Olive Senior's latest release brings to life the Taino culture and history and I am here for all of it. S What a journey... I did not want it to end!
Olive Senior's latest release brings to life the Taino culture and history and I am here for all of it. Set during the of the massacre by Spanish forces of the fictional Maima village in Cuba in 1513. We are taken to the village and the book is told from the perspective of four persons and how they are dealing with the aftermath.
I loved everything about this book especially how Senior wrote the language and culture during that time. An brilliant read.
I am really not an audio book lover but I could not pass up this collection because they are Jamaican love stories written by some of my favorite authI am really not an audio book lover but I could not pass up this collection because they are Jamaican love stories written by some of my favorite authors. This collection was truly a delight to listen to, I found myself laughing out loud, cringing, screaming at the narrator and getting all up in my feelings.
These stories got under my skin and stayed there.
Here are stories:
- The Guest House by Patricia Powell
- On The Rock by Alecia McKenzie
- Blue Mountain by Alexia Arthurs
- Homeplace by Diana McCauley
- Shows by Kwame Dawes -
- Let Go On Three by Mateo Askaripour
- The Fastest Man In The World by Maisy Card
I have to say, each story is different and very relatable. ...more
This is a brilliant collection of short interconnected stories, one where each gets story gets bett Stories that gets under your skin and stays there
This is a brilliant collection of short interconnected stories, one where each gets story gets better and better. We are taken to Ghana where each character is battling something that they bring to life on the pages. I loved everything about this collection. Every story felt unique but also familiar.
If you loved Ghostroots, you will love this one. ...more
You know those books you finish reading and you look up hoping someone is around that just experienced wh Jarring, enraging, pulsating and brilliant!
You know those books you finish reading and you look up hoping someone is around that just experienced what you’ve read, and they are not so you feel utterly alone? This is how I felt after finishing DREAM HOTEL
The book open with Sara landing at LAX after coming from a conference in Europe. This is a conference she’s attended for the last seven years as a museum archivist. Upon arriving at the airport she is told they need additional information from her as she may be a risk to her husband. Using data from her dreams, the RAA’s algorithm has determined that she is at imminent risk and she must be kept under observation for twenty-one days.
At the retention center Sara meets numerous women who are being held for observation based soley on their dreams. They must defend themselves against what they dream nightly. The facility makes sure to let them know it is not a prison but it feels exactly like one. What Sara thought would be a 21 day retention turns into over 300 days and she is slowly losing her patience.
Sara decided to sign up to the Dream programme having just delivered twins and was not able to sleep at nights and function in the day. Little did she know the data collected from her dreams would be used against her.
In this book the author, Lalami asks “how much of ourselves must remain private if we are to remain free, and whether even the most invasive forms of surveillance can ever capture who we really are.”
If I had to sum this book up, I would call it “URGENT” and “TIMELY”. It felt deeply imminent that something like this could happen, especially on Trump’s America....more
Deeply moving, unforgettable, well written, heart-wrenching and beautiful…
Sommy was born in Nigerian, after many years of studying she finally got o Deeply moving, unforgettable, well written, heart-wrenching and beautiful…
Sommy was born in Nigerian, after many years of studying she finally got offered a spot at graduate school in the United States. She decides to accept the offer, but this happens to be two weeks after her brother, Mezie attempted suicide. This is her first time away from how and in the US, while she is battling the guilt of leaving her brother behind, she must also figure out school, and living in the US. She gets a Nigerian roommate, Bayo, he is over the top, and is beyond happy to be in the US because he knows this is his and his family ticket to freedom. Sommy meets a biracial American whose father is Nigerian and she falls for him, but she also has a complicated relationship with Bayo. After going back and forth, Sommy gets with Bryan and for the first time they visit Nigeria together during a summer break. Sommy to rebuild her relationship with her brother and Bryan to find his father. What happens, during their visit will shatter their lives, leaving them reeling.
The Tiny Things Are Heavier is so beautifully written, with characters who a deeply flawed, nuanced and relatable. While reading this, I was reminded of why I love reading, and it is because of how brilliantly written this book is. I loved the brother-sister relationship, and how that was explored, I feel like we don’t read that dynamic a lot in books. Also, Sommy as a character makes you want to see her win.
This is one of my favourite books for 2025 and I cannot wait for everyone to experience it. ...more
A book about a book and a writer? Sign me up! Inject it in my veins! I devoured this book and I wanted more.
In The Most Secret Memory of Men we meeA book about a book and a writer? Sign me up! Inject it in my veins! I devoured this book and I wanted more.
In The Most Secret Memory of Men we meet Diégane Latyr Faye a young Senegalese writer who is living in Paris, he recently wrote his debut novel and is getting a little fame from the Parisian Literati. While making the rounds and trying to decide what his second book should be about discovers another Senegalese author who published a book back in the 1930s called The Labyrinth of Inhumanity. The author of the book, T.C. Elimane was hailed as the next big thing in literature, his book was well reviewed, sold out and everyone could not get enough of him. That is until a scandal breaks out about the book, the publisher pulls all the copies, and everyone disappears. Fast forward to 2018 and hardly anyone has ever heard of The Labyrinth of Inhumanity by T.C. Elimane. Diegane goes down a rabbit hole in an attempt to find out what happened to the author and the book.
This book is stunning. I was blown away by the writing and how the author took us on a journey about a book. I love reading books about authors and their writing and this book was excellently executed. Diegane as a main character was endearing, and relentless in his pursuit to find out more about the author and the book. I loved that it was steeped in Senegalese history, and mythology. A well executed book that left me with an insane hangover. ...more
Sharp, engaging, brilliant, witty and unforgettable. Get ready for an incredibly unique read with characters you won’t soon forget.
Ibis opens in New Sharp, engaging, brilliant, witty and unforgettable. Get ready for an incredibly unique read with characters you won’t soon forget.
Ibis opens in New Felicity Village, a costal town in Trinidad, there is an increase of Ibis landing in the village where is a bad omen that all the villagers can’t seem to shake. Told from the numerous perspective we meet the villagers who are seeing an increase in Venezuelans coming to the shores of Trinidad. They decided to take in an 11-year old Venezuelan refugee, Milagors, just as an American journalist visits the village to break the story and as the Trinidadian government decide to clamp down on the undocumented Venezuelans.
With the journalist asking too many questions, the villagers decide to take care of him. At which point, three fishermen from the village close by are held captive in Venezuela and each new day a body part is sent over to let them know a ransom must be paid. New Felicity is under siege, it could be the remnant of the village being on an old plantation or them getting rid of a witch was wreaking havoc on the village- no one knows for sure, but these Ibis are bad news.
We go backward and forward in time, from the village time when it was a plantation and how that affects them to present day. There are numerous voices from the villagers to the eleven year old Milagros and her mother. All coming together in the most explosive and unforgettable way. Justin Haynes did a spectacular job writing this book. The voices of the villages are haunting and they bring to life a real life crisis being faced in Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. Addressed are: The migrant crisis how Venezuelans are being treated unfairly and discriminated against sex trafficking of women and girls to Trinidad and Tobago lost of family, lives and loved ones Finding new family, and how that impacts their identity.
So much is covered in this book but it is done in a way that does not feel heavy and exhausting. I enjoyed how Haynes added the history of the village, we read of an overseer coming to Trinidad to run the plantation on which the village now stands. We get a very clear look into what it is like for Venezuelans to leave their homes to come to Trinidad and how their families get ripped apart. I particularly loved how we followed Milargos story and her search to find her mother. Truly an unforgettable read. I do wish there was a family tree because sometimes it felt hard to follow along on who was related to who.
A brilliant debut, I can’t wait to see what Justin Haynes writes next!...more
This is my first book written by a Guyanese author and I want more of it. The book opens with Maya get A main character you can't help but cheer for!
This is my first book written by a Guyanese author and I want more of it. The book opens with Maya getting a letter addressed to Sunny that rocks her entire world. Told from the past and present POV, we get to understand who Maya is, and who Sunny was!
A journey you won't forget, read this one. ...more
I feel like I don’t read a lot of books where the main character is a bad ass, bad word cussing, 99-year-old, retired Ganja farmer and I wanted to st I feel like I don’t read a lot of books where the main character is a bad ass, bad word cussing, 99-year-old, retired Ganja farmer and I wanted to stay in her world forever!
Imagine using the stones from an old plantation/Massa house to build your home? I personally think that is a recipe for disaster and Miss Pauline found out the hard way.
In A House for Miss Pauline we meet an unshakable 99-year-old Jamaican woman, Miss Pauline who is getting close to her 100th birthday. Something strange starts happening the closer she is getting to her 100th year, that is, her house, which is made from the stones of the Massa house starts talking to her. Pauline Sinclair lived all her life in a rural village called Mason Hall, a day after getting her period she left school because the teacher was predatory. Miss Pauline did not have an easy life, she had to fight for everything and that led to her becoming one of the most successful Ganja farmer in the parish. She met and fell in love with her baby father Clive, they had two children and amid this Miss Pauline decided she wanted to have a stone house, after seeing the disaster that happened after a hurricane.
While Miss Pauline seems to have lived a seemingly boring life, except for being a Ganja farmer, she holds a lot of secret and they come back to haunt her through the stones in her house. Miss Pauline decides she wants to make things right before she dies, this leads to a reckoning that she may not be ready for.
If I could use one word to describe this book, it would be “meandering” and "endearing”. I feel like I don’t read a lot of books where the main character is a bad ass, bad word cussing, 99-year-old, retired Ganja farmer and I wanted to stay in her world forever. Diana McCaulay knows how to write characters with heart and that is who Miss Pauline is. She encapsulates the experience of an old woman, how lonely it can be, the regrets they may have, their interaction with technology and it all feels very authentic.
For me the most endearing part with Miss Pauline’s interaction with Lamount, a teenager from Mason Hall who she brings into her life in the most heartwarming way. I did feel like I wanted more of the Grandmother and Granddaughter relationship but I guess it is realistic how it all played out.
There were some parts of the book that dragged and I wish it had moved faster. I also feel as if the book felt a little all over the place- and things were added that didn't really move the plot along. So many characters were included that did nothing for the plot but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one, big up Miss Pauline anyweh she deh!...more
As a lover of short story collections, Ghostroots by 'Pemi Aguda is now one of my favourite Brilliant, fresh, haunting, unsettling, un-put-down-able!
As a lover of short story collections, Ghostroots by 'Pemi Aguda is now one of my favourites. This collection is cohesive, haunting and I felt that every story I read was my favoruite, but not only that, but its like each story also got better and better. A stunning collection!
Set mostly in Lagos, Ghostroots is collection of 12 stories that explores very haunting topics in fresh and unsettling ways. I loved the story that started the collection- Manifest is about a girl who starts spiraling and her mother keeps mistaking her for her grandmother who is evil incarnate. Brilliant and unsettling, I still get goosebumps thinking about it. In Breastmilk we are taken into a family that is falling apart but they just had a baby so they must put things aside. There’s the story of young boys who keep disappearing in a community and they can’t seem to figure why they are dying.
Honestly, every single story is exceptional, and I need more people to read this collection. I finished reading this collection two weeks now and I can’t stop thinking about it....more
Unhinged, irreverent, fresh, hilarious and unforgettable
I caught myself laughing out loud so many times while reading this book. I loved how fresh a Unhinged, irreverent, fresh, hilarious and unforgettable
I caught myself laughing out loud so many times while reading this book. I loved how fresh and new this book felt and how the characters were all so deeply flawed. In Big Swiss we meet Greta who spends her days transcribing therapy sessions for a sex coach who goes by Om (yea… like the sound- already its wild). She signs an NDA but that doesn’t stop her from discussing the patients with her friend and roommate Sabine. They both live in an ancient Dutch farmhouse that is falling apart and there is a beehive in the house.
Greta becomes deeply familiar with the patients during her transcribing process and develops an affinity for a married woman she calls Big Swiss. One day, as she is out in the very small town she lives in, she recognizes the voice of Big Swiss, they become “friends” and things spiral- fast and messy. Big Swiss wonders why Greta knows her so deeply and Greta is falling for Big Swiss but does not know how to tell her she knows her.
This is truly a refreshing read filled with off the pages characters. It is clear that the author had a great time writing this book because I had a time reading it. If you are looking for your next read- I highly recommend this one....more
Deeply moving, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time… Ibeh is a new voice in Nigerian literature that I can’t wait to hear more from!
O Deeply moving, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time… Ibeh is a new voice in Nigerian literature that I can’t wait to hear more from!
Once I picked up this brilliant book, I could not put it down. In Blessings we are taken to Nigeria where we meet a family with two boys. Obiefuna is the first son for Anozie and Uzoamaka. He is a wonderful dancer, deeply sensitive not the boy that his vey pragmatic father hoped for. Their second son Ekene is a natural athlete, a boy’s boy and who the father hoped Obiefuna would become. While Obiefuna’s mom tries to shield him from the world and how brutal it can be. His father catches Obiefuna and a boy from a nearby village in a compromising situation and he sends him away to boarding school.
Being banished from his family and only home he’s ever known, Obiefuna must now integrate into a school with a rigid structure and boys who are waiting to devour newcomers. He must hide who he is to fit in, all while trying to figure out is identity. Back at home the family is in turmoil as the mother and father conflicted about the best way to raise their son. Is sending him away what was best? Or will it bring him to his ruin? Can the father live with his decision? Will the mother ever forgive the father for what he did to her son?
Blessings is told from the perspective of Obiefuna and his mother, Uzoamaka which gives us a deep understanding of how they both see the world and what is happening to them. I truly loved this book, it was tender, fresh, well-written and makes you care deeply for the characters and the choices they are faced with.
I want to say that this book is what I expected of An Ordinary Wonder but didn’t get. Blessings is a brilliant debut and I cant wait to read what the author writes next. ...more
This was an insanely well crafted book that deserves to be read widely. In The Beauty of You Face w Thought-provoking, enlightening, un-putdownable
This was an insanely well crafted book that deserves to be read widely. In The Beauty of You Face we meet a Palestinian-American woman who is trying to fight her place in a country that tells her she does not belong. It opens with a shooter visiting the school she is the principal of and opening fire.
Afaf Rahman is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants living in Chicago. The book goes between her childhood/teenage years and the present, which her at school with the shooter. Afaf grew up in a home with her older sister, brother and parents, at a young age, her older sister went missing and was never found. That tragic incident changed the dynamics of their family forever. Afaf watches her family fall apart, sees her dad become a devout Muslim and decides to follow in his footsteps. This divides the family as it is seen as she taking her father’s side and her brother taking her mother’s side.
In the present Afaf is negotiating with a shooter who opened fire at the children at her school. She comes face to face with him and his hatred and what happens next, will change you.
This is an exceptional novel that deserves to be read. This book explores grief, identity, belonging, community, forgiveness and love. Truly a beautiful novel that remains timely. ...more
Magic, adventure, folklore and history! In a ball of fun!
If you are looking for your next magical read I highly recommend picking up Trinbagonian au Magic, adventure, folklore and history! In a ball of fun!
If you are looking for your next magical read I highly recommend picking up Trinbagonian author, Tracey Baptiste newest release MOKO MAGIC: CARNIVAL CHAOS! This is an Afro-Caribbean-inspired story about three cousins who discover they are mokos–protector spirits–during carnival season in Brooklyn.
This is a middle grade book but it is also for people who are young at heart and love reading about magic, adventure with a bit of history. Misty, Aiden and Brooke takes us an amazing adventure that will keep you gripped to the pages of this book.
Trinidadian author Tracey Baptiste brings history, culture and adventure to life with this new release. She knows how to write for kids, or kids at heart. Yes, this is a middle grade book but I found myself getting pulled into the adventure and learning so much.
If you are looking for your next adventure, look no further thank Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos!...more
Christina Sharpe makes the ordinary feels extraordinary
I don’t think there are words I can use to accurately describe what is like reading this boo Christina Sharpe makes the ordinary feels extraordinary
I don’t think there are words I can use to accurately describe what is like reading this book. It is a collection of “ordinary notes” but it is more than that. It is an exploration of what it is like having a Black experience, moving through the world and the author losing their mom. A lot is explored in this book, and it is done in a powerful way. I am not lying when I say, I think I underline the entire book because so much of these notes struck a chord and I felt seen in so many ways.
I recommend reading this slow, taking your time to fully engage with what the author is showing you, leave the book and come back to it.
This is my first book by Sharpe and now I must read her entire cannon. ...more
After watching the Bob Marley: One Love movie, I wanted more and I decided to give this memoir a read and I am really happy What an inspiring memoir!
After watching the Bob Marley: One Love movie, I wanted more and I decided to give this memoir a read and I am really happy I did. We hear so much about the Legend, but I wanted to read about the man that he was and I think his wife Mrs Rita did an exceptional job of not only telling her story, but walking us through her life with him.
If you are a fan of Bob Marley, I encourage you to read this book to get some depth to who he was and what it was like being married to him.
We are taken to the island of Grenada where we meet a family that is about to be ripped apart. Raef is the oldest o Layered, shattering and engaging.
We are taken to the island of Grenada where we meet a family that is about to be ripped apart. Raef is the oldest of Cilla children, they live in a tiny cottage in a seaside town in Grenada. Cilla is trying to make ends meet but with two children and a husband in England who hardly sends money, she depends on the kindness of those around her and her sister. One day, her husband sends for her and her younger son, she is forced to leave Raef behind with her sister but promises to file for him.
Cilla moves to England and is shocked by what she encounters. She misses her son but is now pregnant with her third child and must work even harder to help provide for everyone. After years of promising Cilla is finally able to bring Raef over to England, but this changes the dynamic of their family for good.
A Trace of Sun is a strong exploration of what happens when families get ripped apart in search of greener pastures. Yes, we have all read an immigration story, but this one gets to the core of what we lose when leave. I love that the author wrote from the perspective of the three characters, you really felt a part of their family.
A strong novel that I will continue to think about....more
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