Listen, I have an excuse for buying all these books.. kind of. I started working at a bookstore in December and I’ve been exposed to more books than ever. I finally have a steady paycheck, so, of course I’m buying more and more books. I’m not only buying them, though. Some of these books were kindly sent to me, I got ARCs from work, etc. Either way, let’s not judge, okay? Instead, let’s talk about all the books I’ve received and bought since January of 2019!
January
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
It only makes sense to start from the beginning of this year so in January, I received Becoming by Michelle Obama by my mom. She knew how well the book had been selling at work and how badly I wanted to read it but didn’t want to spend money on it yet. I felt guilty for going to Amazon for cheaper prices and it was expensive at work so I just waited. But, my lovely mom surprised me with it one day and I’m so thankful. I’ve already read this book and wrote a little review on it.
To read my review, click here.
- Difficult Women by Roxane Gay
I picked this up because it was discounted at my local bookstore that’s closing soon. It hurts to say that I didn’t shop here often but I would occasionally come in and buy books here whenever I was feeling like going out. Whenever I was upset and having a bad day, I would force myself to come out here. I also love Roxane Gay’s books and I know this is one of her earlier ones so I can’t wait to get into it!
- Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan
I requested this book from Bloomsbury shortly before February without realizing how close the release date was. I planned to read this for Feminist February but if you saw my reading challenge in February, I didn’t read much. I was going through a lot and ended up not getting to this book which sucks but I’m currently reading this and will be posting a review soon! To let you know what it’s about, here’s the description: “Jasmine and Chelsea are sick of the way women are treated even at their progressive NYC high school, so they decide to start a Women’s Rights Club. They post everything online—poems, essays, videos of Chelsea performing her poetry, and Jasmine’s response to the racial macroaggressions she experiences—and soon they go viral. But with such positive support, the club is also targeted by online trolls. When things escalate, the principal shuts the club down. Jasmine and Chelsea will risk everything for their voices—and those of other young women—to be heard.”
February
- This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins
Onto February! It was #FeministFebruary so I went a little ham on the feminist reads. I bought three books at the beginning of the month all at once. The first one was This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins. I already listened to this on audiobook and I ended up giving it five stars. It was delightful! If you want to read my review, I have one here.
- The Independent Woman by Simone De Beauvoir
Listen, I love small new editions of older books. I saw this one in the social science section and just had to buy it. I thought it would make for a great, light read before bed. I love short books and couldn’t say no. I also haven’t read Simone De Beauvoir yet which is surprising but now, whenever I want to, I have this!
- How to Date Men When You Hate Men by Blythe Roberson
This cover just kind of spoke to me. It’s supposed to be a witty and humorous take on dating. It was recently released and I thought it would make for another great short read but unfortunately, I haven’t read it yet!
- The Bold World by Jodie Patterson
I didn’t know we could take home the ARCs from work until they were taking about it in the break room so I decided to take this one since no one else had. From the Bold World‘s Goodreads page, “Inspired by her transgender son, activist Jodie Patterson explores identity, gender, race, and authenticity to tell the real-life story of a family’s history and transformation.” I can’t wait to get to this one. I would’ve reviewed it in advance but it was already released by the time I picked it up.
- Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
This was an ARC I also received from work. I’ve yet to pick it up but the blurbs and description made me want to take it home. To quote Goodreads, “Calling to mind the best works of Paul Beatty and Junot Díaz, this collection of moving, timely, and darkly funny stories examines the concept of black identity in this so-called post-racial era.” It sounds so lovely and I can’t wait to read it! I plan to do it soon and post a review.
March
- A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab (Deluxe Edition)
So, I saw this and had to buy it. A Darker Shade of Magic has become one of my favorite books and trilogies of all time. I plan to collect V.E. Schwab’s books because I love her so much. I, unfortunately, didn’t write reviews for these books when I read them last year. But, let it be known: I loved these books so much, maybe even too much.
- Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
Whenever I saw this ARC at work, I kind of had to have it. I’ve been seeing reviews here and there. The hype on Bookstagram is so real and I love a good fantasy so I grabbed it. I’ve started it but I put it down for some reason. I’m going to try and review it before the release date (April something) so look forward to that if I get around to it!
- Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This could’ve been an ARC I got from work but unfortunately, I let it stay because I felt I already had too many. I eventually bought the book whenever it came out because so many people were talking about it. I haven’t even Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid but I finished Daisy Jones in three days (I just finished today) and I loved it so much. There’s nothing like a story set in the 70s about a rock band. Also, the best feminism content I could’ve asked for. I’ll have a mini review for it soon and once I do, I’ll link it here.
- Water Runs Red by Jenna Clare
I’ve been following Jenna on social media for so long. I started watching her Youtube videos back when I first got into Booktube and I’m so thankful. Since I follow her on most social media, I’ve been seeing her updates about her writing this poetry book. I was so excited for the paperback to finally be released that I bought it the day it was. I’ve read some of the poems and they’re absolutely beautiful. You can tell the amount of hard work Jenna put into this and I have to say, this book is definitely worth more than the price on Amazon. So well done!
- The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
I read this book last year on Audiobook and loved it. I did the Kon Mari method before and it worked wonderfully. I found this book in a thrift store recently and just had to pick it up for like $1. If I ever need to refer back to it, I can.
- All the Light That We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
This book has been on my TBR for so long and I was lucky enough to find a hardcopy in the thrift store the other day. If you don’t know what it’s about, here’s a short description:
“From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.”
Alright, I know. This was a lot of books. But, I’m so excited to talk about all of them with you and have truly enjoyed the ones I’ve already read. Not to mention, I recently did a pretty big unhaul that I forgot to report to you all. I can’t even remember half the books I got rid of but so glad these wonderful books have taken the spots!
I’ve also received and read some lovely ARCs through NetGalley and have reviews for those up as well so check them out!
If you want to buy any of these books, buy them at your local bookstore or at Barnes & Noble!
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