Book Recs & Reviews | Bookish AfroLatina

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Recommendations and Reviews

2025 Bookish Awards (Bookish AfroLatina's Version)

I'm finally ready to share my pics for my 2025 bookish awards! These are some of the books I was most entertained by last year and I hope y'all will give them a try.

Jan 202 min read

Bookish AfroLatina's DECEMBER wrap-up. Text lays over a line of snow. In the background, there's a colorful bookshelf tinted in blue with white snowflakes.

My December Reading Wrap-Up

My December reads was a mash-up of books I've been meaning to read for a while and some holiday treats! I read 10 books, all by and about South Asian, Latine, and Black folks, this past month.

Jan 45 min read

30 New Books I'm Excited About In 2026

I don't know about y'all, but I've been screenshotting new releases every time I see them on Instagram! Between those and the books I've seen popping up on Netgalley, I was able to figure out which new books I'm excited to check out this year. Here's what I've got my eyes on:

Jan 38 min read

Bookish AfroLatina's November wrap-up. 6 books displayed in repeated tiles in the background.

My November Reading Wrap-Up

I finally had a chance to sit down & pull together my reviews for the books I read in November, so let's jump right in! I read 6 books by and about Black, Latine, and Indigenous queer folks.

Dec 27, 20254 min read

Bookish AfroLatina's October wrap-up lays over orange autumn foliage. REMINDER: Please read the content warnings for each book on TheStoryGraph or the author’s website!

October Reading Wrap-Up

The fact that October is over already has me feeling discombobulated, but the fact that I read 9 books last month is next level!

Nov 7, 20257 min read

Gabby faces her colorful bookshelf as she places Blood & Brujas on it. She is wearing a black, short sleeve shirt with a pink collar and white glasses Her dark hair is in braids down her back.TEXT: BOOKISH AFROLATINA'S SEPTEMBER wrap-up. 6 BOOKS & THEIR GENRES: HIST. FICTION, ROMANCE, SUSPENSE,, HORROR, & MAGICAL REALISM. REMINDER: PLEASE READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS FOR EACH BOOK ON THE STORYGRAPH!

September Reading Wrap-Up

You didn’t think I forgot to tell y’all about what I read in September, did you?! I had an awesome time reading the following 6 books:

Nov 7, 20255 min read

August Reading Wrap-Up

I read 6 awesome books last month so let's get into it. Love Spells Trouble by Nia Davenport Love Spells Trouble is a sweet YA...

Sep 19, 20254 min read

My July Reading Wrap-up

I finished reading 4 books last month in the following genres: cozy mystery, YA fantasy, and supernatural horror. Below, I'm going to give y'all my mini reviews for each book, but PLEASE check the content warnings on TheStoryGraph.

Aug 12, 20253 min read

Two Black boys in their teens stand back to back. One faces the front in his black and white dashiki and gloves. He holds a black staff with a carved golden end in the shape of a crescent moon and a blue gem hovers inside it. His hair is in a high top style with 2 lines on the side of his head. Behind him, a boy in a red and black dashiki and glasses looks over his shoulder. His hair is in short twists. In a starry background, a bald black man with white eyes stands with his arms crossed over his chest in metal chains. Text along the top reads ANTOINE BANDELE. Along the bottom, text reads TJ YOUNG & THE ORISHAS; 3; THE HERO'S EQUINOX.

The Hero's Equinox by Antoine Bandele

The Hero's Equinox by Antoine Bandele brings us back to Ifa Academy in the aftermath of the Orisha of the ocean's massive tidal wave attack that resulted in toppled skyscrapers, many injuries, and a death.

Jul 26, 20251 min read

A light brown-skinned woman with shoulder-length black hair, flower earrings and a yellow top looks on as her brown Dachshund sits atop a gray washing machine. The door to the washing machine has a drooping skull on it. On the ground, there's a broken white plate with mamon on it. The text along the top reads MURDER and MAMON: A TITA ROSIE'S KITCHEN MYSTERY. Along the bottom, the text reads AGATHA AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR MIA P. MANANSALA.

Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala

Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala brings balances the cozy mystery with the consequences of gossip and the difference between intent and impact.

Jul 24, 20251 min read

A green tinted hand delicately reaches for a small golden bird who's wings are slightly extended. The bird is pierced by 7 needles around its body. White text reads SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA; NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MEXICAN GOTHIC at the top. Just above the hand, gold text reads THE BEWITCHING. Black vines frame the image.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia delivers supernatural horror in three tales of mysterious disappearances connected by a grad student named Minerva.

Jul 24, 20252 min read

Bookish AfroLatina's JUNE wrap-up. 4 BOOKS; GENRES: SUPERNATURAL ROMANCE, ROM-COM, HISTORICAL FICTIONS, SCI-FI. REMINDER: PLEASE READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS FOR EACH BOOK ON STORYGRAPH. Gabby smiles with her mouth closed, her dark hair in twists with butterfly clips and a pastel rainbow cardigan.

My June Reading Wrap-Up!

June was a slow month for me, in regards to reading, thanks to an increase in my workload and a couple of successful Pride Month outings.

Jul 7, 20253 min read

9 Queer BIPOC Books

Pride Month ain’t over yet! I’ve got 9 Queer BIPOC Books for y’all to enjoy.

Jun 27, 20253 min read

What I've Been Up To. Gabby smiles with a black mask over her nose and mouth. Her hair is dyed pink, purple, and blue. She wears colorful butterfly clips and a colorful book dress. The rainbow button says BABY's FIRST PRIDE.

What have I been doing?!

If you've been wondering where I've been, my usual response is: reading, working, worrying, writing, gaming, and probably watching tv.

Jun 23, 20252 min read

A brown-skinned woman stands in front of a blooming tree and smiles. She has tight curly hair in a half up/half down do and wears a colorful book dress.

My May Reading Wrap-Up is overdue!

I read 10 books last month & here are my thoughts:

Jun 19, 20254 min read

Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria

Along Came Amor (Primas of Power #3) by Alexis Daria is here!! Check out my review to see if this is the right book for you.

May 27, 20252 min read

Text: Bookish AfroLatina’s APRIL wrap-up; REMINDER: PLEASE READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS FOR EACH BOOK ON STORYGRAPH! Ten books are displayed in a row: Star Child by Ibi Zoboi, The Windweaver’s Storm by Antoine Bandele, A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon, If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon, and Lore of the Tides by Analeigh Sbrana, A Thorn in the Saddle by Rebekah Weatherspoon, The Queen’s Spade by Sarah Raughley, Destiny’s Embrace by Beverly Jenkins, Destiny’s Surrender by Beverly Jenkins, and An Abolitionist’s Handbook by Patrisse Cullors. In the faded background stand a couple of trees with light pink flowers in bloom.

My April Reading Wrap-Up

It’s time for my April reading wrap-up! I read 10 books last month & here are my thoughts:

May 16, 20254 min read

A large circular room with Roman arches and marble columns. Wooden desks and chairs line the perimeter of the large central desk in three rows. Each desk has a lamp.

What’s going on at the Library of Congress?

On May 8th, 2025 the Trump administration abruptly fired Dr. Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress. Hayden was the first woman AND African American to lead this library. During her tenure, she led the library’s digitization efforts and made their collections more accessible to the American public.

May 15, 20252 min read

Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan

I'm back with a new book review! Can't Get Enough (Skyland #3) by Kennedy Ryan comes out tomorrow.

May 12, 20252 min read

Zeal by Morgan Jenkins. A woman with long hair in a ponytail wades in an ocean, facing the sun. Everything is tinted in orange.

Zeal by Morgan Jerkins

Zeal by Morgan Jerkins is a beautifully crafted historical fiction novel perfect for folks who loved the film Sinners and/or want to understand how our past as Black Americans affects our lives in the present.

May 6, 20252 min read