The Woman in Me is straight forward and honest.  No frills.  Brittney Spears used her talent to support her family, then they turned on her when she wanted control or was vulnerable.  How can you be incompetent to manage your own life, but then sell out arenas and shows.  Not only did her own family betray her, but the media took advantage and used her femininity against her since she started being a public figure.  I have a new found respect for her.  I am glad she got to tell her story and I hope she continues to tell her own narrative. 

I enjoyed Worthy.  It was a very introspective look into a very controversial woman just trying to navigate life in a complicated world on her own terms.  I learned a lot about her that I did not know and I appreciate her telling her story. I went in with an open mind before starting this book and for that reason, I was able to receive her story as intended. Now I will say that it reads like self help which I am not a fan of, so this part of the book I did not like. The points she makes about self help is valid and useful. It gave me nostalgia to hear her talk about the Hollywood that she came to fame in. I enjoyed all of the clarifications regarding her entanglement, her marriage to Will Smith, the slap heard around the world, her relationship to Tupac and her parenting choices. I appreciate her honesty and vulnerability in discussing those things as well as being transparent about her mental health. I wish her much success with this memoir and future endeavors, personal and professional. 

Dayblack Vol 1 is a funny wild ride, with social commentary on the value of people.  I loved the story and would love to continue the journey.  Definitely unique in and of itself but lots of unique elements from the traditional vampire intricacies. The images are wild, too wild for me. If you are into tattoos and graffiti, this book will definitely appeal to you.  It goes in line with the author’s background as a tattoo artist.  For me, the graphics were busy so I had a hard time determining what I was looking at.  And my book’s binding had margin issues.  Overall, a great book and I recommend.

Great sequel.  It is not as funny/sarcastic but still highly entertaining.  You get to hear about Katherine’s background amid all the devastation these girls continue to experience.  So much trauma and heartbreak that I wanted to cry at times, and kill at others.  Although this world is different from our actual history, it is sad the injustices that befall brown/black skin folk are just transformed into a new terror.  I am in awe of this book and the world Justina Ireland has created.  Unlikely allies bound together by a common enemy in a world that was never safe and has always been cruel.  All they can do is try to survive by whatever means.  That changes people, and you are left questioning if you are a survivalist or a killer.  There is morally gray or black and then there is wrong.  Some folk will never get it.  Who’s gonna do something about it. 

Dread Nation was so good.  Perfection.  Lots of sarcasm, comedy, and real truths about white supremacy and oppression of certain populations that are relevant today as they were during antebellum times.  The religious rhetoric regarding why black and brown populations being inferior was upsetting and enlightening.  People will definitely interpret scripture as they see fit to get what they want for sure.  I enjoyed the female characters as they are smart, brave, and Jane is cut throat.  The juxtaposition of Jane and Catherine was great to watch considering how different they are perceived  based on skin color.  I think the ending was fitting, but I wonder about Gideon.  My only hang up, is even though they where definitely looked down upon, many people still endowed them with Miss or Lady when speaking to them.  For this time period where race relations are definitely still challenging, I would not have expected that.  No biggy though.  Book still rocks. On to book two.  

All the Sinners Bleed was such an amazingly bold book.  It had lots of talk of racism, history, big SAT prep words I had no idea what they meant, and dropped so many southern sayings I felt I was at home with my grandma.  So many unlikeable characters and then you have Titus who is superman Sheriff.  I liked him as a character and felt he was lost, while still trying to be big man.  Darlene and Kellie were just a plot devices for Titus and I wish they would have been more real.  I had no idea why Kellie even needed to be in the book.  I enjoyed the interactions between Titus, his brother and dad.  Very enjoyable realness, but the scenes are quick. Transitions overall in this book were quick, yet subtle.  It moved along nicely.  The plot was good and I did not guess who did it.  I was disappointed this character didn’t have more prevalence in other parts of the book to help the reader be more satisfied in discovering who they were. Overall, I enjoyed this book.  It is definitely a conversational book.  You will want to talk about it. 

House of Cotton is southern vibes all the way, from the language to the food to the descriptions of the people.  As a southerner I can appreciate that.  I enjoyed the story itself, but it was definitely a slow burn. I kept waiting for something huge to happen, which did not occur.  Transitions were quick in the book so scenes jumped abruptly.  I enjoyed the mix of oddball characters and also the modeling job was definitely a creep factor. Magnolia was such an interesting mixed bag of a character.  As the story develops you see her motivations for the crazy things she sees and does. Everyone deals with grief in different ways, so her behavior threw me for a loop.  Overall an interesting gothic vibe with beautiful imagery and language used throughout.

After the Rain was an enjoyable graphic novel with lots of color and patterns.  At times, too busy so I struggled to make sense of it.  Story itself was good, but I didn’t really get the ending and was left wanton.  I’m sure it is steeped in African traditions and folklore, but besides Chioma’s making peace and accepting herself, I was lost.  However, the creep factor was on point.  I don’t want to be on a isolated road or encounter lizards ever again.  Overall, a good story, but I wanted more. 

I can’t believe I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me is a debut novel.  I can’t imagine what this author is capable of as a follow up.  It’s the world of ballet, but is also real life. Racism, elitism, power, and ambition.  Laure is a mature character that recognizes her place in life early and will do anything to succeed, which is really just leveling the playing field.  It is unfortunate black people have to go to such lengths, blood sweat and tears to get their due.  Give folks their flowers, dang.  My only hangup about the book is Laure's back story about her parents was lacking, but the plot didn't suffer for it.  The writing is subtle and honest, yet bold at the same time.  This book had some epic lines that will make you angry, intrigued and be like, I’m not surprised.  I loved it.  If you want a deep dive discussion, I am on social media YT, same name. Amazing book. You won’t regret reading it. 

I am so intrigued The Black Queen is a debut novel.  Well done; it is definitely a conversation starter.  There are several twists and turns that I had no idea about.  I had a hard time putting this book down it was so good.  At times I did feel it read like an essay about race relations - a realistic one at that.  These teens definitely have their pulse on the America they are growing up in.  The story line itself was great and executed cleverly.  You have bootleg Sherlock Holmes meets Mean Girls. I like it.  There were some funny parts that had me cracking up.  Tinsley seemed more the focus of the book despite the two narrators because she seemed to be going through a growth phase.  Sucks it takes drastic stuff to happen before people realize they gotta come down a notch, or 5.  Overall a great story that reads fast.