Bookworm corner 📚
Akata Witch (The Nsibidi Scripts #1) by Nnedi Okorafor ⭐ no rating
Genre: YA fantasy
DNF'd 100 pages before the end. Akata Witch's message about embracing your flaws, insecurities, and disabilities was lovely. Still, it's so incredibly cisnormative at every turn, with binary gender constantly being reinforced from the magic system to the friend group and the teachers, that I felt unseen by a text trying to tell me otherwise.
The closest we get to trans characters are a trickster spider who can change from one binary gender to another and a sentence retelling about a merchant with eyes "like a woman” and a voice “of a man.”
I also have issues with Sunny's powers "solving" her albinism and the amount of clear child abuse depicted as completely normal on page. A child is caned as a punishment for using his magic on non-magical people. No one blinked an eye when he recounted this.
I just couldn't read this anymore, and it makes me incredibly sad as I loved Binti, and Akata Witch is a clear response to HP. It could've been a go-to for recommending something else to read to others (usually parents and adult HP fans).
American Dreamer (Dreamers #1) by Adriana Herrera ⭐ 4/5 stars
Genre: contemporary m/m romance
Overall, I very much enjoyed American Dreamer and look forward to reading the rest of the series and more books by Herrera. A story about a food truck owner and a librarian, plus Afro-Latino rep: sign me up!
Nesto and Jude's romance was cute, and I loved how they contrasted and complimented each other. The narration balance showed how upfront Nesto was with his life and values and how Jude as a narrator slowly unraveled to himself, Nesto, and us readers. It also showed Herrera's skill as a writer. Early in the book, I felt Nesto's inner self was too exposition-heavy, but that was part of his overall character, not a feature of Herrera's overall writing style.
Jude's family choosing their lifestyle over loving him was too relatable.
Herrera's food descriptions made me hungry, and as a vegetarian, I appreciated the balance of types of food. It made me realize how much Dominican and general Caribbean food I've had yet to try. (Sometimes living in the PNW has downsides.)
I have a minor complaint about the otherwise hot sex. After Nesto and Jude's first time together on Nesto's couch, I thought in their "neighbors" arrangement that they'd cooled off getting below the belt. It felt odd as they're adults, etc., etc., but it was apparently just to put more emphasis on penile penetration. Them not going into Jude's bedroom or spending the night together felt much more significant.
I'm tired of the heteronormative value of penetrative sex being touted as either "actual" sex or a relationship milestone. Once you touch each other's genitals in a sexy consenting way, you've had sex with that person. Congratulations.
Maybe it was coming off another election where white women voted for the GOP or reading this while visiting my hometown, but I didn't find Misty as over-the-top as many people did. I can understand fatigue around female villains in m/m romance. Still, since she wasn't sexually interested in either of them and instead attacked them both professionally, it doesn't fit the trope.
📽️ Watch my review on TikTok.
Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravenels #1) by Lisa Kleypas ⭐ 4/5 stars
Genre: historical m/m romance
Luckily, as a plant person, I already understood the importance of Winterborne getting a Blue Vanda Orchid to thrive under his care. My swooning is justified! But I understand why people say you must read this book before Marrying Winterborne.
Kleypas doesn’t disappoint with Cold-Hearted Rake as Kathleen and Devon figure out each other and the rest of their lives. I’m unsure if Devon truly lost his temper in a way that frightened Kathleen like Theo had. Was Devon an incredible asshole? Yes. (You come inside a lady without protection, boo, that’s on you.) Was he way too jealous because he didn’t care to understand Winterborne? Yes. But I’m not sure this book pushed the infamous Ravenel temper enough. After all, Devon’s most reckless act is also his most heroic in saving lives.
I don’t think Kathleen should’ve been pregnant at the end because it undercuts Devon’s realization.
Kathleen and Devon have a natural partnership, and their romance felt more foundational and lasting due to that — even after that new relationship energy faded. Overall, it was enjoyable to see Kathleen come into herself and learn to express her emotions and live on her terms, not what was expected. Her maternal energy did step a little too far with Helen, and I’m not sure that was ever resolved in Marrying Winterborne. And, of course, she falters when she fails to realize that Helen knows nothing about sex, which serves Helen’s plot more than Kathleen’s.
A lot of Cold-Hearted Rake sets up future books with future characters instead of a total investment in Kathleen and Devon. Considering I know what’s coming, I’m okay with that.
The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty ⭐ 4/5 stars
Genre: cooking history nonfiction and memoir
Twitty traces the origins of Southern cooking and foodways back through the history of African Americans and enslavement. He uses his family history and what little he gleans of genealogy through family stories, scant records, and DNA testing as a guiding light. This journey is a reclaiming and celebrating of enslaved peoples' contribution to American cuisine.
It is also a dense story. It is a harrowing story. Twitty only lingers long enough on the horrors of what was done to enslaved Africans and their descendants so we understand the impact and can honestly reckon with the history. But Black American joy and nourishment are at the heart of Twitty’s message.
As a gardener and home cook, I appreciated having this view bring alive this part of American history. Food, cooking, and eating drive so much of who we are and have been. I think anyone who’s a cook (home or professional) understands that feeding the people you love is one of life’s greatest joys and bringing together everyone in your community. The Cooking Gene made me consider how much I miss having communal meals with those I love and care for.
The book lingered a bit in the middle when diving into DNA testing (including covering the pros and cons, ethics, and choices of giving this information to private corporations) and Twitty’s results compared to his quest for historical records.
But overall, The Cooking Gene mixes recorded history, family tales, personal stories, and sociology to bring you the history of Southern cuisine that you may find on your plate.
Drag Me Up (Gods of Hunger #1) by R.M. Virtues ⭐ 4/5 stars
Genre: contemporary m/f romance
I loved the romance and the sex in this. Hades and Persephone have sparkling chemistry on the page. Their relationship avoids miscommunication tropes, which means the drama/plot of the book comes from outside problems and characters.
The world-building in Drag Me Up is all over the place. The characterization early on relies heavily on Greek god archetypes, and while the prose plays with these expectations, it only pushes back on them heavily with Hades. It also took me about 100 pages before it was clear that this is a non-magical world and probably closely related to mafia family romances (which aren't my bag). I enjoyed how it was not a big deal that Persephone and some other goddesses were trans women.
I wanted more of Persephone and her aerial acrobatics incorporated into more of her life than her confidence, especially since I know many aerialists who are into bondage, and there is kink here.
Overall, very enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin ⭐ 4/5 stars
Genre: literary fiction
Anyone who grew up in an evangelical Christian setting or around one will recognize these stories, and they will recognize the religious and child abuse and general domestic violence when the "saints" can do no wrong.
This was Baldwin's first novel, and I kept thinking about how there are stories we have to tell first. We have to get certain narratives out of our systems, and then we can go on to write what's next and what's beyond.
|
An incredible work of fiction that explores what happens when Dana (a modern black woman in 1976) is transported back to 1815 as "called" to save the life of Rufus (a young white boy being raised to be a slaver and plantation owner) who happens to be her ancestor. Throughout the story, Dana visits Rufus several times, including one where her white husband, Kevin, is sucked through time with her.
