Waiting for the Snow (Again) = Reading Stockpile

An assortment of options

Declaring Allegiance: Dangerous, Romantic Journeys & Intrigue

Blood and Ember (Stormbringer #3) by Isabel Cooper
Fantasy with romantic elements
Sourcebooks Casablanca, July 2021

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone (Outlander #9) by Diana Gabaldon
Historical-Contemporary-Speculative Romance
Dell, November 2021

Serving Sin (Filthy Rich #3) by Angelina M. Lopez
Contemporary Romance
Carina Press, May 2021
[content warning: sexual assault references]

Princess of Shadows, The Girl Who Would Be King by Colin Alexander
Fantasy
Afictionado, November 2021

Aeryn Stonebreaker’s saga winds up and outward like a rollercoaster ride for readers who enjoy Arthurian lore,biblical scope, nuanced personal quandaries, and organically inclusive casts of characters. Briskly paced narrative, evocative details of place, time, and circumstances plus crises of conscience and faith are only a few of the features that make Princess of Shadows epic. Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer Estep, Rena Barrow and similar authors should devour this compelling tale and hunger for more.

Literary Legacies

Read Until You Understand, The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature by Farah Jasmine Griffin

Non-fiction

W.W. Norton & Company, September 2021

As stated in the introduction, “...the book is designed as a seminar where readers, together, seek a deeper understanding of the works and the principles they explore.” With the introduction, ten chapters organized according to different contemplative themes, acknowledgments, notes, bibliography, discography, and index, Read Until You Understand achieves its intention. It’s the kind of book that inspires deep thoughts and multiple reads.

The fight for equality continues.

Controlling Women, What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom by Kathryn Kolbert & Julie F. Kay
Non-fiction
Hachette Books, July 2021

The Kapernick Effect, Taking a Knee, Changing the World by Dave Zirin
Non-fiction
The New Press, September 2021

Comments

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...

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...

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