HEAVEN knows the feels I experienced while reading through this book. The reading process alone took it all out of me, gave it back, took it away and gave it back again. It was a journey I wouldn’t trade for anything, ever. I’d love to keep to myself how little I knew about Malcolm X or how I read through the whole book [with a few baffled notes on the side] thinking Alex Haley was a Caucasian male. You are allowed to laugh. When you are done. Here’s my rather nervous unpacking of this complex life and intriguing story. It’s a discussion … a first for my channel. Let me…
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#READSOULLIT|| Tag
SO this seems to be a trend of late. I must have a sit down with myself, it’s now reached the point where it is actually embarrassing. I was tagged on a #readsoullit booktube tag in celebration of Black History Month in America. The point of the tag is basically to celebrate African-American authors and literature. I’m late, but it is still the last day of February, so somehow I made it! LOL! xoxo
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JANUARY||Wrap Up and Currently Reading
I am so late for this. There is no wind in me left to say why. But I did it, FINALLY!
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NEW IN 2018||Book Haul
I do not have the luxury of buying all the books I desire as often as I desire. However, every now and then a gift lands on my lap or some extra cash in my pocket.
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MY TOP 3 BOOKS|| Of 2018
As it turns out of the 14 books I read last year only 3 got 5 star reviews. And get this, all three were written by black women. What are the chances, two of which were debuts - GET OUT OF TOWN.
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BOOKS I READ|| In 2018
In 2018 I got through a dismal total of 14 books. Only 2 up from the previous year, go figure. But I've set my sights on 6 more books in addition to that number this year.
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TWO DARK REIGNS|| Kendare Blake
The mist has always held some level of mystery in the Three Dark Crowns series. It’s as though Kendare brought us up to have a sense of awe about it. So once it is laid bare in front of us, we do not merely feel privy to the knowledge but we are also enthralled by its true existence. With that come plenty other questions I only wish will be answered in the fourth book. The third book in the series ends with a simple ‘To Be Continued’ which is how I am certain book four is underway or actually already completed. Maybe this year then? Kendare is the master of…
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My favourite book of 2018
I could wax lyrical about Angie Thomas’s debut novel The Hate U Give (T.H.U.G.) inspired by the #blacklivesmatter movement. I could literally use every word possible to convey just how deeply moving this tale is – if I knew all the words possible, hahaha. Something about this book stained my soul. This is why we read. To be torn apart so we can be made anew with each story we read. This is how we assess great stories, they not only change us, they don’t just recreate us but they break us and they cling. Sometimes they cling so intimately to even try and articulate them to someone else is…
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INTRUDERS|| Mohale Mashigo
I have chosen to break each of these short stories into mini-reviews for purposes of this review. I hope this gives you a glimpse into how special and worthwhile this book is. If in anyway this whets your appetite then do not hesitate to grab a copy, if only to realise that there’s something mystical in every ‘ordinary’ person. ManokaWe truly are nothing without our mothers. In a patriarchal black world where we are taught our identity lies in the paternal – we really truly do still need our mothers. The issue of identity as coming from a mother, passed on through the intimacies of giving birth and breastfeeding shines…
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HALF OF A YELLOW SUN|| Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The world was silent when we died … the title of the book within this book encapsulates the message of Adichie’s story. If I’m honest, the idea of war has always been as real as what I’ve seen on tv. Nothing quite as heart pulling and soul wrenching as this story. That’s the power of fiction I wish many experienced. The next time I read, watch or listen the news about a war torn country I will remember these characters and each of their stories and my empathy will be amplified. It is vital that we tell our stories. If only just for this. Half of a Yellow Sun follows…
