Tag: Authors of Color

Survival of the Thickest audio book shown on phone on wooden tray with ear buds

Survival of the Thickest by Michelle Buteau

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Rating: 5 out of 5.
Book Genre
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Book Genre Block - "Emotional" Person standing between bright earth and desolate earth

Hilarious! I laughed out loud reading this book more than I have in a long time. Michelle Buteau is hilarious. She also had the ability to create extremely emotional moments that had me bawling while I listened. This is a book that you should listen to the audio if you have the chance. Michelle narrates it, and she does an absolutely phenomenal job!

This is a memoir that will take you on a journey of Michelle’s romance situations, both absolutely hilarious and heartwarming, her friendships, her family, her job, her journey to being a mother, and her overall thoughts on life.

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Girl holding dragon in cage

The Dragon Thief by Zetta Elliott

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

What a fun fantasy story for middle-grade readers! I really enjoyed the 🐉dragon 😂. I haven’t read a ton of books with dragons in them, so I really liked this!

There are some great themes within the story that will resonate with many readers. Family is an important element throughout the story. I really enjoyed that the family we meet are close relatives as well as ones further along in the family tree. It’s nice to show that a family can consist of a variety of blood relatives as well as strong friends.

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Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really enjoyed this book! What a dark, spooky premise with a crazy plot! This is a perfect Halloween read, so go grab it this October!!

Noemí Taboada arrives in her high-fashion dress with a cigarette in hand to save her cousin after receiving a desperate letter from her. The secluded mansion in 1950’s Mexico that she comes to is everything you want in a spooky setting. It’s dark and mysterious with creepy household members that hold so many secrets. The first dinner Noemí sits down to, the family explains that they eat in complete silence. It is one of the many odd quirks about this story that had me guessing from start to finish just what was happening!

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Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

What I Loved:

I really loved that this was a retelling, but it had really interesting twists. I absolutely LOVED the extreme changes to the Cinderella story that are revealed as the story progresses!

How I Felt:

Cinderella is Dead takes the reader to a world where the kingdom of Cinderella has turned into a cruel place where women are nothing more than property to be discarded at the whim of any man. All girls must attend an annual ball where they are chosen as wives. Those not chosen have 2 more chances at a ball, after that, it’s a fate worse than death, or maybe it’s just death. Either way, women live in fear, and men rule the day.

Sophia hates all of it. Her idea of happily ever after is with Erin, not with any man in the kingdom. After her required attendance at the annual ball turns into an escape to save her life, she decides that enough is enough. She’s going to bring down the king, and stop the horrible treatment of women.

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This is my America by Kim Johnson

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Welcome to the blot tour for This is my America hosted by Rockstar Book Tours!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

What I Loved:

This. Book. UGH! It was amazing, and I loved every word, every page.

How I Felt:

This story truly impacted me. I stopped and started the reading of this to consider the words on the page. While this was a fictional story, it rings true over and over again. Tracy’s comments on the racial divides in our society were spot-on and continued to make me think. Her investigation into what really happened the night her brother was accused of murder gave so many opportunities to show readers some of the horrible injustices that are a part of America today.

The plot features a young girl, Tracy, who is trying to get her father’s death sentence overturned before it is too late. She relentlessly writes letters to Innocence X, an organization that assists people in their legal needs, but she has yet to hear back from them. Just as she is beginning to give up on them, her brother is accused of murder, and Tracy is reliving a nightmare for the second time.

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The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

What I Loved:

I absolutely adored the main character, Samiah! She is a super-smart, successful woman with this fabulous geeky side that I really enjoyed!

My Synopsis:

Samiah’s boyfriend has just been exposed as a cheater and a snake. It was unfortunately done through Twitter, creating a social media storm that caused her breakup to be in the spotlight. Now, she has made a pact with the other two women Samiah’s boyfriend was also sneaking around with. They will take six months for themselves. No men and no dates.

As Samiah works to secretly develop her very own app, she thinks this pact is the perfect opportunity for her to focus on her project. She just doesn’t expect coincidental coffee run-ins with Daniel Collins to sidetrack her. But Daniel has secrets of his own… 

How I Felt:

This is my first book by Farrah Rochon, and I really enjoyed it! The story was an easy read with some steamy moments and a great plot. The opening scene of this book is all you need to be hooked. It’s an amazing mix of embarrassing moments, romance gone wrong, and women uniting against a jerk.

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Knucklehead Fred by Arias Williams

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

What I Loved:

I’m a mom, and I have two kids that struggle to clean up after themselves…I think all moms live this life! I loved that this story offered a fun way for children to see what responsibility is, and how wonderful it is to feel proud of yourself after having accomplished something!

My Synopsis:

Fred is a normal young boy who chooses not to pick up after himself. He brushes off his chores to do things that he wants to do instead. His actions have not caused him any issues until the day he wants something and his parents say

“NO“

Whoops, Knucklehead Fred, it might be time to start taking the time to do the chores.

Knucklehead Fred follows a boy as he learns the value of following directions and helping out at home.

How I Felt:

I liked this story. It’s a simple, easy to follow picture book that had my children’s full attention. They connected with Fred. They had both been there themselves. It was nice to see their reactions to the positive behavior that Fred shows as the story progresses. Overall, the both enjoyed this book, and would absolutely ask for a second reading!

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