Skip to main content

City Lights to Country Roads

Reading my feelings in addition to eating them. 
 
[3 trade paperback romance books arranged face up from left to right: Story of My Life, Stuck in the Country with You, Unromance] 
[2 books arranged face up, from left to right: Black Woods Blue Sky; Once Smitten, Twice Shy] 

Stuck in the Country with You by Zuri Day 
contemporary romance 
Harlequin/Afterglow Book, December 2024 

When life rains down challenges into Genesis Washington's life, it pours in mayhem that leads to unexpected opportunities. Jaxon King offers support and so many temptations. Their charming second-chance love story is irresistible. 


Unromance by Erin Connor 
contemporary romance 
Forever, January 2025 

A trope-a-licious, emotionally fraught, super funny, clever and sexy homage to all things distinct to the romance genre. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author. 


Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese 
contemporary romance 
Berkeley, January 2025 

Two people who are awkward and unsuccessful when it comes to romance work together to improve their odds of finding love. Hilarity and compelling emotional intimacy ensue - along with scorching sensuality. A compassionate, realistic approach to neurodivergence and chronic illness adds emotional nuance. 


Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey 
literary fiction with magical realism & romantic elements 
Random House, February 2025 

This tender reimagining of a centries-old fable offers readers an engaging poignant study of themes on the individual, family, community and cultural legacies people accept and reject, and why. Melancholy feelings generated echo long after reading the last page. 


Story of My Life by Lucy Score 
contemporary women's fiction & romance 
Bloom Books, March 2025 

Everything that can go wrong personally and professionally for a once bestselling romance author continues going wrong in spectacular fashion until an impulsive decision leads her way out of her comfort zone and into love (eventually). HGTV collides with Green Acres in this madcap romp with lots of heart and incendiary passion.  


More evidence of my BAC (Book Acquisition Compulsion) problems 
[11 books from left to right: face up against an open cardboard mailing box - Down in Flames; binding edge up - Blob, Blood Moon, Unsteady, Collide, The Last Guy on Earth, The Devil's Charm, A Five Letter Word for Love; 3 more face up - Unromance, Story of My Life, Stuck in the Country with You] 

This is only a sample of the books currently in my possession through purchasing and borrowing. There are ebooks loaded on my phone, tablet, and laptop. My insatiable craving for books seems eternal. Public libraries, book swaps, generous author freebies, ARCs, my local and indie bookstores all keep me stocked up with outstanding reads! 

Treat yourself to some moments of pleasure every day.

Happy reading & creating (which sometimes looks like simple survival, especially during these very challenging times)! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Arrivals Giving BRBF Vibes + BAC Issues

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Legacies of Octavia Butler & June BAC Issues

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:...
Post a Comment
Read more

When What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Funny

Need to laugh out loud? To feel inspired? To feel seen? To feel encouraged to pursue your heart's most ambitious desires despite overwhelming odds against succeeding?   Read Zarna Garg's memoir, which offers an intimate, compelling coming of age, immigrant's journey, family saga, and keen observations about humans and life as experienced by a hilarious, intrepid individual.  [front cover of "Zarna Garg, This American Woman: A One-In-A-Billion Memoir" showing the Statue of Liberty holding the author in her arms with the New York City skyline in the lower half of the background]  This American Woman: A One-In-A-Billion Memoir by Zarna Garg  non-fiction memoir  Ballantine Books, April 2025  Universal themes of family love and family conflict, support and abandonment, grieving as a years' long process with lulls, parenting and being parented (or not), finding your people in friendship, romance, community presented and dissected with the author's sharp wit ...
Post a Comment
Read more