Black American | Bookish AfroLatina

Books

Recommendations and Reviews

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 194 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 261 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 122 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 62 min read

Glowing, bright blue TEXT - BOOKISH AFROLATINA’S MARCH WRAP-UP. Five books line in the middle. Below the books, light blue text over a black banner reads: REMINDER: PLEASE READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS FOR EACH BOOK ON STORYGRAPH! In the background, there are colorful bookshelves that are blurred & darkened.

March Reading Wrap-Up

It's time for my March Reading Wrap-Up! I read 5 books in March, mostly in a hybrid format (audio & print).

Apr 112 min read

Midnight, Forbidden, and Breathless by Beverly Jenkins

Beverly Jenkins took over January for me! One thing I know I can count on when I pick up her books is that the happy endings will include...

Feb 122 min read

A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay by Octavia E. Butler

My first read of the month was A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay by Octavia E. Butler! This essay was originally published...

Feb 10, 20242 min read

January Reading Wrap-Up

Wrapping up January 2024! I read a bit less than I used to but I'm amazed I even read this much with everything that's been going on. So...

Feb 4, 20243 min read

Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

Rating: 4 stars Genre: Cozy Mystery Representation: Filipina-American, PTSD, Black, Latinx, South Asian & Disabled Content warning:...

Mar 14, 20222 min read

Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

Thank you to NetGalley for the electronic advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. Rating: 5 stars Genre: Young Adult -...

Mar 8, 20222 min read

Never Tell by Selena Montgomery (aka Stacey Abrams)

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Libro.fm for the electronic and audiobook copies of this book in exchange for an honest...

Jan 10, 20222 min read

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

Rating: 5 Stars Genre: Poetry Representation: Black American Woman Content Warning: Discussions of collective trauma, grief,...

Dec 24, 20212 min read

The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South Rating: 4 Stars Genre: Culinary Memoir...

Nov 25, 20212 min read

The Conductors by Nicole Glover

Rating: 4 stars Genre(s): Historical Fiction, SciFi/Fantasy, Mystery, Romance Representation: Black characters, transgender man, racial...

Oct 22, 20213 min read

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Rating: 4 stars Genre: Historical Fiction Themes: Black-to-white racial passing, racism, classism, sexism, antisemitism, relationships....

Sep 25, 20210 min read

Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce

Rating: 3.5 stars Genre: Historical Fiction Description 1925: Chicago is the jazz capital of the world, and the Dreamland Caf is the...

Aug 19, 20213 min read

Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma

Rating: 4.5 stars Description: "In 1796 Trinidad, young Rosa Rendón quietly but purposefully rebels against the life others expect her to...

Jul 27, 20213 min read