Nah, that's not right. But read on for two reviews of outstanding new books. A Review of Lucky Red (Claudia Cravens) Released on June 20, 2023 Support Bookish & Preorder on Bookshop Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens helped me linger in that cow(girl) state of mind originally inspired by Yellowstone–then continuously fed by a whole... Continue Reading →
The Joy of Re-Reading
My dad had the best reading light in the house, a 1970s silver bulbous metal shade attached to a long pole standing directly beside the brown corduroy chair constantly tilted back to a 45 degree angle so he could prop up his feet and read the newspaper after work. My 7 year old self fit... Continue Reading →
Now, What Happened Again?
Sometime around 6th grade or so, I got ahold of The Diary of Anne Frank. And suddenly, my world was awash in both the goodness and insight of a 13 year old European Jewish girl from forty years ago and the abject horror that human nature can unleash. Both. At the very same time. I,... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn
Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn lays out a meandering history of two prominent Atlanta families: the Allens and the Dobbs. Both instrumental in guiding Atlanta toward living into its promise. Both local royalty in their own right. Both produced Mayors of the City Too Busy to Hate. One was white. One was black. Through this whopping 550 page narrative, Gary M.... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Rubyfruit Jungle
The first time I read Rubyfruit Jungle, I was 19 years old, recently out, and head-over-heels in love with my girlfriend. I devoured the book. It was mouthy, cocky, and brash—most of the things I wasn’t but really wanted to be. But most importantly, Rubyfruit Jungle offered me the gift of seeing some of my own life experiences, my... Continue Reading →
Review: I’m Still Here–Black Dignity in A World Made for Whiteness
Sometimes I get too big for my britches. That’s just cold hard truth. In a short, succinct, and damn powerful book, Austin Channing Brown managed to make me take an honest look at my relationship to whiteness and how I manage that in spaces where I’m working toward racial justice—hell, in any spaces at all.... Continue Reading →
Book Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
I pulled this novel out of a stack being cleaned, sorted, and packaged for the bookstore. I try not to do that very often. If I did, we'd be inundated with books (we already are, truthfully). But I've heard about this book since high school, and somehow managed not to have read it yet. So,... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Parable of the Sower
Holy Hell Fire. I haven't read something that shook me to the core like this since I read The Handmaid's Tale in college. I wish every person over 18 in the United States had to read this novel. Because it's scary as fuck. And I wish I didn't believe Octavia Butler had prophesied our future... Continue Reading →