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I hoped warm weather would follow when March would swoop in when March turned into April, but no such luck. I’m here still reading and trying to stay warm. Anyway, March was a pretty great reading month for me. I found a few sizzling hot novellas that had me in a chokehold. So here are the nine books I read in March.
A History of Burning by Janika Oza
This is the story of a family spanning over one hundred years taking readers from India, Uganda, under British Colonial Rule, England, and finally to Canada. The story is carried out and told from the perspective of different family members. I love multi-generational books, and this one was no different.
What I liked:
- The writing and storytelling were magnetic. Each sentence was captivating and kept the story moving.
- I enjoyed learning about India and Uganda’s history and Idi Amin’s rule. Previously I didn’t know anything about this, so it was nice learning more.
Lines I loved:
- What was love but one long act of forgiveness, of choosing to return, over and over again.
- Beyond them, the tide continues. The water shifts the sand, reassembles the shells, and sucks the stones to pebbles, The waves break and mend, break and mend. A reminder, as they stand together, that what the water takes, it returns.
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING!!! I adored it!
This book follows Soledad, a mother of three daughters, who is truly living her best life at the beginning of the story. Married to an exec she put her career aside to be a stay-at-home mom, who does it all. Her life takes a wild turn when her husband Edward gets caught up in a huge illegal scandal, of his own making, and is sent to prison. She then has to fend for herself and her daughters and struggles. During this time she meets a man, but after so many years in a marriage that wasn’t fulfilling she lost herself and begins to rebuild and find herself above anything else.
Then we have Judah, who has two sons of his own, who are on the spectrum. He’s gone through an amicable divorce and now he’s committed to his sons and his new job.
What I liked:
- I love how these two characters come together, and get to know each other in such a wholesome way.
- Kennedy Ryan’s ability to write characters that pop off the page is truly beautiful and this book had me feeling all the feels.
Lines I loved:
- “I want what I’m learning about myself, what I’m fixing about myself, how I’m standing on my own,” I say in a rush. “I want that more than anything. Even you.”
- Motherhood truly is a thankless endeavor sometimes. We sacrifice everything for these people who never really understand what we’ve done for them.
- “Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”–bell hooks, All about Love: New Visions
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
I don’t necessarily read many books by authors who aren’t BIPOC but I am a fan of Britney Spears and I really wanted to hear her story. In this book, Britney tells her story in her own way and I appreciated that. Her story was compelling and as I reader you to see her beautiful moments as well as the tougher ones, and I got a great sense of her sweet character. I will say I was reading this as a hard copy then I received the audio and it was STELLAR. I won’t judge the writing because the writing was just a vehicle, nothing special, but the story was truly impactful.
A Wife for Sale: An Emerald City Novella by Aubreé Pynn
Thanks to the book girlies in the This Black Girl Reads Group on Facebook for putting me on to this book. It was a quick and juicy read that was not 100% believable, but I still loved it. I’m always here for Black Love and two people falling in love in a messed-up situation. We meet Darina in this one and she’s waiting for her trash husband to show up for their anniversary dinner and after she’s waited for a few hours, a ‘stranger’ named Aziel approaches her, and they end up having dinner together and more. The very next day Darina learns that her husband has gambled away their home, their businesses and everything they own, and who’s collecting it all, yup Aziel. So Darina is confused, but we learn how trash her husband is when he trades her freedom for more time to pay off his debt. Listen this book is a ride, and I loved every moment of it.
- I’m always here for Black Love, and even though this one started messy the end was so worth it.
- I loved that this book was very fast-paced. Everything happened quickly but it didn’t feel rushed.
Lines I loved
- I will give you the world. All you have to do is speak it. I’m in this shit and I don’t want to be out of it. I don’t know if the feeling will fade or not. But I’d be lying to myself and to you if I say that caught feelings is just it.”
- You’re the table, I’m just taking a seat and adding to the value, he responded.
- Since coming into your orbit, I’ve come alive. I sleep. I smile. I eat. I can’t be without that peace you’ve brought.
I Am Ayah: The Way Home by Donna Hill
This book, this story this journey was beautiful, from the beginning until the end the entire story captured me. I AM AYAH is such a beautiful premise and one of those stories that truly stick with you way after you turn the last page. The story chronicles the journey of Alessandra Fleming, who runs away from her family and home in Sag Harbour to make a name for herself as a photographer in New York City. Estranged from her father she gets a call that he has been hospitalized from a stroke, putting their differences aside she travels home to make sure to help where she can. As she gets home she’s thrown into the past and uncovering her history and her family’s. This book was just beautiful.
What I liked:
- I loved learning about the deep-rooted history of the character and family.
- The love story aspect was so beautiful and refreshing. I adored the way it was so easy and authentic but also just so pure.
Lines I loved:
- “Learning the history of my family, traveling with them through their letters and notes, touching items that were once part of their lives, has irrevocably changed me. I was a firm believer that we each make our way— on our own. The past was the past.” She slowly shook her head. “Not true. We are the sum of all the parts that came before us. Our stories must never go untold. We must speak their names. Honor their legacies. “I am Ayah,” she said proudly. “Because of her perseverance, I exist.”
- They might be gone in body, but they were part of her, in her blood, in her DNA. The biggest trial in her life was missing a gallery exhibit. Nothing compared to what the women of her family had endured. She owed it to all of them to tell their story— a story that was her own as well.
Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson
This collection was just beautiful, it spoke to my soul. This was a moving portrayal of Black girlhood, coming of age, love for self, and the importance of listening to your inner voice. Told through free verse this collection had such a powerful message of strength while growing. Thanks to LibroFM for providing me with an audio ARC of this collection, it was an experience listening to it.
Lines I loved:
- “I have no Black Girl Magic to give today. Today, I am regular. Not insufficient, not more than enough. Just me. Just right. All I have is the resilience I inherited. And all I have is this drum in my chest beating, thumping, reminding me that I have survived all my yesterdays. The magic is always me. The miracle is that I even exist at all.
- Every girl growing into a woman needs a teapot. A crockpot. Needs to learn how to slow down. Slow down and wait. Needs to learn how to steep. How to take her time. Simmer to a boil.
The House of Plain Truth by Donna Hemans
This book was slow and it took me a moment to get into it, but once I did it was a solid read. The story follows Pearline, who heads back to Jamaica after a full adult life spent in Brooklyn. Not long after her arrival, her father passes away leaving unanswered questions about her family, her siblings, her heritage, and the truth that she is keen on discovering. She begins to unravel the family history, quickly learning that what she and her siblings thought was true, was not the truth at all.
- The writing and storytelling in this book was beautiful and lyrical. I loved reading it and getting into the story made me feel like I was speaking to one of my aunts.
Lines I loved
- Her life had been full, kept busy with this and that. She had been too busy making a life in Brooklyn. Too busy trying to not fulfill her family’s legacy of failure.
- Her people once worked this land and got nothing in return for their labour. And now, Eilene owns a piece of it. Paying again for the very piece of land their ancestors had already paid for with their labour and their lives.
Somebody’s Wife by Robbi Renee
This book though, I am not mad at it at all. It gave me all I needed it to give and more. It was beautiful, it was poetic and it had me in my feelings. Jemma thought that Quinton was her forever. Married as college sweethearts they were hot and heavy, but after 20 years of marriage, Jemma is hanging on to something that is slowly fading away. After a chance meeting with Doctor Zeke, she begins to feel alive again, only thing is she’s somebody’s wife. Quickly after, her world unravels and she finds solace in the Good Doctor.
What I liked:
- Black love, Black love, Black love. It was so beautiful to see Black love grow, and more importantly, how the characters found love after the ‘ideal’ age.
- I loved the sprinkle of R&B lyrics throughout the narrative, I feel like this book could have a soundtrack.
Lines I loved:
- “And if one day she grants me the opportunity to worship and adore her, I’m coming when she calls every damn time.”
- “You know what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. What you deemed useless and blemished, I regard as valuable and a fucking marvel. But I should actually thank you, Coach, because the trash you left on the sidewalk is my perfect treasure. I love every beautiful flaw, every imperfection on that”
Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton
Madness is the story of Crownsville Hospital for Black people which opened in Maryland in the 1900s.
The book followed the story of how and why Crownsville was built and took a deep dive into how the hospital functioned, especially in comparison to white-funded hospitals.
- I loved the research the author did and the many stories and experiences she was able to share. At the end of the book, I realized that there are still so many stories left untold, so many families that still have no answers about what happened to their loved ones, and so many families impacted by some of the cruel tactics and treatments of the hospital.
- I appreciated learning about Black mental health in the US the treatment and the way racism played a huge part in treatment.
Lines I loved:
“Generations have kept on running afraid to turn and look back. But you cannot outrun pain, it will creep down the branches of your family tree until it finds someone who is tiring of the sprint. It will take hold of that person who is willing to acknowledge that it is there and demand that they find their way back through the forest. “
Those are the nine books I read in March. Hope you had a great reading month too. Let me know how many books you read, or if you’ve read any of these.
What do you think?