Forged by Blood – The Bookish Mutant

Happy Tuesday, bibliophiles!

Apologies for the lack of a Book Review Tuesday this week; like with Sunday Songs, I’ve just had a busy few days, and I wasn’t able to put anything together in time, but I was creating this post in advance, so I figured today would be a good day to post it.

Here in the U.S., February is Black History Month! Since I’ve started making these recommendation lists back in 2021 (and focusing on reading more diversely in general), I’ve discovered so many incredible authors, and now that I’m reading YA and adult novels in almost equal measure, my scope has broadened so much more. (Note: I’m still frugal about my media space on WordPress, but this list, like last year’s, contains both YA and adult novels, even though the header image just says YA.) But as with every single year, it’s more crucial than ever to uplift Black voices—not just to amplify them and other marginalized groups in the fields of literature and publishing (especially when the industry sees diversity as nothing but a box to be checked off, more often than not), but especially since we’re living in a climate here in the states (and elsewhere) that is intent on erasing both our systemic racism (past and present) and silencing Black voices. And one of the most accessible ways to fight this poisonous rhetoric is to read—to open your eyes, to learn for yourself, and to share what you have learned with others. In a landscape where anything other than the white, cishet, abled majority wants to ban any voice that isn’t theirs, reading is an act of resistance.

For my lists from previous years, click below:

Let’s begin, shall we?

THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S BOOKS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

FANTASY:

Son of the Storm – Suyi Davies Okungbowa | Adult | High fantasy, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Flowers for the Sea – Zin E. Rocklyn | Adult | Novella, Horror | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Shadow Speaker (The Desert Magician’s Duology, #1) – Nnedi Okorafor | YA | Post-apocalyptic, Speculative fiction | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Forged by Blood – Ehigbor Okosun | YA | High fantasy, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
That Self-Same Metal – Brittany N. Williams | YA | Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Monsters We Defy – Leslye Penelope | Adult | Historical fiction, paranormal | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SCIENCE FICTION:

The Fifth Season – N.K. Jemisin | Adult | Dystopia, Sci-fi/Fantasy | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
A Song of Salvation – Alechia Dow | YA | LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Parable of the Sower – Octavia Butler | Adult | Dystopia | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lagoon – Nnedi Okorafor | Adult | Speculative fiction | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kindred – Octavia Butler | Adult | Historical fiction, Time travel | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

REALISTIC FICTION:

Forever is Now – Mariama J. Lockington | YA | LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nothing Burns as Bright as You – Ashley Woodfolk | YA | LGBTQ+, Novels in verse | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling – Elise Bryant | YA | Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
And Other Mistakes – Erika Turner | YA | LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine – Maika and Maritza Moulite | YA | Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nobody’s Magic – Destiny O. Birdsong | Adult | Contemporary, Literary fiction | ⭐️⭐️⭐️

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Have you read any of these books, and if so, did you enjoy them? What are some of your favorite books by Black authors that you’ve read recently? Let me know in the comments!

Today’s song:

thanks again to my brother for exposing me to this one!

That’s it for this recommendation list! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Happy Wednesday, bibliophiles! I hope this month has treated you well.

First month of the year is over, whew! I don’t wanna jinx it, but I think the rest of the year will be good.

Let’s begin with the first wrap-up of 2024, shall we?

GENERAL THOUGHTS:

January’s been a good start to the year so far, I’d say. The first half was wonderfully relaxing, what with the joys of how long winter break is in college, so I was able to recharge, catch up on reading, and get some sleep in before school started back up again. As for school, I think it’s shaping up to be a great semester! I’m finally taking some classes for my newly declared women and gender studies minor, and I’ve been enjoying those, along with the amazing English classes I’m taking for my major. It was disgustingly cold for a solid week, but at least my school had the sense to call a delay (would’ve preferred a snow day, but beggars can’t be choosers, I guess), but now it’s…unusually warm? It’s nice to be able to wear a t-shirt in the afternoons, if you ignore climate change.

As I said, January has given me the chance to get back on my old reading and blogging schedule. I still didn’t blog as much outside of my regular schedule (these scholarships I’m applying for aren’t gonna write themselves), but it was much nicer not having to do that outside of schoolwork. Fingers crossed, my workload is reasonable at the moment, so I’m soaking up all the time in the honeymoon period of the semester that I can. The reading batch I had was fantastic, for the most part! I had a streak of no books that I really didn’t like for a solid three weeks, and even after that, it’s mostly been 3-5 star reads all around! Anticipated reads, books I’ve been meaning to read for a while, and re-reads—it’s been a good bunch this month. I put my reading goal at 150 books this month, which my middle school self would probably declare something along the lines of “cowardly,” but to her I’d say to wait until college.

Other than that, I’ve just been catching up on sleep (for the first half of the month, anyway), drawing, watching Abbott Elementary (so comforting and delightful!), seeing Robyn Hitchcock live (dude’s a complete weirdo, but an insanely talented weirdo), and stocking up on hot chocolate and tea in equal measure in preparations for the permanently indecisive Colorado weather. Somebody’s gotta keep us on our toes.

READING AND BLOGGING:

I read 18 books this month! Winter break gave me a good head start for the first half of the month, but I’ve been able to keep up some of the momentum through the end. And it’s been a great batch too—I’ve only read one book this month that I really didn’t enjoy, and I re-read a favorite that got even better on the second go-around!

2 – 2.75 stars: