Day 21 –  December Wrap Up

My December 2019 ended with a bang because I was lucky enough to read The Nickel Boys, Red at the Bone, and In West Mills. All three were five-star reads for me.  The Nickel Boys was saddening but a wonderfully told story shedding light on the horrors that took place in a real reform school in Florida.  Red at the Bone explored how an unexpected pregnancy affects an entire family.  Beautifully written and slightly melancholic,  Jaqueline Woodson manages to paint a meaningful portrait of a black American family.  Lastly In West Mills is a story of community and how community can become family and how living one’s life freely can be difficult in a small town.  Short and sweet In West Mills has unforgettable characters and lively dialogue.  It’s amazing how much De’Shawn Charles Winslow says in this novel in so few pages.  I highly recommend all three books.  Check out the video below to hear what Roxane Gay’s Book club thought aboutRed as the Bone.

Day 22 – Single Ladies

The Blackbirds was the first novel that came to mind when I thought of single ladies.  Kwanza, Indigo, Destiny, and Ericka will have you smiling, laughing, and shaking your head throughout, despite their individual troubles.  Eric Jerome Dickey doesn’t leave anything out from  a cheating ex-fiance, crushes, alias, illness, etc.  All of that is glued together with a little erotica.  This book was surprisingly longer than I’d expected – just a bit over 500 pages.  I read it and rated it five stars but found myself missing Dickey’s writing style from his older novels which I feel are written so much better.

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