memoir

  • March 2025 Reading Recap

    25% of 2025 in the books! I am failing (again) at my “read less get out more” goal to keep it under 100 books for the year, but there are so many good books in so many genres, I can’t help it! So far US & World History (23%), Literary & Popular Fiction (20%), Poetry/Hybrid

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  • February 2025 Reading Recap

    It looks like I’ve rather inadvertently had a fiction-free February! No regrets, as I got to some books I was meaning to get to for a while. I also kept with my typical reading pattern of more than 50% Black authors. According to various sources, Black authors make up 5-7% of all traditionally published books;

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  • 2024: The Year in Reading

    For the fourth consecutive year in 2024 I read over 100 books, tracking not only the titles and authors, but author demographics, as well as genre, format, and publication year. This year I also switched from Goodreads (owned by Amazon) to StoryGraph (Black and women-owned) for online tracking, though I also keep my own detailed

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  • December 2024 Reading Recap

    It’s a wrap on 2024 reading! This year I completed 128 books, including these gems: fiction powerhouses, as well as pillars in the world of cultural criticism and craft. Here are some books to put on your TBR list for 2025. 

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  • October 2024 Reading Recap

    Spooky season was finally upon us in October. I got some good ones in this month, alongside a few classics, old and new. I also took advantage of a trip to Kansas to visit Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita, and two great local authors that were new to me: Sarah Smarsh and Nghiem Tran.

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  • September 2024 Reading Recap

    This September, I continued working my way through James Baldwin’s oeuvre in honor of his 100th birthday last month. I also got a jump on spooky season with three thrillers: Truman Capote’s classic, In Cold Blood (1965), Disha Bose’s Dirty Laundry (2023), and Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby (1967), which I had the pleasure of reading

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  • June 2024 Reading Recap

    I had the good fortune this month to return to the Yale Writers’ Workshop, where I spent two weeks talking about craft with talented and inspiring authors, published and soon-to-be. But that also meant less time for reading, though I am well ahead of my annual reading goal of 100 books, having completed 70 at

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  • April 2024 Reading Recap

    This month I was once again reminded of the stark difference between adoptee stories told by adoptees, adoptee stories told by non-adoptee allies, and adoptee stories told by those who use us as plot points, perpetuating inaccurate and harmful tropes. I read books that are examples of all three in April.   Please support adoptee

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  • February 2024 Reading Recap

    Another Black History Month of reading in the books though, quite honestly, I don’t read any differently his month than any other month; any month is a good month to read Black authors! Still, I thought I would use this opportunity to highlight the Black authors I read this month here, in case you’re looking

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  • January 2024 Reading Recap

    January is the month of new year’s resolutions, and I have to confess that, after reading 178 books in 2022, my resolution last year was to actually read less. I think maybe I was concerned about letting my introverted tendencies “win” over other parts of me? It sounds silly now, but after having missed my

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Women with long, curly hair seated on a stoop. She is wearing an army green jacket and jeans, smiling at the camera.