B- Reviews / Book Reviews1960s / actress / African American / Barbados / civil rights / Decades: A Journey of African American Romance / lawyer / New York City / POC / POC author / racism / ViolenceNo Comments
Chandra Williams’s dream of becoming an actress carries her from her home on Barbados to the bright lights of Broadway. But it’s the 1960s, and her goal of gracing the stage is obstructed by the limited opportunities for black actresses. Driven to help end discrimination and inequality, Chandra joins the ... more >
Book Reviews / C Reviews / C- Reviews / DNF Reviews / Reading Lists#ownvoices / contemporary fantasy / Ghost / gods / Harlequin Historical / historical romance / immigrant / long lost heiress / Malaysia / POC / POC author / Reading lists / Regency6 Comments
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho I enjoyed Zen Cho’s two books in her Sorcerer Royal series, with their lovable characters, whimsy, humor, and Heyer homages, so when I saw she had a fantasy novel set in modern-day Malaysia coming out, one that was initially billed as a third installment, ... more >
B- Reviews / Book Reviews1920s / abortion / bisexual / class differences / Dark Fantasy / Historical / horror / immigrant / Jazz Age / LGBTQIA / literary adaptation / New York City / POC / POC author / racism / social privilege4 Comments
Immigrant. Socialite. Magician. Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by ... more >
B- Reviews / Book Reviewsanimals / dinosaurs / Historical / metaphor / moral lesson / POC author / science / Speculative-FictionNo Comments
All the years of human civilization represent an infinitesimal fraction of the time since life first burgeoned on planet Earth. How likely is it, then, in those great depths of time, that humanity alone benefitted from the spark of intelligence which gave rise to culture? This is the question posed ... more >
B Reviews / B+ Reviews / Book ReviewsAsian Americans / Asian characters / children's book / China / grandfather / Japan / Korea / picture books / POC / POC author / poetry5 Comments
Kiyoshi’s Walk by Mark Karlins Where do poems come from? This beautiful picture book about a young aspiring poet and his grandfather shows that the answer lies all around us—if we take the time to look. After Kiyoshi watches his grandfather, Eto, compose his delicate haiku, he wonders out loud: ... more >
Book Reviews / C+ ReviewsBollywood / divorce / family relationships / First-Person / Indian American / Magical Realism / middle grade / POC / POC author / self discoveryNo Comments
Bollywood takes over in this contemporary, magical middle grade novel about an Indian American girl whose world turns upside down when she involuntarily starts bursting into glamorous song-and-dance routines during everyday life. You know how in Bollywood when people are in love, they sing and dance from the mountaintops? Eleven-year-old ... more >