LONG TIME NO SEE!
It has been about a year since I last posted and boy… how the time flies.
To kick off my triumphant (lol not really) return to my blog, I will be starting a new segment (I guess that’s what we can call it) that aligns with one of my hobbies/goals!
So as you may or may not know, I love to read. And when I love a story or a particular author (*cough, cough* Colleen Hoover *cough, cough*), then I can read a book rather quickly. I’ve been making a cognizant effort to read more whenever I can.
Using this handy, dandy app called The Story Graph (Black and Female Owned), I’ve set some reading goals for 2022. I really like using this app to help track the books I’ve read, add more to my TBR pile, and find books to read that are similar to the ones I like. Also, if you’re a data driven person (I’m not but since it’s books I am in this scenario), you can see the breakdown of your reading habits!
Reading goals for 2022 
You can track your pages!
BUT something I realized is that I read so fast sometimes, that I don’t fully absorb the story, the deeper meanings, the themes, or recognize key details that are important.
SO my goal for this year is to read more and then post “Reading Recaps” where I share my thoughts on the books I read in the past month and what is on my “to be read” list for the next.
Since I will be starting this at the end of the month, here is my TBR for February! (also since it’s Black History Month, I will be reading books from Black/POC authors!)
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
“Now available in an all-new, deluxe package, the book that started a world-wide phenomenon follows Zélie Adebola, who remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.”
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
“The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ storylines intersect?
Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person’s decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.”
Bonus Book: More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) by Elaine Welteroth
“Throughout her life, Elaine Welteroth has climbed the ranks of media and fashion, shattering ceilings along the way. In this riveting and timely memoir, the groundbreaking journalist unpacks lessons on race, identity, and success through her own journey, from navigating her way as the unstoppable child of a unlikely interracial marriage in small-town California to finding herself on the frontlines of a modern movement for the next generation of change makers.
Welteroth moves beyond the headlines and highlight reels to share the profound lessons and struggles of being a barrier-breaker across so many intersections. As a young boss and often the only Black woman in the room, she’s had enough of the world telling her—and all women—they’re not enough. As she learns to rely on herself by looking both inward and upward, we’re ultimately reminded that we’re more than enough.”
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I may read more. I may read less, but I think these three books are a good place to start! I’m always looking to broaden my horizon of stories, perspectives, and authors, so if you have any recommendations, do not hesitate to comment below!!
Happy reading!
– Naturally, Taylor 💙
TAYLOR LYNN 