Infants of the Spring by Wallace Thurman

 

Hello my lovely readers! Welp, I do declare that October will go down as the month of great reads for Naomi! I've been on absolute TEAR this month and I make no apologies for it. 

SYNOPSIS
It's 1920s Harlem, and man, the joint is jumpin'. Folks are coming and going and everything's copacetic as long as the gin keeps flowing. This is the scene Stephen Jorgenson dives into when he arrives from Canada for the first time. He is taken to "The Niggerati Manor," an apartment building in Harlem inhabited by aspiring artists whose true talents lie in living, and where everything's black and white--with a lot of grayness in between. Counterbalancing Stephen's embrace of these folks is Raymond Taylor, a writer who is the only truly talented artist in the manor. Raymond's cynical take on the "new Negro artist" is the tightrope he walks between the love and hatred of himself and his people. Characters representing Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Alain Locke all appear, and part of the fun of this book is figuring out who's who.

The Burial Tide by Neil Sharpson

 

Hello my lovely readers! Tell me, why are all the books I've read recently absolute BANGERS? Let's get into it.

SYNOPSIS
A woman who can’t remember her death.

On an eerily quiet island off the coast of Ireland, a woman with no memory claws her way out of her grave and back to life. But not everyone welcomes the return of Mara Fitch.

An island with a terrible secret.

Inishbannock. Where strange misshapen figures watch from the trees and the roads are covered in teeth. Where two brothers gamble for nothing, the doctor only treats one patient, and the pub owner speaks in riddles. Where a poet loses and finds his soul. And a man without a heart claims he’s the key to unlocking Mara’s secrets.

A past that refuses to stay buried.

As Mara returns to her life on this upside-down island, her memories begin to leech their way back to the surface. The more she remembers, the more the village will do anything to stop her . . .

But the sea remembers it all.

Rattlebone by Maxine Clair

 

Hello my lovely readers! Another PHENOMENAL read this month. Let's get into it!

SYNOPSIS
Irene Wilson knows that a “no-name invisible something” has settled over her parents’ marriage and suspects her glamorous new teacher is to blame. Irene is not alone in her suspicions. In the town of Rattlebone, a small Black neighborhood of Kansas City, secrets are hard to keep and growing up is a community affair.

As Irene is initiated into adult passion and loss, her family story takes its place in a tightly woven tapestry of neighbors whose griefs and joys are as vivid as her own. Capturing an entire world through the eyes of its unforgettable heroine, Rattlebone is a one-of-a-kind triumph of American fiction.

QUICK REVIEWS pt. XVI

Hello my lovely readers! Let's get into some more quick reviews!

You Deserve Good Gelato by Kacie Rose
In her inimitably funny and feel-good way, social media star Kacie Rose offers a refreshingly honest take on navigating a new life abroad in You Deserve Good Gelato, covering everything from travel fails and homesickness to the joy of culture shocks and the power of doing the shit that scares you. Because life is too short not to.

*I finished this in a day. Cute little memoir for the unseasoned traveler, but for someone like myself who has been to more than 30 countries, nothing in this book truly "wowed" me. A bit too much social media speak that doesn't translate well when published in a book. If you're a seasoned traveler, skip this book and go for something with more depth. 3 out of 5 stars

Lakewood by Megan Giddings
When Lena Johnson's beloved grandmother dies, and the full extent of the family debt is revealed, the black millennial drops out of college to support her family and takes a job in the mysterious and remote town of Lakewood, Michigan. The discoveries made in Lakewood, Lena is told, will change the world--but the consequences for the subjects involved could be devastating

*The premise sounded interesting and promising, but ultimately, this novel was a complete let down. 2 out of 5 stars.

Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker

 

Hello my lovely readers! This was the last book in The Color Purple Series and I admit, I have to eat my words from my last review:

"I still plan on reading the third book in this series Possessing the Secret of Joy, but I don't have high hopes for it."

Boy, was I wrong! Let's get into it.

SYNOPSIS
In Tashi’s tribe, the Olinka, young girls undergo female genital mutilation as an initiation into the community. Tashi manages to avoid this fate at first, but when pressed by tribal leaders, she submits. Years later, married and living in America as Evelyn Johnson, Tashi’s inner pain emerges. As she questions why such a terrifying, disfiguring sacrifice was required, she sorts through the many levels of subjugation with which she’s been burdened over the years.

Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black by Harriet E. Wilson

 

Hello my lovely readers! I'm finally catching up on the books I chose for the 10 Books 10 Decades Challenge. Let's get into it.

SYNOPSIS
This seminal autobiographical novel, originally published in 1859, is believed to have been the first by an African-American woman. Harriet Wilson's compelling story describes the life of a mulatto girl who, after the death of her mother, is exploited first by a terrifying Northern family for whom she worked and then by an opportunistic husband.

A classic of African-American literature, Our Nig has made an enduring contribution to understanding the lives of free blacks in the nineteenth century. A fascinating combination of slave narrative and sentimental novel, the story traces the hardships and suffering of Frado, who grows up as an indentured servant to a white family in Massachusetts and spends much of her destitute life wandering through New England.

A clear and accurate account of race relations and perceptions of race in the antebellum North, Our Nig is essential reading for students of African-American history and culture.

QUICK REVIEWS pt. XV

Hello my lovely readers! It's time for some quick reviews!

With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee
A group of Harvard alums have played a secret game for decades but as the stakes rise, deadly consequences emerge from old lies.

*This book was incredibly boring and didn't really pick up until the last two chapters. Nothing really happened throughout the book so it didn't feel like an academic thriller at all. 2 out of 5 stars.

The Mothers by Genevieve Gannon
What if you gave birth to someone else's child? An emotional family drama about two couples, one baby, and an unimaginable choice.

*I found this novel extremely interesting and thought provoking however the ending felt a bit rushed. 3 out of 5 stars.