Darriona's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 04 May 2025 17:37:32 -0700 60 Darriona's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng]]> 218185743
These days nobody can reach Cora: not her aunt, who wants her to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival; not her weird colleagues; and especially not the slack-jawed shadow lurking around her door frame. After all, it can't be real—can it? After a series of unexplained killings in Chinatown, Cora believes someone might be targeting East Asian women, and something might be targeting Cora herself.]]> 304 Kylie Lee Baker 0778368459 Darriona 0 to-read 4.24 2025 Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng
author: Kylie Lee Baker
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Blob: A Love Story 212994452 'A modern-day Mrs. Caliban, BLOB is a book that looks at identity and desire in profoundly interesting ways'
Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here

A hilarious and moving debut novel about a young woman who decides to turn a sentient blob into her perfect boyfriend...

The daughter of a Taiwanese father and white mother, Vi Liu has never quite fit into her Midwestern college town. Now at twenty-three, after getting dumped and dropping out of college, Vi works as a front desk attendant at a hotel where she refills cucumber water samovars and fends off overtures of friendship from her bubbly blond coworker, Rachel. But when Vi decides to accompany Rachel to a local drag show, her life changes forever. In the alley outside the bar, next to a trash can, is a blob with beady black eyes. Unable to leave it behind, Vi picks up the creature and, in a moment of drunken desperation, takes it home with her.

As her pet blob becomes sentient, Vi realizes it obeys her commands and she decides to mold the blob into her ideal partner. She feeds it sugary cereal and a stream of pop culture, and soon the creature transforms into a movie-star handsome white man. But as Vi's desire to be loved unconditionally threatens to spiral out of control, she is forced to confront her lonely childhood, the ex-boyfriend who has unfriended her, and the racial marginalization that has defined her relationships. Ultimately, Vi embarks on a journey of self-discovery and learns that it's impossible to control those you love.

Blending the familiar with the fantastical, BLOB tells a witty, heartfelt story of what it means to be human.

'An inventive, utterly unique debut'
Kimberly King Parsons, author of Black Light]]> 256 Maggie Su 0063358646 Darriona 0 to-read 3.38 2025 Blob: A Love Story
author: Maggie Su
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> How About Forever? 227942798 “I’ve missed you for eight hundred and thirty days. A weekend fling will never be enough. I’m always going to want more.�

Giselle Lorde and Roman Braithwaite met in Antigua during their best friends� elopement and were struck by the instant attraction and connection they felt.

They agreed to a single night together, thinking it would satiate the desire they felt for each other, but things did not go as planned. Roman wanted to further explore the feelings brewing between them but Giselle laced up her track shoes and ran fast.

She’s been running ever since. But nobody can run forever, and when Roman and Giselle finally meet back up in Vegas some two and a half years later, they must both confront the fact that their feelings haven’t changed.
Giselle suggests a weekend fling to finally get each other out of their systems, but it soon becomes apparent that a weekend won’t be enough.

Roman counters with an unexpected how about forever?

Giselle hates that the idea of a Vegas marriage to Roman intrigues her, but she decides to throw caution to the wind for once in her life and follow her heart.
Will this be the start of something beautiful or the worst decision of Giselle and Roman’s lives?]]> 186 Rilzy Adams Darriona 0 to-read 4.41 How About Forever?
author: Rilzy Adams
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> This Is Not a Ghost Story 199793438 Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Amerie’sĚýdazzling,Ěýsatirical adult debut tells the story ofĚýa Black man who walks into the light…to find himself in Los Angeles, where he becomes an instant celebrity for being the first visible and verifiable ghost.Ěý

John’s House provides all he needs. Surrounded by a vast, beautiful ocean under a void of sky, the House is John’s haven. He is alone, but never lonely; he is here now, but neither remembers nor longs for a before. In his House, John is safe and untroubled.

But then a terrible shadow creature breaks in—and it wants him out. Pushed from the House, John falls into the light�

And finds himself in modern-day Los Angeles, the first person to ever come back from the other side. Though he has no memory of his past life, or even how he died, everyone wants to know more about the Black man who has returned from the dead—is he the second coming? A hoax? Or something beyond explanation? Soon he has brand deals, TV interviews, and politicians aiming to use him for their agendas, yet all John wants is to go home.

But going home will require, most unfortunately, help. In search of a way back, John grudgingly joins forces with a mystic holding dubious qualifications, a hard-edged publicist bent on making him famous, and an aspiring actress who is unsettlingly familiar. With this ragtag band of allies, John begins a journey to find his House on the ocean—but getting there will prove more complicated than he imagined, for it will require not only trusting in someone other than himself, but will mean uncovering painful truths about who John was in life and, perhaps most difficult, who he must become.

A gorgeous, tender story of hope, sacrifice, and what it means to be human,ĚýThis Is Not a Ghost Story introduces an astonishing new voice in literary fiction.]]> 304 Amerie 0358653088 Darriona 0 currently-reading, arcs 3.90 This Is Not a Ghost Story
author: Amerie
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves: currently-reading, arcs
review:

]]> Audre & Bash Are Just Friends 218372271 This sweet, funny, electrifying romance stars sixteen-year-old Audre Mercy-Moore, first introduced in the NYT bestseller, Seven Days in June. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon!
Ěý
MEET AUDRE. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time.
Ěý
MEET BASH. Mysterious new senior. Everybody’s crush. Tall, floppy, great taste in jewelry. King of having a good time.
Ěý
It’s the last day of school at Cheshire Prep, Brooklyn’s elite academy—and Audre Mercy-Moore’s life is a mess. Her dad cancelled her annual summer visit to his Malibu beach house. Now? She’s stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby).
Ěý
Under these conditions, she’ll never finish writing her self-help book—ie, the key to winning over Stanford’s admissions board.
Ěý
Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her “fun consultant.� His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge—her list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She’ll get inspo; he’ll get paid. Everybody wins.
Ěý
He isn’t boyfriend material. And she’s not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?
Ěý
SCORCHING-HOT SUMMER. SCORCHING-HOT CHEMISTRY. But Audre and Bash can’t forget—they’re just friends.
Ěý]]> 384 Tia Williams 0316511080 Darriona 5 arcs
I'm so glad Tia Williams wrote this. I am a huge fan of Seven Days In June and Audre was a favorite in that book, so I was really excited when it was announced that Audre would be getting her own romance. This book was not only cute and heartwarming, but also hilarious. It was such a fun story and Audre and Bash were absolutely adorable!

Audre was a delight as usual. She still a teenage therapist and absolutely brilliant. My earth sign queen. Her and Bash were very different yet similar in ways. It was fun to see their bond develop as Bash taught Audre how to live a little for the summer. I feel like they were able to really balance each other out. I also really liked Bash’s character because everyone made these crazy assumptions about him when he was just a chill guy LOL. He had his own stuff going own that made him the way he was, but he was a good kid and really good for Audre. They were just overall really cute.

It was nice to get acquainted with Eva and Shane again and catch up with them and their new lore. We got to see them in a different light post-SDIJ and it was nice. I also found it hilarious to see Shane’s father figure moments. Eva is still my girl, but I can’t say she didn’t work my nerves at times in this book. She was being a true helicopter mom. But given what we know about her past from Seven Days In June, I definitely understood why she was acting like that. (She was lowkey like that in SDIJ too quiet as kept, so it wasn't that shocking to me lmao). It was annoying at times, but not enough to take away from the book overall.

I loved this book and these characters are my actual family.]]> 4.30 2025 Audre & Bash Are Just Friends
author: Tia Williams
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/02
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: arcs
review:
Thank you to Hachette audio and Libro.fm for this ALC. This audio book was fantastic and I am obsessed with the duet style of narration!!!

I'm so glad Tia Williams wrote this. I am a huge fan of Seven Days In June and Audre was a favorite in that book, so I was really excited when it was announced that Audre would be getting her own romance. This book was not only cute and heartwarming, but also hilarious. It was such a fun story and Audre and Bash were absolutely adorable!

Audre was a delight as usual. She still a teenage therapist and absolutely brilliant. My earth sign queen. Her and Bash were very different yet similar in ways. It was fun to see their bond develop as Bash taught Audre how to live a little for the summer. I feel like they were able to really balance each other out. I also really liked Bash’s character because everyone made these crazy assumptions about him when he was just a chill guy LOL. He had his own stuff going own that made him the way he was, but he was a good kid and really good for Audre. They were just overall really cute.

It was nice to get acquainted with Eva and Shane again and catch up with them and their new lore. We got to see them in a different light post-SDIJ and it was nice. I also found it hilarious to see Shane’s father figure moments. Eva is still my girl, but I can’t say she didn’t work my nerves at times in this book. She was being a true helicopter mom. But given what we know about her past from Seven Days In June, I definitely understood why she was acting like that. (She was lowkey like that in SDIJ too quiet as kept, so it wasn't that shocking to me lmao). It was annoying at times, but not enough to take away from the book overall.

I loved this book and these characters are my actual family.
]]> Need You by Me 56697376 Because of his profession, we’d managed to stay out of each other’s way.
His age and respect for my father is what kept him from giving in to my flirtatious advances.
Over the years, we’d managed not to cross that line, until that one slightly drunken night…]]> 246 Endiya Carter Darriona 3 4.58 Need You by Me
author: Endiya Carter
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.58
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop]]> 63367192
“Sparkling . . . the overdue singing of a Black girl’s song, with perfect pitch . . . delicious to read.”� Oprah Daily

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, The Root, Variety, Esquire, The Guardian, Newsweek, Pitchfork, She Reads, Publishers Weekly

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD

A weave of biography, criticism, and memoir, Shine Bright is Danyel Smith’s intimate history of Black women’s music as the foundational story of American pop. Smith has been writing this history for more than five years. But as a music fan, and then as an essayist, editor ( Vibe, Billboard ), and podcast host ( Black Girl Songbook ), she has been living this history since she was a latchkey kid listening to “Midnight Train to Georgiaâ€� on the family stereo.Ěý

Smith’s detailed narrative begins with Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved woman who sang her poems, and continues through the stories of Mahalia Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Mariah Carey, as well as the under-considered careers of Marilyn McCoo, Deniece Williams, and Jody Watley.Ěý

Shine Bright is an overdue paean to musical masters whose true stories and genius have been hidden in plain sight—and the book Danyel Smith was born to write.]]> 336 Danyel Smith 0593132734 Darriona 3 non-fiction
I will say, I did the audiobook for this book and I didn’t necessarily care for the narration. ]]> 4.17 2022 Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop
author: Danyel Smith
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: non-fiction
review:
This book was a combination of history and personal memoir from the author but I enjoyed it. Black women in music really paved the way in so many ways and this is only just a tiny piece of history told in this book. I also like how the author intertwined these stories with her own personal anecdotes and connections to her personal life. It reminded me of They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abduraquib.

I will say, I did the audiobook for this book and I didn’t necessarily care for the narration.
]]> <![CDATA[You've Got a Place Here, Too: An Anthology of Black Love Stories Set at HBCUs]]> 221473206 A heartwarming and unforgettable collection of love stories at Historically Black Colleges and Universities that explore hope, endurance, and what it means to leave a legacy, from some of today's most prominent Black writers and edited by the acclaimed author of Love Radio.


Featuring stories by Elizabeth Acevedo, Kiese Laymon, Dawnie Walton, Farrah Rochon, Kennedy Ryan, Christine Platt, Nicola Yoon, Kai Harris, Carla Bruce and more.

Love can be messy, painful, and heartbreaking, but it can also be revolutionary, profound, and hopeful. With twelve stories ranging from love that’s found on one of the oldest HBCU campuses in the country, to modern-day romance budding against the rhythm and spirit of homecoming, You’ve Got a Place Here, Too is a celebration of Black love as well as everything HBCUs have given the community.

In Kennedy Ryan’s “Brave the Skies,� tensions brew between a once forbidden love. In Dawnie Walton’s “The Highest of Seven Hills,� Nia might land a second chance with the one that got away while visiting her alma mater. In Kai Harris� “Whatever Gods May Be,� a coveted audition for the Fisk University Jubilee Singers brings harmony in more ways than one. And in Kiese Laymon’s “The Musty� a darker romance ensues across Jackson State University.

Engrossing and heart-searing, tender and transporting, You’ve Got a Place Here, Too explores the beauty of finding love in transformative places.]]> 352 Ebony LaDelle 0593875176 Darriona 0 to-read 0.0 2025 You've Got a Place Here, Too: An Anthology of Black Love Stories Set at HBCUs
author: Ebony LaDelle
name: Darriona
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Park Avenue 217388273 #1 NYT-bestselling YA author Renee Ahdieh's adult debut novel, about a young lawyer who gets pulled in to manage a crisis with her firm's biggest client, a family whose Korean beauty brand is worth a billion dollars, pitched as CRAZY RICH ASIANS meets SUCCESSION

Jia Song was always destined for greatness. As the daughter of Korean bodega owners, she promised herself that she would have every Fifth Avenue luxury when she grew up, and it is all within reach. She has just made junior partner at her prestigious Manhattan law firm, she has two best friends who are always there for her, and she is even about to score the ultra-luxe Birkin bag of her dreams. Sure, maybe her love life is in shambles and she’s spending too much time at the office. But she is set up to become the firm’s next star. So when her boss asks her for a Friday morning favor, sitting in on the hush-hush family implosion of a high-level client, she accepts without hesitation—only to find out that the client in question is one of the most famous Korean families in the world.

The Park family’s net worth is estimated at a billion dollars, and their mega-successful Korean beauty brand has shaped the culture for the past two decades. But the patriarch is filing for divorce while his wife is dying, and their three children can’t stop snapping at each other. With both the family fortune and legacy under threat from the worst kind of scandal, it’s up to Jia to set things right—and she only has a month to do it. Suddenly, Jia is thrust into the three Park siblings� back-stabbing family politics and embroiled in a drama that feels straight out of a Korean soap opera. As Jia sorts through the lies and subterfuge, chasing the truth across the globe on private jets, she finds herself falling for this broken, badly-behaving family in ways she can’t quite explain. But it is also becoming all too clear that the Parks are hiding dark secrets, from themselves and from Jia. Can she separate the truth from the lies in time to protect the Parks� fortune and secure her success at the firm? And can she hold on to what’s most important, even if it means admitting that what she always wanted isn’t what she actually needs?]]> 320 Renée Ahdieh 1250897955 Darriona 0 to-read 4.19 2025 Park Avenue
author: Renée Ahdieh
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Julie Chan Is Dead 220195725 In this razor-sharp, diabolical debut thriller, a young woman steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life, only to discover dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.

Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.

Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.

Transforming into Chloe is easier than expected. Julie effortlessly adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life, complete with designer clothes, a meticulous skincare routine, and millions of adoring followers. However, Julie soon realizes that Chloe’s seemingly picture-perfect life was anything but.

Haunted by Chloe’s untimely death and struggling to fit into the privileged influencer circle, Julie faces mounting challenges during a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s exclusive group of influencer friends. As events spiral out of control, Julie uncovers the sinister forces that may have led to her sister’s demise and realizes she might be the next target.]]> 320 Liann Zhang 1668067919 Darriona 0 to-read 3.72 2025 Julie Chan Is Dead
author: Liann Zhang
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Audition 216247518 One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. A mesmerizing Mobius strip of a novel that asks who we are to the people we love.

Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an elegant and accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, and young—young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In Audition, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day—partner, parent, creator, muse—and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us best.]]> 208 Katie Kitamura 059385232X Darriona 0 to-read 3.54 2025 Audition
author: Katie Kitamura
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> King of Ashes 219833252 Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby returns with King of Ashes, a Godfather-inspired Southern crime epic and dazzling family drama.

When eldest son Roman Carruthers is summoned home after his father’s car accident, he finds his younger brother, Dante, in debt to dangerous criminals and his sister, Neveah, exhausted from holding the family—and the family business—together. Neveah and their father, who run the Carruthers Crematorium in the run-down central Virginia town of Jefferson Run, see death up close every day. But mortality draws even closer when it becomes clear that the crash that landed their father in a coma was no accident and Dante’s recklessness has placed them all in real danger.

Roman, a financial whiz with a head for numbers and a talent for making his clients rich, has some money to help buy his brother out of trouble. But in his work with wannabe tough guys, he’s forgotten that there are real gangsters out there. As his bargaining chips go up in smoke, Roman realizes that he has only one thing left to offer to save his himself, and his own particular set of skills.

Roman begins his work for the criminals while Neveah tries to uncover the long-ago mystery of what happened to their mother, who disappeared when they were teenagers. But Roman is far less of a pushover than the gangsters realize. He is willing to do anything to save his family. Anything.

Because everything burns.]]> 352 S.A. Cosby 1250832063 Darriona 5 arcs, by-black-men
Roman comes to visit his hometown after an urgent call from his sister and from there everything just goes crazy. The dynamics between the siblings were interesting. They grow apart and go in different directions in their life after a mysterious event occurs that essentially changes the trajectory of his family's life. I had mixed feelings about all of three of the siblings, but at the end of the day it's very clear why they ended up the way that they did. With Roman being the eldest sibling, he would do anything to keep them out of harms way, and I do mean anything. This book was violent, a little disturbing, crazy, and mysterious. All of the characters were engaging and compelling, even the villains/antagonist. I liked Roman's character most, even though he desperately needs to see a therapist.

I, personally, was surprised by everything that happened at the end. I love that for me. The build up was great and the reveals were shocking. I was not prepared. I think the story wrapped up in the only ways that it could. Roman was not playing with them people at all.

I had a love of fun reading this book and it was highly entertaining!!!]]> 4.54 2025 King of Ashes
author: S.A. Cosby
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: arcs, by-black-men
review:
S.A. Cosby does not miss!!! Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this ALC. This book was crazy but in the best ways ever! I was constantly on the edge of my seat while reading. And as usual, Adam Lazarre-White did an AMAZING job narrating this story. Him and S.A. Cosby are the ultimate duo!

Roman comes to visit his hometown after an urgent call from his sister and from there everything just goes crazy. The dynamics between the siblings were interesting. They grow apart and go in different directions in their life after a mysterious event occurs that essentially changes the trajectory of his family's life. I had mixed feelings about all of three of the siblings, but at the end of the day it's very clear why they ended up the way that they did. With Roman being the eldest sibling, he would do anything to keep them out of harms way, and I do mean anything. This book was violent, a little disturbing, crazy, and mysterious. All of the characters were engaging and compelling, even the villains/antagonist. I liked Roman's character most, even though he desperately needs to see a therapist.

I, personally, was surprised by everything that happened at the end. I love that for me. The build up was great and the reveals were shocking. I was not prepared. I think the story wrapped up in the only ways that it could. Roman was not playing with them people at all.

I had a love of fun reading this book and it was highly entertaining!!!
]]> All the Men I've Loved Again 218615956 From Christine Pride, the beloved coauthor of the Good Morning America Book Club Pick We Are Not Like Them, comes a dazzling solo debut novel about a woman who finds herself in the impossible situation of being in love with the same two men who won her heart in her early twenties again as she nears forty.

It’s 1999, TLC’s “No Scrubs� is topping the charts, y2k is looming on everyone’s mind, and Cora Belle has arrived at college ready to change her life. She’s determined to grow out of the shy, sheltered girl who attended an all-white prep in her all-white suburb. Cora is ready to conquer her fears and find her people, her place in the world, and herself.

What she’s totally unprepared for is Lincoln, with his dark skin, charming southern drawl, and that smile. Because how can you ever prepare yourself for the rollercoaster of first love with all its glorious, bewildering contradictions? Just when Cora thinks she’s got things figured out, a series of surprises and secrets threaten to upend everything she thought she understood about love and loyalty.

In the wake of these developments and a shocking tragedy, a new man enters Cora’s life—Aaron—further complicating everything. He’s the only one who seems to get her, and the letters she writes to him when the two are separated reveal the truth of their inescapable connection. There’s only one problem—how can she fall in love with one man when her heart belongs to another?

Twenty years later, and Cora is all grown up, or mostly, and has cloaked herself in loneliness like a warm blanket. It’s the safest choice. But then an unexpected reconnection and a chance encounter puts her right back where she started. The same two men, the same agonizing decision.

Finding herself in this position—again—will test everything Cora thought she knew about fate, love, and most importantly, herself. All The Men I’ve Loved Again is a big-hearted coming-of-age story for anyone who’s thought what if about a past love and what it would be like to have a second chance.]]> 320 Christine Pride 1668049538 Darriona 0 to-read 3.52 All the Men I've Loved Again
author: Christine Pride
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.52
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sky Daddy 216247489 Subversive and unexpectedly heartwarming, Sky Daddy hijacks the classic love story, exploring desire, fate, and the longing to be accepted for who we truly are.

Linda is doing her best to lead a life that would appear normal to the casual observer. Weekdays, she earns $20 an hour moderating comments for a video-sharing platform, then rides the bus home to the windowless garage she rents on the outskirts of San Francisco. But on the last Friday of each month, she indulges in her true passion: taking BART to SFO for a round-trip flight to a regional hub. The destination is irrelevant because each trip means a new date with a handsome stranger—a stranger whose intelligent windscreens, sleek fuselages, and powerful engines make Linda feel a way that no human ever could.

Linda knows that she can’t tell anyone she’s sexually obsessed with planes—nor can she reveal her belief her destiny is to “marry� one of her suitors by dying in a plane crash, thereby uniting her with her soulmate plane for eternity. But when an opportunity arises to hasten her dream of eternal partnership, and the carefully balanced elements of her life begin to spin out of control, she must choose between maintaining the trappings of normalcy and launching herself headlong toward the love she’s always dreamed of.]]> 368 Kate Folk 059323149X Darriona 0 to-read 4.01 2025 Sky Daddy
author: Kate Folk
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Great Mann 218460336 In this poignant retelling of The Great Gatsby, set amongst L.A.’s Black elite, a young veteran finds his way post-war, pulled into a new world of tantalizing possibilities—and explosive tensions.

In 1945, Charlie Trammell steps off a cross-country train into the vibrant tapestry of Los Angeles. Lured by his cousin Marguerite’s invitation to the esteemed West Adams Heights, Charlie is immediately captivated by the Black opulence of L.A.’s newly rechristened “Sugar Hill.�

Settling in at a local actress’s energetic boarding house, Charlie discovers a different way of life—one brimming with opportunity—from a promising career at a Black-owned insurance firm, the absence of Jim Crow, to the potential of an unforgettable romance. But nothing dazzles quite like James “Reaper� Mann.

Reaper’s extravagant parties, attended by luminaries like Lena Horne and Hattie McDaniel, draw Charlie in, bringing the milieu of wealth and excess within his reach. But as Charlie’s unusual bond with Reaper deepens, so does the tension in the neighborhood as white neighbors, frustrated by their own dwindling fortunes, ignite a landmark court case that threatens the community’s well-being with promises of retribution.

Told from the unique perspective of a young man who has just returned from a grueling, segregated war, The Great Mann weaves a compelling narrative of wealth and class, illuminating the complexities of Black identity and education in post-war America.]]> 320 Kyra Davis Lurie 0593800869 Darriona 0 to-read 4.65 2025 The Great Mann
author: Kyra Davis Lurie
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Worry 176443441
It’s March of 2019, and twenty-eight-year-old Jules Gold—anxious, artistically frustrated, and internet-obsessed—has been living alone in the apartment she once shared with the man she thought she’d marry when her younger sister Poppy comes to crash. Indefinitely. Poppy is a year out from a suicide attempt only Jules knows about, and as she searches for work and meaning in Brooklyn, Jules spends her days hate-scrolling the feeds of Mormon mommy bloggers and waiting for life to happen.

Then the hives that’ve plagued Poppy since childhood flare up. Jules’s uterus turns against her. Poppy brings home a maladjusted rescue dog named Amy Klobuchar. The girls� mother—a newly devout Messianic Jew—starts falling for the same deep-state conspiracy theories as Jules’s online mommies. A trip home to Florida ends in disaster. Amy Klobuchar may or may not have rabies. And Jules struggles halfheartedly to scrape her way to the source of her ennui, slowly and cruelly coming to blame Poppy for her own insufficiencies as a friend, a writer, and a sister. As the year shambles on and a new decade looms near, Jules and Poppy—comrades, competitors, permanent fixtures in each other’s lives—must ask themselves what they want their futures to look like, and whether they’ll spend them together or apart.

Deadpan, dark, and brutally funny, Worry is a sharp portrait of two sisters enduring a dread-filled American moment from a nervy new voice in contemporary fiction.]]> 304 Alexandra Tanner 1668018616 Darriona 0 to-read 3.32 2024 Worry
author: Alexandra Tanner
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Education of Kia Greer 205892982 The unfiltered story of a teen girl trying to escape the spotlight and the PR relationship that helps her find real happiness. Kia’s story is messy and romantic and completely unforgettable, perfect for fans of Jenny Han, Casey McQuiston or Mary H.K. Choi.

Just a discombobulated nepo baby in an overwhelming world�


Growing up in the public eye, Kia would gladly give up her privileged life as the daughter of a reality star for the freedom to find her own way—go to parties, go to college, make mistakes and fall in love like any other teen.

Then she meets Cass, and he offers a glimpse at the ordinary life she craves. But Cass is a rising star in his own right, and what starts as something sweet and undefined soon becomes a magnet for gossip and speculation—as if first love wasn't messy enough on its own.

The pressure of the spotlight starts taking its toll, chipping away at Kia's sense of self, pushing and pulling and reshaping her—body and mind—to fit the expectations of everyone around her. But what does Kia want for herself? And can her fragile new relationship survive the fallout?]]> Alanna Bennett Darriona 0 to-read 3.96 2025 The Education of Kia Greer
author: Alanna Bennett
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Matriarch: A Memoir 217044909 A glorious chronicle of a life like none other—enlightening, entertaining, surprising, empowering—and a testament to the world-changing power of Black motherhood

"You are Celestine," she said. She squatted to push the hair off my face and pull leaves off my pajama legs. "Like my sister and my grandmother." And there under the pecan tree, as she did countless times, that day my mother told me stories of the mothers and daughters that went before me.

Tina Knowles, the mother of iconic singer-songwriters Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Solange Knowles, and bonus daughter Kelly Rowland, is known the world over as a Matriarch with a capital M: a determined, self-possessed, self-aware, and wise woman who raised and inspired some of the great artists of our time. But this story is about so much more than that.

Matriarch begins with a precocious, if unruly, little girl growing up in 1950s Galveston, the youngest of seven. She is in love with her world, with extended family on every other porch and the sounds of Motown and the lapping beach always within earshot. But as the realities of race and the limitations of girlhood set in, she begins to dream of the world beyond. Her instincts and impulsive nature drive her far beyond the shores of Texas to discover the life awaiting her on the other side of childhood.

That life's journey—through grief and tragedy, creative and romantic risks and turmoil, the nurturing of superstar offspring and of her own special gifts—is the remarkable story she shares with readers here. This is a page-turning chronicle of family love and heartbreak, of loss and perseverance, and of the kind of creativity, audacity, and will it takes for a girl from Galveston to change the world. It's one brilliant woman's intimate and revealing story, and a multigenerational family saga that carries within it the story of America—and the wisdom that women pass on to each other, mothers to daughters, across generations.]]> 432 Tina Knowles 0593597400 Darriona 5 non-fiction 4.66 2025 Matriarch: A Memoir
author: Tina Knowles
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: non-fiction
review:
4.5 � I feel like Tina Knowles has always been a pretty open book, but I feel like this memoir gave us to opportunity to know her more. I love how the book was organized showcasing her life as a daughter, her life as a mother, and then her life on her own. Reading about her experiences with her family was heartwarming. Through many of the phases of her life her family was her strength and she loved them deeply. She has a lot of love for those that she cares about and will do anything for them. I also love how throughout this journey she was constantly learning about herself and learning to love herself in different ways all the same. This was a very vulnerable and heartwarming memoir. I also loved reading this as an audiobook. I think Ms. Tina did a great job of narrating her story.
]]> <![CDATA[Chloe: A Novel of Secrets and Lies]]> 216270014 New York Times bestselling author Connie Briscoe updates Daphne Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca in this chilling tale of domestic suspense centered on a spirited woman named Angel who marries a Black billionaire, only to discover that he remains haunted by his first wife who took her own life—or did she?

A mansion haunted by the ghost of a cool, charismatic first wife. A second bride from a small Southern town who may be in over her head. A brooding billionaire who grows icier the more his new wife questions him about the past.

In Connie Briscoe’s propulsive and entertaining novel, the elements of one of the most famous Gothic novels of all time is reimagined in surprising, yet still suspenseful, ways.

Angel is a private chef for the Harrison’s, one of the most powerful Black families on Martha’s Vineyard. Impossibly supercilious Jillian Harrison often spends the entire summer on the island, while her husband Irvin and their twenty-nine-year-old daughter Norma commute from Washington, DC, on weekends. They always join Jillian for the month of August, when the family throws a lavish garden party on the expansive lawn that is attended by nearly one hundred guests. This year’s guests include Everette Bruce, an influential Black billionaire, still in mourning for his first wife, Chloe, who committed suicide.

To the imperious Jillian’s surprise, Bruce ignores her and instead becomes enchanted with Angel. Eager to get away from the controlling Mrs. Harrison, Angel accepts Everett’s invitation to become the private chef at Riverwild, his massive mansion along the Potomac River. Her meals and company provide comfort Everett, and soon he and Angel begin a whirlwind romance that culminates in marriage.

Though Angel is confident and strong, over time, she begins to feel the enigmatic Chloe's ghost. The house’s staff, the head housekeeper Ida—a menacingly rigid thorn in Angel’s side—and even Everett, cannot seem to let the dead woman go, nor explain why the wealthy, stunning woman would kill herself. The more questions Angel asks, the more melancholic Everett becomes, revealing a far less charming side of himself. Just how well does Angel know Everett? Did she marry in haste?

The answers lie somewhere in Riverwild . . .]]> 216 Connie Briscoe 0063338580 Darriona 0 to-read 2.98 Chloe: A Novel of Secrets and Lies
author: Connie Briscoe
name: Darriona
average rating: 2.98
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]]> When I Left Home: My Story 13237709 320 Buddy Guy 0306819570 Darriona 0 to-read 4.27 2012 When I Left Home: My Story
author: Buddy Guy
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Pugs and Kisses 221179246 The New York Times bestselling author of Almost There deliversĚýa second chance romance between two dog lovers, perfect for readers of Abby Jimenez and Jasmine Guillory.Ěý
From the outside, veterinarian Evie Williams appears to have the perfectĚýbut boring life.ĚýShe is desperate to figure out a way to shake it up,Ěýbut gets more than she bargained for when she findsĚýher fiancĂ© in bed with another woman. Suddenly, Evie is without a fiancĂ© or a job, and isn’t sure what her next steps should be. That is, until her college crush, Bryson Mitchell, returns to town.ĚýĚý

Now, a nationally recognized veterinary surgeon, Bryson is stunned when he encounters Evie Williams for the first time in half a decade. When they learn the animal shelter where they used to volunteer is in danger of closing, the two must work together to save it. It has Bryson wondering, can he and Evie also save the friendship they once sharedĚýand finally bring it to the next level?ĚýĚý]]> 352 Farrah Rochon 153873916X Darriona 0 to-read 4.18 Pugs and Kisses
author: Farrah Rochon
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/25
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]]> Big Girl Blitz (Curve Book 3) 231680038
Jazmyn Payne fled the small town of Chance the minute she graduated high school. But for one week every summer she returns in order to spend time with her favorite person in the world—Aunt Addison. Even amidst health issues, Aunt Addy encourages Jazz to open herself up to fun, new experiences.

When Jazz arrives for her most recent trip, she finds that Aunt Addy’s condition has taken a drastic turn. The thought of anything happening to her aunt, combined with the memories of her childhood in Chance, pushes Jazmyn to take her mind off things. So, when Lamar Anderson sits next to her at the local sports bar, he provides the distraction she needs.

Jazz and Lamar click instantly over their mutual love of football, and their connection only grows from there. Being with him made all her troubles--her divorce, Aunt Addy's illness, the drama in Chance--disappear. But as real life consumes them both, and Jazz returns to Maryland, the intimacy they shared seems like a thing of the past.

After two months apart, it would make sense that their initial spark wouldn’t survive Jazmyn’s grief, Lamar’s newfound popularity, and the pressures of perfection.

Right?

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> Danielle Allen 125033117X Darriona 0 to-read 0.0 Big Girl Blitz (Curve Book 3)
author: Danielle Allen
name: Darriona
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]]> Razorblade Tears 54860585 A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance.

Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid.

The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss.

Derek’s father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed his father was a criminal. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though, and he wants to know who killed his boy.

Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250252708]]> 336 S.A. Cosby Darriona 5 by-black-men 4.08 2021 Razorblade Tears
author: S.A. Cosby
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/06
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: by-black-men
review:

]]> The Ballad of Black Tom 26883558
Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father's head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their cops. But when he delivers an occult tome to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens, Tom opens a door to a deeper realm of magic and earns the attention of things best left sleeping.

A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break?]]> 149 Victor LaValle 0765387867 Darriona 0 to-read 3.81 2016 The Ballad of Black Tom
author: Victor LaValle
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/22
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]]> Lone Women 60460704
Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.

The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women� taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.

Crafted by a modern master of magical suspense, Lone Women blends shimmering prose, an unforgettable cast of adventurers who find horror and sisterhood in a brutal landscape, and a portrait of early-twentieth-century America like you’ve never seen. And at its heart is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past—or redeem it.]]> 275 Victor LaValle 052551208X Darriona 0 to-read 3.68 2023 Lone Women
author: Victor LaValle
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
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]]> Linden Hills 765810
Once people get to Linden Hills, the quest continues, more subtle, but equally fierce: the goal is a house on Tupelo Drive, the epitome of achievement and visible success. No one notices that the property on Tupelo Drive goes back on sale quickly; no one questions why there are always vacancies at Linden Hills.

In a resonant novel that takes as its model Dante's Inferno, Gloria Naylor reveals the truth about the American dream—that the price of success may very well be a journey down to the lowest circle of hell.]]> 304 Gloria Naylor 0140088296 Darriona 0 to-read 4.06 1985 Linden Hills
author: Gloria Naylor
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1985
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/22
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]]> When the Reckoning Comes 55425310 A haunting novel about a black woman who returns to her hometown for a plantation wedding and the horror that ensues as she reconnects with the blood-soaked history of the land and the best friends she left behind.

More than a decade ago, Mira fled her small, segregated hometown in the south to forget. With every mile she traveled, she distanced herself from her past: from her best friend Celine, mocked by their town as the only white girl with black friends; from her old neighborhood; from the eerie Woodsman plantation rumored to be haunted by the spirits of slaves; from the terrifying memory of a ghost she saw that terrible day when a dare-gone-wrong almost got Jesse—the boy she secretly loved—arrested for murder.

But now Mira is back in Kipsen to attend Celine’s wedding at the plantation, which has been transformed into a lush vacation resort. Mira hopes to reconnect with her friends, and especially, Jesse, to finally tell him the truth about her feelings and the events of that devastating long-ago day.

But for all its fancy renovations, the Woodsman remains a monument to its oppressive racist history. The bar serves antebellum drinks, entertainments include horrifying reenactments, and the service staff is nearly all black. Yet the darkest elements of the plantation’s past have been carefully erased—rumors that slaves were tortured mercilessly and that ghosts roam the lands, seeking vengeance on the descendants of those who tormented them, which includes most of the wedding guests.Ěý

As the weekend unfolds, Mira, Jesse, and Celine are forced to acknowledge their history together, and to save themselves from what is to come.]]> 237 LaTanya McQueen 0063035049 Darriona 0 to-read 3.67 2021 When the Reckoning Comes
author: LaTanya McQueen
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/21
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]]> A Chance at Love 1371132
Strong, sensible Jake was hoping for a wife to help him raise his girls, but Loreli may be more than he can handle. He can't stop wondering what it would be like to hold the fiery enchantress close and kiss her deeply. Surely he could never compete with the sophisticated gents she has known, yet he intends to try. But will his honest passion be enough to take a chance on a long-shot called love?]]> 384 Beverly Jenkins 0060502290 Darriona 0 to-read 4.35 2002 A Chance at Love
author: Beverly Jenkins
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2002
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/21
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]]> The Chiffon Trenches 51794442 Interview, a fateful meeting with Karl Lagerfeld began a decades-long friendship with the enigmatic, often caustic designer. Propelled into the upper echelons by his knowledge and adoration of fashion, André moved to Paris as bureau chief of John Fairchild's Women's Wear Daily, befriending fashion's most important designers (Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar de la Renta). But as André made friends, he also made enemies. A racially tinged encounter with a member of the house of Yves Saint Laurent sent him back to New York and into the offices of Vogue under Grace Mirabella.

There, he eventually became creative director, developing an unlikely but intimate friendship with Anna Wintour. As she rose to the top of Vogue's masthead, André also ascended, and soon became the most influential man in fashion.

The Chiffon Trenches offers a candid look at the who's who of the last fifty years of fashion. At once ruthless and empathetic, this engaging memoir tells with raw honesty the story of how André not only survived the brutal style landscape but thrived--despite racism, illicit rumors, and all the other challenges of this notoriously cutthroat industry--to become one of the most renowned voices and faces in fashion.

Woven throughout the book are also André's own personal struggles that have impacted him over the decades, along with intimate stories of those he has turned to for inspiration (Diana Vreeland, Diane von Férstenberg, Lee Radziwill, to name a few), and of course his Southern roots and ongoing faith, which have guided him since childhood.
]]> 284 André Leon Talley 0593129253 Darriona 4 by-black-men, non-fiction
I loved the audiobook. It was nice hearing him narrate his story. ]]> 3.80 2020 The Chiffon Trenches
author: André Leon Talley
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: by-black-men, non-fiction
review:
This fashion industry didn’t deserve André Leon Talley! I really enjoy this memoir. It was really interesting to learn of ALT’s journey in this industry and the friendships he formed throughout his career. Some seemed truly good and some� very interesting to say the least (Anna and Karl�. so passive aggressive). ALT clearly had a lot of impact and deserves a lot more credit than he got in my opinion. There were a lot of bittersweet moments in this book and I wish he was appreciated more by his peers while he was still with us.

I loved the audiobook. It was nice hearing him narrate his story.
]]> Make Your Way Home: Stories 220517415 A debut collection of stories set across the American South, featuring characters who struggle to find love and belonging in the wake of painful histories. How can you love where you come from, even when home doesn’t love you back?

In eleven stories that span Florida marshes, North Carolina mountains, and Southern metropolitan cities, Make Your Way Home follows Black men and women who grapple with the homes that have eluded them. A preteen pregnant alongside her mother refuses to let convention dictate who she names as the father of her child. Centuries after slavery separated his ancestors, a native Texan tries to win over the love of his life, despite the grip of a family curse. A young deaconess, who falls for a new church member, wonders what it means when God stops speaking to her. And at the very end of the South as we know it, two sisters seek to escape North to freedom, to promises of a more stable climate.

Artfully and precisely drawn, and steeped in place and history as it explores themes of belonging, inheritance, and deep intimacy, Carrie R. Moore’s debut collection announces an extraordinary new talent in American fiction, inviting us all to examine how the past shapes our present—and how our present choices will echo for years to come.]]> 336 Carrie R. Moore 1963108280 Darriona 0 to-read 3.80 Make Your Way Home: Stories
author: Carrie R. Moore
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/21
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]]> Bitter Honey 226381686
1978: A scholarship draws Nancy from Gambia's warmth into Sweden's winter. When her friendship with charismatic scholar Lars blossoms into something more, she thinks she may have finally found her place. But there's more to Lars than his charming persona, and Nancy is about to discover the danger of being drawn into his world.

2006: Tina has had her taste of fame as the nation's sweetheart pop princess. But beneath her glittery façade, Tina is desperate to discover who she really is. Her mother, Nancy, seems desperate to keep the past under wraps, but will an unexpected figure help open the door?

Spanning four decades and three continents, Bitter Honey is a story of mothers, daughters, and the importance of carving your own path.]]> 448 Lola Akinmade Åkerström 0063317028 Darriona 0 to-read 4.33 2025 Bitter Honey
author: Lola Akinmade Åkerström
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/21
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]]> These Heathens 219301727 In this vibrant, gratifying novel, a pious, small-town teenager travels to Atlanta to get an abortion and finds herself smack in the middle of the civil rights movement and the secret lives of queer Black people.

Where do you get an abortion in 1960 Georgia, especially if the town midwife goes to the same church as your parents? For seventeen-year-old Doris Steele, the answer is Atlanta, where her favorite teacher, Mrs. Lucas, calls upon her brash, wealthy childhood best friend, Sylvia, for help. While waiting to hear from the doctor who has agreed to do the procedure, Doris spends the weekend scandalized by, but drawn to, the people who move in and out of Sylvia's celebrities whom Doris has seen in the pages of Jet and Ebony, political leaders like Coretta Scott King and Diane Nash, women who dance close together, atheists!ĚýAnd even more shocking? Mrs. Lucas seems right at home.

The young people Doris encounters are no less surprising. When he's not flirting too hard or talking too much, Sylvia’s nephew, Dexter, brings Doris into the heart of Atlanta’s civil rights movement, where some activists practice nonviolence to prepare for sit-ins, while others carry guns to protect Black families from the Klan.

From the guests at a queer kickback to the student activists at a SNCC conference, Doris suddenly finds herself surrounded by so many people who seem to know exactly who or what they want. Doris knows she doesn’t want a baby, but what does she want? Will this trip help her find out?

These Heathens! is a funny, poignant story about Black women’s obligations and ambitions, what we owe to ourselves, and the transformative power of leaving your bubble, even for just one chaotic weekend.]]> 272 Mia McKenzie 0593596943 Darriona 0 to-read 4.67 2025 These Heathens
author: Mia McKenzie
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/21
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]]> The Between 57190581
When Hilton's wife, the only elected African American judge in Dade County, Florida, begins to receive racist hate mail from a man she once prosecuted, Hilton becomes obsessed with protecting his family. The demons lurking outside are matched by his internal terrors—macabre nightmares, more intense and disturbing than any he has ever experienced. Are these bizarre dreams the dark imaginings of a man losing his hold on sanity—or are they harbingers of terrible events to come?Ěý

As Hilton battles both the sociopath threatening to destroy his family and the even more terrifying enemy stalking his sleep, the line between reality and fantasy dissolves . . .Ěý

Chilling and utterly convincing,ĚýThe BetweenĚýis the haunting story of a man desperately trying to hold on to the people and life he loves as he slowly loses himself.Ěý]]> 304 Tananarive Due 0063157675 Darriona 0 to-read 3.97 1995 The Between
author: Tananarive Due
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1995
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/20
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]]> The Buffalo Hunter Hunter 214565614 A chilling historical horror novel set in the American west in 1912 following a Lutheran priest who transcribes the life of a vampire who haunts the fields of the Blackfeet reservation looking for justice.

A diary, written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall. What it unveils is a slow massacre, a chain of events that go back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow. Told in transcribed interviews by a Blackfeet named Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar life over a series of confessional visits. This is an American Indian revenge story written by one of the new masters of horror, Stephen Graham Jones.]]> 448 Stephen Graham Jones 1668075083 Darriona 0 to-read 4.22 2025 The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/20
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]]> The Only Good Indians 52180399 The creeping horror of Paul Tremblay meets Tommy Orange’s There There in a dark novel of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.]]> 305 Stephen Graham Jones 1982136456 Darriona 0 to-read 3.68 2020 The Only Good Indians
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/20
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]]> <![CDATA[The Devil's Music: A History of the Blues]]> 907583 311 Giles Oakley 0306807432 Darriona 0 to-read 3.93 1976 The Devil's Music: A History of the Blues
author: Giles Oakley
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1976
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fledgling 60925 Fledgling, Octavia Butler's new novel after a seven year break, is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly inhuman needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: She is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted - and still wants - to destroy her and those she cares for and how she can save herself. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of "otherness" and questions what it means to be truly human.]]> 310 Octavia E. Butler 0446696161 Darriona 0 to-read 3.80 2005 Fledgling
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Ring Shout 49247242 In America, demons wear white hoods.

In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die.

Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up.

Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?]]> 185 P. Djèlí Clark 1250767024 Darriona 0 to-read 3.96 2020 Ring Shout
author: P. Djèlí Clark
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity]]> 6646927 Slaves to Fashion is a pioneering cultural history of the black dandy, from his emergence in Enlightenment England to his contemporary incarnations in the cosmopolitan art worlds of London and New York. It is populated by sartorial impresarios such as Julius Soubise, a freed slave who sometimes wore diamond-buckled, red-heeled shoes as he circulated through the social scene of eighteenth-century London, and Yinka Shonibare, a prominent Afro-British artist who not only styles himself as a fop but also creates ironic commentaries on black dandyism in his work. Interpreting performances and representations of black dandyism in particular cultural settings and literary and visual texts, Monica L. Miller emphasizes the importance of sartorial style to black identity formation in the Atlantic diaspora.

Dandyism was initially imposed on black men in eighteenth-century England, as the Atlantic slave trade and an emerging culture of conspicuous consumption generated a vogue in dandified black servants. “Luxury slaves� tweaked and reworked their uniforms, and were soon known for their sartorial novelty and sometimes flamboyant personalities. Tracing the history of the black dandy forward to contemporary celebrity incarnations such as Andre 3000 and Sean Combs, Miller explains how black people became arbiters of style and how they have historically used the dandy’s signature tools—clothing, gesture, and wit—to break down limiting identity markers and propose new ways of fashioning political and social possibility in the black Atlantic world. With an aplomb worthy of her iconographic subject, she considers the black dandy in relation to nineteenth-century American literature and drama, W. E. B. Du Bois’s reflections on black masculinity and cultural nationalism, the modernist aesthetics of the Harlem Renaissance, and representations of black cosmopolitanism in contemporary visual art.]]> 408 Monica L. Miller 0822346036 Darriona 0 to-read 3.93 2009 Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity
author: Monica L. Miller
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano]]> 18693595
Their approach to fashion was wildly different—Galliano began as an illustrator, McQueen as a Savile Row tailor. Galliano led the way with his sensual bias-cut gowns and his voluptuous hourglass tailoring, which he presented in romantic storybook-like settings. McQueen, though nearly ten years younger than Galliano, was a brilliant technician and a visionary artist who brought a new reality to fashion, as well as an otherworldly beauty. For his first official collection at the tender age of twenty-three, McQueen did what few in fashion ever he invented a new silhouette, the Bumster.

They had similar sensitive, shy gay men raised in tough London neighborhoods, their love of fashion nurtured by their doting mothers. Both struggled to get their businesses off the ground, despite early critical success. But by 1997, each had landed a job as creative director for couture houses owned by French tycoon Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH.
Ěý
Galliano’s and McQueen’s work for Dior and Givenchy and beyond not only influenced fashion; their distinct styles were also reflected across the media landscape. With their help, luxury fashion evolved from a clutch of small, family-owned businesses into a $280 billion-a-year global corporate industry. Executives pushed the designers to meet increasingly rapid deadlines. For both Galliano and McQueen, the pace was unsustainable. In 2010, McQueen took his own life three weeks before his womens' wear show.

The same week that Galliano was fired,Ěý Forbes Ěýnamed Arnault the fourth richest man in the world. Two months later, Kate Middleton wore a McQueen wedding gown, instantly making the house the world’s most famous fashion brand, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened a wildly successful McQueen retrospective, cosponsored by the corporate owners of the McQueen brand. The corporations had won and the artists had lost.

In her groundbreaking workĚý Gods and Kings , acclaimed journalist Dana Thomas tells the true story of McQueen and Galliano. In so doing, she reveals the revolution in high fashion in the last two decades—and the price it demanded of the very ones who saved it.]]> 432 Dana Thomas 1594204942 Darriona 0 to-read 4.24 2014 Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano
author: Dana Thomas
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Black Designers in American Fashion]]> 55077579
In chapters from leading and up-and-coming authors and curators, Black Designers in American Fashion uses previously unexplored sources to show how Black designers helped build America's global fashion reputation. From enslaved 18th-century dressmakers to 20th-century “star� designers, via independent modistes and Seventh Avenue workers, the book traces the changing experiences of Black designers under conditions such as slavery, segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement. Black Designers in American Fashion shows that within these contexts Black designers maintained multifaceted practices which continue to influence American and global style today.

Interweaving fashion design and American cultural history, this book fills critical gaps in the history of fashion and offers insights and context to students of fashion, design, and American and African American history and culture.]]> 288 Elizabeth Way 1350138479 Darriona 0 to-read 4.75 Black Designers in American Fashion
author: Elizabeth Way
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South]]> 40887375 A bold and searing investigation into the role of white women in the American slave economy

Bridging women’s history, the history of the South, and African American history, this book makes a bold argument about the role of white women in American slavery. Historian Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers draws on a variety of sources to show that slave-owning women were sophisticated economic actors who directly engaged in and benefited from the South’s slave market. Because women typically inherited more slaves than land, enslaved people were often their primary source of wealth. Not only did white women often refuse to cede ownership of their slaves to their husbands, they employed management techniques that were as effective and brutal as those used by slave-owning men. White women actively participated in the slave market, profited from it, and used it for economic and social empowerment. By examining the economically entangled lives of enslaved people and slave-owning women, Jones-Rogers presents a narrative that forces us to rethink the economics and social conventions of slaveholding America.]]> 320 Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers 0300218664 Darriona 0 to-read 4.29 2019 They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South
author: Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> O Sinners! 213618149 A journalist investigates a seductive and mysterious cult and its leader, an enigmatic Vietnam War veteran, in this not-to-be-missed novel.

Faruq Zaidi, a young journalist reeling from the recent death of his father, a devout Muslim, takes the opportunity to embed in a cult called The Nameless. Based in the California redwoods and shepherded by an enigmatic Vietnam War-veteran named Odo, The Nameless adhere to the 18 Utterances, including teachings such as “THERE IS NO GOD BUT THE NAMELESS,â€� “ALL SUFFERING IS DISTORTION,â€� and “SEE ONLY BEAUTY.â€� Faruq, skeptical but committed to unraveling the mystery of The Nameless, extends his stay over months, as he gets deeper into the cult's inner workings, compassionate teachings, and closer to Odo. Faruq himself begins to unravel, forced to come-to-terms with the memories he has been running from while trying to resist Odo's spell.Ěý

Told in three seamlessly interwoven threads between Faruq’s present-day investigation, Odo’s time before the formation of the movement as a Black infantryman during the Vietnam War, alongside three other Black soldiers, and a documentary script that recounts The Nameless� clash with a Texan fundamentalist church, O SINNERS! examines both longing and belonging. Ultimately the novel What is it that we seek from cults and, inevitably, from each other?]]> 464 Nicole Cuffy 0593597443 Darriona 0 to-read 3.58 2025 O Sinners!
author: Nicole Cuffy
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Ways of White Folks 133914
One of the most important writers to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes may be best known as a poet, but these stories showcase his talent as a lively storyteller. His work blends elements of blues and jazz, speech and song, into a triumphant and wholly original idiom.

Stories included in this collection:
"Cora Unashamed"
"Slave on the Block"
"Home"
"Passing"
"A Good Job Gone"
"Rejuvenation Through Joy"
"The Blues I'm Playing"
"Red-Headed Baby"
"Poor Little Black Fellow"
"Little Dog"
"Berry"
"Mother and Child"
"One Christmas Eve"
"Father and Son"]]> 255 Langston Hughes 0679728171 Darriona 0 to-read 4.45 1934 The Ways of White Folks
author: Langston Hughes
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.45
book published: 1934
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> This Could Be Forever 220160335 This compelling and complex romance about love across cultures follows a Black girl and Brown boy who find themselves—and each other—while pursuing their passions the summer before college.

Deja’s got a plan. The first in her large family to go to college, she wants to study chemistry and sell natural skin care products, like the ones she already creates from plants grown on her family’s North Carolina farm. It all starts with the Onward Bound summer program at the University of Maryland, the summer before school officially starts.

Raja’s got a dream. His traditional Nepali parents want him to study engineering and settle down in an arranged marriage, but his passion is art, and he wants to open his own tattoo parlor one day. In the meantime, he’s apprenticing at a tattoo shop in College Park, Maryland.

When Deja walks into the shop where Raja’s working, they both start crushing hard—over the course of the summer, they fall more and more deeply for one another. But the closer they get and the more their lives entwine, the more they find that dating someone who doesn’t match your parents� expectations is harder than they ever imagined.

Can they bridge the divide between the vision their families have for their futures and the lives—and love—that are starting to feel like destiny?]]> 384 Ebony LaDelle 1665948671 Darriona 5 arcs
Maybe I don't dislike "insta-love" as much as I thought I did because I personally LOVED every moment of this book. I'll make the exception for YA books. Don't care! Deja and Raja were so cute. The connection was quick yes, but that's bound to happen on a college campus in close-ish proximity! It was adorable and I had fun seeing them get to know each other and embrace each others cultures.

Deja and Raja face the common challenges that come with dating outside of your race and culture. They both face similar obstacles when it came to their families judgement, specifically with their stubborn fathers. I loved seeing both of their growth through their journey together. Raja especially made me proud. His methods weren't always perfect, but I loved seeing him stand up for Deja and himself. I feel like Deja brought out a different confidence in him that he didn't have before. Deja was such a confident girl in general the moment we start the book. She was a real go-getter with her dreams and aspirations and it seems that it definitely inspired and influenced Raja.

I also really loved seeing the complexities of family shown in this book. Family was very important to both of them, but they challenged the norms. Never disrespectful, to me! They had so much love and respect for their families, but they had to remind them that they are not under their control and things are changing! I like that. I was glad to see both characters call out their family members' ignorance and biases when it came to each other. The families can mean no harm, but they still need to be corrected.]]> 4.25 This Could Be Forever
author: Ebony LaDelle
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: arcs
review:
Thank you to Simon Teen for this ARC!

Maybe I don't dislike "insta-love" as much as I thought I did because I personally LOVED every moment of this book. I'll make the exception for YA books. Don't care! Deja and Raja were so cute. The connection was quick yes, but that's bound to happen on a college campus in close-ish proximity! It was adorable and I had fun seeing them get to know each other and embrace each others cultures.

Deja and Raja face the common challenges that come with dating outside of your race and culture. They both face similar obstacles when it came to their families judgement, specifically with their stubborn fathers. I loved seeing both of their growth through their journey together. Raja especially made me proud. His methods weren't always perfect, but I loved seeing him stand up for Deja and himself. I feel like Deja brought out a different confidence in him that he didn't have before. Deja was such a confident girl in general the moment we start the book. She was a real go-getter with her dreams and aspirations and it seems that it definitely inspired and influenced Raja.

I also really loved seeing the complexities of family shown in this book. Family was very important to both of them, but they challenged the norms. Never disrespectful, to me! They had so much love and respect for their families, but they had to remind them that they are not under their control and things are changing! I like that. I was glad to see both characters call out their family members' ignorance and biases when it came to each other. The families can mean no harm, but they still need to be corrected.
]]> <![CDATA[Blues People: Negro Music in White America]]> 17595 256 Amiri Baraka 068818474X Darriona 0 to-read 4.15 1963 Blues People: Negro Music in White America
author: Amiri Baraka
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1963
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Blue Sisters 223927246 Three estranged siblings return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister's death in this unforgettable story of grief, identity, and the complexities of family.

The three Blue sisters are exceptional—and exceptionally different. Avery, the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie, a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in.

But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize the greatest secrets they've been keeping might not have been from each other, but from themselves.]]> 368 Coco Mellors 0593723783 Darriona 0 to-read 3.87 2024 Blue Sisters
author: Coco Mellors
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> fast 54287490 adj.1. A girl or guy who is quick to engage in sexual activities.--Oftentimes used to shame. Oftentimes used to blame victims for their own abuse.

After the untimely death of her mother, Caprice Latimore has to move in with her grandmother. At eight years old, life as she knows it is turned upside down. The trauma of losing her mother is made worse with the introduction of Marcel, her grandmother's adult son who still lives in the home.

Her uncle Marcel takes an inappropriate interest in her that ultimately results in a tragic breaking point for the child. The only silver lining is that shortly after what Caprice calls "that night", Marcel is booked by local police with a drug possession charge. He's sentenced to prison for twelve years.

Seven years later, however, Marcel is released on good behavior.

Caprice is now sixteen, still dealing with the emotional scars of the past. But things aren't like they were before.

Because now she has Shaun Taylor, the boy across the street who will do whatever it takes to make sure no one ever hurts Caprice again.

fast is a standalone that spans twenty years. Separated into three acts, we watch Caprice grow from eight years old to sixteen years old to twenty-eight years old. She gets hurt, she falls in love, she grows, and she just might overcome.

fast is a story written about victims who were made to feel like their abuse was their own fault.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Child abuse, assault in prisons, mental instability, etc.Some themes touched upon in this story may trigger you. Please protect your mental health.]]> 420 Millie Belizaire Darriona 5 4.77 fast
author: Millie Belizaire
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.77
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/10
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Can't Get Enough 218372325 “Kennedy Ryan pours her whole soul into everything she writes, and it makes for books that are heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.”―EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry's rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.

She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions—always striving upward.ĚýAnd in the midst of everything, she's facing her toughest challenge caring for an aging parent.

Who has time for romance? From her experience, there's a low ROI on relationships. She hasn't met the man who canĚýkeep up with her anyway. Until...him.

Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer's hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired and appreciated, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.

But when Maverick gives chase—pursuing her, spoiling her,ĚýunderstandingĚýher—is it time to let herself have something more?


A deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from “one of the finest romance writers of our age.� �Entertainment Weekly]]> 448 Kennedy Ryan 1538772809 Darriona 4 arcs
There were so many things that I enjoyed about this book. The romance, obviously, but also the time with family, friendship, and most of all the sisterhood. That was truly my favorite part.

Hendrix has always been a great character. She is a powerhouse. A true business woman and a woman of leisure. She is just THAT girl! But I loved seeing a more vulnerable side of her. She's always taking care of people whether it's her friends, their families (rich aunty!), and her family, she's always there for people. But on the other side it was always reciprocated and I loved to see it. This book showcased the power of sisterhood so well! Obviously, we know her girls Yasmen and Soledad constantly were there for her, but I loved seeing her business partners and her employee's be so ready to care for her too whatever ways they could. It was lovely to see. If she didn't have anyone else, she had her sisters! In romance books I think the friendships can sometimes be overlooked in general, but I think Kennedy Ryan showcased it so well.

Community was great too. Hendrix mother is a woman with Alzheimer's. This was something that was hard for Hendrix to navigate especially with her being in ATL and her mom being in North Carolina, but there were so many people there to help Hendrix and her Aunt, so they didn't have to carry it all on their own and it was so beautiful to read.

Maverick Bell was into Hendrix IMMEDIATELY. And he was laying it on THICK! Even before they got into anything romantic with her, he was ready to help her in anyway possible whether it was helping her with her business or being a friend to confide in when it came to her mother. He had her back until the very end and was always ready to show up for her at any moment. He was very supportive of her goals, but also the things going on in her life personally. I kind of like that they start off as friends first before true moves were made. Even though their relationship came with some drama, I'm glad it worked out for them. He was willing to take care of her in any way possible because he wanted to, and that was really nice to see especially since she's the type to constantly be taking care of others.]]> 4.51 2025 Can't Get Enough
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: arcs
review:
Thank you to Forever for the digital ARC!

There were so many things that I enjoyed about this book. The romance, obviously, but also the time with family, friendship, and most of all the sisterhood. That was truly my favorite part.

Hendrix has always been a great character. She is a powerhouse. A true business woman and a woman of leisure. She is just THAT girl! But I loved seeing a more vulnerable side of her. She's always taking care of people whether it's her friends, their families (rich aunty!), and her family, she's always there for people. But on the other side it was always reciprocated and I loved to see it. This book showcased the power of sisterhood so well! Obviously, we know her girls Yasmen and Soledad constantly were there for her, but I loved seeing her business partners and her employee's be so ready to care for her too whatever ways they could. It was lovely to see. If she didn't have anyone else, she had her sisters! In romance books I think the friendships can sometimes be overlooked in general, but I think Kennedy Ryan showcased it so well.

Community was great too. Hendrix mother is a woman with Alzheimer's. This was something that was hard for Hendrix to navigate especially with her being in ATL and her mom being in North Carolina, but there were so many people there to help Hendrix and her Aunt, so they didn't have to carry it all on their own and it was so beautiful to read.

Maverick Bell was into Hendrix IMMEDIATELY. And he was laying it on THICK! Even before they got into anything romantic with her, he was ready to help her in anyway possible whether it was helping her with her business or being a friend to confide in when it came to her mother. He had her back until the very end and was always ready to show up for her at any moment. He was very supportive of her goals, but also the things going on in her life personally. I kind of like that they start off as friends first before true moves were made. Even though their relationship came with some drama, I'm glad it worked out for them. He was willing to take care of her in any way possible because he wanted to, and that was really nice to see especially since she's the type to constantly be taking care of others.
]]> Big Chief 214152295 There There meets The Night Watchman in this gripping literary debut about power and corruption, family, and facing the ghosts of the past.

Mitch Caddo, a young law school graduate and aspiring political fixer, is an outsider in the homeland of his Anishinaabe ancestors. But alongside his childhood friend, Tribal President Mack Beck, he runs the government of the Passage Rouge Nation, and with it, the tribe’s Golden Eagle Casino and Hotel. On the eve of Mack’s reelection, their tenuous grip on power is threatened by a nationally known activist and politician, Gloria Hawkins, and her young aide, Layla Beck, none other than Mack’s estranged sister and Mitch’s former love. In their struggle for control over Passage Rouge, the campaigns resort to bare-knuckle political gamesmanship, testing the limits of how far they will go—and what they will sacrifice—to win it all.Ěý

But when an accident claims the life of Mitch’s mentor, a power broker in the reservation’s political scene, the election slides into chaos and pits Mitch against the only family he has. As relationships strain to their breaking points and a peaceful protest threatens to become an all-consuming riot, Mitch and Layla must work together to stop the reservation’s descent into violence.Ěý

Thrilling and timely, Big Chief is an unforgettable story about the search for belonging—to an ancestral and spiritual home, to a family, and to a sovereign people at a moment of great historical importance.]]> 320 Jon Hickey 1668046466 Darriona 0 to-read 3.75 2025 Big Chief
author: Jon Hickey
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Bibliotherapy in the Bronx 217262696 Discover how a love of books can foster community, understanding, and personal growth.

Bibliotherapy in The BronxĚýby Emely Rumble, LCSW, is a groundbreaking exploration of the healing power of literature in the lives of marginalized communities. Drawing from her personal and professional experiences, Rumble masterfully intertwines storytelling with therapeutic insights to reveal how reading can be a potent tool for self-discovery, emotional transformation, and social change.

In this transformative work, Rumble offers readers an intimate glimpse into her journey as a psychotherapist in the Bronx, where she has spent over 14 years using books to help clients navigate complex emotions, heal from trauma, and find their voices. Through vivid anecdotes and real-world case studies, she demonstrates how literature can serve as a bridge between personal pain and collective healing.

Rich with practical tips, reflective exercises, and book recommendations,ĚýBibliotherapy in The BronxĚýis a valuable resource for anyone interested in the power of words to change lives. Whether you're a therapist, educator, bibliophile, or simply someone seeking deeper understanding and growth, this book offers a compassionate, culturally affirming guide to the transformative potential of storytelling.

Rumble's work is a testament to the enduring power of books to heal, empower, and liberate. In a time when the world feels increasingly divided,ĚýBibliotherapy in The BronxĚýreminds us that the stories we tell—and the stories we read—can unite us in our shared humanity.]]> 240 Emely Rumble 1955905878 Darriona 0 to-read 4.73 Bibliotherapy in the Bronx
author: Emely Rumble
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.73
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Daddy Was a Number Runner 503257 240 Louise Meriwether 1558614427 Darriona 0 to-read 4.20 1970 Daddy Was a Number Runner
author: Louise Meriwether
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer's Legendary Editorship]]> 56816422 An insightful exploration that unveils the lesser-known dimensions of this legendary writer and her legacy, revealing the cultural icon’s profound impact as a visionary editor who helped define an important period in American publishing and literature.

A multifaceted genius, Toni Morrison transcended her role as an author, helping to shape an important period in American publishing and literature as an editor at one of the nation’s most prestigious publishing houses. While Toni Morrison's literary achievements are widely celebrated, her editorial work is little known. Drawing on extensive research and firsthand accounts, this comprehensive study discusses Morrison's remarkable journey from her early days at Random House to her emergence as one of its most important editors. During her tenure in editorial, Morrison refashioned the literary landscape, working with important authors, including Toni Cade Bambara, Leon Forrest, and Lucille Clifton, and empowering cultural icons such as Angela Davis and Muhammad Ali to tell their stories on their own terms.

Toni Morrison herself requested that Dana Williams be the one to tell this story, even giving her the book’s title. From the manuscripts she molded, the authors she nurtured, and the readers she inspired, Toni at Random demonstrates how Toni Morrison has influenced American culture beyond the individual titles or authors she published. Morrison’s contribution as an editor transformed the broader literary landscape and deepened the cultural conversation. With unparalleled insight and sensitivity, Toni at Random charts this editorial odyssey.]]> 320 Dana A. Williams 0063012006 Darriona 0 to-read 4.00 Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer's Legendary Editorship
author: Dana A. Williams
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Great Big Beautiful Life 218559595 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]> 432 Emily Henry Darriona 4 arcs
4.5✨This story was interesting and I really liked it! It was definitely very different than Emily Henry’s other stories, but it still felt very true to her at the same time. While this was still a romance, this story also follows Margaret Ives, a mysterious and reclusive heiress. Alice and Hayden get the opportunity to essentially compete to write her story. Despite the fact that they’re competing for the job, they grow close to each other over time and form a romance. But Margaret Ives, wow what a character! She was so interesting because she was so interesting. She was extremely closed off, but when she would begin to open up about her story it became more and more interesting as the story went on. There were so many bombshells. I was constantly gagged.

I think if you’re going into this story for the romance, it’s definitely there. It’s cute, it’s fun, and very true to Emily Henry, but keep your expectations at bay because, in my opinion, I think it comes somewhat secondary. I believe the story overall is worth it. I think if you enjoy historical fiction you will enjoy this.]]> 4.16 2025 Great Big Beautiful Life
author: Emily Henry
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: arcs
review:
Thank you Berkley Pub/Romance and Libro.fm for the ARC and ALC!

4.5✨This story was interesting and I really liked it! It was definitely very different than Emily Henry’s other stories, but it still felt very true to her at the same time. While this was still a romance, this story also follows Margaret Ives, a mysterious and reclusive heiress. Alice and Hayden get the opportunity to essentially compete to write her story. Despite the fact that they’re competing for the job, they grow close to each other over time and form a romance. But Margaret Ives, wow what a character! She was so interesting because she was so interesting. She was extremely closed off, but when she would begin to open up about her story it became more and more interesting as the story went on. There were so many bombshells. I was constantly gagged.

I think if you’re going into this story for the romance, it’s definitely there. It’s cute, it’s fun, and very true to Emily Henry, but keep your expectations at bay because, in my opinion, I think it comes somewhat secondary. I believe the story overall is worth it. I think if you enjoy historical fiction you will enjoy this.
]]> Sweet Heat 220217814
Juggling a new job, the prospect of her parents' restaurant being sold, and keeping her best friend from going full bridezilla, dealing with The Ex is the last thing she needs. But somehow the spark between them is only getting hotter—and threatening to ruin everything.]]> 496 Bolu Babalola 0063306964 Darriona 0 to-read 4.17 2025 Sweet Heat
author: Bolu Babalola
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Ms. V's Hot Girl Summer 209770893
Go on, get spicy�

For the last sixteen years, Trinidad Velasquez has done everything right. Raised her twin sons on her own, worked her butt off and created a stable life. But Trinidad is done waiting for a happy ending to show up at her door, and when her current boyfriend proposes, she can’t help but wonder if, at her age, love should be practical, not butterflies and heart-racing chemistry.

But then her teenage sons trick her into a Caribbean Carnival vacation. And she finds herself staying with the one guy who’s always revved her engine…even if he’s a decade south of her dating range.]]> 288 A.H. Cunningham 1335574972 Darriona 3 arcs
I really enjoyed the narrators for this book as well! They did a great job making the characters come to life.
]]> 3.89 Ms. V's Hot Girl Summer
author: A.H. Cunningham
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: arcs
review:
Thanks to Harlequin Audio for the ALC! � A.H. Cunningham always writes a cute and spicy love story that makes you want to go on vacation. This story was really cute and quick. Both Trinidad and Orlando were endearing characters. They honestly both seems like they needed to let loose so I think they served each other well while finding love with each other. I also think it’s funny how Trinidad’s sons are essentially the reason for this set. They knew their mama needed something different. Lol

I really enjoyed the narrators for this book as well! They did a great job making the characters come to life.

]]> Plus Size Player (Curve, #2) 217388021 Julie Murphy's If the Shoe Fits meets Talia Hibbert's Take a Hint, Dani Brown--USA Today bestselling author Danielle Allen brings another steamy, witty novel about finding the perfect partner--and how sometimes what you're looking for is right in front of you.

“I only spend time with people I enjoy. I only do things I want to do. I only have sex with people who get me off. So, my time is never wasted and my energy stays high.�

Nina Ford doesn’t like to put all her eggs in one basket. She works multiple jobs, she enjoys multiple hobbies, she dates multiple men.

In her thirty years of life, Nina has never come across a man who has all the things she’s looking for.

She loves fun and excitement—and she has a man for that.

She loves confidence and humor—and she has a man for that.

She loves intelligence and ambition—and she has a man for that.

She loves passion and romance—and she has a man for that.

She’s always been content rotating a few men in and out of her life to get her needs met. But when an opportunity presents itself, Nina finds herself in a bit of a predicament. Because if everything she’s ever wanted in a partner collides with everything she’s ever wanted in a career, her eggs are bound to get cracked.

Like her back.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 368 Danielle Allen 1250331188 Darriona 5 arcs
This story was pretty low stakes even with the little drama that it had. Most of the issues came with the conflict of careers, but I love how Nina didn't allow a man to dictate her choices when it came to her career.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. It was a fun read and I'm really excited to see what Jasmine has going on! And, as always, Wesleigh Siobhan did an amazing job narrating! She never disappoints.]]> 4.60 2025 Plus Size Player (Curve, #2)
author: Danielle Allen
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: arcs
review:
4.5 � Thank you Bramble Romance and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC! Danielle Allen does it again! I loved this story so much. I knew I was going to love Nina's character because she was THAT GIRL! She was a girl who was dating for fun and I loved seeing her navigate her roster with her choices. Dating with options isn't often something we see in romance books, but I do like how it was shown in this one. We even saw in Curvy Girl Summer! It's very realistic. Obviously Nina had her fave amongst her options. He was definitely as fun as she described.

This story was pretty low stakes even with the little drama that it had. Most of the issues came with the conflict of careers, but I love how Nina didn't allow a man to dictate her choices when it came to her career.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. It was a fun read and I'm really excited to see what Jasmine has going on! And, as always, Wesleigh Siobhan did an amazing job narrating! She never disappoints.
]]> Year of Yes 29540318 Grey's Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder and Catch, reveals how saying YES changed her life -- and how it can change yours too. With three hit shows on television and three children at home, Shonda Rhimes had lots of good reasons to say no when invitations arrived. Hollywood party? No. Speaking engagement? No. Media appearances? No. And to an introvert like Shonda, who describes herself as 'hugging the walls' at social events and experiencing panic attacks before press interviews, there was a particular benefit to saying no: nothing new to fear. Then came Thanksgiving 2013, when Shonda's sister Delorse muttered six little words at her: You never say yes to anything. Profound, impassioned and laugh-out-loud funny, in Year of Yes Shonda Rhimes reveals how saying YES changed -- and saved -- her life. And inspires readers everywhere to change their own lives with one little word: Yes.]]> 352 Shonda Rhimes 1471157326 Darriona 0 to-read 4.04 2015 Year of Yes
author: Shonda Rhimes
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home (Magnolia Parks Universe, #3)]]> 61836710 530 Jessa Hastings 8985331744 Darriona 3 4.42 2022 Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home (Magnolia Parks Universe, #3)
author: Jessa Hastings
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/24
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)]]> 6490587 Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man� of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its classical purity of line and economical beauty it provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society.

The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized, and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. Things Fall Apart is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within.]]> 209 Chinua Achebe 0385667833 Darriona 0 to-read 3.63 1958 Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)
author: Chinua Achebe
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> August Lane 221179148 A Black country music star who lied about writing his only hit risks his comeback to reunite with the woman he stole it from, a first love the lyrics won’t let him forget.

Every Thursday night, former country music heartthrob Luke Randall has to sing “Another Love Song.� God, he hates that song. But performing his lone hit at an interstate motel lounge is the only regular money he still has. Following another lackluster performance at the rock bottom of his career, Luke receives the opportunity of his dreams, opening for his childhood idol�90’s era Black country music star, JoJo Lane, who’s being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But the concert is in Arcadia, Arkansas, the small hometown he swore he’d never see again. Going back means facing a painful past of abuse and neglect. It also means facing JoJo’s daughter, August Lane—the woman who wrote the lyrics he’s always claimed as his own.

August also hates that song. But she hates Luke Randall even more. When he shows up ten years too late to apologize for his betrayal, she isn’t interested in making amends. Instead, she threatens to expose his lies unless he co-writes a new song with her and performs it at the concert, something she hopes will launch her out of her mother’s shadow and into a songwriting career of her own. Desperate to keep his secret, Luke agrees to put on the rogue performance, despite the risk of losing his shot at a new record deal.

When Luke’s guitar reunites with August’s soulful alto, neither can deny that the passionate bond they formed as teenagers is still there. As the concert nears, August will have to choose between an overdue public reckoning with the boy who betrayed her, or trusting the man he’s become to write a different love song.]]> 336 Regina Black 153876752X Darriona 0 to-read 4.53 2025 August Lane
author: Regina Black
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Silver Sparrow 9749711
Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta in the 1980s, the novel revolves around James Witherspoon’s families� the public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her rich and flawed characters, she also reveals the joy, and the destruction, they brought to each other’s lives.

At the heart of it all are the two girls whose lives are at stake, and like the best writers, Jones portrays the fragility of her characers with raw authenticity as they seek love, demand attention, and try to imagine themselves as women.]]> 340 Tayari Jones 1565129903 Darriona 0 to-read 3.87 2011 Silver Sparrow
author: Tayari Jones
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Good Rich People 57823811
Demi has always felt like the odds were stacked against her. At the end of her rope, she seizes a risky opportunity to take over another person’s life and unwittingly becomes the subject of the upstairs couple’s wicked entertainment. But Demi has been struggling all her life, and she’s not about to go down without a fight.

In a twist that neither woman sees coming, the game quickly devolves into chaos and rockets toward an explosive conclusion.

Because every good rich person knows: in money and in life, it’s winner take all. Even if you have to leave a few bodies behind.]]> 321 Eliza Jane Brazier 0593198255 Darriona 0 to-read 3.21 2022 Good Rich People
author: Eliza Jane Brazier
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Love in 280 Characters or Less]]> 208840701
Sydney Ciara Warren is excited as she starts her first year of college, but also nervous. Her best friend Malcolm will be at a different university, so she'll have to make new friends. And despite her interests in writing and fashion, she has no idea what path will ultimately be right for her—though they probably don’t involve law school, regardless of her parents� wishes.

As Sydney Ciara tries to figure out her place on campus and in the world, she finds solace in blogging about her life, putting together outfits with meaning, and spending time on Twitter. It’s within the digital space that she connects with someone who goes by YoungPrinceX. She may not know “X� in real life, but that doesn’t stop her from developing a crush on him. Except things get complicated, as she also navigates her first romantic relationship with a sweet boy on campus named Xavier (who maybe could be X?).

Can Sydney Ciara not only make it through her first semester, but thrive in real life, as much as she seems to be thriving online?

Told through blog posts, tweets, messages, emails, and more, here is a love letter to Twitter, to Black girls who think they won’t get chosen, and to those who take too long finding the perfect words.]]> 320 Ravynn K. Stringfield 1250899389 Darriona 0 to-read 3.97 2025 Love in 280 Characters or Less
author: Ravynn K. Stringfield
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert]]> 214151495 From RuPaul’s Drag Race winner and host of ±áµţ°żâ€™s We’re Here comes an inventive, wondrous novel about American hero Harriet Tubman that remixes history into a fresh, dynamic novel about love, freedom, salvation, and music.

In an age of miracles where our greatest heroes from history have magically, unexplainably returned to shake us out of our confusion and hate, Harriet Tubman is back, and she has a lot to say.

Harriet Tubman and four of the enslaved persons she led to freedom want to tell their story in a unique way—by following in the footsteps of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Harriet wants to put on a show about her life, and she needs a songwriter to help her.

She calls upon Darnell Williams, a once successful hip-hop producer who was topping the charts before being outed by a rival at the BET Awards. Darnell has no idea what to expect when he steps into the studio with Harriet, only that they have one week to write a Broadway caliber musical she can take on the road. Over the course of their time together, they not only mount a show that will take the country by storm, but confront the horrors of both their pasts, and learn to find a way to a better future.

Original, evocative, and historic, Harriet Live in Concert is a landmark achievement that will burrow deep into our hearts (and ears).]]> 240 Bob the Drag Queen 166806197X Darriona 0 to-read 4.08 2025 Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert
author: Bob the Drag Queen
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Collected Regrets of Clover]]> 61214136
From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit , Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.

Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a road trip to uncover a forgotten love story—and perhaps, her own happy ending. As she finds herself struggling to navigate the uncharted roads of romance and friendship, Clover is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.

Probing, clever, and hopeful, The Collected Regrets of Clover is perfect for readers of The Midnight Library and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine as it turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life.]]> 320 Mikki Brammer 1250284392 Darriona 0 to-read 4.14 2023 The Collected Regrets of Clover
author: Mikki Brammer
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Theft 217006044 In his first new novel since winning the 2021 Nobel Prize, a master storyteller captures a time of dizzying global change.

At the turn of the twenty-first century, three young people come of age in Tanzania. Karim returns to his sleepy hometown after university with new swagger and ambition. Fauzia glimpses in him a chance at escape from a smothering upbringing. The two of them offer a haven to Badar, a poor boy still unsure if the future holds anything for him at all. As tourism, technology, and unexpected opportunities and perils reach their quiet corner of the world, bringing, each arrives at a different understanding of what it means to take your fate into your own hands.

]]> 296 Abdulrazak Gurnah 0593852605 Darriona 0 to-read 3.94 2025 Theft
author: Abdulrazak Gurnah
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Good Spirits (Ghosted, #1) 222279220 “Good Spirits is an absolute knockout. A new Borison book feels like coming home in the best way. She's truly in a league of her own.� � Hannah Grace, New York Times bestselling author of Icebreaker

The USA Today bestselling author of Business Casual, B.K. Borison is back with a whimsical new holiday romance—this time with a magical twist—that will have everyone falling in love with the Ghost of Christmas Past.

He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge.

Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.

Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together� and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.

With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts? Or will they stay firmly in the present, indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection?

Filled with magic, mayhem, and cozy holiday charm, this swoony romance is B.K. Borison’s best yet!]]> 384 B.K. Borison 0063430401 Darriona 0 to-read 4.58 2025 Good Spirits (Ghosted, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Diahann: An Autobiography 1252895 247 Diahann Carroll 0316130192 Darriona 0 to-read 4.33 1986 Diahann: An Autobiography
author: Diahann Carroll
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1986
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are]]> 125076660 Ěý
From one of our generation’s most powerful artists and incisive storytellers comes a brilliantly crafted work about the art—and war—of becoming who we are.

upcycle verb
up·cy·cle ËÉ™p-ËŚsÄ«-kÉ™l
: to recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item
: to create an object of greater value from (a discarded object of lesser value)

Today Tariq Trotter—better known as Black Thought—is the platinum-selling, Grammy-winning co-founder of The Roots and one of the most exhilaratingly skillful and profound rappers our culture has ever produced. But his story begins with a as a child, Trotter burned down his family’s home. The years that follow are the story of a life snatched from the flames, forged in fire.

In The Upcycled Self, Trotter doesn’t only narrate a riveting and moving portrait of the artist as a young man, he gives readers a courageous model of what it means to live an examined life. In vivid vignettes, he tells the dramatic stories of the four powerful relationships that shaped him—with community, friends, art, and family—each a complex weave of love, discovery, trauma, and loss.

And beyond offering the compellingly poetic account of one artist’s creative and emotional origins, Trotter explores the vital questions we all have to confront about our formative How can we see the story of our own young lives clearly? How do we use that story to understand who we’ve become? How do we forgive the people who loved and hurt us? How do we rediscover and honor our first dreams? And, finally, what do we take forward, what do we pass on, what do we leave behind? This is the beautifully bluesy story of a boy genius’s coming-of-age that illuminates the redemptive power of the upcycle.]]> 163 Tariq Trotter 0593446933 Darriona 0 to-read 4.20 2023 The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are
author: Tariq Trotter
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Say You'll Remember Me (Say You'll Remember Me, #1)]]> 216437557 disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong�

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 0349442827 Darriona 2 arcs
2.5 � This wasn't my favorite out of the books that I read from Jimenez. Xavier and Samantha were very cute together and the chemistry between them was strong from the jump. They had a lot of barriers between them that made it hard. When it comes to my preferences, I'm not a really a insta-love girl and that's what this book felt like for me. I will say that even though I'm not a fan of the trope, I still think that Abby Jimenez executed in a way that I still didn't mind. I think the first half of this book was stronger for that reason, but in the second half it kind of fell flat. Everything happening was believable but at certain points I was like dang this couple can't win for losing. I think because they fell so hard for each other initially it just became kind of boring for me.

This story’s other focus was on dementia and the struggles of being a care taker for someone with the disease. I think Abby Jimenez handled this topic well. She didn't simplify it and painted a picture of it that might be relatable to some. I really felt for Samantha and her family. They often had to make hard decision and make sacrifices that affected their way of life as well.
Overall this book was very meh for me.

Also, I should note that there were ACOTAR (not a fan at all) and some comments made about the sister's baby daddy. There were certain implications that felt offensive.]]> 4.10 2025 Say You'll Remember Me (Say You'll Remember Me, #1)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: arcs
review:
Thank you for Forever for free digital copy!

2.5 � This wasn't my favorite out of the books that I read from Jimenez. Xavier and Samantha were very cute together and the chemistry between them was strong from the jump. They had a lot of barriers between them that made it hard. When it comes to my preferences, I'm not a really a insta-love girl and that's what this book felt like for me. I will say that even though I'm not a fan of the trope, I still think that Abby Jimenez executed in a way that I still didn't mind. I think the first half of this book was stronger for that reason, but in the second half it kind of fell flat. Everything happening was believable but at certain points I was like dang this couple can't win for losing. I think because they fell so hard for each other initially it just became kind of boring for me.

This story’s other focus was on dementia and the struggles of being a care taker for someone with the disease. I think Abby Jimenez handled this topic well. She didn't simplify it and painted a picture of it that might be relatable to some. I really felt for Samantha and her family. They often had to make hard decision and make sacrifices that affected their way of life as well.
Overall this book was very meh for me.

Also, I should note that there were ACOTAR (not a fan at all) and some comments made about the sister's baby daddy. There were certain implications that felt offensive.
]]> Liar's Game 1624994 336 Eric Jerome Dickey 0525944834 Darriona 0 to-read 3.94 2000 Liar's Game
author: Eric Jerome Dickey
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Chasing Destiny 181406 432 Eric Jerome Dickey 052594950X Darriona 0 to-read 4.23 2006 Chasing Destiny
author: Eric Jerome Dickey
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Cheaters 1624997 362 Eric Jerome Dickey 0525943862 Darriona 0 to-read 3.85 1999 Cheaters
author: Eric Jerome Dickey
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Mastery of Monsters 220160462 Ninth House meets Legendborn in this thrilling first book in a dark academia fantasy series about a teen who’s willing to do anything to find her brother—even infiltrate a secret society full of monsters.

When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him. But August knows her brother would never have left her voluntarily, especially not after their mother so recently went missing.

The only clue he left behind was a note telling her to stay safe and protect their remaining family. And after August is attacked by a ten-foot-tall creature with fur and claws, she realizes that her brother might be in more danger than she could have imagined.

Unfortunately for her, the only person with a connection to the mysterious creature is the bookish Virgil Hawthorne…and he knows about them because he is one. If he doesn’t find a partner to help control his true nature, he’ll lose his humanity and become a mindless beast—exactly what the secret society he’s grown up in would love to put down.

Virgil makes a proposition: August will join his society and partner with him, and in return, he’ll help her find her brother. And so August is plunged into a deadly competition to win one of the few coveted candidate spots, all while trying to accept a frightening reality: that monsters are real, and she has to learn to master them if she’s to have any hope of saving her brother.]]> 592 Liselle Sambury 1665957360 Darriona 0 to-read, arcs 4.28 2025 A Mastery of Monsters
author: Liselle Sambury
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: to-read, arcs
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Darriona 4 My shaylaaaaaaaaaaa 4.61 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves:
review:
My shaylaaaaaaaaaaa
]]> When Javi Dumped Mari 219520699 The USA Today bestsellingĚýauthor of The Worst Best Man is back with a fun and flirty rom-com aboutĚýa pactĚýbetween friends thatĚýgoes awry when one of themĚýunexpectedlyĚýannounces they're getting married.

On the eve of their college graduation, best friends Javier BáezĚýandĚýMarisolĚýCampos swore never to date someone the other doesn’t approve of. Now, ten years later,ĚýJavi has a problem. Mari, the woman he's secretlyĚýpined forĚýsince sophomore year, is planning to marry—and Javi didn’t even get the chance to vet theĚýPedro Pascal knockoff.

Mari, a successful entertainment lawyer inĚýLos Angeles,Ěýis no longer seeking Javi'sĚýdating advice or waiting for him to declare his love for her. Instead, she's made a different pact—with herself. And to succeed, she'll need to build a future with someone else.

With his life and theater career finally on track, Javi’s ready to confess his feelings. Except Mari’s changed the script and moved on without him. Which means he has eight weeks to convince her this marriage is a flop. And if Javi has to ruffle some feathers to help Mari avert a disaster, well, he’s up for the challenge. After all, isn't that what best friends are for?]]> 448 Mia Sosa Darriona 0 to-read 3.98 2025 When Javi Dumped Mari
author: Mia Sosa
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Not Without Laughter (Penguin Classics)]]> 35031086
When first published in 1930, Not Without Laughter established Langston Hughes as not only a brilliant poet and leading light of the Harlem Renaissance but also a gifted novelist. In telling the story of Sandy Rogers, a young African American boy in small-town Kansas, and of his family—his mother, Annjee, a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his irresponsible father, Jimboy, who plays the guitar and travels the country in search of employment; his strong-willed grandmother Hager, who clings to her faith; his Aunt Tempy, who marries a rich man; and his Aunt Harriet, who struggles to make it as a blues singer—Hughes gives the longings and lineaments of black life in the early twentieth century an important place in the history of racially divided America.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,800 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.]]> 256 Langston Hughes 0143131869 Darriona 0 to-read 4.30 1930 Not Without Laughter (Penguin Classics)
author: Langston Hughes
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1930
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Lady Sings the Blues 290112 Originally released by Doubleday in 1956, Harlem Moon Classics celebrates the publication with the fiftieth-anniversary edition of Billie Holiday’s unforgettable and timeless memoir. Updated with an insightful introduction and a revised discography, both written by celebrated music writer David Ritz.
Lady Sings the Blues is the fiercely honest, no-holds-barred autobiography of Billie Holiday, the legendary jazz, swing, and standards singing sensation. Taking the reader on a fast-moving journey from Holiday’s rough-and-tumble Baltimore childhood (where she ran errands at a whorehouse in exchange for the chance to listen to Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith albums), to her emergence on Harlem’s club scene, to sold-out performances with the Count Basie Orchestra and with Artie Shaw and his band, this revelatory memoir is notable for its trenchant observations on the racism that darkened Billie’s life and the heroin addiction that ended it too soon. We are with her during the mesmerizing debut of “Strange Fruit�; with her as she rubs shoulders with the biggest movie stars and musicians of the day (Bob Hope, Lana Turner, Clark Gable, Benny Goodman, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and more); and with her through the scrapes with Jim Crow, spats with Sarah Vaughan, ignominious jailings, and tragic decline. All of this is told in Holiday’s tart, streetwise style and hip patois that makes it read as if it were written yesterday.]]> 208 Billie Holiday 0140067620 Darriona 0 to-read 4.05 1956 Lady Sings the Blues
author: Billie Holiday
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1956
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I Am Not Sidney Poitier 6080748

An irresistible comic novel from the master storyteller Percival Everett, and an irreverent take on race, class, and identity in America

I was, in life, to be a gambler, a risk-taker, a swashbuckler, a knight. I accepted, then and there, my place in the world. I was a fighter of windmills. I was a chaser of whales. I was Not Sidney Poitier.

Not Sidney Poitier is an amiable young man in an absurd country. The sudden death of his mother orphans him at age eleven, leaving him with an unfortunate name, an uncanny resemblance to the famous actor, and, perhaps more fortunate, a staggering number of shares in the Turner Broadcasting Corporation.

Percival Everett’s hilarious new novel follows Not Sidney’s tumultuous life, as the social hierarchy scrambles to balance his skin color with his fabulous wealth. Maturing under the less-than watchful eye of his adopted foster father, Ted Turner, Not gets arrested in rural Georgia for driving while black, sparks a dinnertable explosion at the home of his manipulative girlfriend, and sleuths a murder case in Smut Eye, Alabama, all while navigating the recurrent communication problem: “What’s your name?� a kid would ask. “Not Sidney,� I would say. “Okay, then what is it?�

]]> 234 Percival Everett 1555975275 Darriona 0 to-read 3.97 2009 I Am Not Sidney Poitier
author: Percival Everett
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Telephone 51541232
After a field trip to the desert yields nothing more than a colleague with a tenure problem and a student with an unwelcome crush on him, Wells returns home to find his world crumbling. His daughter has lost her edge at chess, she has developed mysterious eye problems, and her memory has lost its grasp. Powerless in the face of his daughter’s slow deterioration, he finds a mysterious note asking for help tucked into the pocket of a jacket he’s ordered off eBay. Desperate for someone to save, he sets off to New Mexico in secret on a quixotic rescue mission.

A deeply affecting story about the lengths to which loss and grief will drive us, Telephone is a Percival Everett novel we should have seen coming all along, one that will shake you to the core as it asks questions about the power of narrative to save.]]> 216 Percival Everett 1644450224 Darriona 0 to-read 3.97 2020 Telephone
author: Percival Everett
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Jamaica Road 219302228 A transformative love story about two best friends who fall for each other, fall apart, and try to find their way back together in their tight-knit British-Jamaican community.

South London, 1981: Daphne is the only Black girl in her class. All she wants is to keep her head down, preferably in a book. The easiest way to survive is to go unnoticed.Ěý

Daphne’s attempts at invisibility are upended when a boy named Connie Small arrives from Jamaica. Connie is the opposite of small in every lanky, outgoing, and unapologetically himself. Daphne tries to keep her distance, but Connie is magnetic, and they form an intense bond. As they navigate growing up in a volatile, rapidly changing city, their families become close, and their friendship begins to shift into something more complicated. When Connie reveals that he and his mother “nuh land”—meaning they’re in England illegally—Daphne realizes that she is dangerously entangled in Connie’s fragile home life. Soon, long-buried secrets in both families threaten to tear them apart permanently.

Spanning one tumultuous decade, from the industrial docklands of the Thames to the sandy beaches of Calabash Bay, Jamaica Road is a deftly plotted and emotionally expansive debut novel about race and class, the family you’re born with and the family you choose, and the limits of what true love can really conquer.]]> 448 Lisa Smith 0593537661 Darriona 0 to-read 4.25 Jamaica Road
author: Lisa Smith
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Edge of Yesterday 211003769 The Edge of Yesterday is a haunting contemporary speculative novel by award-winning author Rita Woods about time travel and finding yourself.

Greer Coffey is a principal dancer with a renowned Harlem company. Sebastian Coffey is an architect with a prestigious Midtown firm. The Coffey’s are the ultimate dream couple � until their world completely unravels. After Greer develops a career-ending neurologic disorder, she finds herself back in her hometown of Detroit. Angry, lonely, her marriage buckling under the strain, she takes to aimlessly wandering the city streets. One night, she stumbles through a vortex, a portal through time that transports her back into 1925 Detroit, where she meets a handsome, charming doctor.

Dr. Montgomery Gray is a member of Detroit’s Black Aristocracy, wealthy and connected to some of the most powerful Black families in the country. Detroit in 1925 is the beating heart of an industrial nation, but it is also a tinderbox of poor immigrants, Prohibition-driven gang wars, and the Klan. As a member of the Talented Tenth, Monty is expected to be the tip of the spear in the fight for the Race, no matter the cost. Exhausted, frustrated, and longing to break free of expectations, he is stunned to find a woman from the future roaming Detroit’s Black Bottom.

Initially cautious, Monty and Greer slowly grow increasingly exhilarated with the visits. For Greer, 1925 offers an escape from the sorrow of her "real life," and for Monty, the future that Greer lays before him is irresistible. But 2025 becomes gradually less and less recognizable, as each visit back through time causes increasing rips in the timeline. Ultimately, Greer finds herself trapped in 1925 and Monty is forced into a deadly confrontation that changes the trajectory of his life.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 288 Rita Woods 1250805643 Darriona 0 to-read 3.84 2025 The Edge of Yesterday
author: Rita Woods
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> All the Noise at Once 214195153 In this compelling, moving story that “beautifully tackles race, social justice, and disability� (School Library Journal, starred review), a Black, autistic teen tries to figure out what happened the night his older brother was unjustly arrested.

All Aiden has ever wanted to do was play football just like his star quarterback brother, Brandon. An overstimulation meltdown gets in the way of Aiden making the team during summer tryouts, but when the school year starts and a spot unexpectedly needs to be filled, he finally gets a chance to play the game he loves.

However, not every player is happy about the new addition to the team, wary of how Aiden’s autism will present itself on game day. Tensions rise. A fight breaks out. Cops are called.

Brandon interferes on behalf of his brother, but is arrested by the very same cops who, just hours earlier, were chanting his name from the bleachers. When he’s wrongly charged for felony assault on an officer, everything Brandon has worked for starts to slip away, and the brothers� relationship is tested. As Brandon’s trial inches closer, Aiden is desperate to figure out what really happened that night. Can he clear his brother’s name in time?]]> 383 DeAndra Davis Darriona 5 arcs
While this book stressed me so much and angered me, I loved it. There are many stories like this, but adding the additional detail of having an character with autism sheds a new light. When you're Black there is already so much that we have against us. Black people can do all the right things, but we are going to be treated differently not matter what. This is what made it so frustrating because this is reality. Their parents even tried to move them to an environment to show them that Black people are just like them, and honestly, I understood. But instead the people around them only viewed the family as good despite being Black. You can still be a "respectable" person and you will still get treated different, which is the unfortunate truth.

I really loved the brotherhood between Aiden and Brandon. I felt for the both of them because they both had such conflicting emotion. Brandon quietly questioning everything and wondering why all of this is happening to him despite doing everything right, and then Aiden feeling guilty about what happened and constantly blaming himself because he's different. It was complicated despite the love they had for each other. I also loved the brotherhood between SOME of the football team. They obviously loved Brandon, but I loved how they showed up for Aiden throughout the book too. I also loved the friendship Aiden developed with Isabella. It was a tough time for him but he experienced so much growth on his own.

Brandon need to go to a HBCU or something. My God. ]]> 4.58 2025 All the Noise at Once
author: DeAndra Davis
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: arcs
review:
Thank you to Simon Teen for this digital ARC.

While this book stressed me so much and angered me, I loved it. There are many stories like this, but adding the additional detail of having an character with autism sheds a new light. When you're Black there is already so much that we have against us. Black people can do all the right things, but we are going to be treated differently not matter what. This is what made it so frustrating because this is reality. Their parents even tried to move them to an environment to show them that Black people are just like them, and honestly, I understood. But instead the people around them only viewed the family as good despite being Black. You can still be a "respectable" person and you will still get treated different, which is the unfortunate truth.

I really loved the brotherhood between Aiden and Brandon. I felt for the both of them because they both had such conflicting emotion. Brandon quietly questioning everything and wondering why all of this is happening to him despite doing everything right, and then Aiden feeling guilty about what happened and constantly blaming himself because he's different. It was complicated despite the love they had for each other. I also loved the brotherhood between SOME of the football team. They obviously loved Brandon, but I loved how they showed up for Aiden throughout the book too. I also loved the friendship Aiden developed with Isabella. It was a tough time for him but he experienced so much growth on his own.

Brandon need to go to a HBCU or something. My God.
]]> So Much Blue 31450930
Kevin Pace is working on a painting that he won’t allow anyone to see: not his children; not his best friend, Richard; not even his wife, Linda. The painting is a canvas of twelve feet by twenty-one feet (and three inches) that is covered entirely in shades of blue. It may be his masterpiece or it may not; he doesn’t know or, more accurately, doesn’t care.

What Kevin does care about are the events of the past. Ten years ago he had an affair with a young watercolorist in Paris. Kevin relates this event with a dispassionate air, even a bit of puzzlement. It’s not clear to him why he had the affair, but he can’t let it go. In the more distant past of the late seventies, Kevin and Richard traveled to El Salvador on the verge of war to retrieve Richard’s drug-dealing brother, who had gone missing without explanation. As the events of the past intersect with the present, Kevin struggles to justify the sacrifices he’s made for his art and the secrets he’s kept from his wife.

So Much Blue features Percival Everett at his best, and his deadpan humor and insightful commentary about the artistic life culminate in a brilliantly readable new novel.]]> 236 Percival Everett 1555977820 Darriona 0 to-read 3.99 2017 So Much Blue
author: Percival Everett
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Filling Station 216052948 Two sisters. One unassuming haven. Endless opportunities for grace.

During Jim Crow America, there was only one place Black Americans could safely refuel their vehicles along what would eventually become iconic Route 66. But more than just a place to refuel, it was a place to fill up the soul, build community, and find strength. For two sisters, the Threatt Filling Station became the safe haven they needed after escaping the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

After looking in the face of evil and leaving her whole world behind, Margaret Justice wants nothing more than to feel safe and hold tight to what she has left. Her sister, Evelyn, meanwhile, is a dreamer who longs for adventure and to follow her heart, even though she's been told repeatedly to not dream too big.

As they both grapple with love, loss, and racism, Margaret and Evelyn realize that they can't hide out at the filling station when Greenwood and their father's legacy needs to be rebuilt. Going back will take strength they're not sure they have. But for the love of Greenwood, they will risk it all and just may be the catalyst to bring Black Wall Street back to its former glory.]]> 384 Vanessa Miller 1400344123 Darriona 0 to-read 4.30 The Filling Station
author: Vanessa Miller
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All]]> 50358524
In the standard story, the suffrage crusade began in Seneca Falls in 1848 and ended with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. But this overwhelmingly white women's movement did not win the vote for most black women. Securing their rights required a movement of their own.

In Vanguard , acclaimed historian Martha S. Jones offers a new history of African American women's political lives in America. She recounts how they defied both racism and sexism to fight for the ballot, and how they wielded political power to secure the equality and dignity of all persons. From the earliest days of the republic to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and beyond, Jones excavates the lives and work of black women—Maria Stewart, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Fannie Lou Hamer, and more—who were the vanguard of women's rights, calling on America to realize its best ideals.]]> 352 Martha S. Jones 1541618610 Darriona 0 to-read 4.04 2020 Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All
author: Martha S. Jones
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fate of Our Future (Evermore Series Book 3)]]> 223105932
Walking away and not fighting for their relationship ate at Saleem more than he’d like to admit. He never wanted to end things, but he loved her enough to give her what she wanted. Life had taken them on different journeys, but when an opportunity presented itself to make her his wife, Saleem wasted no time trying to win her heart back.

This was supposed to be fake. Just a favor�

What starts as a practical arrangement quickly stirs up old feelings that never left, blurring the line between convenience and forever. Amira and Saleem’s love for one another was too deep to ignore, but will their past wounds keep them apart, or are second chances worth taking?]]> 224 BriAnn Danae Darriona 3 4.52 2024 Fate of Our Future (Evermore Series Book 3)
author: BriAnn Danae
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves:
review:

]]> The Re-Write 201821145
. . . Then Wale dumps Temi to go on Love Villa.

Instead of giving in to heartbreak, Temi throws herself into her dream: writing. She's within touching distance of a book deal that would solve all her problems. But publishers keep passing on her novel and bills still have to be paid. So, when the opportunity to ghost-write a celebrity autobiography arises, Temi finds herself accepting.

And, of course, the celebrity turns out to be Wale . . .

Has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?]]> 300 Lizzie Damilola Blackburn 0241991935 Darriona 0 to-read 3.88 The Re-Write
author: Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Davenports (The Davenports, #1)]]> 58469344
There is Olivia, the beautiful elder Davenport daughter, ready to do her duty by getting married. . . until she meets the charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight and sparks fly. The younger daughter, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love—unless it's with her sister's suitor. Amy-Rose, the childhood friend turned maid to the Davenport sisters, dreams of opening her own business—and marrying the one man she could never be with, Olivia and Helen's brother, John. But Olivia's best friend, Ruby, also has her sights set on John Davenport, though she can't seem to keep his interest . . . until family pressure has her scheming to win his heart, just as someone else wins hers.

The first book in a breathless new series, The Davenports offers a glimpse into a period of African American history often overlooked, while delivering a totally escapist, swoon-worthy read. Inspired by the real-life story of C.R. Patterson and his family, it's the tale of four determined and passionate young Black women discovering the courage to steer their own path in life—and love.]]> 384 Krystal Marquis 0593463331 Darriona 2 3.63 2023 The Davenports (The Davenports, #1)
author: Krystal Marquis
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/24
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves:
review:

]]> No Ordinary Love 215805849 A PR relationship between a pop superstar and a pro-athlete bad boy turns into so much more in this swoony romance from the acclaimed author of When I Think of You.

Ella Simone’s popstar life is what dreams are made of. Her eight year marriage to renowned music producer, Elliot Majors, has helped garner the hits, awards, and adoring fans to prove it. But when Ella tires of Elliot's many infidelities, she decides to fight for her independence despite the ironclad prenup that threatens her career.Ěý

To help her case, Ella is under strict orders to stick to The no headlines, no rumors, no rocking the boat. But this strategy is thrown a curveball after an awards show wardrobe snafu and quick rescue byĚýMilesĚýWestbrook, MLB’s most eligible player, sends the tabloids into a frenzy. Amid tricky divorce proceedings, Ella’s magnetic connection with the charismatic pitcher might just be her downfall.

Now the pressure is on to turn a scandal into an opportunity and give their teams what they a picture-perfect performance that will shore up both Ella andĚýMiles' reputations. But as the lines between reality and PR begin to blur, Ella will either stick to the choreographed life she knows so well, or surrender to a love that could set her free.]]> 320 Myah Ariel 0593640616 Darriona 4 arcs
When I heard this was inspired by Mariah Carey and her whirlwind romance with Derek Jeter I was all in lmao! I loved Ella's story and how despite the things going on with her personal life, she would not back down from a fight when it came to her soon to be ex-husband. She had an amazing support system, not only from Miles, but with her friends and divorce lawyer too. They saw what she was going through and understood that she needed the support, but I also loved that she was willing to support them through their needs as well.

I love the swoon-worthy moments between Ella and Miles. Every time they were on page together I was giggling and kicking my feet. They were so fun to read that I actually wish I got more of them through the story. Toward the end of the book, pacing seemed to move a little fast, but I still think the story wrapped up nicely.

Now I need to listen to Butterfly to really feel something.]]> 3.91 2025 No Ordinary Love
author: Myah Ariel
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: arcs
review:
Thank you to Berkley Romance for the free e-ARC!

When I heard this was inspired by Mariah Carey and her whirlwind romance with Derek Jeter I was all in lmao! I loved Ella's story and how despite the things going on with her personal life, she would not back down from a fight when it came to her soon to be ex-husband. She had an amazing support system, not only from Miles, but with her friends and divorce lawyer too. They saw what she was going through and understood that she needed the support, but I also loved that she was willing to support them through their needs as well.

I love the swoon-worthy moments between Ella and Miles. Every time they were on page together I was giggling and kicking my feet. They were so fun to read that I actually wish I got more of them through the story. Toward the end of the book, pacing seemed to move a little fast, but I still think the story wrapped up nicely.

Now I need to listen to Butterfly to really feel something.
]]> Forget Me Not 61618737 An ambitious wedding planner must work with her grumpy florist ex, whose heart she broke, on the most high-profile wedding of her career, in this spicy and emotional romance from popular fanfic author Julie Soto.

He loves me; he loves me not...Ěý

Ama Torres loves being a wedding planner. But with a mother who has been married more times than you can count on your fingers, Ama has decided that marriage is not the route for her. But weddings? Weddings are amazing. As aĚýsmall business owner, she knows how to match her clients with the perfect vendor to give them the wedding of their dreams. Well, almostĚýperfectâ€�

Elliot hates being a florist, most of the time. When his father leftĚýhim the flower shop, he consideredĚýit a burden, but he’s stuck with it. Just like how he’s stuck with the way he proposed to Ama, his main collaborator and girlfriend (or was she?) two years ago. But flowers have grown on him, just like Ama did. And flowers can’t run off and never speak to him again, like Ama did.Ěý

When Ama is hired to plan a celebrity wedding that will bring her business national exposure, there's a catch: Elliot is already contracted to design the flowers. Things are not helped by the two brides, who see the obvious chemistry between Ama and Elliot and are determined to set them up, not knowing their complicated history. Add in a meddling ex-boss, and a reality TV film crew documenting every step of the wedding prep, and Ama and Elliot's hearts are not only in jeopardy again, but this time, their livelihoods are too.]]> 341 Julie Soto 1538740885 Darriona 0 dnf 3.94 2023 Forget Me Not
author: Julie Soto
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> The Message 210943364
The first of the book’s three intertwining essays is set in Dakar, Senegal. Despite being raised as a strict Afrocentrist, Coates had never set foot on the African continent until now. He roams the “steampunk� city of “old traditions and new machinery,� but everywhere he goes he feels as if he’s in two places at once: a modern city in Senegal and a mythic kingdom in his mind. Finally he travels to the slave castles off the coast and has his own reckoning with the legacy of the Afrocentric dream.

He takes readers along with him to Columbia, South Carolina, where he meets an educator whose job is threatened for teaching one of Coates’s own books. There he discovers a community of mostly white supporters who were transformed by the “racial reckoning� of 2020. But he also explores the backlash to this reckoning and the deeper myths of the community—a capital of the confederacy with statues of segregationists looming over its public squares.

And in Palestine, Coates discovers the devastating gap between the narratives we’ve accepted and the clashing reality of life on the ground. He meets with activists and dissidents, Israelis and Palestinians—the old, who remember their dispossessions on two continents, and the young, who have only known struggle and disillusionment. He travels into Jerusalem, the heart of Zionist mythology, and to the occupied territories, where he sees the reality the myth is meant to hide. It is this hidden story that draws him in and profoundly changes him—and makes the war that would soon come all the more devastating.

Written at a dramatic moment in American and global life, this work from one of the country’s most important writers is about the urgent need to untangle ourselves from the destructive nationalist myths that shape our world—and our own souls—and embrace the liberating power of even the most difficult truths.]]> 232 Ta-Nehisi Coates 0593230388 Darriona 5 by-black-men, non-fiction 4.51 2024 The Message
author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/07
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: by-black-men, non-fiction
review:
This should be required reading.
]]> Happy Land 216247526 'It's time we name our kingdom!' he shouted over the wind. 'I say we call this place Happy Land. If this ain't the land of happy people, then where is it? Why not create our heaven right here on earth?'

In the hills of Appalachia, there once existed a land ruled by a king and queen. Inspired by memories of African kingdoms, a community of formerly enslaved men and women grasped freedom on mountain land they owned. But freedom doesn't always last forever . . .

Today, after years of silence, Nikki has been summoned to North Carolina by her estranged grandmother. But instead of revealing answers about their recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki a shocking story about her great-great-great grandmother, Queen Luella, and the very land they stand on. Land Mother Rita insists must be protected at all costs.

As Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land, she comes to realise how much of her identity is rooted in this family land, and how much they stand to lose if it, like so much else, is taken from them. It's time to reclaim what's theirs.]]> 368 Dolen Perkins-Valdez 0593337727 Darriona 5 arcs
What an incredible book! Dolen Perkins-Valdez has such a way with words and storytelling. Happy Land is the story of free people that built their own kingdom with it's own King and Queen. This is a story. based on a true events told from a dual-timeline POV. One of my biggest takeaways from this story is that you dreams are never too far out of reach and to keep you imagination alive. Even the most far-fetched can become a reality.

I love this multi-generational story. It is told from the perspective of Nikki, who has been called by her grandmother, Mother Rita, for help in North Carolina. Nikki takes the opportunity to find out some other information that has caused a rift in her family and ends up learning way more than she could've imagined. We also get the POV of Luella, Nikki's great-great-great grandmother and the Queen of Happy Land.

I really love the dual timelines of the story and how everything connected. I loved Nikki's character and really empathized with her. She really grew as a person, starting as someone who felt somewhat lost and complacent, while still wanting more for her own daughter. By the end of the story she grew so much and found a new life coming into her own. It's never too late to find yourself and find new things to fulfill you. As stubborn as Mother Rita was, I think the bond she forms with Nikki in the short time was beautiful. My favorite part of the story was always Luella's POV. Luella was a young girl and she was thrust into the role as Queen. Overtime the people of Happy Land really looked to her as a guiding light and she never gave up hope even in tough situations that seemed impossible to overcome. It was inspiring.

I also found this book very informative . It made me think of landownership and how much has been lost from our ancestors due to shady business and laws. In the author's note alone I feel like I learned a lot lol. I definitely find this subject really interesting and I find it especially interesting that Happy Land was a real place. I had never heard of this Kingdom until I read this book and I'm excited to learn more about it in general. ]]> 4.33 2025 Happy Land
author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: arcs
review:
Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing for the eARC!

What an incredible book! Dolen Perkins-Valdez has such a way with words and storytelling. Happy Land is the story of free people that built their own kingdom with it's own King and Queen. This is a story. based on a true events told from a dual-timeline POV. One of my biggest takeaways from this story is that you dreams are never too far out of reach and to keep you imagination alive. Even the most far-fetched can become a reality.

I love this multi-generational story. It is told from the perspective of Nikki, who has been called by her grandmother, Mother Rita, for help in North Carolina. Nikki takes the opportunity to find out some other information that has caused a rift in her family and ends up learning way more than she could've imagined. We also get the POV of Luella, Nikki's great-great-great grandmother and the Queen of Happy Land.

I really love the dual timelines of the story and how everything connected. I loved Nikki's character and really empathized with her. She really grew as a person, starting as someone who felt somewhat lost and complacent, while still wanting more for her own daughter. By the end of the story she grew so much and found a new life coming into her own. It's never too late to find yourself and find new things to fulfill you. As stubborn as Mother Rita was, I think the bond she forms with Nikki in the short time was beautiful. My favorite part of the story was always Luella's POV. Luella was a young girl and she was thrust into the role as Queen. Overtime the people of Happy Land really looked to her as a guiding light and she never gave up hope even in tough situations that seemed impossible to overcome. It was inspiring.

I also found this book very informative . It made me think of landownership and how much has been lost from our ancestors due to shady business and laws. In the author's note alone I feel like I learned a lot lol. I definitely find this subject really interesting and I find it especially interesting that Happy Land was a real place. I had never heard of this Kingdom until I read this book and I'm excited to learn more about it in general.
]]> Our Vicious Oaths 224057573 Enter a new world of romantic fantasy from award-winning author N.E. Davenport—a journey of powerful magic, enemies-to-lovers, and political intrigue—as a warrior-princess and a vengeful king from rival fae courts form a fierce alliance to take down a merciless despot.

Princess of the Aether Dominion, Kadeesha wants nothing to do with fae politics. She is a warrior, first and foremost, and believes her greatest strength is leading her squadron of elite winged serpent flyers to protect her homeland. But bound since infancy to be betrothed to the Hyperion High King, ruler of all Dominions, she has no choice but to do what men have chosen for her.

Repulsed by the idea, she decides to spend one last night of freedom—in the arms of a dangerous stranger who takes her to sexual heights she’s never experienced before…but who is only using Kadeesha to set a trap for the High King.

For the High King and the kings of his six Dominions were responsible for the decimation of the Apollyon Court, and its new king, Malachi, wants his pounds of flesh.

On Kadeesha’s wedding day, Malachi and his special forces attack. Her father is killed, and Malachi wounds the High King, ultimately taking Kadeesha as hostage back to his land.

But she is no true hostage. The two form a pact: she will help lure the High King so Malachi can kill him once and for all, and he in turn will not harm Kadeesha or the Aether people. And as much as Kadeesha hates politics, she is now the Queen of her folk. Fae bonds are unbreakable…and so, perhaps, is the attraction Kadeesha and Malachi feel for each other. For even as they must publicly display their connection to provoke the High King’s jealousy, they struggle to resist the powerful allure between them in order to achieve their ultimate goals.]]> 528 N.E. Davenport 0063397781 Darriona 0 to-read 4.54 2025 Our Vicious Oaths
author: N.E. Davenport
name: Darriona
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hardly Strangers: An 831 Stories Romance]]> 213458857
This is the night Shera's been waiting for: She’s at a trendy Silver Lake bar to finally get a drink with the handsome, charming filmmaker she's been pining after for months.

But when Max King—the alluring and mischievous frontman of an Irish punk band—enters the picture, an electric attraction ignites between them.

Shera’s evening begins to unfold in ways she never imagined, and she surprises herself by getting swept up in his energy and daring to feel again after past heartbreak. But how does she know their passionate encounter won't expire in the morning? And is she ready to shed some of her hard-earned armor for this disarming stranger?]]> 160 A.C. Robinson Darriona 0 to-read 3.40 Hardly Strangers: An 831 Stories Romance
author: A.C. Robinson
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.40
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Comedic Timing 217951320
Naina Rao is ready for this to be her year: She’s entered her mid-twenties, landed a steady job, broken up with her intensely passionate older girlfriend Sofia, and committed to hustling her way into a creative career.

But the city doesn’t exactly embrace her with open arms � at least not until she meets David, an aspiring filmmaker and collaborator who makes New York start to feel like home.

But is this a professional connection or a romantic one? And does opening herself up to a relationship with David mean compromising her sexual identity and her aspirations?]]> 176 Upasna Barath Darriona 0 to-read 3.51 2025 Comedic Timing
author: Upasna Barath
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel]]> 139506611 Bestselling author ReShonda Tate presents a fascinating fictional portrait of Hattie McDaniel, one of Hollywood’s most prolific but woefully underappreciated stars—and the first Black person ever to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in the critically acclaimed film classic Gone With the Wind.

It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she’d worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. Between personal triumphs and tragedies, heartbreaking losses, and severe setbacks, this historic night of winning best supporting actress for her role as the sassy Mammy in the controversial movie Gone With the Wind was going to be life-changing.

Or so she thought.

Months after winning the award, not only did the Oscar curse set in where Hattie couldn’t find work, but she found herself thrust in the middle of two worlds—Black and White—and not being welcomed in either. Whites only saw her as Mammy and Blacks detested the demeaning portrayal.

As the NAACP waged an all-out war against Hattie and actors like her, the emotionally conflicted actor found herself struggling daily. Through it all, Hattie continued her fight to pave a path for other Negro actors, while focusing on war efforts, fighting housing discrimination, and navigating four failed marriages. Luckily, she had a core group of friends to help her out—from Clark Gable to Louise Beavers to Ruby Berkley Goodwin and Dorothy Dandridge.

The Queen of Sugar Hill brings to life the powerful story of one woman who was driven by many passions—ambition, love, sex, family, friendship, and equality. In re-creating Hattie’s story, ReShonda Tate delivers an unforgettable novel of resilience, dedication, and determination—about what it takes to achieve your dreams—even when everything—and everyone—is against you.]]> 432 ReShonda Tate 006329107X Darriona 0 to-read 3.83 2024 The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel
author: ReShonda Tate
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest]]> 208971054
Set against the backdrop of Lynchburg, Tennessee, this narrative weaves together a thrilling blend of personal discovery, historical investigation, and the revelation of a story long overshadowed by time. Through extensive research, personal interviews, and the uncovering of long-buried documents, Weaver brings to light not only the remarkable bond between Nearest Green and Jack Daniel but also Daniel’s concerted efforts during his lifetime to ensure Green’s legacy would not be forgotten. This deep respect for his teacher, mentor, and friend was mirrored in Jack's dedication to ensuring that the stories and achievements of Nearest Green's descendants, who continued the tradition of working side by side with Jack and his descendants, would also not be forgotten.

Love & Whiskey is more than just a recounting of historical facts; it's a live journey into the heart of storytelling, where every discovery adds a layer to the rich tapestry of American history. Weaver's pursuit highlights the importance of acknowledging those who have shaped our cultural landscape; yet remained in the shadows.]]> 376 Fawn Weaver 1595911340 Darriona 0 to-read 3.99 2024 Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest
author: Fawn Weaver
name: Darriona
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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