Ah was born back due in slavery so it wasn't for me to fulfill my dreams of whut a woman oughta be and to do...But nothing can't stop you from wishin'

Gritty revenge tale, 1970s New York, and a woman who wields a hunting knife like Dirty Harry wields a gun - that's Normandy Gold. Fans of Megan Abbott's early books will especially love this one.

A charming, hopelessly in love stalker murderer - that's Joe. When Beck walks into his bookstore Joe is sure she's the One. Though the subject matter is dark, this was a quick and engaging read. It's hard not to like Joe (at least in the beginning).

Beautiful writing tells a devastating story: A young, African American couple is just a year into their marriage when the husband is accused and convicted of a crime he didn't commit. That he is innocent is never a question but it doesn't matter. Their lives fall apart all the same.

Sometimes I envy the children today with all their tae kwon do, psychotherapy, and language immersion, but at the same time, I appreciate that back then being little meant you really didn't have to do anything but stay alive and have fun.

Powerful.

A healthy teenage girl has a sudden seizure in class. A second girl develops facial tics and faints. Girl after girl start exhibiting strange symptoms. What is making them sick? Could it be the HPV vaccine or the contaminated lake? Well Megan Abbott wrote this book so you know it is probably something more sinister than either of those. Strap in for a table of female desire, friendship, and competition.

This is one of those books where I can tell you what happened but I couldn't tell you exactly what the book was about.

Suppose to be read slowly over 30 days as there are tasks to work on each day, but I read it quickly because reasons. It is a good kick in the pants to start working towards positive changes.

Alice has a crush on a boy, doesn't know what she wants to major in at college, and is in an ongoing fight with her two best friends who happen to be a couple. Alice is also asexual and although she is comfortable with who she is, she is less comfortable in telling people. It's diverse and intersectional. It is slow in parts but a overall a good debut novel.

For someone like me who knew nothing about the royal family, this is a good enough introduction to one of its members. However, there isn't much actual documentation to back up the story. Not that I doubt what is written but a biography should have citations to sources.

No one lived forever. But you fought for every minute you could get. (page 481)

"If we are forced to sell Tyersell Park I only get a few hundred million. I'm going to be a nobody now!"

This is truly a rich people problem ?

The soap opera that began in Crazy Rich Asians continues in China Rich Girlfriend. The stakes are lower here, making the story a little less engaging but it's still fun.

When I went to Australia last year I found a bookstore and asked a bookseller to recommend a book by an Australian author that I couldn't easily get in the US. He recommend The Amber Amulet. It's a lovely little story about a boy who dons a superhero costume and patrols his neighborhood at night. He worries that one of his neighbors is unhappy and takes it upon himself to do something about that.

Gossip Girl, Downton Abbey - I am down for stories about rich people problems. Crazy Rich Asians is exactly that only bonus, it's set in Singapore, a place I know little about and enjoyed being introduced to. This wasn't a deep book but it was certainly fun! I'm looking forward to the watching the movie and reading the rest of the series.

I don't know what I love more: this quote or that NDT is quoting himself.

Born second, Henry never expected to be king but suddenly Henry is next in line for the throne. Now he has to act like a semi-responsible adult. So of course he signs up for a Bachelor style reality show with 20 women vying to be his queen. Then in walks shy, sexy librarian Sarah. She's a chaperone not a contestant. Her romance with Henry starts out chaste. It's very sweet and then things get steamy.

On being a librarian: "There's privilege and honor in this work - showing people a whole new world, filled with characters and places and emotions they wouldn't have experienced without me. It's magical."

Just starting Royally Matched and one of the main characters is a librarian. I'm liking this already.

Royally Screwed is like aCinderella style, Hallmark movie but with hot sex. Lots of fun.

This should be fun...

Stephen takes his 3-year-old to the market, turns around and she's gone. You'd think this was about a kidnapping or parents dealing with the loss but then there's a guy who reverts to his childhood and a book on raising kids published by the government. Puzzling. I've read 3 books now by McEwan (Atonement, Sweet Tooth) and they all have strange endings that never seem quite right.

One word: Powerful.

Wonder Woman, or Diana, is unlike her Amazon sisters in that she has never been in a real battle. She desperately wants to prove herself. She gets her chance when a ship sinks off the coast. Diana manages to save one of the ship's passengers- Alia, who turns out to be bear the curse of being a warbringer. People near her simply start fighting. But Diana knows there's a way to save Alia and the world...this was fun. Wonder Woman as a teenager.

I'm never quite sure how to talk about poetry. I don't feel like I have the right tools to discuss or critique poetry. All I can say is I enjoyed this.

Rereading a classic.

The protomolecule has formed some sort of gate in the orbit of Uranus and humanity isn't quite sure what to make of it. Where does the gate lead? Is the product of evil or something less menacing? No one knows and everyone is scared.

Slow burn mystery that at first glance appears to be another domestic abuse tragedy, but something doesn't add up. In between dealing with an old boys network that isn't to happy to have her on their squad, Det. Antoinette Conway and het partner set out to find out what really went down.

Friends to lovers romance with family issues. This was my first Santino Hassell book. I'll definitely be reading more.

Novella centering on Nick, one of my favorite characters in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series.

Made me feel better about getting older. This makes 2 books completed for the readathon.

All the women of the otherworld in one place for a final adventure. Of course they save the world
A fitting end to the series.

I love this cover. The inside was pretty good to. This is part of Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. This time Savannah is the star. She's all grown up and doing her first solo investigation. If you're looking for a quick, fun read this is a good one to pick up.

This is history I wished I had known about when I was a girl - Smart, hard working African-American women mathematicians who who persevered despite segregation and Jim Crow laws. There is a line in the epilogue about how some of us look in the national mirror of history and don't often see ourselves reflected back. This book is a reminder that the history of America is much broader than the narrow narrative that passes as history in schools.

Born a Crime is Trevor Noah' s memoir about growing up in South Africa. He was born during apartheid so I expected stories of sadness and violence. I didn't expect to laugh as much as I did. Not to be mistaken, there is sadness and violence but that was outweighed by laughter and gratitude. In addition to laughs readers are treated to Noah's insightful explorations of race, gender, and poverty. I very much enjoyed this and highly recommend.

"Learn from your past and be better because of your past [...] but don't cry about your past. Life is full of pain. Let the pain sharpen you, but don't hold on to it. Don't be bitter. "

After being thrown out of a moving car to escape violet thugs while trying to get to church, 9-year-old Trevor says to his mother, "I know you love Jesus, but maybe next week you could ask him to meet us at our house. Because this wasn't a fun night. " ??

There was a lot going on in this book, perhaps a little too much. A father leaves his California born and raised daughter, Charley, a sugarcane farm in Louisiana. The book touches on a variety of issues - race, drug abuse, mental illness - touches but doesn't explore them in much depth. Queen Sugar is a debut novel. It was good not great, good enough that I'd give the author's next book a try.

Simple story, beautiful writing.

This was another of our fears: that Life wouldn't turn out to be like Literature.

Ballet, boarding school, fiercely ambitious young women, and a diverse set of characters - this series is basically catnip for me.

Listening to Byran Stevenson speak at AALL about injustice and confronting it. He's an amazing speaker.

I didn't love this. There were some good ideas but they were not explored enough. I can see why this won so many rewards, it is exactly the kind of book awards people like but I don't think awards people read like other people do. Overall I'm ambivalent about The Underground Railroad, can't decide whether I liked it or not.

A good way of saying African Americans are not a monolith.

This comic is just a delight. Funny and lots of teen drama without being at all annoying.

(Hard) science fiction with a mystery set in space - I loved it! Story is told from the perspective of two men: Idealistic Holden doesn't see the consequences of his actions and believes if there are no secrets justice will win the day. Detective Miller understands how people and by extension politics, actually works. Boasts an effortlessly diverse cast of characters and a well told story.

Reading Leviathan Wakes reminds me of reading Moby Dick, in a good way - every ship name means something - Rocinante, Guy Molinari, Canterbury - so I'm constantly looking things up in an attempt to understand the symbolism.

I love how this is effortlessly diverse.