#Afia Atakora

[blackinperiodfilms]

They'd listened to cannon fire so long that the quiet made them anxious, waiting for worse to come.

Afia Atakora, Conjure Women

[queerauntie]

January Reads

This month was a GREAT kick-off to the 2023 reading year! As always, I can't thank my local library enough for access to all these wonderful books. While I have been exclusively using the library's audiobook collection, this year I've decided I want to start reading some physical books too, but remember: all forms of story telling is valid and no medium is better/superior to another!

I was very excited for the near year, specifically on twitter where i follow a LOT of educators. Why? Because of their TBR lists of course! And they had a LOT! This year, for those who aren't on twitter, it was a popular trend to finish the books on your shelf before buying new books. So like a book scavenger, I took screenshots and added every book I saw on my TL to my own TBR (I use The Story Graph app). Besides the Trixie Belden books, this month is full of those unknowing recommendations!

Without further ado, the books of January:

How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Trixie Belden: The Secret Mansion by Julie Campbell

Trixie Belden: The Red Trailor Mystery by Julie Campbell

Let's talk about the first book of the year, How The Word is Passed by Clint Smith. Smith did a really great job with this book, his perspective extremely potent. This book is a collection of Smiths experience visiting cities with ties to chattel slavery in America as he shares his thoughts and experiences at each location as well as the various degrees to which these sights share or skew (or in some cases, rewrite) their role in slavery. While some places do their best to preserve and share the full depth of what went on those 400+ years, some cities and memorials prefer to white wash over the history and tell their own, more "acceptable" version of events. What I thought made this book so impactful was Smith's personal accounts of his emotions and the consideration for every space he entered. It really stuck with me how he would contextualize the sizes of quarters and cells that enslaved Africans were trapped in. He holds space for the humanity that millions of people were denied. It was an honor to see the history through his eyes and learn even more about the effective blind spots we as white people have for the extent of racism. I highly recommend this book.

Book number two was recommended to me by a friend, and she had little faith that I would get around to it so I had to prove her wrong. I'm glad I did too because this book was surprisingly really good! The story follows Nora, a depressed young woman who can't find the will to live. She makes the decision to end her life, but instead she finds herself in the in between, suspended in time, surrounded by books. The Midnight Library, she discovers, contains every possible life she could've lived, every decision she didn't make, every path she didn't take. Nora is given the chance to find a book, a life, where she deems worthy of living. The journey Nora goes on is one of learning to love herself and seeing her value in life, not her potential, but her impact just as she is. It was a good ride, and definitely appealed to my short attention span as you get to jump through life after life with Nora, and just as you start to get bored, so does she. Then it starts all over!

Wow, this next book was another huge turn! This month honestly gave me so much reading whiplash, but in a good way, like the spinning teacups ride! The Twelve Tribes Of Hattie by Ayana Mathis was a love letter to Black Mothers everywhere. This book tells moms, "I see you and I understand." The Twelve Tribes of Hattie are about the 12 lives that a woman, Hattie, raised and cared for over her life. In a culture that demands so much of women, even more from mothers, it was very poignant that this book tells you the story of Hattie's life through the narrow lens of her role and relationship with her children and grandchild. Every family has a Hattie, had a Hattie, comes from a Hattie. This was a love letter truly and Mathis does a beautiful job, I was in tears throughout. A wonderful addition to any library.

Speaking of books I will be adding to my library, Conjure Women was a phenomenal book I also discovered thanks to the brilliant teachers of twitter! This story follows the lives of 3 women, a mother and daughter who are enslaved and the daughter of the white man that's enslaved them. The mother, Miss May Belle, was a midwife and healer who taught her daughter, Rue, everything she knew. Varina, the daughter of Miss May Belle and Rue's enslaver, grows fond of Rue at an early age and thus is also entangled in Rue's story. I really enjoyed this story because of its storytelling format. It's the kind of book that just opens a window into time and space, lets you observe for a little while, and then the window closes. It was beautiful and I will definitely be reading it again! This feels like a book you'll catch different things with each watch!

Holy CRAP y'all. I knew Legenborn was going to be good, great even. But I was not prepared for just how fucking mind blown it was going to leave me!! The story picks up right away and does not let you catch your breath! The writing is impeccable, and the characters are so amazing. Our protagonist, Bree, is a brilliantly developed character. This books weaves a story of grief, monsters, racism, magic, and the power of ancestors all in one wild ride! It was everything I loved about the fantasy of my teens without the weird incest (iykyk) and forced plots. I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel and I really hope it becomes a trilogy that gets a prequel trilogy that keeps growing because this world is a really great one I want to learn more about! If you haven't heard of Legendborn or haven't made your mind up about it, you run and enjoy the journey of a lifetime!

This next book was recommended by my bestie. They read Trixie Belden books as a kid and became fascinated with them, so a couple years ago they went online and worked hard to collect over 3/4th of the series- turns out these books were not popular and therefore it's actually pretty hard to find! Of the 39 books made, my library has the audiobooks for the first 4! I was quickly endeared to this series, Trixie Belden gives off major lesbian kid vibes- a tomboy who just has the closest female friendships... I will eat it up every time okay!! The stories feel like chewing bubble gum, stimulating and fun with minimal effort. They are engaging, vocabulary-expanding, delightful tales. The stories even have some ridiculously high stakes for this bright young teen and will keep you on the edge of your seat (but not for long!). And my favorite part has to be the alluding to the next book, which picks up almost right where you left off! A very comfy read!

Yearly Book Count: 7/?? Yearly Reading Goal: 50 Books

[happilylostinwords]

Civil War fiction, from an enslaved woman's perspective

Conjure Women ⭐⭐⭐⭐ author: Afia Atakora awards: James Fenimore Cooper Prize (2021) & RUSA CODES Reading List for Historical Fiction (2021) publication: April 7, 2020 by Random House genres: historical fiction / fantasy / magical realism / adult / literary fiction / African American content warnings: rape / abuse (physical & psychological of adults & children both male & female) / racial…

[semper-legens]

126. Conjure Women, by Afia Aakora

Owned: No, library Page count: 395 My summary: The baby is a bad omen. His skin is pale and his eyes are pure black. Rue knows he is a curse, but what can she do about it? The former slaves are free. The Big House is no more. The white masters are all dead. But emancipation does not mean there are no more problems. Secrets are built on secrets, lies on lies, spells on spells - and when it all starts to come unravelled, the ghosts of the past come knocking at the door. My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

This was an interesting book. I just picked it off the shelf because it looked as though it could be worthwhile - I really like stories about folk magic and folk healers - and it turned out to be a thought-provoking read about the legacy of slavery and the nature of race in the United States. While I wouldn't go so far as to describe a book filled with atrocities against black people as 'enjoyable', per se, it was interesting and engaging and certainly told its story well.

(Warnings for slavery, anti-black racism, and systemic abuse under the cut.)

Our protagonist is Rue, a titular Conjure Woman and folk healer in a black American community just after Emancipation. She is something of an outcast, not quite having the same level of respect that her mother once did in the community, but is completely dedicated to them and wants them to both live and thrive, as they could not under slavery. The book is told with narration in the present day and extended flashbacks to the past when the characters were enslaved, slowly revealing pieces of a larger picture until the reader understands the context behind everything that is happening. Rue is a woman on the edge of desperation. She is doing all that she can to keep her town alive, but faces the constant threat of white soldiers from without, and from the tension within. The people never really trust her, not fully and completely. And they're never really demonised for that - the reasons they don't trust Rue are understandable, and she's far from a saint, which makes the push and pull between her and the town far much more engaging.

Magic plays a huge part in the story - magic and Christianity. Oftentimes Rue, a folk healer and traditional herbalist, is contrasted with Bruh Abel, a Christian preacher who is slowly converting the town to a more devout Christianity. Rue notes that in the slavery times, they had been trooped up to the church and forced to participate in the service, but Bruh Abel's brand of Christianity is from a black men, for black people. Rue's healing, on the other hand, is slowly being seen as demonic or evil, despite the fact that she has a lot of success, and that the people still go to her for charms and curses. Sometimes she'll make them, sometimes she'll give more of a placebo or practical cure. Interestingly, as with the conflict between Rue and the town, neither side is really treated as being 'right'. Bruh Abel offers one thing, Rue offers another. We are led to be mistrustful of Bruh Abel, but that's largely due to Rue being our point of view character - she mistrusts him, so we do too. It's an examination, really, of the distinctions between folk beliefs and practices from Africa, handed down through family lines, and newer Christian faith, originally forced onto the enslaved people by their enslavers, but later genuinely believed and practiced in their communities, for their communities. It's a dichotomy that persists to this day, and the book shows the beginnings of it.

And, of course, there's the subject of race. A lot is made of skin colour in this narrative. Rue is quite dark, her friend Sarah is quite light and is probably the illegitimate daughter of the plantation owner, and Sarah's child is so pale as to be basically white, but with pure black eyes. The kid (Bean) is seen as being a curse, and that curse is tied to Rue. Mostly because of those eyes. It's interesting that the light skin is not really commented on so much, but the dark eyes are, especially when other characters are mentioned as having 'deep brown African eyes' and the like. Colourism plays a huge part in the story, with constant emphasis on characters' skin colours and the role that plays in their lives. At the end, Bean ends up leaving for the North alongside a white woman, completely passing for white - Bruh Abel is very light-skinned, which helps people trust him, while other enslaved/ex-slave characters are dark, and aren't given respect as human beings because of it. It's a constant part of the checks and balances the characters place on their world, and the portrayal is interesting for how it's woven into the narrative in a sensitive and subtle way while still being plainly apparent. The knife-edge the black characters live on is obvious, and the fact that even after emancipation they're all still far from safe really brings home the reality of being black in 1800s America.

Next up, World War Two, and a glint of hope in the midst of a concentration camp.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💜 Books for Women's Day 2024 💜

🦇 Welcome to March, my beloved bookish bats. It's Women's History Month AND Women's Day! To celebrate, here are a few books that highlight powerful, courageous women -- both throughout history and across our favorite fictional realms. These women have contributed to our history, shaping contemporary society with bold, outspoken, badass moves. Let's celebrate and champion these voices by adding more female-focused stories to our TBRs!

❓QOTD Who is your favorite female fictional character AND real-life heroine?

❤️ Fiction ❤️ 💜 The Power - Naomi Alderman 💜 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood 💜 The Vibrant Years - Sonali Dev 💜 Red Clocks - Leni Zumas 💜 Conjure Women - Afia Atakora 💜 City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert 💜 A Woman is No Man - Etaf Rum 💜 Of Women and Salt - Gabriela Garcia 💜 Circe - Madeline Miller 💜 Song of a Captive Bird - Jasmin Darznik 💜 The Women - Kristin Hannah 💜 The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois - Honorée Fanonne Jeffers 💜 The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison 💜 Women Talking - Miriam Toews 💜 Hidden Figures - Margot Lee Shetterly 💜 The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

💜 Young/New Adult 💜 ❤️ Loveboat Reunion - Abigail Hing Wen ❤️ Realm Breaker - Victoria Aveyard ❤️ Only a Monster - Vanessa Len ❤️ This Woven Kingdom - Tahereh Mafi ❤️ Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurin ❤️ I’ll Be The One - Lyla Lee ❤️ Squad - Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Lisa Sterle ❤️ These Violent Delights - Chloe Gong ❤️ The Box in the Woods - Maureen Johnson ❤️ The Wrath & the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh ❤️ You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson ❤️ A Sky Beyond the Storm - Sabaa Tahir ❤️ Nimona - N.D. Stevenson ❤️ Legendborn - Tracy Deonn ❤️ Blood Scion - Deborah Falaye ❤️ Not Here to Be Liked - Michelle Quach

❤️ Queer ❤️ 💜 Imogen, Obviously - Becky Albertalli 💜 The Fiancée Farce - Alexandria Bellefleur 💜 One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston 💜 The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar 💜 Girls of Paper and Fire - Natasha Ngan 💜 Delilah Green Doesn't Care - Ashley Herring Blake 💜 A Guide to the Dark - Meriam Metoui 💜 She Who Became the Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan 💜 Written in the Stars- Alexandria Bellefleur 💜 Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir 💜 Gearbreakers - Zoe Hana Mikuta 💜 You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat 💜 Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker 💜 The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon 💜 She Gets the Girl - Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick 💜 The Jasmine Throne - Tasha Suri

💜 Non-Fiction 💜 ❤️ The Secret History of Wonder Woman - Jill Lepore ❤️ Girlhood - Melissa Febos ❤️ Our Bodies, Their Battlefields - Christina Lamb ❤️ The Radium Girls - Kate Moore ❤️ Twice As Hard - Jasmine Brown ❤️ Women of Myth - Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy ❤️ Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls - Lisa Robinson ❤️ Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution and Triumph of Modern Female Friendship - Kayleen Schaefer ❤️ The Book of Gutsy Women - Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton ❤️ The Underground Girls of Kabul - Jenny Nordberg ❤️ Feminism Is for Everybody - Bell Hooks ❤️ Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez ❤️ The Women of NOW - Katherine Turk ❤️ Eve - Cat Bohannon ❤️ We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ❤️ Bad Feminist - Roxane Gay

❤️ Memoirs ❤️ 💜 Mom & Me & Mom - Maya Angelou 💜 Crazy Brave - Joy Harjo 💜 Reading Lolita in Theran - Azar Nafisi 💜 I'm Glad My Mom Died - Jennette McCurdy 💜 Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner 💜 The Soul of a Woman - Isabel Allende 💜 See No Stranger - Valarie Kaur 💜 They Call Me a Lioness - Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri 💜 Becoming - Michelle Obama 💜 Bossypants - Tina Fey 💜 My Own Words - Ruth Bader Ginsburg 💜 I Am Malala Malala Yousafzai 💜 Finding Me - Viola Davis 💜 Return - Ghada Karmi 💜 Good for a Girl - Lauren Fleshman 💜 The Woman in Me - Britney Spears

[enchantedsaturn]

yearly reading goal 2024: 3/25

currently reading: dear sylvia, love jane - erin hall

tbr:

the wicked king - holly black (reread)

a darker shade of magic - ve schwab

the queen of nothing - holly black (reread)

a gathering of shadows - ve schwab

beach read - emily henry

a conjuring of light - ve schwab

house of earth and blood - sarah j maas (reread)

conjure women - afia atakora

house of sky and breath - sarah j maas

my heart is a chainsaw - stephen graham jones

house of flame and shadow - sarah j maas

don't fear the reaper - stephan graham jones

geometry of fire - paul warmbier

throne of glass - sarah j maas

crown of midnight - sarah j maas

heir of fire - sarah j maas

the assassins blane - sarah j maas

queen of shadows - sarah j maas

empire of storms - sarah j maas

tower of dawn - sarah j maas

kingdom of ash - sarah j maas

read:

find him where you left him dead - kristin simmons: ‎★☆☆☆☆

house of earth and blood - sarah j maas: ★★★★☆

the cruel prince - holly black: ★★★★★

[girljeremystrong]

25 favorite books of mine for @kerrycastellabate ❤️ 

1.       WE RIDE UPON STICKS by quan barry

about a girl’s high school field hockey team from salem, massachussetts which in 1989 is on a mega winning streak. might it be because the team members have pledged themselves to the dark forces in order to get to state? it’s so fun and the characters are all incredible.

2.       WE BEGIN AT THE END by chris whitaker

the plot isn’t easy to summarize but this is a thriller and a very very good one at that. it’s goto ne of the best characters ever: duchess “the outlaw”. there’s a murder and a murderer on the loose and old friends and sweet siblings and it’s truly a great book.

3.       THE INDEX OF SELF DESTRUCTIVE ACTS by christopher beha

this as close to succession as a book can get. Sam is a sport statician, he gets involved with a rich new york city family. this book is amazing, so much happens and all the characters are great.

4.       THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE by abi daré

adunni is a fourteen-year-old nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. she’s determined to find her voice. incredible story and so sweet and uplifting and beautiful. i have gifted this book time and time again. i love it.

5.       THE ART OF FIELDING by chad harbach

about henry who gets recruited by mike to play baseball at college and they become very good pals while henry becomes better and better and mike understands his life less and less. great team antics great plot great characters not too much baseball.

6.       DOMINICANA by angie cruz

ana is a fifteen year old girl living in the dominican republic who dreams of moving to america. again this is a very sweet and powerful story. ana is an incredible character that i love so much.

7.       I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS by maya angelou

a wonderful memoir about her childhood in a southern town. this is a classic and i love it. It’s joyful and sad and wonderful.

8.       NOTHING TO SEE HERE by kevin wilson

moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with remarkable and disturbing abilities (they spontaneously combust when they get agitated). great and fun and very sweet.

9.       CONJURE WOMEN by afia atakora

a sweeping story that brings the world of the south before and after the civil war vividly to life. spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women. “magnificently written, brilliantly researched, richly imagined.”

10.   A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by john irving

eleven-year-old owen meany, playing in a Little League baseball game in gravesend, new hampshire, hits a foul ball and kills his best friend's mother. owen doesn't believe in accidents. wonderful story about friendship and destiny. i love this book.

11.   HOMEGOING by yaa gyasi

this book follows generation after generation of descendants of two half sisters born in different villages in 18th century ghana. they go on to having very different fates and so do their children and their children's children. it’s a modern classic! it’s perfect.

12.   BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by evelyn waugh

tells the story of charles ryder's infatuation with the marchmains and the rapidly-disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. enchanted first by sebastian, then by his doomed catholic family. it’s wonderful and wistful and beautifully written.

13.   BELOVED by toni morrison

sethe was born a slave and escaped, but eighteen years later she is still not free. she has borne the unthinkable and not gone mad, yet she is still held captive by memories of sweet home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. it’s perfect it won every big award because it’s incredible.

14.   ALL THE KING'S MEN by robert penn warren

tells the story of charismatic populist governor willie stark and his political machinations in the depression-era deep south. i don’t know but i love this book. it’s a classic and it’s written so well and the story is compelling and i keep recommending it.

15.   SALVAGE THE BONES by jesmyn ward

hurricane katrina is building over the gulf of mexico, threatening the coastal town of bois sauvage, mississippi, and esch's father is growing concerned. this all takes place across 12 days before, during and after hurricane katrina and it is a truly amazing book. a must read! a modern classic.

16.   EVERYWHERE YOU DON'T BELONG by gabriel bump

claude, a black boy from the south side of chicago whose parents both left when he was a child, so he was raised by his grandmother and her friend paul. love this book, its characters and the way it’s written, and especially its dialogues.

17.   THE PROPHETS by robert jones jr.

bout the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a deep south plantation. isaiah was samuel’s and samuel was isaiah’s. very sad and very maddening, but beautiful.

18.   THE FUNNY THING ABOUT NORMAN FOREMAN by julietta henderson

when 12-year-old norman’s best friend jax dies, he decides the only fitting tribute is to perform at the edinburgh fringe festival as a comedian. his mum sadie will do anything to help him. ooh this is so sweet, it’s adorable and so fun and delightful!

19.   INFINITE COUNTRY by patricia engel

elena and mauro are teenagers when they meet, their blooming love an antidote to the mounting brutality of life in bogotá. once their first daughter is born, and facing grim economic prospects, they set their sights on the united states. beautiful story and very well written.

20.   THE SWEETNESS OF WATER by nathan harris

in the waning days of the civil war, brothers prentiss and landry—freed by the emancipation proclamation—seek refuge on the homestead of george walker and his wife, isabelle. the walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers. so unexpectedy gorgeous.

21.   BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY by quan julie wang

a beautiful memoir about an undocumented childhood. my favorite book of 2022. magnificent, perfect, sweet, sad, joyful. i love it with all myself.

22.   REAL LIFE by brandon taylor

almost everything about wallace is at odds with the midwestern university town. but over the course of a weekend, a series of confrontations with colleagues, and an unexpected encounter with a straight, white classmate, conspire to fracture his defenses. i love this. this author is so good at building up characters.

23.   MILK BLOOD HEAT by dantiel w. monitz

incredible collection of short stories. left me wanting more but at the same time they are perfectly crafted and beautiful.

24.   HOMELAND ELEGIES by ayad akhtar

truly incredible book, one of the best i’ve ever read. part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque adventure — at its heart, it is the story of a father, a son, and the country they both call home.

25.    THE LOVE SONGS OF W.E.B. DU BOIS  by honorée fanonne jeffers

this is the story of ailey and her ancestor’s journey in america through centuries, from the colonial slave trade to our days. we meet ailey when she is a child and watch her grow up, until the moment when, as a college graduate, she embarks on a journey to uncover her family’s past. a wonderful epic story spanning centuries. loved the character of ailey.

[rockislandadultreads]

Read-Alike Friday: Jesmyn Ward

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

Let Us Descend is a reimagining of American slavery, as beautifully rendered as it is heart-wrenching. Searching, harrowing, replete with transcendent love, the novel is a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation.

Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader’s guide through this hellscape. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother.  Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with spirits: of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. While Ward leads readers through the descent, this, her fourth novel, is ultimately a story of rebirth and reclamation.

Yonder by Jabari Asim

They call themselves the Stolen. Their owners call them captives. They are taught their captors’ tongues and their beliefs but they have a language and rituals all their own.

In a world that would be allegorical if it weren’t saturated in harsh truths, Cato and William meet at Placid Hall, a plantation in an unspecified part of the American South. Subject to the whims of their tyrannical and eccentric captor, Cannonball Greene, they never know what harm may befall them: inhumane physical toil in the plantation’s quarry by day, a beating by night, or the sale of a loved one at any moment. It’s that cruel practice—the wanton destruction of love, the belief that Black people aren’t even capable of loving—that hurts the most.

It hurts the reserved and stubborn William, who finds himself falling for Margaret, a small but mighty woman with self-possession beyond her years. And it hurts Cato, whose first love, Iris, was sold off with no forewarning. He now finds solace in his hearty band of friends, including William, who is like a brother; Margaret; Little Zander; and Milton, a gifted artist. There is also Pandora, with thick braids and long limbs, whose beauty calls to him.

Their relationships begin to fray when a visiting minister with a mysterious past starts to fill their heads with ideas about independence. He tells them that with freedom comes the right to choose the small things—when to dine, when to begin and end work—as well as the big things, such as whom and how to love. Do they follow the preacher and pursue the unknown? Confined in a landscape marked by deceit and uncertainty, who can they trust?

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother's footsteps as a midwife; and their master's daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom.

Magnificently written, brilliantly researched, richly imagined, Conjure Women moves back and forth in time to tell the haunting story of Rue, Varina, and May Belle, their passions and friendships, and the lengths they will go to save themselves and those they love.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.

So begins an unexpected journey that takes Hiram from the corrupt grandeur of Virginia’s proud plantations to desperate guerrilla cells in the wilderness, from the coffin of the Deep South to dangerously idealistic movements in the North. Even as he’s enlisted in the underground war between slavers and the enslaved, Hiram’s resolve to rescue the family he left behind endures.

This is the dramatic story of an atrocity inflicted on generations of women, men, and children—the violent and capricious separation of families—and the war they waged to simply make lives with the people they loved.

[njadastonearm]

2022 in books! All in all my best year for reading in a while -- I beat last year by 22 books and ~6500 pages. Thank you, audiobooks!

Full list below the cut. Favorites are bolded and marked with an asterisk.

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

King Richard by Michael Dobbs

When Women Invented Television by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard *

Uncommon Sense Teaching by Barbara Oakley, Beth Rogowsky, and Terrence J. Sejnowski

The Lost Founding Father by William J. Cooper

The Fossil Hunter by Shelley Emling

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno Garcia

If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda *

Coolidge by Amity Shlaes

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen *

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones *

The Quartet by Joseph J. Ellis

The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore *

The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The Man From the Train by Bill James

How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge by K. Eason

I'll Be Gone In the Dark by Michelle McNamara

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

How to Write a Lot by Paul J. Silvia

The Truffle Underground by Ryan Jacobs

The Awakening by Kate Chopin *

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff *

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

What Lives in the Woods by Lindsay Currie

Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong *

Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller *

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor

His Hideous Heart edited by Dahlia Adler

The Woman In the Library by Sulari Gentill

Persuasion by Jane Austen *

Misery by Stephen King *

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

Grant by Ron Chernow *

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

American Moonshot by Douglas Brinkley

The Axeman of New Orleans by Miriam C. Davis

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson *

Sisters by Daisy Johnson *

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum *

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

The Motion of Puppets by Keith Donohue

Sherlock Holmes (Audiobook collection: The Adventure of the Empty House/The Adventure of the Devil's Foot/The Adventure of the Abbey Grange) by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum *

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller *

The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Three Pianos by Andrew McMahon

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Dorothy and the Wizard In Oz by L. Frank Baum

I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer

The Zealot and the Emancipator by H. W. Brands

[pumpkinbutt700]

List Of Books I've Read in 2023!

Howdy.

January:

- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

- The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

- Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

February:

-The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D Jackson

-Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

March:

-Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

- The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran

- Extasia by Claire Legrand

- The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

April:

- Tomie by Junji Ito

- Ohio by Stephen Markley

- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

-The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne

May:

- Devilman Vol 1 by Go Nagai

- Devilman Vol 2 by Go Nagai

- The Sight by David Clement-Davies

- Fell by David Clement-Davies

- The Lake by Natasha Preston

- Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

- The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

JUNE :

- A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bathena

- Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

- Harlem Sunset by Nekesa Afia

- The Comeback by Lily Chu

- Better Together by Christine Riccio (DNFed at page 60)

- No One Gets out Alive by Adam Nevill

- The Twin by Natasha Preston

- Pinky and Pepper Forever by Eddy Atoms

- My Sweet Audrina by VC Andrews

- The Lost Star of Mariage-du-Diable by Sabina Bailey

- Elysium Girls by Kate Pentecost

July:

- The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

- Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

- All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki

- Severance by Ling Ma

- Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders

- Aquicorn Cove by K O'neill

- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

- Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

August:

- Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders

- Promises Stronger Than Darkness by Charlie Jane Anders

- The Devourers by Indra Das

- Sanctuary With Kings by Kathryn Moon

- The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams

- Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang- Epigg

September:

- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

- New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

- Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

- Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer

- Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

October:

- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

- Crumbs by Danie Stirling

- She is a Haunting by Trang Than Tran (DNFed at 40 pages)

- Unbury Carol by Joshn Malerman

- I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shae

- Scout's Honor by Lily Anderson

- Devilman G Vol 1 by Go Nagai

- Sugar Sugar Rune Vols 1 - 8 by Moyocco Anno

- The Long Shadows of October by Kristopher Triana

- Mary by Nat Cassidy

- The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

November:

- The Bitter Twins by Jen Williams

- The Legend of Nightfall by Mickey Zucker Reichert

- The Return of Nightfall by Mickey Zucker Reichart

- The Project by Courtney Summers

- The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

- One by One by Ruth Ware

- Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

- The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

December:

- The Poison Song by Jen Williams

- The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig

- Bunny by Mona Awad

- Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M Valente

- Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (DNFed at 45 pages)

- House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

- House of Cotton by Monica Brashears

- Princess Ai by Misaho Kujiradou, Courtney Love, DJ Milky

- Electric Idol by Katee Robert

- A Tip For the Hangman by Allison Epstein

- A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

- Look-Alikes Christmas by Joan Steiner (i know it's a children's book but IDC!)

- A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

- The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig

- The Random House Book of Fairy Tales adapted by Amy Ehrlich, illustrated by Diane Goode

[whosafraidofvirginiawoolf]

Ain't every woman's daughter made from the death of the mama, somehow or another?

Conjure Women, Afia Atakora

[happilylostinwords]

A Year of Books in Favorite Quotations - 2024

A collection of one favorite quote from each of the books I’ve read this year… First book of the year – Conjure Women by Afia Atakora I had to laugh through my melancholy…

[sproganreads]

2/20 books read in 2022

Conjure Women - Afia Atakora

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Books for Women's Day / Month

🦇 Welcome to March, my beloved bookish bats. It's Women's History Month AND Women's Day! To celebrate, here are a few books that highlight powerful, courageous women -- both throughout history and across our favorite fictional realms. These women have contributed to our history, shaping contemporary society with bold, outspoken, badass moves. Let's celebrate and champion these voices by adding more female-focused stories to our TBRs!

❓QOTD Who is your favorite female fictional character AND real-life heroine?

❤️ Fiction ❤️ 💜 The Power - Naomi Alderman 💜 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood 💜 The Vibrant Years - Sonali Dev 💜 Red Clocks - Leni Zumas 💜 Conjure Women - Afia Atakora 💜 City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert 💜 A Woman is No Man - Etaf Rum 💜 Of Women and Salt - Gabriela Garcia 💜 Circe - Madeline Miller 💜 Song of a Captive Bird - Jasmin Darznik 💜 The Women - Kristin Hannah 💜 The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois - Honorée Fanonne Jeffers 💜 The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison 💜 Women Talking - Miriam Toews 💜 Hidden Figures - Margot Lee Shetterly 💜 The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

💜 Young/New Adult 💜 ❤️ Loveboat Reunion - Abigail Hing Wen ❤️ Realm Breaker - Victoria Aveyard ❤️ Only a Monster - Vanessa Len ❤️ This Woven Kingdom - Tahereh Mafi ❤️ Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurin ❤️ I’ll Be The One - Lyla Lee ❤️ Squad - Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Lisa Sterle ❤️ These Violent Delights - Chloe Gong ❤️ The Box in the Woods - Maureen Johnson ❤️ The Wrath & the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh ❤️ You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson ❤️ A Sky Beyond the Storm - Sabaa Tahir ❤️ Nimona - N.D. Stevenson ❤️ Legendborn - Tracy Deonn ❤️ Blood Scion - Deborah Falaye ❤️ Not Here to Be Liked - Michelle Quach

❤️ Queer ❤️ 💜 Imogen, Obviously - Becky Albertalli 💜 The Fiancée Farce - Alexandria Bellefleur 💜 One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston 💜 The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar 💜 Girls of Paper and Fire - Natasha Ngan 💜 Delilah Green Doesn't Care - Ashley Herring Blake 💜 A Guide to the Dark - Meriam Metoui 💜 She Who Became the Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan 💜 Written in the Stars- Alexandria Bellefleur 💜 Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir 💜 Gearbreakers - Zoe Hana Mikuta 💜 You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat 💜 Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker 💜 The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon 💜 She Gets the Girl - Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick 💜 The Jasmine Throne - Tasha Suri

💜 Non-Fiction 💜 ❤️ The Secret History of Wonder Woman - Jill Lepore ❤️ Girlhood - Melissa Febos ❤️ Our Bodies, Their Battlefields - Christina Lamb ❤️ The Radium Girls - Kate Moore ❤️ Twice As Hard - Jasmine Brown ❤️ Women of Myth - Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy ❤️ Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls - Lisa Robinson ❤️ Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution and Triumph of Modern Female Friendship - Kayleen Schaefer ❤️ The Book of Gutsy Women - Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton ❤️ The Underground Girls of Kabul - Jenny Nordberg ❤️ Feminism Is for Everybody - Bell Hooks ❤️ Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez ❤️ The Women of NOW - Katherine Turk ❤️ Eve - Cat Bohannon ❤️ We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ❤️ Bad Feminist - Roxane Gay

❤️ Memoirs ❤️ 💜 Mom & Me & Mom - Maya Angelou 💜 Crazy Brave - Joy Harjo 💜 Reading Lolita in Theran - Azar Nafisi 💜 I'm Glad My Mom Died - Jennette McCurdy 💜 Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner 💜 The Soul of a Woman - Isabel Allende 💜 See No Stranger - Valarie Kaur 💜 They Call Me a Lioness - Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri 💜 Becoming - Michelle Obama 💜 Bossypants - Tina Fey 💜 My Own Words - Ruth Bader Ginsburg 💜 I Am Malala Malala Yousafzai 💜 Finding Me - Viola Davis 💜 Return - Ghada Karmi 💜 Good for a Girl - Lauren Fleshman 💜 The Woman in Me - Britney Spears

[myromanceworld1]

want meet up i am bored Saturday night

[illustration-alcove]

Eleanor Taylor’s illustrated book cover for Afia Atakora’s Conjure Women.