Tell Me Something….Tuesday??

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general.

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I am forever late with these prompts lol I have no idea why I can’t get my shit together when it comes to the blog anymore but I’m just rolling with it at this point. I’m much more interested in doing puzzles and cooking these days.

But I did want to get to a few of these prompts (albeit very late) so here we go…

2/2 – Share some of your favorite books written by PoC authors. 

In honor of Black History Month, I’ll stick with that – although a few of these are multiracial.

YA

Hands down – Elizabeth Acevedo is one of my favorite PoC authors. The Poet X, With the Fire on High and Clap When You Land all have a slightly different tone from each other but all center vulnerable but strong black girls fighting for and embracing the promising futures due to them. I recommend all her books on audio. Her narration is perfection.

Brandy Colbert – another author that is very versatile in her writing – everything from serious (Pointe), lighter (The Voting Booth) & a mix (Finding Yvonne). I’m still working through her backlist but she rarely disappoints.

Jason Reynolds – I had a break between signings at ALA once and stumbled into his signing line and  I’m so glad I did. For Every One was my first Reynold’s read. It’s a print version of a commencement speech he gave. Followed by Long Way Down and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. His books are powerful and thought provoking and another author I recommend on audio.

Ibi Zoboi – Pride was a fun adaption of P&P while tackling gentrification and I recently finished Punching the Air (co-authored with Yusef Salaam) about a boy falsely accused and trying to survive the prison system.

New to me - YA:

Leah Johnson – You Should See Me in a Crown was the feel good book I needed in 2020 – pure joy and a spectacular debut. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Tiffany Jackson – Wow. WOW. Grown was such a powerful, POWERFUL read about toxic relationships, power imbalances and so much more. Brilliant! I had never heard of the author before but luckily she has a long backlist for me to read.

Akwaeke Emezi – Emezi’s YA debut title Pet, about a young transgender Black girl and the monsters that lurk in plain sight was weird and wonderful.

Jordan Ifueko – I am not a fantasy reader but Ifueko’s debut Raybearer had me hooked from the start.

Romance

Talia Hibbert – Hibbert is probably best known for her hilarious and sweet Brown Sisters series, but I started reading her back in 2018 starting with A Girl Like Her. Her writing just has that spark that makes you smile and immediately connect to the characters – who are written in very realistic *real life* ways. The have chronic illnesses that are addressed but don’t define them, the heroines get their periods *gasp*. It’s just all very relatable and normal.  

Alyssa Cole – I had a rough start with Cole reading her Off the Grid series, which didn’t quite work for me, but the Reluctant Royal series is a hit and I have her Civil War era The Loyal League series waiting on my Kindle.

Okay – I’ll stop there because the list is getting long lol but I do want to add a link to my friend Amber’s post My Thoughts on Celebrating Bookish Black History Month about what she hopes to see (and not see) during Black History Month and beyond in the bookish blogosphere.

2/8 How has your reading changed since the pandemic?

Answer: I think that’s pretty clear lol It’s almost non existent, although getting a little better recently - meaning I'm reading but it's still taking me months to finish a book. 

2/16 Share some of your favorite romantic stories/books.

Answer: So this post doesn’t go on forever, I’ll just name one and it’s one of my all time favorites – Josh & Hazels Guide to Not Dating. CLo’s books are 50/50 for me but I’m a total sucker for nice guys and humor and this book hit all the marks.

Hit me up on any of these topics! Who are your favorite PoC authors? Has your reading changed during the pandemic? What are favorite romance books?