#READSOULLIT FEBRUARY WRAP UP
February has sadly come to a close, but this has been a really good reading month for me. First off, I pretty much read EVERY book on my TBR (pats oneself on the back) and the books that I didn't get to finish, like two I think, are not forgotten just pushed back a month or two. But let's not dwell on that, let us get to the books that I have read and loved this month. There are 3 five star books, 4 four star books, 2 three star books and 1 two star book. #ReadSoulLit over on Instagram was crazy good this year, so many new people joined in and I got so many new recommendations and additions to my ever growing to be read list on Goodreads. The photo challenge is really my favorite part of the whole month. Let's get into the books:
Grace- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was my second attempt at reading this gut-wrenching book, and I was not disappointed. It's heartbreaking and is not like any slave narrative I have ever read. We begin the book following a runaway slave, named Naomi, who is pregnant and is right on the verge of giving birth when she is run down. We follow Naomi as she flashes back between 1848 and 1869 as she narrates her story and what has happened to the child that she never got to hold. I thought this was an amazing story and for a debut novel, I was very impressed, very. There were moments when I felt that I had to put the book down to put my emotions in check over the crazy crap that happens to Naomi and you wonder, even at the 335-page mark, what has happened to this poor girl for us to come upon her on her dying day. Such a sad book, but I felt it had some serious gems that I felt were talking right to me:
"Being a woman means always having to bend at the knees even for the simplest relief."
"Some children are born to heal us. To heal the holes we thought were forever or heal the holes we didn't know we had."
I couldn't read this book and go through all those emotions not to give it 5 stars, it's worth way more than that. Please go check it out.
Midnight Without A Moon-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Set during the summer or 1955 Mississipi, we are following a young girl by the name of Rose Lee Carter. Her mother has left with her new husband and her new children to Chicago and has left her and her brother Fred Lee with their grandparents who live and work on a farm. This young 12-year-old girl and her friend Hallelujah, the preachers' son learn what it means to be black in Mississippi, living and working off land they don't own and what the white people in their state will do to keep those in power powerful and those without it, scared. From killing those who want to register to vote to those playing with the idea of moving North.
I really loved this book, I loved the spirit that embodies Rose. She has been through so much at such a tender age and for a girl knowing that her education is her ticket out of Mississippi doesn't let her Ma Pearl (who is like the worst, even though as a mother I can understand where she might be coming from when it comes to trying to protect her family, but really she was just a bitch and not in anyway helpful to any cause) I loved the history in this book and the connection to time. You really felt for everyone and I can't wait to read the second book in this series, I need to know how Roses story ends.
Tar Baby- ⭐⭐⭐
This is my 1st Toni Morrison book and I am so happy that I had the audiobook and two, read this with many other people and was able to talk about it as we were reading it.
The more I talked about it the more it gave me so much to think about when it came to the reading and reviewing it that I think I have conquered my fear that I had when it came to her books #goals. The book follows these people that reside in this house on an island and it's during the Christmas season then turns into a love story after a very strange encounter. I loved the flow of the first 1/2 of this book, it wasn't hard. I really liked the characters and the interactions that happened between them all. And the ideas and that Son and Ondine presented to Jadine even though she might not have been in the right mindset to hear and understand them. She was a very strong-minded woman, but at least she knew when the road of romance came to an end instead of becoming more wounded than she was. Son was a very toxic character. And Valerian and his wife were definitely pieces of work. I think I might try Sula as my next Morrison read, it seems to be her most popular book amongst those whom I have talked to about her works.
As the first that I have read by Marlon James, OMFG it was so damn good. I was hooked by this book right from page one. This book follows a slave woman named Lilith from her birth to womanhood on the plantation that she lives on in Jamacia between the timeframe of 1785 to1801, which isn't a place I have ever read a slavery narrative from. I don't want to give too much about the plot of the story because I feel like you should go into this book blind, but just know that it is a slave narrative and those things that you associate with that is VERY true for this book: rape, beatings, disfigurement, ill-manners, the whole shebang. There are moments where I had to pause, turn away, and bite a knuckle because of the suspense that this book put me through. I loved the characters, even the assholes ones. They gave the story such purpose and depth. Homer is probably one of my favorite characters, she was wise, funny, and smarter than even her masters could give her credit for. This book was everything and a new favorite of mines. It's easy to say that I will be picking up A Brief History of Seven Killings sometime this year.
Resurrecting Midnight-⭐⭐⭐
The fourth book in the Gideon series and for some reason, it took me about 200 pages (damn near 1/2 the book) to really get into this one. The first three books in this series were great, loved them. But I think because I took so much time between reading the first three and this one, I lost momentum when it came to reading these books in the voice of Gideon and in the voice of his adversary. Not to get too spoilery with it, but Gideon and Arizona are back again (and yes, she is still a messy bitch) with the help of Hawks and others to try and secure a briefcase from a bunch of mercs calling themselves The Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse. There is more to it than that, but you'll have to read the previous books to really get an understanding of the dynamic not only on the Gideon side of things but also on the side of the Horsemen.
What I will say that this read as if I was watching an action movie, I mean really: assassins, car chases, exploding limos, motorcycle gun battles this had it all. All with a South American backdrop. You can tell that EJD really went to these places he describes in his book, the amount of detail can be both great for setting the mood but also it can be very annoying the amount of detail he chooses to give us. But I guess if he didn't, it wouldn't have felt as authentic. I liked this installment, but maybe one day on a reread I'll love it more. The last book in the series Finding Gideon will definitely be read before the year is up.
Taking place in the year 2025, we follow a young girl by the name of Lauren Olamina who suffers from hyperempathy, which means that she can feel the pain of others around her, she is very sensitive to it. We follow her as she narrates her life in a walled town just outside L.A. (Los Angeles CA) as they go through this world crisis where water is sparse, as is electricity and food. Lauren feels like there has to be something more than what is here in their little community and after the disappearance of a family member and a fire that leads to an invasion, Lauren takes off for the open road. With her books and new ideas for the future (Earthseed) to guide her, Lauren is on her way North and we follow her and the people she meets.
I really liked this book and it's kind of scary that if things keep going the way they are with #45 being the shithead that he is, this world is in for a new beginning and might soon be our future. It reminded me of the world in the Mad Max movies. It also made me want to go and buy survival books and a bugout pack. I read a review that said for someone who sufferers from hyperempathy, she didn't come off that way in the writing, but I had to remember that this is her journal(at least that is how it read to me) her feelings are in there, but it's more about how Earthseed was born and how putting it out to the masses (the people she travels with) take it. And how it will grow on.
Night Hawk- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I wasn't expecting to read this book in one sitting. I just wanted something to listen to while I did my daughter's hair, but I found myself once again being sucked into Beverly Jenkins' writing and her storytelling and I loved it. Maybe I needed to read a romance novel and she always delivers. In this tale, taking place in the 1800's we follow a woman (a 1/2 Black 1/2 Kaw woman named Maggie) as she is under arrest for self-defense and while at the train station waiting to go and see the judge, a group of bandits (lead by the dead mans brother) come and want to take justice into their own hands, but little do they know a Bounty Hunter (Preacher) is aboard the train and the Sheriff asks Preacher to take possession of the prisoner and escort her to the justice. He obliges and they set forth on this journey. Now of course, since this is a romance novel, you can probably guess what happens next, but it's their story on how they fall in love with each other that really gets you. Maggie is a strong-willed woman who isn't afraid of hard work and has been working hand to mouth all her life. Preacher is an outlaw turned lawman with a dead wife and no one to love. You'd have to be blind not to see that one coming. But it's his love that grew for her and the strength of her character that makes it such a sweet tale. And of course, since this is a Beverly Jenkins novel, there is TONS of historical information placed throughout this book. I loved it.
The set up of the book was good too, there were chapters where it bounces back to when Lou was a kid and her sister went missing and its effects on her life now and the case that she is working on. The only thing about that was kind of throwing me off was when we got chapters from a different POV. I liked them, but sometimes I felt like they messed up the flow of the book. Maybe less of her past and more of the killer POV would have solved it. But other than that it was funny, engaging and the working relationship between Colin and Norton was fun to see grow. He reminded me of the guy who stars in Altered Carbon. At least that's how I picture him And Simone Missick is exactly who I picture Elouise to be. I'm really happy about this series and I will be reading book 2 in March, please believe me.
Soooooo... Who saw Black Panther this month? How many times did you see it? BECAUSE let me tell you, it was AWESOME and I saw it twice this month. I saw it on opening weekend, the place was packed but no one got all dressed up for it. I can not wait for it to come out on DVD. Let me know what you have read in this month and which was your favorite read? Check back in tomorrow for a look into my TBR for #MarchMysteryMadness!!
Set during the summer or 1955 Mississipi, we are following a young girl by the name of Rose Lee Carter. Her mother has left with her new husband and her new children to Chicago and has left her and her brother Fred Lee with their grandparents who live and work on a farm. This young 12-year-old girl and her friend Hallelujah, the preachers' son learn what it means to be black in Mississippi, living and working off land they don't own and what the white people in their state will do to keep those in power powerful and those without it, scared. From killing those who want to register to vote to those playing with the idea of moving North.
I really loved this book, I loved the spirit that embodies Rose. She has been through so much at such a tender age and for a girl knowing that her education is her ticket out of Mississippi doesn't let her Ma Pearl (who is like the worst, even though as a mother I can understand where she might be coming from when it comes to trying to protect her family, but really she was just a bitch and not in anyway helpful to any cause) I loved the history in this book and the connection to time. You really felt for everyone and I can't wait to read the second book in this series, I need to know how Roses story ends.
Tar Baby- ⭐⭐⭐
This is my 1st Toni Morrison book and I am so happy that I had the audiobook and two, read this with many other people and was able to talk about it as we were reading it.
The more I talked about it the more it gave me so much to think about when it came to the reading and reviewing it that I think I have conquered my fear that I had when it came to her books #goals. The book follows these people that reside in this house on an island and it's during the Christmas season then turns into a love story after a very strange encounter. I loved the flow of the first 1/2 of this book, it wasn't hard. I really liked the characters and the interactions that happened between them all. And the ideas and that Son and Ondine presented to Jadine even though she might not have been in the right mindset to hear and understand them. She was a very strong-minded woman, but at least she knew when the road of romance came to an end instead of becoming more wounded than she was. Son was a very toxic character. And Valerian and his wife were definitely pieces of work. I think I might try Sula as my next Morrison read, it seems to be her most popular book amongst those whom I have talked to about her works.
Patternmaster -⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last book in the Seed to Harvest series is a whopper of a book. It takes places hundreds of years after Clay's Ark where the world is split into two dominant factions and one minor: Patternist, Clayarks, and mutes (people not connected with the pattern and are not infected with the ClayArks disease). The war between the Patternist and the Clayarks in this story and the struggle for power between two brothers, Teray and Coransee. At first, I wasn't sure what I was getting into when it came to this installment, because of the way I felt after reading Clay's Ark but when looking back over the entire story arc of all the books and the progression of the story, it's brilliant!
Seed to Harvest as a whole gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me. Octavia E. Butler is a genius and I love her works. It's sad that we won't get any more from her. The story arc and the world that she has built for us is amazing.
The Book Of Night Women- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Seed to Harvest as a whole gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me. Octavia E. Butler is a genius and I love her works. It's sad that we won't get any more from her. The story arc and the world that she has built for us is amazing.
As the first that I have read by Marlon James, OMFG it was so damn good. I was hooked by this book right from page one. This book follows a slave woman named Lilith from her birth to womanhood on the plantation that she lives on in Jamacia between the timeframe of 1785 to1801, which isn't a place I have ever read a slavery narrative from. I don't want to give too much about the plot of the story because I feel like you should go into this book blind, but just know that it is a slave narrative and those things that you associate with that is VERY true for this book: rape, beatings, disfigurement, ill-manners, the whole shebang. There are moments where I had to pause, turn away, and bite a knuckle because of the suspense that this book put me through. I loved the characters, even the assholes ones. They gave the story such purpose and depth. Homer is probably one of my favorite characters, she was wise, funny, and smarter than even her masters could give her credit for. This book was everything and a new favorite of mines. It's easy to say that I will be picking up A Brief History of Seven Killings sometime this year.
Resurrecting Midnight-⭐⭐⭐
The fourth book in the Gideon series and for some reason, it took me about 200 pages (damn near 1/2 the book) to really get into this one. The first three books in this series were great, loved them. But I think because I took so much time between reading the first three and this one, I lost momentum when it came to reading these books in the voice of Gideon and in the voice of his adversary. Not to get too spoilery with it, but Gideon and Arizona are back again (and yes, she is still a messy bitch) with the help of Hawks and others to try and secure a briefcase from a bunch of mercs calling themselves The Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse. There is more to it than that, but you'll have to read the previous books to really get an understanding of the dynamic not only on the Gideon side of things but also on the side of the Horsemen.
What I will say that this read as if I was watching an action movie, I mean really: assassins, car chases, exploding limos, motorcycle gun battles this had it all. All with a South American backdrop. You can tell that EJD really went to these places he describes in his book, the amount of detail can be both great for setting the mood but also it can be very annoying the amount of detail he chooses to give us. But I guess if he didn't, it wouldn't have felt as authentic. I liked this installment, but maybe one day on a reread I'll love it more. The last book in the series Finding Gideon will definitely be read before the year is up.
Black Panther: The Young Prince-⭐⭐
I liked this book it wasn't half bad. It was a fast read, filled with youth. T'Challa and his friend M'Baku are sent to Chicago as exchange students from Kenya as a disguise while T'Challa's father fights off enemies bordering Wakanda. The story follows the two boys as they navigate their way around South Side Middle School and the city of Chicago. And in just like most schools in America they have to deal with bullies, cliques and the pressures of being "cool" in a new school. But while there, a rift forms between the two friends and T'Challa must find a way of saving his friend and solving a bit of a mystery revolving around one of the other students at the school.
I thought this book flowed very well. There weren't any awkward moments in the writing and I liked the characters (Zeke and Shelia were funny and felt very true life), I felt the bully of this tale was flat in his dislike for T'Challa. It seemed as if he was only against T'Challa because he was new and he called him Africa, which I hated. One thing that I didn't understand, was why it was set in the modern age. Cell phones, tablets and such. I would have thought that this book would have been set in the 70's or 80's even, given that the new BP movie that came out this month in this timeframe. Maybe he was writing it for those kids who won't be seeing BP in theaters now. SPOILERS AHEAD I think the reason why I took it down a couple of stars was that they went all the way to Chicago to deal with Voodoo and demon spirits, I thought that was just out of place, I didn't even like the fact that they had Nick Fury in here. I liked the book, but I wished it was a different plot. END SPOILERS.
Parable Of The Sower- ⭐⭐⭐⭐Taking place in the year 2025, we follow a young girl by the name of Lauren Olamina who suffers from hyperempathy, which means that she can feel the pain of others around her, she is very sensitive to it. We follow her as she narrates her life in a walled town just outside L.A. (Los Angeles CA) as they go through this world crisis where water is sparse, as is electricity and food. Lauren feels like there has to be something more than what is here in their little community and after the disappearance of a family member and a fire that leads to an invasion, Lauren takes off for the open road. With her books and new ideas for the future (Earthseed) to guide her, Lauren is on her way North and we follow her and the people she meets.
I really liked this book and it's kind of scary that if things keep going the way they are with #45 being the shithead that he is, this world is in for a new beginning and might soon be our future. It reminded me of the world in the Mad Max movies. It also made me want to go and buy survival books and a bugout pack. I read a review that said for someone who sufferers from hyperempathy, she didn't come off that way in the writing, but I had to remember that this is her journal(at least that is how it read to me) her feelings are in there, but it's more about how Earthseed was born and how putting it out to the masses (the people she travels with) take it. And how it will grow on.
Night Hawk- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I wasn't expecting to read this book in one sitting. I just wanted something to listen to while I did my daughter's hair, but I found myself once again being sucked into Beverly Jenkins' writing and her storytelling and I loved it. Maybe I needed to read a romance novel and she always delivers. In this tale, taking place in the 1800's we follow a woman (a 1/2 Black 1/2 Kaw woman named Maggie) as she is under arrest for self-defense and while at the train station waiting to go and see the judge, a group of bandits (lead by the dead mans brother) come and want to take justice into their own hands, but little do they know a Bounty Hunter (Preacher) is aboard the train and the Sheriff asks Preacher to take possession of the prisoner and escort her to the justice. He obliges and they set forth on this journey. Now of course, since this is a romance novel, you can probably guess what happens next, but it's their story on how they fall in love with each other that really gets you. Maggie is a strong-willed woman who isn't afraid of hard work and has been working hand to mouth all her life. Preacher is an outlaw turned lawman with a dead wife and no one to love. You'd have to be blind not to see that one coming. But it's his love that grew for her and the strength of her character that makes it such a sweet tale. And of course, since this is a Beverly Jenkins novel, there is TONS of historical information placed throughout this book. I loved it.
Land Of Shadows- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wow. I am so glad that I finally took the advice of some of my friends on Insta about this book. This is the first book in the Detective Elouise Norton series and it was like slipping into a nice warm bath. The story and the characters were so real to me and so interesting that it was hard for me to put this down and not think about the story.
In this book, a young girl is found murdered and Lou, as she is affectionally called, is handling the case with her new straight from Colorado partner, Colin. I really liked Elouise as a character she's troubled, she has grudges, she's a black female in a profession mainly populated by white males. She acknowledges that and she strives in it. She had dreams of being on the Special Detective Squad (they solve the big cases) and she has a mother who loves and cares for her. Her husband ain't shit though.
In this book, a young girl is found murdered and Lou, as she is affectionally called, is handling the case with her new straight from Colorado partner, Colin. I really liked Elouise as a character she's troubled, she has grudges, she's a black female in a profession mainly populated by white males. She acknowledges that and she strives in it. She had dreams of being on the Special Detective Squad (they solve the big cases) and she has a mother who loves and cares for her. Her husband ain't shit though.
The set up of the book was good too, there were chapters where it bounces back to when Lou was a kid and her sister went missing and its effects on her life now and the case that she is working on. The only thing about that was kind of throwing me off was when we got chapters from a different POV. I liked them, but sometimes I felt like they messed up the flow of the book. Maybe less of her past and more of the killer POV would have solved it. But other than that it was funny, engaging and the working relationship between Colin and Norton was fun to see grow. He reminded me of the guy who stars in Altered Carbon. At least that's how I picture him And Simone Missick is exactly who I picture Elouise to be. I'm really happy about this series and I will be reading book 2 in March, please believe me.Soooooo... Who saw Black Panther this month? How many times did you see it? BECAUSE let me tell you, it was AWESOME and I saw it twice this month. I saw it on opening weekend, the place was packed but no one got all dressed up for it. I can not wait for it to come out on DVD. Let me know what you have read in this month and which was your favorite read? Check back in tomorrow for a look into my TBR for #MarchMysteryMadness!!
🙅🙅✊
#WakandaForever
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