Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy! Available Jan 11th

Beautifully romantic, Sonali Dev's Wedding Setup is the short novella to cap off your weekend reading binge. As Ayesha grapples with the loss of her brother, she is shocked to reconnect with her old flame, Emmitt. Yet she is not the same Ayesha as before - in the absence of her brother, she has been working hard to become the perfect daughter. What did she lose in the process? Dev paints a stirring and gorgeous portrait of modern Indian American life and the close ties between mother and daughter.

Thank you Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Brandon Taylor weaves a darkly comic, lonely New York as seen through the love trials of Lionel and his ever expanding concerto of lovers and friends. I loved how Lionel's universe is so self-contained, how it expands and then shrinks back down.

Thank you to Counterpoint Press and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Now available.

I sat with Krys Malcolm Belc's work on Mother's Day this year, spellbound by the complexities of gender & sexual identity, pregnancy and social cultural norms that Belc details. The short, matter of fact language propelled the story forward along with the visual cues. Belc does an incredible job of trying to focus on the journey of pregnancy than the children themselves..definitely a lot of food for thought.

Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Available Nov 1st.

I had the incredible honor of hearing Franny Choi read a few of these poems last week as part of the Juniper Writing Insititute at UMass Amherst. The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On is poetry for our dystopian present, a little sexy, a lot sad, and a moderate amount of hope in community and each other. Choi has this incredible ability to capture exactly what lies at the heart of some very complex issues, such as the poem in ode to Grace, a Black girl imprisoned for not finishing her homework. She treats every subject with such care and dignity. It was an honor to hear her read and an honor to exist at the same time as such incredible writing.

Thanks to One World and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available Oct 18.

Don't read this book unless you are utterly willing to have your heart stomped on. It is absolutely beautiful, moving tribute to the power of sisterhood and the many ways it saves us and the many ways it cuts our soul. When three sisters become orphans, they are forced to rely on each other like never before. Told in lyrical prose from the youngest sister's perspective, this unique coming of age is mired in violence, sexual, physical and emotional. It is dark and gritty, but there is a tenderness to the voice, a yearning, a romantic. Just an incredible mastery of the written word and the heart.

Thank you to TinHouse and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Morgan Talty's Night of the Living Rez is dark, gritty, and full of love. It captures the complex human emotions and relationships that carry us forward. Centering around one family on the rez, Talty explores issues like unemployment and drug use with a humane, people focused approach. The characters aren't always likable and that's the point. Life isn't always so linear and thematically laid out, and, much like Talty's work, the meaning isn't always inherent. I enjoyed spending time in this community.

Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available March 3o 2021!

"A Little Devil In America" is Hanif Abduqurraqib's latest foray into cultural critique and it is a doozy. Blending the personal and political, art and history, entertainment and critical race theory, Abduquarraqib paints a candid portrait of Black life in America. With a wide range of subjects- anyone from Josphine Baker to Mike Tyson to Don Shirley to his Cleaveland barbershop, Abduqurraqib discusses how America both exploits and adores its Black people with a poignant and discerning eye. What I love the most is the Poetic language in this book, it feels very much like a conversation with an eccentric friend, the words flow off the page and land softly in your ear and leave deafening impact in your brain.

A Mercy is a beautifully written account of America in the 17th century. It follows the tragedy of the Vaardak family, starting with Jacob Vaardak's decision to engage in slave trade. Along the way, we learn about the trauma women experienced as a result of enslavement and patriarchy, the resilience and imagination that sustains them and the survival methods they develop. This is a powerful, postmodernist take on a critical time in American history.

This is one of the best books I've read this summer. Absolutely unforgettable. The language and breadth of Homegoing is incredible. After reading it, I just had to sit for a little bit, my mind and heart still sitting heavily in Ghana, crying at a family funeral I had unwittingly invited myself into. The only downside was that as the book progressed, the stories became shorter and shorter, leaving the reader rushing breathlessly to get to the end.

History as only a colonizer can recall it. I am surprised that this book is called expansive when it ignores the very real impact colonialism had in 20th century Europe. It's startling to read this whitewashed account and it made me feel invisible.