Humans are complicated and the characters in this week's reads embody that truth in every way.  [12 books, from left to right: 3 upright books - First Sign of Danger, It Seemed Like a Good Idea, Heir of Whitestone; 2 books with front covers facing forward atop a bookstack - Fire Sword & Sea, Leave Your Mess at Home; a bookstack of 7 books, from top to bottom - Summer Official, Witch Queen Rising, Love Beyond Reasonable Doubt, Mistakes Were Made, then 3 books with only the outer page edges showing]  Fire Sword & Sea by Vanessa Riley  historical fiction  William Morrow, January 2026  This compelling saga reveals layers of identity for Black and Brown women as they improvise strategies to assert their freedom and amass wealth. A cast of characters led by real-life Jacquotte Delahaye and others who are amalgamations of people from the late 17th into the early 18th centuries, make this adventure vibrate with emotional intimacy and personal stakes in a saturat...

A non-religious definition of  communion from Webster's Dictionary: the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level  [4 books on a tabletop, from left to right: communion: The Female Search for Love, Archangel's Eternity, The Started Ex, The Last Lady B]  communion: The Female Search for Love by bell hooks  non-fiction memoir(ish)  William Morrow, 2002  This third book in the bell hooks Love Trilogy zooms in on the impacts of patriarchy and narrow gendered expectations on individuals, then zooms out to examine the radial effects on romantic relationships, families, friendships, academic and career pursuits, and how it all infiltrates society .  from the preface:  The women in our culture who have the most to teach everyone about the nature of love are the generations of females who learned through feminist struggle and feminist-based therapy that self-love was the key to f...

It's so exciting to read about a trailblazer who was ethical, thoughtful, generous, and funny in addition to being diligent and multifaceted.   [Positive Obsession atop a bookstack of 7 books - The Last Lady B spine showing, then 6 books showing page edges; Communion propped to the left of the bookstack]  Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Morris  non-fiction biography  Amistad, 2025  Opening with a quote from Parable of the Sower, this biographer uses every word in the O.E.B. chronology, author's note, introduction, six chapters, epilogue, and acknowledgements to engage readers in an intimate personal study of this extraordinary, talented, driven woman who was vulnerable and complicated in her brilliant humanity. The author's access to the O.E.B. archives adds layers of emotional depth that enrich the context of the details of the author's personal life and creative and professional development. from the Author's Note:...

Even as my friends and I enjoyed a fantastic community event yesterday in and around the Bowie Branch of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, there was envy in my heart for all of the attendees and participants at the Black Romance Book Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Reports of issues of crowding just made me happy for the event organizers' success while they posted apologies and corrective strategies for crowd control during the last day.  In the meantime, the new arrivals shelves at the closest library in the neighboring county offered a variety of books by BRBF authors. "Where the Melanated Are Celebrated" indeed.   [9 books, from left to right: Positive Obsession, Communion, Big Girl Blitz (atop a bookstack), The Started Ex, Fire Sword & Sea, Leave Your Mess at Home, Archangel's Eternity, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, First Sign of Danger]  Currently reading Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Mo...

In addition to making time to express gratitude toward military service members who've made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms, a rainy, cold holiday weekend means more time to read (books from the public library that earlier generations of my family were forbidden to access)!    [a bookstack of 9 books, from top to bottom: Happy Ending, Seven Points, Dog Person, Unbound, Innocence Road, After Hours at Dooryard Books, Dom Com, Accidentally Married to a Werewolf, Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies; arranged at the edge of a tabletop with bookshelves filled with games in the background]  Happy Ending by Chloe Liese  contemporary romance  Gallery Books, April 2026  a slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance in women's fiction style  from chapter 16:  Maybe, when it comes to telling the stories of our failed relationships, there are only unreliable narrators, too much hurt warping our perspectives, thwarting any chance to land on the truth of w...

Fate has been generous enough to grant me the privilege of face-to-face encounters with a few of my absolute favorite, most respected authors. My goofy geek outs are all on me.  [a 3 in. x 5 in. index card with a heart-shaped inset with 8 authors' names handprinted: Octavia Butler, Jasmine Guillory, Lesley Penelope, (Ms.) Beverly Jenkins, Xio Axelrod, Marita Golden, Nora Roberts, Nikki Giovanni; white tissue paper covered in small gold hearts as backdrop]  Octavia Butler at a Book Con in Chicago 2003 or 2004: Just seeing her from a distance made me too teary-eyed and tongue-twisted to approach her table. She and her work enrich/ed my life and inspired me to write and to publish.     Jasmine Guillory at the Javitz Center in 2015 or 2016: After a lively discussion in which she was one a few panelists, we shared a moment of appreciation for the dad (RIP John Mahoney) in Say Anything (even as my eyes watered with the overwhelming emotions of being within touching cl...

Reading about bumpy, grumpy, dangerous, funny paths to love    [2 trade paperback books, from left to right: The Re-Do List with a German Shepherd sitting on a porch step above a woman and a man seated on the step below while in a kissing clinch; A Ghastly Catastrophe with the silhouette of a man and woman dancing]  The Re-Do List by Denise Williams  contemporary romance  Fundamental themes of Alice Walker's The Same River Twice rendered in poignant romance fiction  A Ghastly Catastrophe (Veronica Speedwell #10) by Deanna Raybourn  historical mystery with romance  Tempting fate, betting against the odds, and a lovers' joyous romp (with a winky nod to this author's first beloved series?)  Better Than a Duke by Suzanne Enoch  historical romance  beleaguered adults + incorrigible children = love that's worth the effort  [Better Than a Duke trade paperback with a man wearing 19th-century attire]  Continuing BAC Issues (Book Ac...

So many books and not enough time to read all of them even while choosing sleep-deprivation and creative interpretations of soft deadlines for works in progress to squeeze in just a few more minutes and pages.  [5 upright books, from left to right: The Librarians, Most Eligible, The Book Tour, Enemies to Lovers, Skate It Till You Make It; a bookstack of 9 books, from top to bottom: After Hours at Dooryard Books, Dom Com, Behind Closed Doors, Accidentally Married to a Werewolf, Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies, and 4 books showing only the outer page edges, all 14 books arranged on a padded piano bench]  Skate It Till You Make It by Rufaro Faith Mazarura  contemporary romance  February 2026  Regrets and crossroads, Olympic Village edition  Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai  contemporary romance  Avon, April 2026  Generational shadiness, redemption, and new possibilities  The Book Tour by Emily Ohanjanians  contemporary romance  D...

Happy endings and happily ever afters for all consenting adults!    ["40 + MORE..." with "and" handwritten across the center of the plus sign]  Struck Speechless by Tati Richardson  The Blessings series by (Ms) Beverly Jenkins  Hot Flash Hookups series by Marika Ray & Sylvie Stewart  Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn  After Happily Ever by Jennifer Safrey  A Fire at Romanticon by H.L  Brooks (my The Bitchy Quill podcast co-host and partner in bookish adventures)  an upcoming PNR release from Bea Paige  > honorable mention Chocolate Chip City by Be Steadwell, a youngster who writes real grown  An idea suggested during a chat with the founder of The Feminine Rebellion has me brainstorming ways to support fun fiction, particularly romance, written by* and about grown women/femme-identifying/non-binary/gender neutral people.  Please share your 40+/and More... authors and titles in the comments!   Halle Be...

Themes on s trategy, intention, and a willingness to work hard and smart run throughout both of these very different books.  [cover art for "The Creative Entrepreneur, Starting and Thriving in Your Own Small Business" by Gladys Stocks showing the silhouette of a person in profile who's holding a paint brush over a paint palette; colorful brush strokes and a zig-zagged arrow pointing up in the background]  The Creative Entrepreneur: Starting and Thriving in Your Own Small Business by Gladys Stocks  contemporary non-fiction  Book Butler Publishing Company, 2026  Ten chapters that blend aspirational theory with practical strategies and end with a "Creative Reflection" exercise that prompts deep contemplation of a person's interests, motives, concerns, vulnerabilities, and strengths, in addition to options. They move from the general to the specific, then conclude with a focus on the personalized.  from chapter 1:  But the truth is, your creativity is your...

In real life the harsh truths of war compete with the majestic images and inspiring words of the successful Artemis II mission. The following fiction reads examine the complicated nature of humans on Earth.  [3 books from left to right: The Charmed Library, Hearts on the Fly, Husband of the Year]  The Charmed Library by Jennifer Moorman wasn't available for renewal due to being requested by a whole lot of other patrons (yay for this author!) so I'll try again. The speculative supernatural premise is very intriguing.  Hearts on the Fly by Toni Shiloh  Christian contemporary romance  Bethany House Publishers, February 2026  Val and Jabari struggle with unexpected circumstances that challenge them to reconsider the purpose of their lives. Personal and professional connections make things messy.   Husband of the Year (Teachers in Love #4) by M.A. Wardell  contemporary romance  Forever, 2025  Olan and Marvin each believe they've found their f...

This photo cover art on the original mass market paperback edition is my personal favorite, at least until/if they release a Heated Rivalry show cast Hollanov version. (Respect to the talented artist who's crafted the illustrated covers.)  ["Rachel Reid, The Long Game" mass market paperback edition with two shirtless, muscular men in jeans, standing at an angle one in front of the other; the man in back embracing the man in front]   Recent public comments from people who've read (in any and all formats) The Long Game by Rachel Reid and feel annoyed, disappointed, frustrated with Shane inspired this post.  ****(mostly vague) SPOILERS**** Until the death of his father and breaking free of his brother, Ilya has been in a constant mindset of fight, flight or freeze for most of the nearly three decades of his life. Once he's disconnected from his toxic family dynamic, firmly established in his loving relationship with Shane, welcomed and embraced by Yuna and David, and...

Sometimes people enjoy poking at each other until they start kissing.    [trade paperback books Restore Me and And Now, Back to You to left of a bookstack from top to bottom of Husband of the Year, Hearts on the Fly atop 5 books with only the bottom page edges showing; a white heart-shaped mug decorated with small red hearts next to a small pot of leafy green plants]  Restore Me (New Haven #1) by J.L. Seegars  contemporary romance  Bloom Books, January 2026  Sloane and Dominic have history and secrets that cause friction. Biting remarks and resentment eventually lead to confrontation and consequences.  It's a poignant don't-stop-until-the-end read rooted in family, friendship, and community.  And Now, Back to You (Heartstrings #2) by B.K. Borison  contemporary romance  Berkley, February 2026  Delilah and Jackson have a lot of issues. Annoying each other helps them work through some of them while they stumble into love. Their B'more ...

As a lifelong user of the Oxford comma, adverbs, and other syntactic queues that often generate suspicion of undisclosed, unethical usage of Artificial Intelligence resources, recent events involving indie authors who are being accused of such behavior has me feeling a lot of different emotions at once.  The verified issue regarding uncredited and unpaid for imagery for cover art has me thinking, "Conduct your due diligence and pay artists for their creative labor!"  Then there are the murkier contradictory issues of who gets penalized and cancelled for using Artificial Intelligence and who doesn't. Last year an all-non-human publishing venture was celebrated when it received an initial investment of multiple millions of dollars. As a published indie and traditional author my email inbox is filled with offers for ways to use technology to "streamline" my writing process and "accelerate" my productivity.  If I were a traditionally published author under...