#readologist

[books4us]

Yes, yes . I know it’s the day they call Christmas. So to all who partake, enjoy. It’s also Sunday, which means it is THE SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT!!! And for the last Sunday of the year, I give you Andre’s Aces. The fabulous five! These are the best five books I read in 2022! They all deserve your attention. So pull back the red curtain(swipe left) to reveal the Five Aces!! Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta 🏆All the conventions of writing fiction are kicked to the curb and it’s done so lustrously. Dr. No 🏆 Percival Everett is the best person currently writing fiction, period. Mother Country 🏆 A book that will stir all the emotions as you consider the weight of ethics and morality. Yonder 🏆 A story of the stolen and the thieves amplifying love and tenderness. South To America 🏆 Ms. Imani Perry is the best person writing non-fiction in these times. The Queen! This book proves it, as she easily shifts through genres, as she takes the readers on a journey South! So, that’s all folks, and if you want to read my thoughts on these great books, you’ll have to scroll through my feed and click on the covers. P.S. As an addendum, the best bookstore in the Southwest, USA is hands down @kindredstorieshtx. They have the best mix of inventory, customer service, appearance, and customer engagement. Terri Hamm is bringing a professionalism to book retailing, that is often lacking in many of our establishments! If you are in Houston, TX go check them out. If not you can order online. They are very deserving of your support. #ownvoicesreviews #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #kindredstories #imaniperry #jabariasim #percivaleverett #jacindatownsend #jameshanaham #blackbooksmatter #goodblackreads #sundayspotlight #blackbibliophile #readologist #readmorebooks #bestbooksof2022 (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cml6w8eLMS5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[queeftheory]

Phillip thinks being an English major means I'm a "readologist"

[books4us]

Grand rising grammers. It’s the first Sunday in December, so the year is rapidly coming to a close, and that means I will soon be posting my FABULOUS FIVE of 2022. I call them Andre’s Aces. I’ve settled on four and I’m torn on the fifth. Anyhoo, as always, stay tuned to this account. *************************** Let’s get on to SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT! And, listen. Hear me good on this one. Plan your preorders now. This book drops in March and you don’t want to miss it! What did I think you ask?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I ✍🏾. Just extremely well executed. Drop of history due to her diligent research and a tough look at young women who are seemingly out of options. Is there a way to provide a safety net for these children. After reading The House of Eve, your imagination will awaken and possibilities will abound. Sadeqa Johnson makes the story of Eleanor and Ruby come alive with pitch perfect pacing and effortless prose. It’s a beautifully rendered novel that is extremely easy to fall into and find a rhythm. I don’t want to get into plot points and spoil it for potential readers, just know that as Eleanor and Ruby’s stories unfold in alternating chapters you can feel their lives will intersect and when Ruby is on her way to DC from Philadelphia, the only mystery is how these two women will cross into each other. The way Sadeqa Johnson builds this story and constructs the bridge from Ruby to Eleanor is simply extraordinary. Sadeqa exhibits all the tools of an accomplished novelist and deserves to be mentioned among the best writing today. I urge all who are reading this to mark their calendar for March 7, 2023 and get this book. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss an advanced reading copy. #thehouseofeve #sadequajohnson #simonandschuster #ownvoicesreviews #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #bookblogger #bookreviewer #sundayspotlight #readologist #whodoesitbetter? #blackbibliophile #blackbooksmatter #readmorebooks (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Clv-qTGLD6n/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[books4us]

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT!! Finally got around to reading this memoir and obviously I believe it’s Spotlight worthy, so check it out. If you are looking for some reasons as to what prompted the Oscar’s slap, Will’s life story offers up a few clues. I wrote ✍🏾 As memoirs go, this one was superb. Superb in the sense that he gives a good accounting of his formative years and he lets the reader in. And that can be a dangerous undertaking in a memoir, because some readers may come away disliking the man, in this case Will Smith because of his flaws and outsized ego. But, to be fair, anyone who has accomplished greatness has generally a huge ego, that just seems to be an attachment to greatness. So, kudos to Will for not trying to censor that part of himself at great risk to his reputation. It was great taking a walk down memory lane through rap of his time and his meteoric rise in Hollywood. Although it is a hefty book it reads very fast. So if you want to know what makes Will Smith, the key is inside these pages. #willsmith #ownvoicesreviews #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #readmorebooks #sundayspotlight #blackbooksmatter #bookreview #blackbibliophile #bibliophile #bookstagram #readingismylife #readologist #houstonreads (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChhnHZ-Log8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[books4us]

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT!! It’s that time again. The weeks are flying by. And I hope everyone is taking advantage of the longer summer days and getting some reading done outdoors. That’s such a relaxing endeavor. This book👈🏿 is one of those hate it or love it type reads. I wrote ✍🏾 This book was very busy. A host of characters. Not all fully developed. I like the way she built the story and snuck in the back story of Noelle that explains her marriage to Gee. Who we don’t realize he is THE husband until the young parts of Noelle are revealed. The book is really centered on two families and their different paths to life’s crossroads. You have Gee and his Mama as one thread and the other thread is Lacey May and her three daughters. The drama trio. I enjoyed the story and her prose was heady and the pacing was stable. The families tie in was quite clever and you must read to understand. Not a bad way to spend a few days. #ownvoicesreviews #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #naimacoster #whatsmineandyours #sundayspotlight #readmorebooks #makereadinglitagain #blackbooksmatter #blackbibliophile #bibliophile #goodblackreads #netgalley #goodreads #grandcentralpublishing #bookstagrammer #bookreview #bookrecommendations #readologist #readingismylife (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChPldBRrCVm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[books4us]

Let’s make it a trifecta! 3 weeks of Ms. Toni Morrison! The grande dame of letters! She commands the SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT once again, this time with Sula! This was a reread for me after a 20 year gap, and Sula brought me back, she is undoubtedly one of the most unforgettable characters in literature, I didn’t write any review/thoughts 20 some years ago but this time I wrote ✍🏿 Sula. Damn. What a woman. It’s been close to 20 years since I read this novel and although the character Sula stayed with me, there were some minor details I had forgot. Like, recently I read Viola Davis’s Finding Me. She describes a situation where she was running from some boys, she stops and pricks her finger drawing blood and then she tells the boys, “If I do this to myself, what do you think I’ll do to you.” Well I said to myself, where oh where did I hear that before, voila! Sula! Another thing, I didn’t remember how compact this book is. A one sitting type read. If possible that’s the best way to read this work. Sula and Nel. Thick as thieves until Sula goes away for ten years. Not sure why Ms. Morrison skips those ten years and leaves readers to just wander and wonder. I don’t understand that decision. Anyway the novel ages well, doesn’t feel dated at all and it still shocks and saddens in certain spots but remains I think among the best of Morrison‘s novels. #ownvoicesreviews #sula #tonimorrison #plumebooks #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #bookreviewer #bookstagram #bookblogger #bibliophile #blackbibliophile #blackbooksmatter #makereadinglitagain #readologist #readology #readmorebooks (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgrSiCgARnr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[books4us]

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT is shining on the latest offering from Diane McKinney-Whetstone, Our Gen! Ms. Mxkinney-Whetstone has been dropping gems for years. Our Gen is her latest work and is well worth the read, especially for those sexagenarians. I wrote ✍🏿 Yes. A truly adult novel. Diane McKinney-Whetstone has crafted a wonderful story that looks at aging but not rushing in headlong. The story has four central characters but Cynthia is the main character and when she leaves her big house In Philadelphia to move into the Gen, a 55+ senior community in the suburbs she immediately connects with the two other Black residents and an Native Australian and these four have dinner nights and just regular get togethers where the food is good, the wine is plentiful and the weed is a throwback to their younger selves. The present situation of the central four is written very realistic and relatable, but the real strength of the novel is when Diane McKinney-Whetstone examines the past of each character in suspense filled fashion, giving us edge of seat moments with some hilarity and just a touch of incredulous coincidences. It’s all in good fun and really shows how unresolved trauma and issues can affect you into your aging years. Everyone of the four has a past they all needed to deal with in some way, and the prospect of aging out of relevance forces a reckoning. I highly recommend. The sexagenarian crowd will definitely find appreciation here, but this novel is for anyone who has an admiration for a truly adult story absent the typical old people tropes. Just out now. Big thanks to @netgalley and publisher @amistadbooks for an advanced DRC. #ourgen #ownvoicesreviews #amistadbooks #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #bookreviewer #bookrecommendation #blackbooksmatter #sexagenarian #goodblackreads #goodreads #netgalley #blackbibliophile #houstonreadsblack #readmorebooks #bookstagram #makereadinglitagain #readalot #readologist #booksaremylife (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf1a3C0LJRi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[books4us]

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT! Let’s go. A great big dose of thanks to @legacylitbooks for gifting me an ARC of Black Boy Smile. And it is our featured book in the SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT. I’ve always liked D. Watkins from his first book and now his memoir in moments, which is masterful in moments. I wrote ✍🏿 D. Watkins takes you inside his East Baltimore community and gives you a real unflinching representation of what he faced in those streets. All the horrors of drugs and the collateral damage done by the presence of an unchecked culture where violence is more the norm than the exception. D. Watkins writes with an emotional bent that easily allows the reader to feel. Really feel. That’s D. Watkins’ super power. It’s not all doom and gloom here, there are some moments that bring levity to the page and humanizes the community. It’s important to have these stories told, because of the potential for inspiration and in-depth information. It’s always much more impressive and important when you get the story of a community from a loving, knowing native! D. Watkins is a chronicler that the reader can trust. Well done! #dwatkins #ownvoicesreviews #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #bookreviewer #bookstagram #blackbooksmatter #blackbibliophile #bibliophile #goodblackreads #legacylit #readmorebooks #makereadinglitagain #booksarelove #readologist #houstonreads #booksbooksbooks #bookblogger (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfRTrj6LDNY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[books4us]

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT! I have a great affinity for the ‘For Beginners’ series so when I saw this book recently on a bookstore shelf I grabbed it. It did not disappoint. I wrote ✍🏿 This book successfully completes its stated mission, which is, “…about the woman, her books, her mission, herword music, and all the writing she does ‘between the lines.’ Morrison’s books are like the ocean: the surface is beautiful, but everything that gives them life lies beneath.” In this my year of Morrison, I wanted to be armed with some additional, deeper knowledge as I go through all of her fiction. And this book has definitely beefed up my arsenal. It was when I read Read Until You Understand by @farahjgriffinbooks Jasmine Griffin in her discussion of Ms. Morrison’s novels that I realized perhaps I could have missed something or missed many things. This book confirms that assumption and in a very easy and accessible manner. It provides great food for thought and gives brief but thorough summaries of all her novels. It asks the right questions and makes comments or statements on characters, plot points, and names that may have baffled you previously. Rather if you have read all of Morrison or none, or a few, this is a good guide book to the wonders of Ms. Toni Morrison. #tonimorrison #ownvoicesreviews #farahjasminegriffin #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #sundayspotlight #blackbooksmatter #blackbookstagram #goodblackreads #makereadinglitagain #readologist #bookreview (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CebVlh2L3oZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[books4us]

Habari Gani? The principle of the day is NIA! Purpose. What is your purpose? Well the purpose of this account fits in well with the official Kwanzaa principle of NIA. The collective vocation of building and developing our community. This is the purpose of my thought sharing of books. To help in the building of personal libraries that restore and elevate our greatness. ⬅️ The last thought-sharing post of 2021. God Is A Black Woman. You’ll have to click on link.tr in profile to read my thoughts on this book, which also is very fitting for those who ruminate and reflect on matters of the spirit as the calendar is poised to change. #bookstagram #ownvoicesreviews #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #readmorebooks #harperonebooks #godisablackwoman #bookrecommendations #bookish #readologist #bibliophile #bookthoughts📙 #read #readrelaxrepeat #goodblackreads #spreadbooklove (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYHOPA5r2az/?utm_medium=tumblr

[books4us]

Happy Birthday to the man most commonly known as Malcolm X. He would have been 96 today. I often think of Malcolm as an elder, what would that have meant for us. Would his voice and presence have changed the trajectory of Black people. In my imagination that’s a definite yes. I’m sure he is resting peacefully amongst the Ancestors, so today pour a little libation for “our shining Black Prince” because he gave his life for us! That’s how much he adored Black people. I’m sure this is a difficult day for Malcolm’s six lovely daughters, so we thank them for their grace and sacrifice, and sharing their father with the world. Know that he is a beloved Father and Brother to us all! Swipe left for some great reads on Malcolm. His autobiography of course. Zak Kondo”s under appreciated book CONSPIRACIES and the best of them all, the Payne’s recent THE DEAD ARE ARISING! #lovemalcolmx #malcolmx #ownvoicesreviews #readmorebooks #bookpusher #blackexcellance #blackgreatness #bibliophile #readology #readologist # (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPDv0SFLtCc/?utm_medium=tumblr

[books4us]

#TBT. 20 years ago, Sister Souljah dropped The Coldest Winter Ever and launched a new genre! 📚📚📚📚 With the release of this book, the one question that I got from book patrons, was simply, “do you have anything like the Coldest Winter?” 📕📗📘📙 So, there was a rush to the market of books that would answer that question and “urban fiction” was born. 📓📓📓📓📓📓📓 Along with that birth came the great debate of “quality “ both in writing and storytelling. You had bad books hitting the market but garnering decent sales. 📚📚📚📚📚 Publishing houses were started, some very successfully. It was an interesting time to see Black folks give a collective middle finger to traditional publishing. And Souljah was the catalyst for all that! 📔📔📔📔📔📔📔 As an addendum to the genre birth celebration were the old schoolers, saying “wait a minute. Donald Goines is the Father of “urban Fiction” and he was a far greater writer than these new jacks!” YEP!There were many books published in the wake of Souljah’s success. Some good, many not so good. What is undeniable is “urban fiction” or “street fiction” or often derisively referred to as “ghetto fiction” is here and Souljah was the midwife for that delivery! #tbt #coldestwinterever #sistasouljah #bookpusher #readologist #readmorebooks #lovebooks📚 #lovereading #goodblackreads #goodreads #bookstagram #cheersstories #readingisbreathing