#RecentReads | July Recap 2020

Mybeautymark


44800078. sx318Synopsis: Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.

In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty. 

SulweSulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great representation of self love for young black children. Sulwe although didnt love her dark skin once she saw that her dark black skin is just as beautiful as having light black skin, she saw the beauty in herself. 

I remember when I was younger going to school hearing the light black skin vs dark black skin argument as a child you dont understand. But now as an adult with a child of my own that way of thinking, that complex just keeps people back within the black community. Black is beautiful no matter how light or dark the complexion.

I now have a son who realized that he has dark brown skin, darker than his mommy. He came to me and said “Brown…like me, I have dark brown skin!”  And I said “yes you do always remember that” 

This book is great for young kids to understand self love and I love the illustrations and the bright colors too, very inviting for children and for adults when reading to them. I will be buying a hard copy of this book to read out loud to my son at night. Awesome story great message! 

“My Black is Beautiful!!” 

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Synopsis:
Arianne’s birthday goals aren’t the kind you wish for when blowing out your birthday candles. They’re the kind you put in work for. Except that one about getting Kammal in her bed…


#birthdaygoals#birthdaygoals by AshleyNicole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#BirthdayGoals was perfect and hilarious. AshleyNicole got a banger with this one. This is Ari and Kammal story. Basically every year for Ari’s birthday she has two goals she wants to accomplish for a year. For her birthday one crazy goal was to get with Kammal. 

Ari is the type to go bed early and don’t live life as much. I think the push she needed from her sisters to get with Kammal was all that she needed.

The sex scene with Kammal and Ari was bomb yet funny too, how you playing Savage by Meg Thee Stallion in your head and jump to another wild as song ….LMAO I was laughing so much reading this.

This was a true birthday gift for a 31 year old single woman. I enjoyed the story and plan on reading the next in the series. 

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Synopsis:
Shana Harris keeps it sexy at home, cooking in stilettos and being a freak in bed. Still, her man, Rome doesn’t seem satisfied, and Shana suspects he’s cheating. The evidence against Rome is overwhelming: late nights with the boys, sexually explicit texts and pics, and he frequently comes home smelling like perfume. So, what’s a girl to do? Shana’s best friend suggests she should get even by having a one night stand. And Shana agrees. But she’s in for the shock of her life when a one-time encounter turns into much more than she ever bargained for. Rome or the sexy stranger…which one will claim her heart? 



One Night StandOne Night Stand by Allison Hobbs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was crazy and I felt bad for Shana. But at the same time she shouldn’t had listened to her best friend telling her to cheat on her man to get back at him. As I was reading this I truly thought Rome was hiding something like he had a side chick or something and I was waiting for that to happen but it never did.

Relationships are hard enough but to have revenge sex on your partner is not the way to do it. Amir is sick asshole who needed to be locked away for good. If he’ll do it to Shana he’ll do it to any other woman. And it’s people are really like this in reality, crazy and sick minded.

I like that this was fast paced kept me guessing the whole time and it was written by my favorite author Allison Hobbs. This was quick and has a message at the end which is dont listen to your friends and dont go sleeping around because you can lose everything. Overall great story. 

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Synopsis:
There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé uses political and pop-cultural references as a framework to explore 21st century black American womanhood and its complexities: performance, depression, isolation, exoticism, racism, femininity, and politics. The poems weave between personal narrative and pop-cultural criticism, examining and confronting modern media, consumption, feminism, and Blackness. This collection explores femininity and race in the contemporary American political climate, folding in references from jazz standards, visual art, personal family history, and Hip Hop. The voice of this book is a multifarious one: writing and rewriting bodies, stories, and histories of the past, as well as uttering and bearing witness to the truth of the present, and actively probing toward a new self, an actualized self. This is a book at the intersections of mythology and sorrow, of vulnerability and posturing, of desire and disgust, of tragedy and excellence. 



There Are More Beautiful Things Than BeyoncéThere Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé by Morgan Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful writing and relatable! This collection of poems was what I needed at this moment. The author touched on a lot of things and used Beyonce as a metaphor. Like stop looking for something from another pretty female when you should having that same energy for yourself. The women we see on IG or TV are not the equivalent of what real beauty is. It’s all marketing and fake. Morgan Parker talks about mental illness, and accepting her the way she is and not being ashamed of her sexuality (or being overly sexual)

I enjoyed everything about this collection I want to re read it because it was just that strong and powerful. Morgan also talked about women rights and not being at fault for being a woman and doing what women do on the daily. 

This is something I want my son to read when he is old enough to understand it. I really enjoyed reading this and I got a lot from it. Great poetry collection with a strong message at the end. 

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Synopsis:
Zuri’s hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it’s beautiful. When mommy does Zuri’s hair, she feels like a superhero. But when mommy is away, it’s up to daddy to step in! And even though daddy has a lot to learn, he LOVES his Zuri. And he’ll do anything to make her—and her hair—happy.

Tender and empowering, Hair Love is an ode to loving your natural hair—and a celebration of daddies and daughters everywhere.



Hair LoveHair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a very cute children’s book, something I can definitely see myself reading to my son.
This story is about Zuri and she has thick kinky curly hair and she feels special with her hair because it can do so much on its own.

Zuri wanted a cute hairstyle for her mom but needed help so her dad decided to help. This was a good story that showcased motivation and self-esteem in children. Zuri learned at a young age to love her hair because she knows that her hair is not just hers but from her mom and dad. I loved this story very cute and I loved the illustrations too. 5 star read!

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