The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson is just the right mix of domestic drama, literary fiction, and contemporary fiction that I like. The book begins the evening of former President Obama's election win in 2008 and has themes of motherhood, family ties, racial tension, all set during the political climate at the time. The motherhood themes tugged at my heartstrings and made me strongly connect with the main protagonist. I rooted for her on her journey to uncover the truth, but a

I slowly listened to the audio of Wintering by Katherine May, over the course of this past winter. I took a more relaxed approach to this book and only listened during my lunchtime walks. Wintering is not meant to be devoured quickly, but slowly digested so that you can pick out the parts that are most meaningful to you. Wintering is a way to get through tough times in life by chilling, hibernating, healing, re-grouping, not just the long cold season we are used to in the no

The latter half of 2021 has some amazing books coming out and I want to share some of my most anticipated new releases that are hitting stands late spring/early summer. There is something for everyone: a witchy mystery, Desperate Housewives meets Big Little Lies page turner, quirky contemporary fiction, and plenty of thrillers to go around. Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian-pub date 5/4/21 I loved Bohjalian's last release, The Red Lotus, so I was anxious to get my hands on

Talk about a highly quotable book with a universal message of appreciating the life you live. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is just that. Even though this is a fiction story with elements of magical realism, I felt like the author was diving into my soul and feeding me spoonful after spoonful of existential goodness. The Midnight Library is literally food for the soul and I needed to hear this message. I would recommend this book to any and everyone, especially those in a

Thank you to Henry Holt Books for the gifted copy of We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker. #partner This book. The hype is real. We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker is a character driven novel with a slow burning plot that will leave you speechless. I had been seeing it all over #bookstagram, which immediately makes me skeptical because I try not to fall into book hype, especially when it comes to new releases. This one lives up to the praise and I could not get enough of

Wow, wow, wow. Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson is historical fiction gold. This story has so much heartbreak that, at times, I wasn't sure if I could make it through. But the story Johnson crafted is an important one to tell and a story that Black women actually lived in the 1800s. I could not put this book down and it ranks up there as one of my favorite reads of the year. Synopsis: Pheby Delores Brown is an enslaved woman who was born and raised on a plantation where she is p

I love a good binge-able thriller now and then, especially to break up some of the heavier lit fic I have been reading lately. Pretty Things by Janelle Brown is just that. Two women, who are wildly different, one a grifter who proceeds from one scam to the next, the other a heiress and social media influencer whose life appears picture perfect on her Instagram feed. A "con gone wrong" brings these two face to face. A thriller with a social media influencer twist? I'm so there

Memorial by Bryan Washington was an easy choice for me when I saw it as a Book of the Month selection last November. This is my first book of his, but I had seen great reviews of his previous novel, Lot, and wanted to check out Washington's writing. I am making it a priority to make a dent in my unread BOTM books and Memorial was next on that list. While, I didn't love this one, it is a story with LGBTQ+ representation and interracial relationships that is so, so important. S