Frizzy is an amazing representation of why asking questions is important.  I loved the boldness and curiosity of this little girl.  I love she said adults always say “what matters is on the inside, but they are always talking about what the outside looks like”.  So true and valid.  I like how someone took the time to show her how to care for her hair to get the look she wanted and to feel confident about herself.  This book tackles so many relevant issues: good hair vs. bad hair, the pressure to straighten and damage natural kinky hair to fit in, how kids have deep feelings that people don’t recognize, and how cruel kids can really be to each other. I wish I had a book like this when I was younger. 

Killadelphia: Burn Baby Burn (Vol 2) is a great followup. It gets into a lot of back story of all the key characters introduced, big and small, in the first volume.  You feel sorry for these folks and see their motivations behind their current actions.  It does skip back and forth quite a bit between these stories so I had to pay close attention so I wasn't lost.  I like you have a woman trying to take charge with Abigail.  Not saying I liked her plan, but girl power.  Book leaves in a cliff hanger, so definitely find the other volumes quick. 

I had no idea what to expect of Killadelphia: Sins of the Father (Vol 1) and am thoroughly happy I picked this up.  Only sad part is I only have Vol 1 and 2. I love the father son duo.  They play off each other with comedy and crass ness very well.  This graphic novel is a wild bloody ride mixed with the ugly history of good old America in it's raw form.  I appreciate there was no sugar coating why people are angry, bitter and enraged.  Philadelphia itself has lots of challenges including drugs, violence and a corrupt system, so it is a perfect backdrop for this gritty book. It is lots of fun and am ready to read more. 

Abbott 1973 is an amazing followup.  Badass reporter still fighting crime to get to the truth, being persued by supernatural forces and using her resources to boot.  She smokes a lot, felt my lungs clogging up reading it.  I love the quote “journalism is the first rough draft of history”. It leaves in somewhat of a cliffhanger. Great story, very relevant today despite the supernatural elements. 

Abbott was great love letter to Detroit, mixed with a crazy historical fiction story. I love a bad ass strong female lead with conviction. I mean it is not suicide when half the body is missing.  Come on folks. Abbott is not taking no for an answer. I love she only wallowed in her misery for like a few days then said OK times up, time to fight this. I also like the book featured not only oppressors, but also some white allies. Book is gorey, has sexism, a strong queer representation and is very relevant today.  Enjoyed it a lot. Had to read the next in the series.

Shuri stood out for me with beautiful images of the African women. Well done graphics.  Story was interesting, meaningful and allowed a better look into Shuri. She is not just T’Challa’s little sister.  She’s her own person with heart and a love for her people.  She wants to make her own way and challenges what people want her to do.  I like that. Meaningful ending with more to follow in subsequent volumes.  I like the incorporation of other Marvel characters.  I had no idea T’Challa and Storm were an item. 

Ms. Jenifer Lewis Walking in my Joy is a hilarious wild ride. She is not afraid to tell her embarrassing tea, then say F U when you laugh. Her style is unapologetic, not humble, yet is still someone willing to own up to mistakes.  I learned so much about her and know she was trouble. I am glad everything worked out for her. She is truely an icon. I love her advocacy for black and queer rights. Her songs are amazing, emotional and relevant. Speak your truth Jenifer after all you said “I sat on top of the great pyramids of Guiza praying for humbleness and it did not come.” You are a living legend. That is saying something. Love the acknowledgements and the career overview. She has been a busy lady.

History's Greatest Speeches: Women’s Voices Vol 1 are passionate speeches by women speaking some truths very relevant today.  There are many different volumes of HGS and I noted a few of these were covered in other volumes I had already perused. I think Ernestine Rose sounds like Betty White.  Great speeches for audio. 

Hot and Bothered is an amazing resource as you navigate a body going through "the change".  I absolutely hate that phrase..extremely antiquated, and sexist.  Don't we all change?!  Anyway, the book is slightly comedic, has many celebrity quotes, very informative, and is steeped in research and realness.  I learned about a few drugs and therapies I had never heard of.  I also don't feel as nervous about hormone therapy as I originally was.  I have stayed away from it due to concerns of cancers and blood clots.  Now that I have more info, I have called my doctor today to discuss options for MHT.  Pretty much MHT before the age of 60 is considered relatively safe.  Optimal age is 50-59 for less risk of breast cancer, but I'm not there yet.  It seems you have to accept some risk.  Knowledge is key.  I like how she explained in very clear terms that estrogen combined with progesterone is the formula for safeness. 
It seems estrogen patch is the best option over a pill too. 

As an over the counter girly, I have lost faith over the years sinking money into these pills that don't work long term, if at all and also taking so long to possibly, maybe kick in.  I like Dunn addressed the consumerism involved in that business. I also agree with her that 12 week studies do not prove long term effectiveness.  I did try Remifemin that she spoke of and it took a while, but it did work.  Short term.  Now it is back to sweating.  That is the absolute worst for me.

I had no idea about the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia associated with menopause prior to this book. And your risk for disease is increases if you start menopause early (prior to 45).  Ladies, we are a walking time bomb.  Watch yourself.  Additionally historically black women go through menopause longer (~twice as much as Asians), start is earlier, and have more hot flashes and depression, but are less likely to get hormone treatment due to systemic racism in the medical community stemming from Jim Crow.  Shocker.  Be your own advocate people.  

I enjoyed this book and learned a lot.  Thank you Netgalley for providing this as an ARC #HotandBothered #NetGalley

Firstly, I received Witch King as a #netgalleyARC.  I thought there were too many characters, complicated names of things, and places that I couldn't keep up.  Also there were names of things not explained and despite the legend in the front of the books I was still confused.  I was not vested enough in the book to continue.  Cool magical system of reading minds, witches and demons.