Ebony on Everything

Along with the now 184 books I have completed, there is a great many I did not complete. Some books were a little too far out for me. Some just didn’t pull me in and I found myself not caring how it would end. Other books, I did not like the main characters. Recently, I started Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen and I stopped at 83% completed. I found myself judging the character for how she was going about things. So reckless. OMG, I am turning into one of those old church ladies who have lived their lives and now judge people for shit they used to do. I promise I’m not like that 😆. I just think that she was playing with fire and I didn’t want to see her burn. I don’t think I will ever finish the book. I went to read the reviews and there was others who agreed with me.

I am not knocking the author at all. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, Curvy Girl Summer. It had great banter between the characters and I liked that. The second book just wasn’t for me. It is rare for me to shit on a writer. Who am I to critique anyone when I haven’t written more than an article or blog post? These people are pushing out 300+ page books and creating whole worlds from their imagination. Yeah, I’m going to sit down and shut up.

Here is the next 5 books that made an impression on me and I would like to share with you.

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

This book is a young adult (YA) romance which I know many may not be interested in. Love Radio is set in Detroit, MI and the author even mentioned a doughnut shop I have to make a trip to try out. The young man, Prince, is a radio DJ whose mom happens to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Mind you, I did not know it going in and I did not pick the book for this reason. This isn’t the first book I read where a character had MS, but it is definitely not a common occurrence. I believe the author did a great job of portraying the struggles of MS and the impact that MS can have on a family. Prince is a young dude trying to live his life and make Dani fall in love with him. Even though it is a YA book, it is a great story. There are some triggers. You have been warned. Lol

Sight Unseen by Kasha Thompson

With my Spotify subscription, I receive 15 audiobook listening hours. I don’t think I have always taken advantage of this perk, but this year I am maxing those hours out to the second 😆. This was one of the books I found on Spotify. The premise is along the lines of the TV show Married at First Sight. I can’t say it is exactly like the show because I have never seen the show. Evelyn and Quincy are matched and married, and the camera follows them around capturing way too much. I can’t imagine this really working out well in real life, but this turned out to be a sweet romance.

The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon

I am so crazy about this book. I actually listened to it and read it, at different times this year. I found it staying on my mind and I just wanted to live through the sweet moments again. The Hookup Plan is the last book in a series and it was the best book. The main female character, London, was such a jerk and I loved her! The main male character, Drew, was so patient, nerdy-sexy, and cool. How could you not like him!?!? It is supposed to be an enemies to lovers type book, but only one person felt the other was an enemy and the other person was walking around with the biggest crush. The banter was top notch. Honestly, I would buy this book. I would have no problem with listening to it or reading it again.

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

Sometimes, I have books saved or dowloaded waiting on me before I finish the current book. Other times, I am looking for books because I don’t have one waiting in the wings or I just want to read something different. I came across Shield of Sparrows when I was looking for something different and I was scrolling through the library’s recommended offerings. It sounded interesting, and it was! This book has princesses, monsters, fights, and kings. I figured out one of the mysteries in the book, but then it kept throwing me off. I was right all along though. Lol. Shield of Sparrows is part of a series and the second book, Rites of the Starling, is out now. We are waiting on book three. I see they are saying this book will be turned into a movie. I can’t imagine it will go well. It rarely does. I highly recommend just reading the book(s).

Twice by Mitch Albom

This is my first book by Mitch Albom. I know he is a famous NYT bestselling author, but so are a bunch of other people and I don’t like their books. However, I did like this book. Twice would be a great book club read. Many ideas to ponder on and discussion. I found myself stopping and reflecting on particular chapters while I was listening.  I could really write a whole blog post about this book, but I don’t to risk sharing any spoilers. Twice is a book about a man who can live parts of his life twice. I know that most of us would be just like Alfie, the main male character. Spinning the block twice on a bunch of different events in life. As with most things, there will be consequences. Check out Twice and find out what Alfie did and how he succeeded or failed.

I want to have another set of 10 by the end of this year. I also want to be more intentional about the books I read. I want to be captivated and inspired. I want the story to live with me after I read it. I want to add it to my list and then share it with you all. I hope you find at least one book from this post that interest you. If you do decide to read one, let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you. Be well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚

I am officially at 177 books completed for this year. I stalled out at the end of last month and didn’t read or listen to any books for about a week. I was tired of hearing people’s voices. Then, I also realized all of the stories were starting to run together. I ended up creating a spreadsheet to keep track of all the books I have read/listen to, and put in a little note to help me remember what the hell I’ve read. Not that the books are bad or boring, but most aren’t standouts. The ones that are really bad end up as Incomplete. Then, there are books that get me to thinking and stay on my mind. I have highlighted them on my spreadsheet. Here is a list of 5 of my 10 top books so far.

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

This book was so out of my wheelhouse. I can’t even remember how I came across this book and what about it made me want to read it. I guess I wanted to expand to other genres. The Devils was crazy as hell and contained action scene after action scene. It was kind of exhausting. I had to pause it a couple of times just to process some of the scenes. A young girl finds out she is royalty and has to make it home to claim her throne. Throw in some twists and turns and you have a pretty good story.

Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka

Here is another book that is far from my norm. A couple of things first. One, this book is the start of a series. Two, the series isn’t even close to being done. Though I am including this one on my list, I don’t recommend that you read it. Don’t no damn body wants to wait 10 years for this series to be finished. I promise you if I had known, I would have acted like this book didn’t exist.

However, this book is fabulous and pulled me in immediately. The world building, the magic, the main character. There isn’t anything I don’t like about this book. Stephen, the main character, with limited magic ability and knowledge, searching for his missing dad. He grows and learns along the way and you can’t do anything but root for him every step of the way, even when he is obviously slow or doing dumb shit. Deep sigh, I am still annoyed I even started this series.

Love Notes by Christina C. Jones

Love Notes was my first book from this author. I have since gone down the rabbit hole and even joined her newsletter 🤦🏾‍♀️. Christina C. Jones has the market cornered on this brand of romance for me. She writes characters with personality, humor, and genuineness. Of course, there is sex involved, but it doesn’t come off as overdone. Love Notes is about a confident and ambitious young woman moving home to start her photography business and finding love unexpectedly. Well, unexpectedly for her, we knew it was going to happen 😆.

Honorable Mention: Getting Schooled by Christina C. Jones

This book is in a series but can be read alone. So good! The witty banter alone makes this worth the read.

Honey & Spice/Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola

Technically, this is two books, but they go together. Honey & Spice is the first book covering the college years of the main characters. Sweet Heat picks up a few years later with the same characters. I read the books out of order. I feel like I purposely did not read the first book, Honey & Spice, because it was a Reese’s Book Club Pick. Her book club picks suck! Now, if I see she recommends a book, I avoid it like the plague. Oddly enough, she got it right this time.

Honey & Spice is set in England somewhere featuring British Nigerians. They are so poetic when they speak. Taking 15 words to say a 5 word sentence, but somehow it works. It gives you a clear vision of the topic being discussed and some 😆. The main female character, Kiki Banjo, is so cool and commanding. She meets her match in Malakai, the main male character, and you watch them fall in love as young people do. Dumb as hell, head over heels, and thinking they know everything and don’t know shit.

Sweet Heat picks up later with the same  main characters, Kiki and Malakai, with other supporting characters from Honey & Spice. I can’t say much about this book because I don’t want to give too much away. I will say it was a good follow up to the first book. It was a couple of spots where it dragged, but I still think it was a good book. It is a love story but it does have triggers, such as depression, anxiety, and grief.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry

I guess I need to step out of my norm more often, there are some good books with different storylines available. Here is another thought-provoking book that has nothing to do with romance. Harold was so weird and I felt like he was the problem in most of his situations. Harold Fry decided to walk across the country to visit a friend in hospice before they passed away. He had no set plans or ideas of what to do, but he was determined to make that trek and express his gratitude. This book can be a bit heavy, and there are some triggers known and unknown. Yet, I still recommend this book because it had me thinking about all sorts of things.

These books are not in any type of order. I don’t have a favorite between these books or the next five. I just enjoyed each book for what it made me feel and/or think. Have you already read any of these? If so, what are your thoughts? If not, which ones are you going to add to your list? Please share. I want to hear from you. The next 5 book recommendations will be coming soon. Be well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚