Still Dreaming of Justice for All + More

[In above image b & w picture of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other Civil Rights advocates is from the endpapers for Let Freedom Ring, Stanley Tretick's Iconic Images of the March on Washington by Kitty Kelley.]

Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne

contemporary literature, romantic

Berkley, November 2022

Liza and Dorsey's story is a love letter to the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia region (the original DMV) that acknowledges the range of its complexities and contradictions. Effective grassroots community engagement struggles against political and corporate interests that prioritize profit over people. Exploring family nuances and legacies in behavior patterns and expectations in addition to genetics and finances add richness to an already dynamic reimagining of a literary classic. It's often humorous, especially the clever summaries of oppressive annoyances (my label for them).

Lady Hawthorne (San Francisco Mystery Series #7) by Alexi Venice, author & publisher

contemporary mystery suspense with romance

December 2022

Picking up where #SandyBottom ended, Amanda and Jen's relationship drama gets paused when the threat of potential for a global mass casualty event demands their immediate and full attention. Amanda's previous romantic involvement with Roxy ups the odds for more personal messiness. International intrigue, ominous family secrets, tricky romantic entanglements, along with a dash of entertaining speculative woo-woo and more make this seventh entry in the series a narrative pivot that offers an easy, charming read with some elements of campy fun.

[note: Bad actors not from the U.S. are often referred to as "the Russians" and "the Chinese" which might clank for some readers.]

Weekly Reading Binge Titles*

*Some people binge visual media; I binge books. #noapologies

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Hot Love in the Kitchen & Travelling Through Time

Redemption of the Heart by Moni Boyce contemporary romance Love Snacks Publishing 8 January 2019 Despite addressing heavy themes of domestic violence, incarceration, and grief, Redemption of the Heart is a charming and sweet spicy read in the tradition of a 21st-century interracial homage to Janet Dailey’s monthly romance era. Gemma’s open-hearted ingénue contrasts starkly with Alex’s jaded workaholic. They struggle with a variety of challenges, but ethnicity isn’t one of them—a spin that feels particularly modern. Once readers commit to their suspension of disbelief regarding the cascading impact of lacks in due diligence by several characters, it’s easy to settle in to enjoy this love story. The recent public debate about the pros and cons of Gillette’s “We believe the best man can be” campaign ties in with the contradictory messages in the story threads about toxic masculinity. There’s a scene in which Alex apologizes to someone who was openly bragging among cowork...

The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen Delivers All the Feels

Black love. Black joy. Black drama. Humanity in its vast melanin array. [front cover of a paperback ARC for The Best Man: Unfinished Business; silhouette of three adults] The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen adult contemporary fiction with romantic elements Storehouse Voices, July 2025 First, dedicated fans of The Best Man franchise and its beloved characters need not fear how they’re treated in this first of three novels. In fact. One thread of Harper’s storyline seems to reflect the real-life author/screenwriter/director’s battle to protect and maintain the integrity of The Best Man universe. Mission accomplished. Second, once readers - fans or not - start this novel they won’t want to stop. The compulsion to re/watch The Best Man movies and limited series and maybe even to reread this book while anticipating the release of book two in 2026 will prove difficult to resist. Who are you? Who are your people?...

A Million Lives Book Festival - An Unfortunate Exception, Not the Event Rule

[2 decorative stickers on lined writing paper from left to right: a round smiley face arranged upside down to look like a frown and a round smiley face arranged right sight up] By now most bookish folk and others have heard about the inaugural A Million Lives Book Festival held at the Baltimore Convention Center last Friday and Saturday. To recap: according to participating authors and attendees many promises were made and almost all of them were broken. As outreach director and co-organizer for The Write Women Book Fest scheduled to host its 6th event Saturday, July 19 & Sunday, July 20 of this year at the Bowie Comfort Inn & Conference Center in Bowie, Maryland, U.S.A., my reaction to the feedback being shared about A Million Lives is nightmarish. Even though we aren't connected to it in any way or familiar with the event organizer or her company, our completely unrelated event has felt some minor residual effects because people are worried. And that's an understanda...

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