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 I'm celebrating it!
I read 7 books which totals 2,246 pages and 53 hours of listening.
All of the books I read this month were by and about BIPOC, specifically Black, Indigenous, and Latine folks. It took me some time to get started so I picked up To Shape A Dragon's Breath first and I feel like it helped me get the momentum I needed to read more this month.
A few fun stats: 57.1% were Sci-Fi, 28.6% were Romance, and 14.3% were Fantasy. Four of them were audiobooks from Libby, two of them were in audio and print copies that I already owned, and one was a print advanced reader's copy.
Let's get into the mini reviews!
To Shape A Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
One of my favorite reads of last year and rereading it solidified my five-star rating. I can’t wait until book two!!! CW: colonization, racism, ableism, and classism.
Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne
Liza and Dorsey's tension was delicious and I was hooked after their second encounter. Nikki Payne had me laughing, grasping imaginary pearls, and fantasizing the entire time. Do yourselves a favor and read this gem!
CW: gentrification, classism, depression, loss of child (mentioned), and self-medicating (mentioned).
This book was published No review until St. Martin’s Press meets these demands:
Address and denounce the Islamophobia/racism from their employee.
Offer tangible steps for how they're going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
Address how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab readers, influencers, and authors in addition to their BIPOC readers, influencers, and authors.
Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler
An incredible genre-bending novel! Butler merged historical fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy together in this tale of two immortals in a power struggle for the ages.
CW: violence, enslavement, eugenics, racism, incest, murder, mental health, controlling behavior.
Mind of My Mind by Octavia E. Butler
Book 2 in the Patternist series picks up over a century later, following the perspectives of telepaths. I couldn’t stop reading this! It’s relatively short and the audiobook is perfect.
CW: child neglect, mental health, incest, violence, murder, controlling behavior.
Clay's Ark and Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler
Although these books cap off the series* they felt disjointed in the beginning and I wasn’t as captivated by the plots. They were super short which led to abrupt endings which was a little disappointing.
CW: child neglect, disease, enslavement, mental health, incest, violence, murder, sexual assault (mentioned), r*pe (mentioned), controlling behavior.
*Butler didn’t like Survivor so I didn’t read that one. It’s out of print.
My top 4 books of the month are To Shape A Dragon's Breath, Pride and Protest, Wild Seed, and Mind of My Mind.
[ID: Sparkly snowy porch in the background with a light blue glowy box and @bookish_afrolatina in white text on the bottom right in all of the slides. Slide 1: January Wrap-Up. Books Read 7, Pages Read 2,246, Hours Listened 53, Author Stats 100% Books by and about Black, Indigenous, and Latine folks. Slide 2: What I Read. 7 book covers. 1 book cover is SpeakUpSMP Boycott cover. Slide 3: Mini Review. Book cover on the right. Review on the left. Slide 4: Mini Review. Book cover on the left. Review on the right. Slide 5: Mini Review. SMP Boycott book cover on the left. Boycott demands on the right. Slide 6: Mini Reviews. Book cover on the left with review on the right. Below this, review on the left and book review on the right. Slide 7: Mini Reviews. Two book covers side by side. Review below them. Slide 8: Top 4 Books. 4 book covers. Slide 9: Genre. Pie chart with genre stats. Slide 10: Format & Source. Bar graph.]