Tag Archives: OurStoriesMatter

Life has been Life-ing So I’ve Been Escape Reading

When Life is really Life-ing, I tend to escape even more into books, which is currently the case so here are some books I really burrowed into.

Mythically Motivated Middle Grades For The Win

I love to read a really good mythology/folklore-inspired story and these three featured books left me feeling like I won!

Solving Murders And Proving Innocence: Two Amazing Black YA Mysteries

I truly love when books have me in my Grown Black Nancy Drew Bag and these two Black YA Mysteries did just that!

February, I’m In Love With Your Releases

February is here and it brings new books to fall in love with! Here are the releases for the month.

Four Fantastical YAs That I’ve Recently Eaten Up

Whenever there is fantastical/magical elements to a book, I will typically eat them up so I shared 4 Young Adult books that satisfied my appetite.

I Love Reading Black And Brown Kids Falling In Love

I don’t know about y’all but there is something really special to me reading books where Black & Brown Kids get to find & fall in love so I 4 books to highlight that give just that!

What All I Read: 2022 Reading Wrap Up

The time has come *RuPaul Pause*… for me do my reading wrap up for 2022! So if you want to see what all I read, check out this post!

Brand New Year, Brand New Books: January 2023 Releases

2023 has graced us with its presence and that means we get a whole new year of new books! Here are January’s releases!

Sometimes My Brain Doesn’t Shut Up When I Finish A Book

Sometimes my brain won’t let me rest with some books so this post has a few YAs and an Adult that I’ve read this year that literally stayed on my mind.

Deck The Halls With Brand New Books: December Releases

December is upon us, which means new books will be decking our shelves this holiday season!

I Owe Netgalley So Many Reviews They May Come After Me Like Sallie Mae

My fellow reviewers may know the feeling of having a long list of titles they owe feedback to netgalley for so I used this post to write a bunch!

Immigrant Parents Just Don’t Understand-Some Books With Immigrant Parents

Whenever a book has parents who are immigrants, I always feel seen because it is a very different experience so this post has several books with them.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobbling November’s New Releases

A new month is descending upon us and it’s bringing with it new books for us to gobble, gobble up! Check out this list of November releases!

Give A Listen-YA Audiobooks I’ve Enjoyed

My journey with audiobooks has continued and I’ve added some YA books to the list! This post shares five that I’ve listened to and really enjoyed.

I’m All For Bookish Love: Adult Romances Centered Around Books

Y’all know I live for a good adult romance but I love them even more when one or both characters are bookish people and can be in bookish environments at any point in the story! There are 5 books that give me that!

Let’s Celebrate: I Hit 100 Books Read For The Free Black Women’s Library Challenge

I hit a milestone in my Free Black Women’s Library Challenge and I just had to Celebrate the moment!

Don’t Be Spooked By All These Books Coming Out In October

October is bringing us a new set of releases and hopefully this list will delight rather than spook you!

Middle Grade Is Giving Magical Black Girl Realness And I Live For It

Middle Grade books this year have given us some incredible Magical Black Girls and I wanted to share a few I adored from recent reads!

New Settings, Making New Friends And The Jitters They Bring-MGs That Deal With These Things

Being in a new setting and trying to make new friends can be tough so I’ve compiled a short list of middle grades that covers these themes.

Chillin’ With The Author: Judy I. Lin

In honor of the release of A Venom Dark And Sweet, the sequel to A Magic Steeped In Poison, I did a Q&A with this duology’s incredible author Judy I. Lin!

Falling Into The Bookish Grind: September Releases

September is bringing us Fall weather (hopefully), school days and work but it’s also signaling new book releases! This Pub month is immense so get your library requests & bank accounts ready!

Show Up And Show Out For Authors Impacted By Barnes & Nobles’ Decision

In the wake of the nationwide decision made by Barnes & Noble, Authors (especially those of color) are in need of our support. This post has a short list of books by Authors Of Color I knew of that are impacted.

Tuning Out The World & Tuning Into Audiobooks

Audiobooks have become a recent escape for me in terms of reading and fully immersing myself in a story so I’m sharing five that I really enjoyed.

Grief Is Truly A Beeotch: Some Books That Deal With It

Grieving can really be a beeotch and it can take many forms. This post features five middle grade & young adult books that has some level of grief in them.

Hot Book Summer Is LITerally Sweltering: August Releases

This Hot Book Summer has reached sweltering with both the heat and releases in August!

Why Wasn’t This Hyped More? Books That Deserved More

There are quite a few books that I feel weren’t hyped enough in the past and I have four more that I’m adding to this list.

My Spirit Demands More POC Romances

Everyday my Spirit craves & demands romances where both the MC & love interest are POC. So I figured I’d share a list of YA & adult books that came out this year that gave me that.

I Can’t Help Marveling At The Marvellers

The Marvellers is truly a special book that gave us a magical world where we could all see ourselves and I can’t help marveling at it.

If You’re Looking For Laughs And Adventure, Look At These Middle Grades!

With the summer here & the world being what it is, I had to share a short list of the Middle Grade Books that gave me plenty of laughs & adventure.

Hot Book Summer Is Upon Us: June Releases

June is here and it’s about to be a Hot Book Summer with these new books coming out this month!

Books That Gave Me Serious Heart Eyes And Butterflies

Sometimes you just want to read books that are light when things around you feel heavy, so in this post I list 5 YA books that gave me all the good feels.

Wow, I Said That?: An Ode To 100 Posts

Over the last 99 posts, I’ve said a lot of things that I’ve forgotten but know were likely outrageous…So for this one, I revisited some past posts and shared my favorite quotes!

Kids Of Color Deserve Safe Spaces And Healthy Relationships

This post as been on my mind for a while now and in it, I share my thoughts (and books) about healthy relationships & safe spaces for Kids Of Color.

Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl Had Me Walking Down Memory Lane

COAAGG had me on a stroll down memory lane but also left me with hella thoughts with just as many laughs!

May Comes Bearing Not Just New Flowers But New Books Too

May is upon us and while you maybe smelling the flowers (or hiding from them thanks to allergies), you have plenty new books to look forward to too!

The Blood Trials Gave Me The Angry Black Girl I’ve Always Wanted

I loved The Blood Trial’s Ikenna so much that I had to gush about her…She IS THAT GIRL and you will see that when you read!

And They Persisted…With Snark And Humor-4 Middle Grades I Loved

I love Middle Grade Books where the the main characters are not only persistent but snarky & funny so I shared four favs!

To Some Of The Secondary Characters That Live Rent Free In My Mind

I don’t know about you but there are some YA Secondary Characters that live rent free in my mind and I had to share them!

A Magic Steeped In Poison Made Me Want To Drink Tea But Also Throw It

A Magic Steeped In Poison me want to drink lots of tea but also throw it at times and I loved every moment of the journey!

Retellings, Remixes and ReImaginings That Are Relatable, Oh My!

People Of Color, especially as teens, deserve to see themselves in “classic” literature and now they can in this list of YA retellings, remixes and re-imaginings.

Pilar Ramirez And The Escape From Zafa Is The MG Fantasy I Would’ve Wanted As A Kid

Pilar Ramirez is a book my Kid self would’ve loved and was one of my favorite reads this year!

Books That Talked HistorNerdy To Me

I love when a book talks nerdy to me, especially HistorNerdy so I featured 6 MG & YA books that do just that!

Love Is In The Air: YA & Adult Romances To Add To Your TBR

An early Valentine’s Day post listing some YA And Adult Romances/Rom-Coms to get you in the lovey-dovey mood!

Falling In Love With New Books: February Releases

So many new books are coming out in February that you will either completely fall in love or your bank account will want break up with you!

I Want To Know What Other Characters Are Thinking-Dual POVs Are My Jam

I absolutely adore books with dual POVs and I share a few that I have enjoyed in this post!

Chillin’ With The Author: J.Elle

I had the privilege of chatting with Author J.Elle about her books, writing routines, favorite snacks and had a blast!

Tis the Season for Books: December Releases!

The year is coming to an end but we still got a few more books to look forward to coming out before it does!

I Don’t Know About You But I’ve Got Bookish Pet Peeves

I don’t know about any of you but I’ve got quite a few bookish pet peeves and I’m airing them out here!

Spoilers Aren’t A Part Of My Ministry And Here’s Why

Spoilers are not only not a part of my ministry but I sincerely hate them and this is my post on why!

Sequels Are Super Stressful…And I Love Them!

I’m a reader who loves sequels even though they stress me out and I talk briefly about a few I’ve read recently here!

Give POC Authors Their Flowers, Not One Star On Goodreads

There is a BS system in place giving POC Authors 1 star ratings on platforms like goodreads and we gotta combat this nonsense.

We Need Looove: Black And Brown Girls Should Be Centered in More YA Romance

Black And Brown Girls deserve to see themselves centered in literature, especially when Romance is involved so here is a short list of books where they are.

The Bones Of Ruin Had Me Walking On A Mental Tightrope

The Bones Of Ruin had me walking a mental tightrope I actually wasn’t scared of.

The Iron Widow’s Anger Delighted My Spirit And Fed My Soul

I’m a Stan for Iron Widow’s MC Zetian & her soul stirring anger and I’m sure you would be too once you read it!

Reading Is My Escape: Books That Have Helped Me Get Through Tough Times

Whenever I’m having a tough time, I read so this is a list of a few books that have helped me escape for a little while.

What’s The 411 Hun?: Organizing The Readers Supporting Ayiti Raffle

I’ve been working on a benefit for Haiti but I need help… and I hope that You would want to support!

Important Middle Grade Books That Need To Be Placed In The Hands Of Kids

With the school year starting back up, there are a few books I really felt should be placed in kids hands and in libraries.

Bad Witch Burning Turned Me Into A Pile Of Ashes

Bad Witch Burning put me through so much that it turned me into a pile of ashes…and it was such a worth while read.

Two Books That Triggered Some Serious Therapy Sessions

Books are an extension of my therapy & healing journey but these two books triggered some heart wrenching, tear spilling sessions!

The Good Luck Girls Is Like A Wild Western Set It Off

The Good Luck Girls had me feeling like I was in a YA Wild Western Set It Off and I Loved it!

Give Me All The Stories Please-An Ode To Anthologies

I’m a huge fan of anthologies and think they deserve more recognition! Here are 5 anthologies that I loved & why!

Simone Breaks All The Rules Was Like Reading My Teenage Self

Simone Breaks All The Rules read like Debbie hacked into my Dear Diary and wrote about my teen years!

Josephine Against The Sea Gave Me All The Caribbean Mythology I Need

Josephine Against The Sea was all I could’ve asked for and more & you should read it!

This Poison Heart Is Literal Black Girl Magic

This Poison Heart was the literal embodiment of Black Girl Magic and you need to read it!

Sisters Of The Snake Is The Magical Twin Swap We All Deserved

Sisters Of The Snake is the Magical Twin Swap book I didn’t know I needed but now know the world deserves!

I Lived My Stefan Urquelle Fantasy With Of Princes And Promises

Of Princes And Promises gave me all the Steve Urkel to Stefan Urquelle and Laura Winslow vibes & I lived for it!

Ace Of Spades Made Me Want To Take Off My Earrings And Lace Up My Timbs

Ace Of Spades had me Side-Eyeing Everyone and READY to fight. You REALLY NEED to read this book!

Where The Rhythm Takes You Felt Like Returning Home

Where The Rhythm Takes You felt like a homecoming that I wasn’t physically present for but felt in my Spirit.

The Last Fallen Star Shone So Brightly I Needed Shades

I loved The Last Fallen Star so much that I couldn’t put it down and I know you will love it too once you pick it up!

So Many Reasons Why I Love Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry

There are so many reasons I’m lightweight obsessed with Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry & want you to join me!

CeCe Rios And The Desert Of Souls is Soul Fulfilling

CeCe Rios And The Desert Of Souls is a amazingly magic and mythology filled read & I think you should read it!

A Queen Of Gilded Horns Crowned A Masterpiece

A Queen Of Gilded Horns brought the majestic and bawse energy A River Of Royal Blood Deserved!

The Cost Of Knowing Is A Price I’m Willing To Pay

The Cost Of Knowing is a brilliant book that serves as a mirror for Black Kids Everywhere!

Stand Up For AAPI & Support AAPI Authors

A List of Books by AAPI authors as well as action steps to support the AAPI community. #StandUpForAAPI

Giving Them Their Flowers: An Ode To My Favs

I had to take the time to give some of my favorite authors their flowers while they could still smell them/give them their props while they could still read them!

One Of The Good Ones Had Me Geeking

One Of The Good Ones is an incredible book that gives you you entire geeky life…it did for me!

Aye Yo #LegendbornKeptMeUp Is A Real Thing

Legendborn is the book I know I needed in my life and that everyone else needs in theirs! Be prepared to lose sleep because the hashtag #LegendbornKeptMeUp exists for a reason! Go Get It NOW!

The Gilded Ones Is A Solid Gold Read

The Gilded Ones is a solid gold read and you need to go out and get it ASAPually!

Charming As A Verb Is Indeed Charming

Charming As A Verb Is the book we all need, filled with humor, shenanigans and amazing characters!

Reaper Of Souls Seriously Gave Me Gray Hair

Reaper Of Souls, the much anticipated Sequel to Kingdom Of Souls came for my edges and turned them gray! This was such an amazing read and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

YAY I Completed my 2nd Free Black Women’s Library Challenge

A List of all the Amazing books I read for the Free Black Women’s Library Challenge in 2020 (one of the few good things to come out of the year).

Loretta Little Looks Back Is A Beautiful Go Tell It

Loretta Little Looks Back is a beautiful set of monologues that highlights a big part of US history from a perspective not often heard.

Maya And The Rising Dark Is Magic

Maya And The Rising Dark is the magical middle grade book I never knew I needed abut am so glad I have now!

Behold, Raybearer is Fire AF

Raybearer is Fire AF and you need to get it like yesterday! I loved this book so much and I know you will too!

10 Things I Hate About Pinky Is A Vibe

10 Things I Hate About Pinky gave me all the summer love story vibes that I could’ve ever needed and it could give the same to you!