tspoon3330's reviews
480 reviews

Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.

I'm putting this in pause and might give this another try some time later this year. I was so excited to read this, but the writing style, overuse of cultural references, and slang are distracting. I found myself picking the story apart instead if just enjoying a tale of a magical HBCU. the execution leave much to be desired. I love the idea of this story but I think this would have benefited from a few more rounds of editing. It just seems like the story is trying ti prove how black it is instead of just being that.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

A much needed addition to ones understanding of Black history. The great migration is often misunderstood and as Wilkerson points out, people ask the wrong questions in regards to the movement. Instead of asking what harm the migrants may have brought with them, Wilkerson believes we should "question how they summoned the courage to leave or how they found the will to press beyond the forces against them and the faith in a country that had rejected them for so long."

I wish I had learned about the Great Migration in school, but I feel that as an adult, I have a greater appreciation for the harrowing decisions so many if our ancestors made. Who knows what our lives might be like had they chosen not to leave the south? Reading this book gave me a better look at the what ifs.

The Black Girl Survives in This One by Saraciea J. Fennell, Desiree S. Evans

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A deliciously dark tale of twisted desires, fair weather friends, and found families.

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed the mystery and the ride it took me on. Other than that, I couldn't help but think Gray should retire from being a P.I. More than once, I found myself thinking, "How are you not connecting the dots!" Still another  enoyable from Hall, though.

Viva Durant and The Secret of the Silver Buttons by Ashli St. Armant, Bahni Turpin

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A wonderous tale of a 14 year old girl who visits her grandmother in New Orleans and discovers so much more about herself, her family, and the majesticness of New Orleans itself.

Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.

It felt like I was slogging through it. There wasn't anything about the characters or the story telling format that made me want to push through to see if it got better. I guess I'm tired of the kind of storytelling that does info dumps of character history before the book resumes the present story at hand. There is a certain level of execution if that technique needed to keep my attention, but Waiting To Exhale didn't have that. 

In this case, for me, the movie was far better than the book.

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A dark, brooding crime thriller that navigates tough conversations on race, forgiveness of self, and religious skepticism.

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

She always gets me in the end. Onward to the next one!