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/ 2020 / June / 17

Day: June 17, 2020

8 LGBTQ+ Book Recommendations and a Pride Month Playlist

Blog | Recommendations

8 LGBTQ+ Book Recommendations and a Pride Month Playlist

Read More 8 LGBTQ+ Book Recommendations and a Pride Month Playlist

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If you're looking for diverse and fun reads, you've come to the right place.

bookishends

🐊🧙🏼‍♀️Keepers of the Marsh by Maura

🐊🧙🏼‍♀️Keepers of the Marsh by Maura Jortner—5/20/25🐊🧙🏼‍♀️

I haven’t posted a Middle Grade book in a hot minute, so here’s one I recommend ✨

Keepers of the Marsh was a fun read, and it had several different elements to keep attention, like the Alligator Witch song and the written account of Zofia’s life. I really enjoyed the way breadcrumbs were dropped throughout, making the book part mystery and part adventure.

Nana’s involvement in the story was one of my favorite aspects as it was hilarious but also brought complications and a bit of reality to the story for those with sick and aging grandparents. The historical aspect of the book was also very interesting as I didn’t know about the Galveston flood, so it was interesting seeing the way the book connected it to the plot.

Another thing I really liked was the emphasis the book put on the fact that people process death and grieve differently. It’s such a good lesson, and I think the way Lana came to understand it was very natural. I even found myself getting emotional toward the end, which was unexpected. Overall, this was a nice, magical read, and I would read more by this author.

*Thank you to Holiday House for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.* 🫶🏼

#BookishEnds

“‘I hope it makes you happy,’ he says. It so

“‘I hope it makes you happy,’ he says. It sounds so simple but he thinks, Isn’t this the best one can hope for someone else, when it comes down to it: I hope you are happy.”

I’m back with another literary fiction review this month. This one’s going to be short because even though I sat with my thoughts for a few days after finishing, I truly don’t know if I got this book.

It was about race, but it wasn’t. It was about the afterlife, but it wasn’t. It was about reckoning with the consequences of your actions, but it wasn’t. It was a ghost story, but it wasn’t.

It’s hard to clearly define the message, which also made it hard for me to feel strongly about it one way or another. It was a very neutral read. I did like the writing style. I did like the multiple perspectives and connections. I did love Ruben’s earnestness. But I think it tried to be so many things, that it kind of became nothing.

If you like a ragtag team or conversation around influencer and celebrity culture, I would give this one a try.

I’d love to know others’ opinions if you’ve read this one.

*Thank you to William Morrow for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.*

#BookishEnds

June but still getting this May content out 🤪

June but still getting this May content out 🤪

I wasn’t going to post this because the original had the book cover blown out, but after some Canva magic, I’ve done my best.

Listening to Ms. Tina talk about Matriarch was a great event, and I just love the way the bookish community comes through.

Thankful to @caseykelley.co @oneworldbooks and @randomhouse for the experience 🫶🏼

#BookishEnds #MatriarchBook

📭 Book Mail 📭 Work has been very busy this

📭 Book Mail 📭

Work has been very busy this month, so the book mail has been piling up. Here’s some of the wonderful books I’ve received 🤩

Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue from @walkerbooksya (YA Fantasy Romance)
Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli from @epicreads (YA Romance)
The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson from @fiercereads (YA Fantasy)
The Sweet Life by Debbie Mason from @readforeverpub (Adult Romance)
Takes One to Know One by Lissette Decos from @readforeverpub (Adult Romance)
Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks from @fiercereads (YA Mystery/Thriller)
Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray from @fiercereads (YA Romantasy)

As you can see, I really like romance and fantasy 🤣 Thank you to all the tagged publishers for the gifted copies 🫶🏼

#BookishEnds

Back in May, I saw Rosey Lee pop up on my feed and

Back in May, I saw Rosey Lee pop up on my feed and learned that she was going to be having a book event for her latest novel, A Gardin Wedding, a few days later. I’d seen the first book floating around before, and the premise of both sounded right down my alley, so in a very impromptu fashion, I decided to go to the event.

I’m so glad I did. It was my first time at 44th & 3rd Bookseller but definitely not my last because I loved the space and their selection. The bookish people I met were so nice, and the moderator @browngirlcollective asked great questions. Hearing Rosey talk about the series, her inspiration, and her routine was fascinating. All in all, I’m glad I left the house and can’t wait to dive into the series from the beginning.

#BookishEnds

Great Black Hope was really down my alley because

Great Black Hope was really down my alley because even though it centered around Smith’s troubles with the law and the aftermath of his friend Elle’s death, it was also a study into the way race and class intersect. It was almost a character study in that the plot itself didn’t feel like the point, but instead what the plot said about the characters and society at large. There were lots of interesting musings on the war on drugs, privilege, how people are memorialized, and addictive behaviors.

I rarely read books centered around partying or the rich, so this book felt like a dive into a whole other world. Even though I attended Cornell and orbited around the wealthy types that imbibed without a care in the world, my friends weren’t those kinds of people, so I never found myself deep in those circles. And yet, that kind of environment is normal to Smith and his friends. It’s welcome until they find themselves grappling with how to remain sober when the lifestyle they’ve created doesn’t encourage that.

I almost felt like a bystander in watching Smith’s journey because I wasn’t wholly invested in who he was as a person, and yet I didn’t mind at all. Did I love Smith? No. Did I hate him? No. It was like reality TV, where you don’t necessarily like the cast, but you can’t help but find their life fascinating and you look forward to seeing what they get up to next.

The mystery element of the book did feel less important than Smith’s journey, so it gave me a detached feeling to the search for Elle’s killer. I wouldn’t go into the book expecting that to play a large part in the plot. Overall though, I had a good time reading this book and would read more of Rob Franklin’s writing.

*Full review on my blog. Thank you to the publisher for sending the ARC. All opinions are my own.*

#BookishEnds #BlackBookstagram #GreatBlackHope #SummitBooks #DebutNovel #BookReview

I’ve been discombobulated since BRBF, but my May

I’ve been discombobulated since BRBF, but my May wrap-up and June TBR are finally here.

My June TBR is not quite as ambitious as other months because I’m still playing catch up in other areas of my life. Seven books seems feasible, but we’ll see.

•This Is Not a Ghost Story by Amerie
•Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin
•Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli
•Keepers of the Marsh by Maura Jortner
•The Dry Season by Melissa Febos
•The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
•Call Your Boyfriend by Olivia A. Cole & Ashley Woodfolk

Thank you to all the tagged publishers for the ARCs and gifted finished copies 🫶🏼

#BookishEnds #Bookstagram #MayWrapUp #JuneTBR #BookStack

Another BRBF post because I need to show all the g

Another BRBF post because I need to show all the goodies I got and bought. Your girl is not balling as she has not been employed since November, so I didn’t get as many books and merch as I would have loved too but I made it work.

The first stack is everything I brought from home (minus Team Players) to get signed. At the festival I bought a copy of Team Players and The Bookmark because people wearing them around the conference influenced me bad 😂

There was so much stuff in the bag we got at check-in and then the next pic is everything I picked up at author tables. I’m in love fr.

I honestly forgot several times I brought a tote for authors to sign, so not everyone I saw signed it, but I think I’ll keep bringing it to different author events until it’s filled out.

#BookishEnds #BlackBookstagram #BRBF25 #BookStack

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