Find more of me on Book Riot.

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.

Read This Book

[2/15] Read This Book: BARACK OBAMA: THE COMIC BOOK BIOGRAPHY by Jeff Mariotte

Post author By Katisha Smith
Post date February 15, 2021

Sponsored by Red Press and Humanitarian Photographer Babita Patel.

“My grandfather went to Sing Sing. My father, my brother went to Sing Sing. I went to Sing Sing.” Poor schools. Violent neighborhoods. Easy drugs. No jobs. No support. No options. In disadvantaged communities of urban America, the cradle-to-prison pipeline locks young men out of opportunity long before it locks them up. Meet 15 men doing something about it; men who got an education inside Sing Sing Prison, and used it to break out of the cycle. Today, they’re role models in their communities, and put a human face on how to end the epidemic of mass incarceration in America.

Today is Presidents’ Day, originally established in 1885 in recognition of George Washington’s birthday. The holiday eventually grew to also be associated with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Now, it’s recognized as a celebration of all of America’s presidents, both past and present. For Presidents’ Day 2021, I’m celebrating my favorite president, the 44th President, Barack Obama.

Barack Obama: The Comic Book Biography by Jeff Mariotte, Illustrated by Tom Morgan, Len O’Grady, and John Hunt

Follow Barack Obama in comic book form from his childhood through the first 100 days of his administration after becoming the 44th President of the United States of America. This best-selling comic book documents how Barack Obama became a media sensation through his election on November 4th, 2008, inauguration, and first 100 days in office with bias.

It’s pretty cool to read about a monumental moment in history when you actually lived through the events. That is often how I felt while reading the parts about Barack Obama’s historical 2008 presidential run. The entire book wasn’t a trip down memory lane since I haven’t read any of Obama’s memoirs, so the beginning about Obama’s childhood was enlightening and showed how young Barry was an outsider looking for where he belonged. Learning about all the bumps Obama experienced as a teen and young adult makes his accomplishment of becoming not only president, but America’s first president who wasn’t an old white man all the more astonishing.

The best part of this comic book was getting to experience some of Barack Obama’s best speeches, like the one from the 2004 Democratic Convention that put Barack Obama on the map, as well as his inauguration speech that made everyone feel hope in the air and that anything was possible. The worst part of this book for me were the illustrations. Barack Obama was hit and miss, but those Michelle Obama renditions were no bueno. The ones of Joe Biden were not much better. Despite those gripes, this book is still worth reading for anyone who wants to take a stroll down memory lane or a comic book fan looking for an engaging historical read.

Until next time bookish friends,

Katisha

Find more of me on Book Riot.

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.

Read This Book

Read This Book: The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date February 11, 2021

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Lucy is a young lady who has spent most of her young adulthood assisting her father, an astronomer, with his research. No one knows that she is the mathematician behind his groundbreaking research, but now that he is dead and Lucy’s former lover has married a man, she feels more alone than ever and is uncertain how to make a name for herself int he scientific community.

Catherine is recently widowed, and secretly relieved to have her freedom from her scientist husband, who was very exacting. She’s determined to see a manuscript he acquired before his death translated, and then she plans to step away from the scientific community for good. When she sets out to hire a translator familiar with with French and astronomy, she doesn’t expect Lucy to apply. But she can’t help but be intrigued by the woman, so she not only hires Lucy but invites her to stay with her while she completes the work…and it’s not long before they begin falling for one another.

I adored this book, because it’s not only an amazing romance, but an incredible historical novel. It’s set in the early 1800s and really captures the spirit of the time in London, when scientific discovery abounded and the art scene flourished and people were interested in and valued both. Lucy and Catherine have experience in both of those communities, but as women they aren’t always taken very seriously. I loved how this novel demonstrated the men weren’t the only ones interested in art and science and influencing those discoveries and movements, but women had to be smart and strategic about how they participated lest they be told they didn’t know what they were talking about.

The romance is also a delight! I think a lot of times people assume that queer people in history weren’t ever able to have their happily ever afters in the past, or that their lives must have been very sad, and I love how Waite shows that’s just not true. While it is true that queer people could not be open about their affections, and that they took to speaking in veiled meanings and perhaps struggled to connect with like-minded people, this series is overall light on queer-related trauma. There is grief and sadness and deep disappointment, but mention of horrible things happening off page in the past (content warning for some colonialist violence) have nothing to do with the women being queer. I think that’s so wonderful, and essential to reframing the narrative that all queer relationships before 1969 ended in tragedy or at the very least, separation and longing.

Overall, this is a delightful romance with lots of steam and tenderness, grounded in a fascinating time period with exciting artistic and scientific subplots! I highly recommend it if you want to fall into something happy this weekend!

Bonus: I read the audiobook narrated by Morag Sims, which was excellent. There is also a sequel that is equally delightful called The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, which is about two forty-something women in the early 1800’s finding love. The cover is an abomination–please don’t let that deter you from picking it up!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Find me on Book Riot, the Insiders Read Harder podcast, All the Books, and Twitter.

If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Read This Book

[2/10] Read This Book: THE COLOR PURPLE by Alice Walker

Post author By Katisha Smith
Post date February 9, 2021

Sponsored by Ridgerunner by Gil Adamson (House of Anansi).

After nearly twenty years, the notorious thief, known as the Ridgerunner, has returned. November 1917. William Moreland is in mid-flight. Moving through the Rocky Mountains and across the border to Montana, the solitary drifter, impoverished in means and aged beyond his years, is also a widower and a father. And he is determined to steal enough money to secure his son’s future. Part literary Western and part historical mystery, Ridgerunner is the follow-up to Gil Adamson’s award-winning and critically acclaimed novel The Outlander.

Yesterday the literary world celebrated Alice Walker’s 77th birthday! Here’s to many, many more. Ms. Walker is a poet, novelist, social activist, and blogger. She coined the word “womanist” and helped revive the life and works of Zora Neale Hurston and returned the once forgotten Harlem Renaissance titan into the forefront of American culture and literature. However, she is likely best known for her National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Color Purple.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Mostly set in rural Georgia, The Color Purple focuses on Southern life during the 1930s for several African American women. Sisters Nettie and Celie are separated as girls but stay connected despite time, distance, and silence through letters.

Despite having book nerd status, my first experience with the story from The Color Purple was through the adaptation starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. I absolutely loved it from the first time I watched it as a kid even though I didn’t fully understand all the dynamics at play. I didn’t actually read The Color Purple until my late 20s / early 30s. I’m both glad and disappointed about waiting that long to read this book. Reading it later in life allowed me to better understand those dynamics of race, gender, and sexuality present in the movie that my kid brain just couldn’t comprehend. However, waiting so long denied me the pleasure of reading such a rich and compelling story centered around Black women.

If you have never read The Color Purple, then I implore you to add the book to the top of your reading pile. The violence against women may make you hesitant, but procrastination means missing out on a powerful story about family, sisterhood, and the resilience of Black women in America.

Until next time bookish friends,

Katisha

Find more of me on Book Riot.

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.

Read This Book

[2.8] Read This Book: JUST MERCY: A TRUE STORY OF THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE by Bryan Stevenson

Post author By Katisha Smith
Post date February 8, 2021

Sponsored by This is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey, published by Quirk Books.

The year is 1998 and like any other teenager Jess Flynn is just trying to survive high school. Between a crush on her childhood best friend, overprotective parents, and her sister’s worsening health, the only constant is her hometown of Swickley…until the day she discovers a mysterious device, causing her to question everything she’s ever known. As more cracks appear in Jess’s world, she faces a choice: can she live the rest of her life knowing it’s a lie or should she risk everything for the truth?

Tomorrow is Michael Bae Jordan’s birthday. Y’all know him. He’s Creed. He’s Killmonger. He’s People’s Sexiest Man Alive. He’s Lori Harvey’s latest boy toy. I’ve enjoy MBJ in everything from The Wire to Fantastic Four, but his recent role in Just Mercy as Bryan Stevenson is still top of mind and is as relevant as ever.

Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story for the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson

Lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson offers a glimpse into the lives of the wrongfully imprisoned and his efforts to free them from an unjust judicial system. Stevenson works to protect the basic human rights of America’s most vulnerable population–the poor, the disabled, and the marginalized. This adaption of the critically-acclaimed bestselling memoir for young readers is a call to action and compassion in the pursuit of justice.

Proceeds from the book go toward charity to help in Bryan Stevenson’s work.

In this era where we increasingly hear phrases like “Black Lives Matter (too)” and “Defund the Police,” it is essential to see how our broken justice system and America’s original sin of slavery brought us to this place. Just Mercy does just that by highlighting some factors that led to the United States being the leader in the mass incarceration of its citizens. We spent decades executing adults (and even children) for their convicted crimes at an alarming rate. We spent decades sentencing children to die in prison for crimes they committed. Bryan Stevenson along with the other dedicated lawyers at the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) worked tirelessly to right those wrongs for as many death-row inmates as possible. Just Mercy shares the successes and failures of that journey.

Although this book is adapted for teen readers, I can easily see adults devouring it. The words are simplified for younger readers, but the story is still powerful. I didn’t bawl my eyes out, but I was constantly on the verge of tears. Of course, there was rage at the mind-boggling injustice ingrained within America’s justice system, but there was also joy when the EJI was able to give clients some long overdue justice.

Just Mercy was named one of the best kids books to read during Black History Month by USA Today, and Kirkus Reviews called it required reading. I couldn’t agree more.

Until next time bookish friends,

Katisha

Find more of me on Book Riot.

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.

Read This Book

Read This Book: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date February 4, 2021

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

In this second standalone fantasy novel, Bashardoust revisits a Persian myth to shape the story of Soraya, a princess who was cursed at birth to be poisonous to the touch. The inception of her dangerous gift is told to her like a fairy tale, a constant reminder that she must be careful and forever on her guard so that she doesn’t hurt anyone. Now on the cusp of adulthood, Soraya’s existence is kept a secret to protect her brother, the shah. She lives in isolation in a private suite and garden of her family’s spring castle, and when her family returns with the news that her brother is about to be married, she’s devastated that life seems to be passing her by.

Soraya ventures out of her safe haven, determined to break her curse once and for all. Along the way, she befriends a young soldier in her brother’s army and learns that they have caught a monster and are holding her in the dungeon. According the legend, this monster may be able to help break Soraya’s curse, so she immediately behind scheming a way to get into the dungeons. But just as she thinks she’s about to find answers, Soraya realizes that everything she thought she knew about her curse is a lie.

I love the lush storytelling in this novel. The opening starts off like a fairy tale, and Bashardoust’s skillful writing brings this fantasy world and the characters to life in marvelous and rich detail. Soraya is a sheltered but determined heroine, but her naivety and inexperience threaten to be her pitfall. Nonetheless, when it’s clear that she’s caught up in a much greater struggle that spans decades and generations, she rises to the occasion with some ingenious twists. I loved that the political struggle is expertly woven in with Soraya’s emotional journey, making the stakes believably urgent, and that Soraya’s story builds in complexity and nuance as her world expands. Plus, there is a sneaky queer romance in this story that is absolutely wonderful! Read this book if you want an enchanting story that explores the idea of what makes a monster, the tension between goodness and evil, and how to forge your own path.

With this book, Melissa Bashardoust became an auto-buy author for me! Plus, if you missed it last year, make sure you pick up her first novel, Girls Made of Snow and Glass!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Find me on Book Riot, the Insiders Read Harder podcast, All the Books, and Twitter.

If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Read This Book

[2/3] Read This Book: AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones

Post author By Katisha Smith
Post date February 2, 2021

Sponsored by HarperCollins Children's Books.

A boy, a magical tiger, an outlaw dragon, and a mischievous monkey carry the fate of the world on their shoulders in this new edition of The Tiger’s Apprentice from two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Laurence Yep! This action-packed fantasy reveals a hidden world within our own where animals take human form, where friendship is the final weapon in the battle between good and evil, and where a young boy is responsible for saving the world he knows . . . and the one he is just discovering.

One of the best parts of reading The Women of Brewster Place was reading the foreword written by one Tayari Jones. After I read that foreword, I knew it was time for me to stop procrastinating and start reading Jones’ most recently published book that has been collecting dust on my bookshelf.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, are the embodiment of the American Dream. As they settle into the routine of married life, their world is torn apart when Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. While Roy is away, Celestial finds comfort in Andre, her childhood friend who was also the best man at Roy and Celestial’s wedding. The longer Roy is away, the harder it is for Celestial to hold on to their love. When Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned after five years, he is ready to resume the life he once had with Celestial.

If nothing else convinces you to read this book, then just know I read most of it in one day. Every time I thought I would take a break, I had to read just one more chapter. What I enjoyed most about An American Marriage was how the entire situation was mostly spent in the grey. It is obvious Roy is innocent of his charges, so the grey area comes through the dynamics of Celestial and Roy’s marriage during Roy’s incarceration. Reading each of their sides of this love story, I went back and forth about whether Celestial or Roy was in the wrong. In the end, I realized they were in an impossible situation where no one was ever really wrong.

I also saw An American Marriage as an alternative version of If Beale Street Could Talk. I haven’t read the novel, but I saw the adaptation in theaters in the Before Times when we did those activities. The juxtaposition between the two couples was always in the back of my mind. While Fonny and Tish seemed to be brought closer, Celestial and Roy drifted apart. No one enters marriage thinking their spouse will one day be convicted of a crime they didn’t commit, but what would I do in that situation? Would I be like Celestial or Tish?

Until next time bookish friends,

Katisha

Find more of me on Book Riot.

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.

Read This Book

Read This Book: I, TOO, AM AMERICA by Langston Hughes

Post author By Katisha Smith
Post date February 1, 2021

Sponsored by Tales of the Astonishing Black Spark from Lanternfish Press.

These are the Astonishing Tales of Man, It’s Like I Came Straight out of a Comic Book. When a bolt of lightning grants Donald McDougal superhuman abilities, he sees his new power as a ticket out of a dead-end job in his Ohio hometown—but the pursuit of superheroic fame comes with a price tag he may not be able to afford. This satirical debut grapples with issues of power, race, and privilege through darkly humorous social commentary.

Not only is today the first day of Black History Month, it is the birthday of Langston Hughes, one of America’s greatest and most celebrated poets. Hughes was a forefather of the Harlem Renaissance and was a pioneer of jazz poetry. Although Hughes is best known for his poetry, he also wrote short stories, plays, nonfiction, and even children’s books.

I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes, Illustrated by Bryan Collier

As one of the most prominent and courageous voices of his time, Langston Hughes called for equality, which still rings true today. Hughes’ poetic wisdom merges beautifully with the visionary illustrations of Bryan Collier that will move and inspire readers of all ages and all races.

“I, Too, Sing America” is one of my favorite poems from Langston Hughes. The only ones I regard more highly are “Harlem,” whose words inspired A Raisin in the Sun, and “Dreams,” which is a poem my school president would frequently recite during speaking engagements. Each poem is short, but powerful. They speak to what it means to be Black and marginalized in America. Reading “I, Too” along with the beautiful illustrations and unique interpretation by Bryan Collier helped the poem bring me to tears once again. I expected nothing less since Collier is a recipient of both the Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award because this book is sure to engage young readers, and it portrays all the many facets of Black Americans.

Along with tears, there were also smiles because Collier’s illustrations show how far we have come from being enslaved people to being leaders of the Free World. In the end, the book left me with hope for a better and brighter future where our descendants are no longer regarded as second class citizens. I highly recommend visiting (or revisiting) the poems of Langston Hughes. The words he wrote last century still ring true today. Will they still ring true tomorrow?

Until next time bookish friends,

Katisha

Find more of me on Book Riot.

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.

Read This Book

Read This Book: Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date January 28, 2021

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson

This book was described to me as a modern day Ramona Quimby, and really that’s all it took for me to snatch up a copy, especially knowing that it’s written by powerhouse writer Renée Watson (who has a Coretta Scott King Award and a Newbery Honor under her belt). This book is about Ryan Hart, a curious and kindhearted girl who lives with her older brother and her parents in Portland, OR. At the start of the book, Ryan and her family have to sell one of their cars and move into a different house because her father has been laid off from his job at the post office. Ryan’s facing some big changes, and she’s not sure what the future holds. As she navigates family life, stage fright, and friendships, she also learns that there are always ways to make sunshine, even in moments of uncertainty.

This is a really excellent novel for younger middle grade readers (think 3rd-5th graders), but I also really loved reading it myself. It’s a short novel with episodic chapters (just like Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books) and it touches upon all aspects of Ryan’s life–her school days, her friends, her extended family, her personal hopes and dreams–and focuses on issues that matter to Ryan, both big and small. Although not plot driven, this charming novel succeeds so well because it made me remember details of my own childhood and what it was like to be a kid, and I was rooting for Ryan every step of the way. The story is also accompanied by many black and white illustrations by Nina Mata, who brings Ryan and her world to life in an exciting way. This is a great series starter, with an ending that promises even more big changes for Ryan and her family. I was utterly charmed, and I think you will be, too!

Bonus: The sequel, Ways to Grow Love, will be out this April!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Find me on Book Riot, the Insiders Read Harder podcast, All the Books, and Twitter.

If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Read This Book

[1/27] Read This Book: MATILDA by Roald Dahl

Post author By Katisha Smith
Post date January 26, 2021

Sponsored by Katrine Engberg's THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE.

Copenhagen detectives Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner return in Engberg’s second bone-chilling thriller… When three people are found drained of blood and floating in fountains around Copenhagen, Jeppe must investigate the murders solo, as his partner Anette is out on maternity leave. The victims all share connections to a now-closed teen therapeutic facility, The Butterfly House, which may have used some unorthodox practices on its young patients. Meanwhile, as the stakes rise, Anette starts investigating on her own, not completely fulfilled by her new role as mother. But is she leaving herself vulnerable to a killer?

Today is one of my favorite days of the year because it’s National Chocolate Cake Day, and chocolate cake is one of my favorite desserts. Here in the States, the earliest chocolate cake recipe appeared around the mid 1800s. The first boxed cake mix was created in the 1920s, but everyone’s favorite cake mix from Betty Crocker wasn’t released until 1947. Although I bake a mean chocolate chip cookie, with cakes I don’t have the range. When I want chocolate cake, I turn to the experts and buy a slice. When it comes to the bookish world, chocolate cake makes me immediately think about Miss Trunchbull forcing Bruce Bogtrotter to eat an entire chocolate cake in Matilda.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

At the age of five, Matilda easily solves double digit multiplication problems and reads Charles Dickens. Even though she is a super nerd and the teacher’s pet, Matilda’s classmates love her. However, all is not good in Matilda’s world. Her parents are the most idiotic and self-centered people, and her school principal Miss “The” Trunchbull is a nightmare. Fortunately, Matilda has the inner resources to deal with these annoyances from her astonishing intelligence to an innate desire for revenge.

Every book lover should read Matilda because Matilda didn’t just love books, she devoured books. I don’t know about you, but I was reading Berenstain Bears and Dr. Seuss when I was five-years-old. At that same age, Matilda is throwing back novels by Charles Dickens and Charlotte Brontë. Seeing Matilda fall in love with books and reading is sure to reignite the bibliophile in you! Just remember this is a work of fiction or you might become jealous of a child prodigy who gets to spend all day in the library.

The absolute best part of Matilda was how there is a slightly dark and twisty nature to this children’s book. It’s not that there is something inappropriate for children in this book because there is not. It is the fact the book doesn’t talk down to them as readers. Matilda shows them life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, and that is okay. The book also shows them how to use their talents and gifts to not only benefit themselves but to benefit those around them. All in all, reading Matilda can help us become better humans. Plus, it’s really funny and charming.

Until next time bookish friends,

Katisha

Find more of me on Book Riot.

Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.