January 2017 Wrap-Up!

January is usually my "hit the ground running" month for trying to get a jump start on all the reading challenges I normally partake in. This year, however, I had decided not to do any challenges and just read exactly how I want to and at whatever pace I wanted. It seems to be working out really well since I ended this month with 16 read books. Honestly, if so many things hadn't occurred this month, I think I could have gotten to 20. My reading just seems to go so much smoother when I'm not worried about if I'm on track or keeping up with everyone else.

I'm going to start breaking my monthly wrap-up down by rating. If you like it, let me know!

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE by J.K. Rowling.
- I try to reread the series at least once every other year. It's just as good as I remembered.

THE ROSE AND THE DAGGER by Renee Ahdieh
- Not quite as good as The Wrath and the Dawn, but still undeniably satisfying.

THE DARK WIFE by S.E. Diemer
- Hades and Persephone reimagined as... lesbians. Yes, please.

ALICE + FREDA FORVER: A MURDER IN MEMPHIS by Alexis Coe
- Teenage lesbian murder bisexual lover in public. True story.

TWIXT by S.E. Diemer
- Lesbian demons, ugly angels, and unaware dead people. Diemer is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich
- Revenge is definitely sweet. (tw: rape)

THE BACKSTAGERS by James Tynion
- All boys academy and a stage crew. Plus, super cute crushes.

GIRL OUT OF WATER by Laura Silverman
- Coming of age story. Involves a carefree Black boy with dimples. You need this in your life.

HEARTLESS by Marissa Meyer
- Prequel to Alice in Wonderland. I'm still crying, tbh.

THE CURSE OF THE BLUE FIGURINE by John Bellairs
- Moral of the story: Don't take things that don't belong to you.

QUEERING SEXUAL VIOLENCE by Jennifer Patterson
- Essays on sexual violence between same-sex partners and how crisis centers are ciswoman centric.

THE BLAZING STAR by Imani Josey
- Time traveling back to Egypt. It should have been more exciting but I was actually really bored the entire time.

I WORK AT A PUBLIC LIBRARY by Gina Sheridan
- A lot of the stories seemed made up and not even in an imaginative way.

THE BONE WITCH by Rin Chupeco
- DNFed at 50%. A story about a witch raising her brother from the dead should have been more interesting.

THE PRINCESS SAVES HERSELF IN THIS ONE by Amanda Lovelace
- Not my cup of tea but also not my place to rate someone's extremely personal poetry.

IN ORDER TO LIVE by Yeonmi Park
- I liked this book a lot but after doing some research, it appears that there are some major discrepancies in Park's story. Since I'm not sure what's real and what's not, I decided not to rate.

QUEEN SUGAR by Natalie Baszile
- Three pages in, one of the character's starts making negative remarks about "Indians". Pass.



And that's it for January! I'm hoping February will be just as productive! What did y'all read in January?

Review: Girl Out of Water

Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

***I received a free e-arc from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review***

I had given this book a preemptive 5 star rating to try and combat the disgusting attack on the author after literal Nazis started trying to tank her book's ratings. Now that I've actually read it, I see that I don't have to change my rating at all.

GIRL OUT OF WATER follows Anise during her last summer before senior year. She expects it to be a summer like any other- spending time with her friends and surfing- until a family emergency sends her and her dad to Nebraska to care for her 3 younger cousins. This is sold as a romance, and while there is definitely some romance in the book, it's more of a lesser told love story of a family coming together.

There wasn't a character I despised in this entire book. All of them were well fleshed out and had depth, including the side characters which is something we usually don't get in YA novels. All of Anise's friends were distinct even though they might have only been mentioned a half dozen times. I loved how Silverman included mixed families throughout the story.

The romance between Anise and Lincoln (OH MY GOD, LINCOLN!!!!) wasn't overplayed and I like that Silverman didn't rush their feelings or include sex in this book. YA has a problem with the trope of "We just met but I love you so let's have sex" but Silverman did a wonderful job in avoiding that.

I only had two problems with this book and they tie in together. The first was that I felt the last few chapters lost the characters. It almost felt like I was reading an entirely different book and I'm not sure if that was on purpose (to show Anise slipping back into her Santa Cruz life) but it was disorienting and really almost made me drop the rating down to 4 stars. In those finally chapters, I had another problem- underage drinking. I'm totally aware that teenagers drink but it felt very out of place in this book. The "drama" it caused could have totally been rewritten. Honestly, the last few chapters just don't feel right in the book, period.

However, I did love this book. I loved Anise. I loved Lincoln. I LOVED LINCOLN.

Would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy a sweet, summery, coming-of-age story.

View all my reviews

#DIVERSEATHON Wrap-Up!

Did anyone else feel like #DiverseAThon went by way too fast?


Due to family obligations and having to catch back up with my community action program after being at the hospital with my dad for so long, I missed out on most of the really great chats that were going on but I was able to pop in and read some of the responses. I'm so glad so many of you are feeling more comfortable in actively seeking out diverse books and understanding that not all representation is good. It feels like everyone has grown so much in the last few months since the original #DiverseAThon week was started... which is a good thing now that we see how the next four years are going to go. It's imperative that we continue to push marginalized voices up higher, that we lend platforms and ears and hearts to their words so that they can't be silenced.


I don't feel that I read as much as I could have read this week, but again, I had plenty of obligations that kept me running so I'm trying not to feel too bad about it.


Here's a wrap-up of everything I read during #DiverseAThon:

ALICE + FREDA FOREVER: A MURDER IN MEMPHIS by Alexis Coe


I stumbled across this book months ago during the original #DiverseAThon and for whatever reason, I never got around to it. ALICE + FREDA is a nonfiction book that chronicles the rocky relationship between Alice Mitchell and Freda Ward which ended when Alice publicly slit Freda's throat. What was so weird to me was the fact that Alice was able to plea insanity and people believed her not because of the crime she committed but because she was in love with a woman. Definitely pick this one up for an interesting history lesson.

THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich


This is one of those books that I could read over and over and never get tired of. THE ROUND HOUSE follows the Coutts, an Ojibwe family dealing with the aftermath of their matriarch's rape and attempted murder by a supposedly unknown assailant. I don't want to give too much away because this is a book that has to be deeply experienced. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who understand that sometimes revenge is the best option.


(I also want to talk about people who are rating this book who are Non-Native and do not understand Native family and tribal dynamics who are calling this book unrealistic: It's not.)

THE BACKSTAGERS VOL 1 by James Tynion


I saw this on Net Galley and thought it would be a cute read. It follows Jory, a new student at an all-boys academy who stumbles upon the stage crew and all the mysterious things that happens backstage. It definitely reaffirms my personal belief that nothing is better than working backstage... that is where all the magic really happens.

TWIXT by S.E. Diemer


After reading THE DARK WIFE and loving it, I was excited to read TWIXT. It has lesbians, demons, dead people, and ugly angels... everything I never knew I needed in a book.


I also attempted to read QUEEN SUAGR but DNFed it after 3 pages when one of the characters talks about Natives "liking to be called Indians" and talking about the "jackals at the Indian casinos". No, thank you. THE BONE WITCH was another one I DNFed at 50% due to sheer boredom.


What books did you get to during #DiverseAThon? Any conversations really stand out to you? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: The Bone Witch

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

***DNF-ed at 50%***

This story had so much potential. So. MUCH. It literally begins with Tea (a witch who can raise the dead) resurrecting her beloved brother from the grave at his funeral. AT. HIS. FUNERAL. You can imagine how hyped I was about this book. I should have known better and say that because even though Tea has just done this amazing, wondrous, horrific thing, it is highly glossed over in the text. I wanted this description of what their parents and siblings thought, more of what the villagers thought (we only get a brief sense that they were scared and holding torches outside of the house). It's not every day that a young man gets raised from the dead so you would think Chupeco would have put more detail in it.

Despite that, I thought I would still enjoy the book. I thought it would be action packed. Instead, I read a whole lot of descriptions of buildings and clothing and it took me 5 days to slog through half of this book before I finally decided to throw in the towel. It's not a bad book. Chupeco has an obvious gift but the delivery of the story is so slow and uneventful that I fell asleep several times while reading this or found my mind wandering away. I had one glimmer of hope when Tea brought back to life a bunch of dead mice but then that too was glossed over and I knew this was an uphill battle I wasn't going to win. Or end. So I wave my white flag at this book.

***I was provided a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through NetGalley***

View all my reviews

Review: Queen Sugar

Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNFed 3 pages in.

"Well, the Native Americans I know like to be called Indians. Bunch of 'em live in the woods behind my house."

"They built a big casino... nothing over there but a pack of jackals if you ask me. Jackals and sinners."

Yeah, hey, fuck you.

View all my reviews

My #DIVERSEATHON TBR!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! That's right, #DiverseAThon is making it's 2017 debut during the week of January 22-29.

In September of 2016, after a video surfaced where some woman (apparently she's an author??) was talking about how problematic diversity is, a few youtubers (@monicakwatson, @lcmarie19, @squibblesreads, and @whittynovels) started a week long book challenge that was focused solely on diverse books and discussions about diversity. That was probably one of the best weeks I've ever had on book twitter and I LOVED reading so many other people's thoughts about diversity and just generally learning from their experiences. It was really cool to see how many of us have such shared experiences even though we come from vastly different walks of life.

I'm hella excited to be joining in again this year. I know I said I wasn't doing any book challenges this year but to me this isn't really a book challenge. There aren't any set TBRs or book counts. While there is an optional group book to read (THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead), it's not something they actually push you to read if you don't want to. I already read diversely so this is just a really great time to connect with others who also read diversely or who want to start reading more diversely.

I picked 5 books that I want to read during #DIVERSEATHON this year.

THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich.


Summary: One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and thirteen-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.

While his father, who is a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own. Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe. And this is only the beginning.

ALICE + FREDA FOREVER by Alexis Coe


Summary: In 1892, America was obsessed with a teenage murderess, but it wasn't her crime that shocked the nation—it was her motivation. Nineteen-year-old Alice Mitchell had planned to pass as a man in order to marry her seventeen-year-old fiancée Freda Ward, but when their love letters were discovered, they were forbidden from ever speaking again.

Freda adjusted to this fate with an ease that stunned a heartbroken Alice. Her desperation grew with each unanswered letter—and her father’s razor soon went missing. On January 25, Alice publicly slashed her ex-fiancée’s throat. Her same-sex love was deemed insane by her father that very night, and medical experts agreed: This was a dangerous and incurable perversion. As the courtroom was expanded to accommodate national interest, Alice spent months in jail—including the night that three of her fellow prisoners were lynched (an event which captured the attention of journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells). After a jury of "the finest men in Memphis" declared Alice insane, she was remanded to an asylum, where she died under mysterious circumstances just a few years later.

PURPLE HIBISCUS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie


Summary: Fifteen-year-old Kambili and her older brother Jaja lead a privileged life in Enugu, Nigeria. They live in a beautiful house, with a caring family, and attend an exclusive missionary school. They're completely shielded from the troubles of the world. Yet, as Kambili reveals in her tender-voiced account, things are less perfect than they appear. Although her Papa is generous and well respected, he is fanatically religious and tyrannical at home—a home that is silent and suffocating.

As the country begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili and Jaja are sent to their aunt, a university professor outside the city, where they discover a life beyond the confines of their father’s authority. Books cram the shelves, curry and nutmeg permeate the air, and their cousins’ laughter rings throughout the house. When they return home, tensions within the family escalate, and Kambili must find the strength to keep her loved ones together.

QUEEN SUGAR by Natalie Baszile


Summary: When Charley unexpectedly inherits eight hundred acres of sugarcane land, she and her eleven-year-old daughter say goodbye to smoggy Los Angeles and head to Louisiana. She soon learns, however, that cane farming is always going to be a white man’s business. As the sweltering summer unfolds, Charley struggles to balance the overwhelming challenges of a farm in decline with the demands of family and the startling desires of her own heart

FLYING LESSONS & OTHER STORIES by Ellen Oh


Summary: Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us.

In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt. This impressive group of authors has earned among them every major award in children’s publishing and popularity as New York Times bestsellers.

From these distinguished authors come ten distinct and vibrant stories




And that's my TBR! I'm hoping to get through these and at least one more during the #DIVERSEATHON week.


What is your TBR for #DIVERSEATHON?



Review: Queering Sexual Violence: Radical Voices from Within the Anti-Violence Movement

Queering Sexual Violence: Radical Voices from Within the Anti-Violence Movement by Jennifer Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**I received a copy of this book from Riverdale Avenue Books through Net Galley for an honest review**

As you can probably already guess from the title of this book, there are major trigger warnings associated with this. Rape, abuse (sexual, mental, and physical), and incest. There are also a few essays in here that detail BDSM.

Rating this book was really complicated for me. Reading it was, too, if I'm being completely honest. This is definitely one of those much needed books but there were a lot of things that were hard to stomach which I will talk about it more detail.

The things I liked about this book:

1. The fact that this was about sexual violence as it pertains to Queer people. We have a very heterocentric view of sexual violence where the perpetrator is male and the victim/survivor is female. Society is too willing to overlook sexual, physical, and mentally abuse in relationships between same-sex couples and I think it stems from the fact that society doesn't see our relationships as being real. I've talked before about how many m/m stories written by cishet women involve physical abuse and it's written as foreplay because men are expected to be violent with each other. We don't allow men to be soft and in love, and when we have that mentality that they are supposed to be "rough" with each other, it's easier to turn a blind eye to violence between m/m couples. On the opposite end of the spectrum with f/f relationships, abuse between two women is seen as women being typically "catty". It's masturbatory to think of two women who are sexually involved as being mean to each other before turning soft and sexual.

2. It challenges safe centers and crisis hotlines that cater to cishet women but exclude trans women, Queer women, and non-binary people and the fact that there are no spaces for cishet men to talk about their own abuse. The first essay in the book is about a genderqueer individual who could not find a space that would talk to them about their sexual abuse. They were turned away from hotlines and in person meetings because of the notion that victims/survivors are only cishet women.

3. The essays that discussed sexual violence that happens inside families. Incest is such a taboo topic that even most crisis centers tend to shy away from talking about it but it's such a painful for reality for those of us who have survived being sexually assaulted or raped by a family member. The two essays that really stuck out to me was the story of a woman who was forced by her family (who were feminists and human rights activists) to keep silence about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her step-grandfather. The other essay talked about something I haven't seen except in Sapphire's novel PUSH- the abuse of a female child by a female family member. While incest is taboo, sexual assault of a female child by a mother seems to be the ultimate taboo and something society has worked hard to sweep under the rug. I loved the fact that these writers blew the top off of these topics and shed some light on a very painful experience in a way that wasn't shameful. Too many times we look at incest and shy away from the victim because of the implications of incest.

Things I didn't like about this book:

1. Twice in the book it was pointed out that a lot of perpetrators were once abused and that they shouldn't be punished. I disagree with this so vehemently that I actually ranted about it on twitter. I do understand cycling and while I feel for anyone who has been a victim of sexual violence, that victimization is not a free pass to go out and victimize someone else. Everyone has a choice on whether or not they do harmful things. If you choose to harm someone else, there are consequences and the fact that anyone would think otherwise is troublesome.

2. Relating to my above opinion, I also disagreed with how many of the writers believed that abusers should be included in circles with the abused. The one story that stuck out to me was how a woman wanted an abusers to be included in the 'Take Back the Night' festivities on campus so that the abuser "might get an understanding of what they were putting their victim through". Abusers know what they are doing and the only thing that happens when they are included in circles with victims/survivors is that the circle stops being a safe place for victims/survivors.

3. There were no trigger warnings on any of the stories which would have been very useful to navigate this book. I, personally, can't read stories that involve BDSM as a method of dealing with past trauma and it would have been nice to have been able to skip over those stories before I actually started reading them.

4. The insinuation that being Queer comes from sexual abuse. While the next essay disputed this, it was still very troubling to see my sexuality minimized to sexual trauma.

Overall, this was a very informative read. The book was interesting and well put together.

View all my reviews

Review: The Blazing Star

The Blazing Star by Imani Josey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**I received a free ebook from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.**

The first thing that struck me about this book was the cover. No, seriously, look at that cover. Isn't it beautiful? I am also 100% here for a book that has Black girls cast in all the major roles. I really thought this was going to be one of those 'wow' books for me.

But it wasn't.

There were 3 things that made this book difficult for me to finish.
1. I could not connect with Portia. At all. I love snarky characters but Portia felt very flat to me.
2. It's set in Egypt but, honestly, it could have been set anywhere. I was expecting more of an Egyptian feel to the setting and the characters but nah. This literally could have taken place in Arizona. Lack of details.
3. The plot was so boring to me. I'm not sure if it was just because it took SO LONG for something to happen but I set this book down several times. I clearly remember looking down at my Kindle and realizing I was 55% in and absolutely nothing had happened.

I think it goes without saying that I wouldn't recommend this book.

View all my reviews

2017 Book Journal

Last year was the first year I tried to do a book journal and... things got messy. I really went into it blind with no real idea of how to organize it- I just knew I wanted something away from Goodreads. It wasn't a complete disaster but it was so disorganized and scattered that it didn't do me a whole lot of good in the end.

This year I decided to be a) more organized and b) more consistent with how I use it. Instead of having release dates, TBRs, books I've read, books I want to buy, etc., scattered out across multiple journals or my phone, I've put everything I need to know about the book world into one handy journal. And so far it looks like it's going to work out great for me!

Just for fun, I thought I'd give y'all a look at how this year's journal is shaping up!

This is the journal! It's nothing super fancy. I actually think this one came in a three pack of journals at Target for like $8. I had a same brand one last year (but it was black and white) and it held together beautifully through an entire year so I'm hoping this one will serve me just as well!

This is what the front cover and first page look like when it's opened. In case you can't tell, this was my first time taking a panoramic photo and it is shakey as hell... whoops!

Front cover! I wanted to do a quick 'at a glance' of the books coming out in 2017 that I'm super excited for and I put the January-June on the front cover- just title and date released. The little envelopes hold my 'want to buy' lists.

 These are the 3 envelopes (aren't they super cute??). I divided them into Young Adult/Adult, Middle Grade, and Cozy. I did a full page of books that I want to buy/read in each category and then put them in the corresponding envelopes. I'm really working towards getting my physical TBR and my Want to Buy TBR super, super low this year... because both are slightly out of control. I'll talk more about how I plan to do this in a later blog!

Just a quick glance inside the envelope.

This is the first page of my journal. I actually redid this page 3 times before I settled on this. A lot of that had to do with the fact that I decided to not participate in any of the challenges this year. On this page I have: a small calendar, my January TBR, books I want to order, movies I want to order (not bookish but in preparation for Halloween), blog ideas, reviews I need to write, books due for review (arcs/netgalley), blog goal for the month, total books read for the month, and money saved for YallFest/SeYaFest. I've also left space for notes I need to jot down.

The pages after are where I'll keep a list of books I've read for the month, any thoughts on those books, and notes for reviews.

Each month will have a similar first page.

And that's it! I'm hoping this year's journal is a little more helpful and a little less chaotic than last year's!

If you're doing a book journal or anything similar, let me know in the comments below! What kind of journal/method are you using?

#DiversityReads New Release (JANUARY 2017 EDITION!)

Happy New Year, friends! I hope the holidays treated you well and your bookshelves are lined with new books for you to enjoy in the upcoming year. Maybe you're like me and have family who wants to feed your book addiction but doesn't quite know what books to buy... so you're loaded up with giftcards.


Take a peek at some of my most anticipated releases for January 2017!

LATIN@ RISING: AN ANTHOLOGY OF LATIN@ SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY by Matthew David Goodwin.


Summary: Latin@ Rising is the first anthology of science fiction and fantasy written by Latinos/as living in the United States. The book gives an overview to the field of Latino/a speculative, showing the great variety of stories being told by Latino/a writers. Fifty years ago the Latin American "Boom" introduced magical realism to the world; Latin@ Rising is the literature that has risen from the explosion that gave us García Márquez, Jorge Amado, Carlos Fuentes and others. The 21st century writers and artists of Latin@ Rising help us to imagine a Latino/a past, present, and future which have not been whitewashed by mainstream perspectives. Contrary to the popular perception, Latino/a Literature is not just magical realism and social realist protest literature—it also contains much speculative fiction. By showing the actual breadth of genres being used by Latino/a authors, Latin@ Rising will help extend the boundaries of the Latino/a literature canon. Latin@ Rising demonstrates the value of speculative fiction for the Latino/a community: it gives Latinos/as a vital means for imagining a past and a future in which they play a pivotal role, and it constitutes a narrative of the effects of technology on the Latino/a community. The book shows how the richness of the speculative genres provide U.S. Latinos/as with a unique medium to discuss issues of colonialism, migration, and the experience of being bicultural. The 23 authors and artists included in this anthology come from all over the U.S. and from eight different national traditions. They include well-known creators like Kathleen Alcalá, Ana Castillo, Junot Diaz, Giannina Braschi and others; they also include new voices, well worth hearing.


BUY HERE: AMAZON  BOOK DEPOSITORY

FLYING LESSONS AND OTHER STORIES by Ellen Oh


Summary: Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us.

In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt. This impressive group of authors has earned among them every major award in children’s publishing and popularity as New York Times bestsellers.

From these distinguished authors come ten distinct and vibrant stories.


BUY HERE: AMAZON  BOOK DEPOSITORY

BATTLE HILL BOLERO by Daniel Jose Older


Summary: The time has come for the dead to rise up... 
Trouble is brewing between the Council of the Dead and the ghostly, half-dead, spiritual, and supernatural community they claim to represent. One too many shady deals have gone down in New York City’s streets, and those caught in the crossfire have had enough. It’s time for the Council to be brought down—this time for good.

Carlos Delacruz is used to being caught in the middle of things: both as an inbetweener, trapped somewhere between life and death, and as a double agent for the Council. But as his friends begin preparing for an unnatural war against the ghouls in charge, he realizes that more is on the line than ever before—not only for the people he cares about, but for every single soul in Brooklyn, alive or otherwise...


BUY HERE: AMAZON  BOOK DEPOSITORY

FINDING YOUR FEET by Cass Lennox


Summary: While on holiday in Toronto, Evie Whitmore planned to sightsee and meet other asexuals, not audition for a dance competition. Now she's representing Toronto's newest queer dance studio, despite never having danced before. Not only does she have to spend hours learning her routine, she has to do it with one of the grumpiest men she's ever met. Tyler turns out to be more than a dedicated dancer, though -- he might be the kind of man who can sweep her off her feet, literally and figuratively.


Tyler Davis has spent the last year recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship. So he doesn't need to be pushed into a rushed routine for a dumb competition. Ticking major representation boxes for being trans and biracial isn't why he went into dance. But Evie turns out to be a dream student. In fact, she helps him remember just how good partnering can be, in all senses of the word. Teaching her the routine, however, raises ghosts for him, ones he's not sure he can handle.
Plans change, and people change with them. Learning a few steps is one thing; learning to trust again is another entirely.


BUY HERE: AMAZON   BOOK DEPOSITORY

HISTORY IS ALL YOU LEFT ME by Adam Silvera


Summary: When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.

To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.

If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.


BUY HERE: AMAZON   BOOK DEPOSITORY

ALLEGEDLY by Tiffany D. Jackson


Summary: Mary B. Addison killed a baby.


Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?


There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?


BUY HERE: AMAZON  BOOK DEPOSITORY






I know there are a lot of great books coming out this month, but this is just a selection of the ones I'm so excited about! It looks like 2017 is off to a great start!


I'd just let to take this moment to encourage you to dedicate yourself to reading more diversely if you haven't already made that commitment. We are in for four years of stress and fight and rebellion, and there is no better way to prepare than to read and to read outside of your experience. We are all in this together- for better or for worse- and I have your back if you have mine. #BooksFightHate is not just a hashtag. It's a reality. Fill yourself with good, diverse, own voice books.


Happy New Year!
Weezie.