Happy Black History Month y’all! At the beginning of the year, I shared my goal to read at least 3 books a month. So far, I’ve exceeded that goal for January. I had originally planned to share the books I read every quarter, but once I hit 5 books, I realized there would be a lot of books to share every quarter. So, every month, I’ll be sharing what I read. Last month, I read 9 books! If you want quicker updates on the books I read, follow me on Goodreads.
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BLACK GIRLS MUST DIE EXHAUSTED BY JAYNE ALLEN
“If a man doesn’t have plans for you, that’s not your man.” Truer words are never spoken by a real one, and one of my favorite characters in this book is Ms. Gretchen. This book is everything okay?! Jayne Allen accurately captured the many ways Black women have to fight through life. While I will always say that we are not a monolith, our experiences are so similar in many ways.
Tabitha Walker, or Tabby, is on track to achieving her dream life checklist at 33 – education, a great job, a downpayment for a house, and a paper-perfect boyfriend – until life throws a wrench at her perfect plans with her doctor delivering news about her fertility that threatens her idea of having the perfect family. The book follows Tabby as she manages the news and navigates life and relationships with the help of her two close friends and wisdom from her grandmother – whom she’s named after – and Ms. Gretchen, all while wondering if the adage is true that Black girls must die exhausted.
I absolutely loved this book! I related to all the characters because I have dealt with or been in some situations they found themselves in. Jayne did an excellent job capturing some of what it’s like to be a Black woman in America and everything we have to juggle and struggle with while also showing the toil that it takes on us. I couldn’t put it down; it was so good!
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BLACK GIRLS MUST BE MAGIC BY JAYNE ALLEN
Of course, I had to immediately read the new book in this series to get more of the Girlfriends-Esque vibes in my life. This book has actually been sitting on my to be read (tbr) list for a while because I didn’t realize that it was the second book of a series, and I had already mapped out my 2022 reading list.
Here, we see Tabby navigating new waters as she finds herself pregnant and throws herself into the world of “single mothers by choice” all while navigating the world as a Black woman and owning her identity with her natural hair threatens her livelihood. Marc also adds to her burdens by making surprising demands. Trying to make the right decisions for you, Tabby continues to lean on her village – Laila, Alexis, Ms. Gretchen, and her doula Andouele – as she navigates motherhood on her own terms.
I can’t wait for the final installment of this series to come out this year so that I can continue to cheer on Tabby!
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE PUSH BY ASHLEY AUDRAIN
I don’t know if I would consider this book a mystery or thriller, but it was a great read that I couldn’t put down. It didn’t keep me on my toes like the other mysteries and thrillers that I’ve read, but I based on the definition of mystery, you could say that it is. The only reason I didn’t stay up late to finish this book in one day was that I had to get up early. To me, this book is about a mother who sounded the alarm about the inkings she had about her daughter, but no one listened to her. And as a result, too many bad things happened.
Blythe Conner is determined to be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby, Violet, whom she never had. But that notion is challenged when she doesn’t easily connect to her daughter, which leaves her convinced that something is wrong with her. Fox, her husband, dismisses these feelings and fears, which causes Blythe to question her sanity. When her son, Sam, is born, she has the instant, blissful connection with him that she wanted with Violet. A devastating incident changes life as she knows it with devastating fallout, causing her to face the truth.
This is a heartbreaking tale about motherhood and things not going as you hoped and envisioned. I felt for Blythe because everyone dismissed her motherly instincts. It almost felt like gaslighting from her husband, who, by the way, didn’t really help out with the kids or around the house. Blythe was a stay-at-home, and being around the kids all the time, you tend to notice most things that the other parent does not. I wanted better for her. I couldn’t put this one down. Definitely, a must-read.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHERISH FARRAH BY BETHANY C. MORROW
This was an incredibly slow read. I almost gave up because it took too long to understand what was going on. For most of the book, I found myself asking, what is happening?! However, when I finally got the full picture of what was happening, it was a creepy revelation for me. I just wish it didn’t take as long to gett to the point.
17-year-old Farrah Turner, raised by Black parents, is one of the Black girls in a country club community. Cherish Whitman is the other. However, she was adopted by a wealthy white family. Farrah, who is determined to assert control over her life, manipulates her way into Whitman’s home when her family is confronted with foreclosure. The longer she stays with the Whitman family, the more Farrah’s parents fear something wrong going on in that house. As strange things begin to happen, Farrah begins to question who’s really in control.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
THEY DO IT WITH MIRRORS BY AGATHA CHRISTIE
One thing about Miss Marple, she knows a lot of folks! Always going somewhere where there’s mischief and murder. This was the first book I’ve read so far in this series in which Miss Marple is the narrator. It provides great insight into how her mind works and how she manages to draw the conclusions she does.
Miss Marple, on a visit with a friend living in a Victorian mansion that doubles as a rehabilitation center for youth, senses danger. Her suspecison areas confirmed when a youth fires a revolver at the administration. Neither is injured, but the same couldn’t be said about the mysterious visitor, Mr. Gulbrandsen, who was shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building. The question remains: who did it and why?
The one thing about the Miss Marple series is they keep me guessing up until the end. I like to pride myself on being able to figure out whodunnit before the end of the book. However, that’s not the case with Miss Marple, but I guess that’s why Agatha Christie is known as the Queen of Mysteries. She sure knows how to keep folks guessing.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
DIAL A FOR AUNTIES BY JESSE Q. SUTANTO
I was hesitant to read this because, from the reviews on Goodreads, folks were upset – and tbh bashing the book – that they were going into this book thinking it was a murder mystery and disappointed that it wasn’t. It’s not a murder mystery; in my opinion, the genre is humor with a hint of crime. Understanding this, I could appreciate the book for what it was and actually enjoy it.
When Meddy Chan (pronounced Maddy) accidentally kills her blind date, she calls on her mother and 3 aunties to help get rid of the body. The dead body proves to be more difficult to dispose of when it’s inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the billionaire’s wedding. Meddy, her mom, and her aunties are working at the new island resort. To make matters more interesting, Meddy’s great college love, and biggest heartbreak, make a surprising appearance amidst all the shenanigans.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s a lovable, funny book about what we’ll do for family. There were many times I laughed out because the aunties reminded me of some of my interactions with the aunties in my family.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
FOUR AUNTIES AND A WEDDING BY JESSE Q. SUTANTO
Similar to the previous book, the genre is humor with a hint of crime and I enjoyed it just as much! Another great book about the lengths families will go to protect each other. I loved that the shenanigans of the Meddy and her aunties and mother were just as ridiculous and comical. However, I felt for Meddy that on her wedding day, she was worrying about dealing with the mafia rather than focusing on being present.
We find Meddy planning her wedding to her college sweetheart, Nathan. Deciding against having her family and friends plan and work the wedding – giving them the chance to enjoy the day – Meddy is tasked with finding the perfect vendors. Meddy finds a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. While she’s hesitant at first, she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name. However, when Meddy overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target, she realizes that the perfect vendors are actually the mafia using her wedding as a cover to conduct business. Her auties and her mother will not allow the mafia to ruin the wedding they’ve all been waiting on.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
HELL OF A BOOK BY JASON MOTT
A Black author is on a nationwide tour promoting his new bestselling book. This is the basis of the book while interwoven with the story of the kid named Soot, aka The Kid. Soot is a young Black boy living in rural North Carolina in the recent past who appears to the author while on tour. It is it imagination? Is the author confronting his childhood self? Who knows. But the book continues with the convergence of the lives of the author, and The Kid is at once about family, love of parents and children, art, and money, there always is the tragic story of a police shooting playing over and over on the news.
This book is something. It started off a bit confusing, with each chapter going back and forth between a little Black boy and a Black man who’s an author promoting his book. The end of the book is when it hit home. It felt like he was writing about me and how tired I’ve felt about the endless cycles of pain and oppression of Black folk, especially with the recent conversation surrounding Tyre Nichols.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️
THE BODYGUARD BY KATHERINE CENTER
This was a great palette cleanser from Hell of a Book. I thoroughly enjoyed this cute, romantic comedy. While I’m not a huge romance reader, every now and then, I find good ones to balance the intensity of my suspense books.
Hannah Brooks is a bodyguard who looks harmless but can kill you with a wine bottle opener, ballpoint pen, or a dinner napkin. She’s been hired to protect famous movie star Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker. Jack, a few years back, dropped out of the spotlight and off the grid after a family tragedy. Now, his mom is sick and he’s decided to come back home to Texas to help out. Not wanting to stress or worry his mom while getting better, Jack insists that Hannah pretends to be his girlfriend as her cover. The more time they spend together, the more real the relationship starts to feel making Hannah’s job more difficult to protect Jack.
This was such a fun book! There were many times I laughed out loud while reading this book. I really enjoyed reading about Hannah’s growth and her finding confidence in herself when it comes to understanding the need to love yourself before you can give love to others. I appreciated the focus on the individual growth of each of the characters rather than on the relationship forming between Hannah and Jack. Forewarning for those avid romance readers, this is not a spicy book at all. It’s a true romantic comedy so keep that in mind as you decide whether or not you want to read this book.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
WHAT BOOKS DID YOU READ IN JANUARY?
