BOOKISH THOUGHTS....new goals and updates!

 Hello my lovely readers!

A couple of bookish updates for you....

NEW GOALS
My goal (retroactive as of 2025) is to read a book from EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY in the world and a book from all 50 states.

It's ambitious, but I'm giving myself until 2029 to do so (moreso for the Read Around the World challenge.) Just this year alone, I've read books from 20 countries and I wasn't even trying! Last year, I read books from 16 countries and again, I wasn't keeping track or trying to do so. 

I've spent about a week researching books that I want to read and adding tagging them on Libby, so I'm ready! I have between three to five books for each country, so I'll have options--just in case I have to DNF one. I'm excited! I truly think I can accomplish this goal.

The 50 states challenge was a spur of the moment thing. This year, I've read books from 19 states, so I figure I can get this knocked out by next year or this year if I'm super intentional. No pressure though!

OTHER UPDATES
I bought a third Kindle. Shame on me...but this one is my active Kindle! I have two Kindles. One is the basic Kindle that my hubby bought me in January 2025. The second is the Colorsoft that I bought myself for Christmas. Both have all of the books from my Libby tags (nonfiction/fiction) on them, so they aren't coming off airplane mode for a VERY LONG TIME.

This third Kindle, I bought used off Facebook Marketplace and it's the Paperwhite. I've even gone down the rabbit hole and ordered some stickers and Kindle inserts to go with it. Holy consumption, Batman! I have used it a lot more than my other two. It's my immediate Kindle, so whatever books I want to read immediately from Libby, go straight to this one. Yes, I did have the Kindle app on my tablet, but it hurts my eyes to read on that one, so here we are. The tablet is solely for Libby books that can't send to Kindle and Hoopla books. Don't ask, just nod your head and agree, we're all about consuming books in all forms!

I recently discovered reciprocard.com and got a library card from Orange County, which I'm very excited about! Next weekend, I'm going to stop by Randolph County and Chatham County either on my way to or from Greensboro, and pick up my library cards. This means I'll need to free up space on my Libby account because I'm currently maxed out at 50 cards, but I have a few expiring this year that I won't renew, so it all works out!

W.E.B Du Bois: A Biography 1868-1963 by David Levering Lewis

 

Hello my lovely readers! These biographies also languished on my shelves for a minute before I finally decided to pick them up. I partially read the first biography along with its new audiobook (heyyy Courtney B. Vance), but for the second biography, it was a 100 percent audiobook. Let's get into it.

SYNOPSIS
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois—the premier architect of the civil rights movement in America—was a towering and controversial personality, a fiercely proud individual blessed with the language of the poet and the impatience of the agitator.  In his magisterial prose, David Levering Lewis chronicles Du Bois’s long and storied career, detailing the momentous contributions to our national character that still echo today.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Hello my lovely readers! I finally got around to reading this book after buying it in 2015! Let's get into it.

SYNOPSIS
Go Set a Watchman is Harper Lee's earliest known novel. Assumed to have been lost, the manuscript was discovered in late 2014, and is now published for the first time. Written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman is set during an era of rapid change and significant progress in Civil Rights legislation, and it engages with questions of racial equality and justice that are still at the forefront of our national conversation.

Beyond the Shores: A History of African Americans Abroad by Tamara J. Walker

 

Hello my lovely readers! This book reinvigorated my love for travel. Let's get into it!

SYNOPSIS
Part historical exploration, part travel memoir, Beyond the Shores reveals poignant histories of a diverse group of African Americans who have left the United States over the course of the past century. Tying these tales together is Dr. Tamara J. Walker’s personal account of her family’s–and her own–experiences abroad, in France, Brazil, Argentina, Austria, and beyond. Together, the interwoven stories highlight African Americans’ complicated relationship to the United States and world at large.

Beyond the Shores is not just about where African Americans stayed or where they ate when they traveled, but about why they left in the first place and how they were treated once they reached their destinations. Drawing on years of research, Walker chronicles their experiences in atmospheric detail, taking readers from well-known capital cities to more unusual destinations like Yangiyol, Uzbekistan and Kabondo, Kenya. She follows Florence Mills, the would-be Josephine Baker of her day, in Paris, and Richard Wright, the author-turned-actor and filmmaker, in Buenos Aires. She relays tender stories of adventurous travelers, including a group of gifted Black crop scientists in the 1930s, a housewife searching for purpose in the 1950s, a Peace Corps volunteer discovering his identity in the 1970s, and her own grandfather who, after losing his eye fighting in World War II and returning to a country that showed no signs of honoring his sacrifice, set out with his wife and children on a circuitous journey that sent them back and forth across the Atlantic.

By sharing the histories of those who escaped the racism of the United States to try their hands at life abroad, Beyond the Shores shines a light on the meaning of home and the search for a better life.

The Talk of the Party by Foluso Agbaje

Hello my lovely readers! I'm just chugging along on these reviews lately! Let's get into it.

SYNOPSIS
In a family built on lies, what happens when the truth comes out?

Bukola Obanile’s 60th birthday party is the hottest ticket in town. But champagne isn’t all that is being served…

The Obaniles picture-perfect life is the envy of all Lagos society, and everyone wants a piece. So, when renowned matriarch Bukola’s birthday approaches there are no expenses spared, five hundred guests are invited, and her four children all in attendance. Everything will be perfect, just as planned.

Except living the dream comes at a price and, as the party draws closer each of the Obanile children find themselves embroiled in scandals that could shatter the flawless reputation their mother has carefully built.

As the music builds and chandeliers glitter, this one perfect night could be all it takes to destroy a family built on deception…

QUICK REVIEWS pt. XII

Hello my lovely readers! This collection of quick reviews were all audiobooks and surprisingly diverse! We have Thailand, South Korea, USA and South Africa all in the mix. Let's get into it.

Days of Feasting and Rejoice
Esther Maile, is an expat American living in Thailand in a house rented by the richer, more popular Christine. While on holiday in Bali, Christine is caught by an ocean wave and drowns. Esther rushes to save her, but in the chaos that ensues, the police arrive and confuse Esther for Christine. For someone who would prefer to be anyone but herself, this is the perfect solution — no matter the consequences.

*This was a decent book. A short, tight, crime novel, but nothing to write home about. 3 out of 5 stars.

The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest
A stand-in girlfriend and a handsome business heir find that their fake summer fling is feeling way too real.

*This was cute, but I wish it would've had a bit more drama. They were immediately attracted to each other so there's no tension there. I would've liked to see Noel deal with her business as a hired bridesmaid longer before she takes this gig. I also would've liked to see more family tension with Noel. Jeremiah's family immediately accepts Noel with no hesitation. If I'm part of a family business conglomerate, I'm side eyeing anyone who just pops up as a significant other, simply because I want to make sure they're here for the right reasons. 3 out of 5 stars.

Black Folk Could Fly by Randall Kenan

Hello my lovely readers! Another day, another Randall Kenan book! Let's get into it. 

SYNOPSIS
"Rich in identity," as he described himself, Randall Kenan wrote widely and profoundly about what it meant to be Black, gay, and Southern. He confessed himself "elusive"--yet revealed himself in astonishing prose--memories of his three mothers (especially Mama, his great-aunt); recollections of his boyhood fear of snakes and his rapture in books; his sensual evocations of tobacco picking and hogkilling, butterbeans and scuppernongs, of the eastern North Carolina lowlands where he grew up. Here too is his intellectual coming-of-age: his passion for science fiction; his informed and ecstatic appreciations of James Baldwin, Ingmar Bergman, Gordon Parks, and Eartha Kitt; his grappling with the politics and meaning of race (a fiction) and home (an inescapable, visceral reality).

This powerful collection is a testament to a polymathic mind, a wise soul, and a sublimely gifted writer from whom readers will always wish to have more to read.