Within the last 80 or so pages of this book I gasped "oh my god!" and then sobbed my little eyes out. I absolutely loved this book. Adébáyò packed so much in these pages and although maybe sometimes it was overwhelming I was one hundred percent buckled in for the ride.

I thought it was stunning. Following the life of one married couple, unable to conceive with the Nigerian political landscape in the background I was completely sucked in and devoured this novel in two days. The characters pop off the page and I thought the way she explored toxic masculinity was unique, she alternated chapters telling the story from the husband's perspective, which really only stretched your empathy so far, because as @readwithemilyg said "Men ain't shit." And in a world ruled by the patriarchy we are all losers. If you have a book club, definitely pick this one up, I'm sure it'll cause a ruckus.

[ID: The novel Stay With Me by Ayòbámi Adébáyò lays flat on green grass. The cover is bright read with green and orange plants drawn on it.]

#Bookstagram #bookstagrammer #20booksbyblackwomen #Novels #NigerianAuthor #Fiction #GreatBooks #AlwaysReading #FilipinoBookstagrammer #readmorewomen ...

I really liked this story about sisterhood, family, and coming home. I was a bit surprised about the core of the plot, how one horrifying event led them to sever their bond, and how they had to find a way back to each other. I probably should've read the content warnings for this one, because it was kind of jarring. My only wish is I was hoping for more of the mom's story. Overall I liked it! And it’s definitely not one I would’ve ever picked up had it not been for bookstagram.

[ID: The book Butter, Honey, Pig, Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi is held up with my hand. There is a brown fence and blue sky blurry in the background.]

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #butterhoneypigbread #booksbooksbooks #losangelesreads #alwaysreading #filipinobookstagrammer ...

It wasn't until I went to therapy two years ago that I was diagnosed with PTSD. Although my story is very different than Stephanie Foo's there are parallels that at times made me wince, but it healed me all the same. This book is one I think about all the time. I felt validated by this book and I am so thankful Foo was brave enough to share her story with us. It is one I tell everyone in my life they have to read, and here I am telling you to read it too. This is easily one of my favorite books of all time.

I made my sister read it as well, and she called me immediately after, "But it wasn't that bad right?" to which I replied, "Does that matter?" It hasn't been easy, but I am much better now, probably the best I've been.

#memoirs #whatmybonesknow #stephaniefoo #healing #PTSD #Nonfiction #Nonfictionnovember #readersofinstagram #bookseveryoneshouldread #alwaysreading #therapy #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bestof2022 #aapibooks ...

A big giant thank you to all of those who donated to my #donorschoose. You have no idea how happy it made me and the students. To have these books that feature primarily Indigenous and Queer voices means the world. It is so important to me to build a library that is as inclusive as possible. And to include books that do not shy from the truth, but that also celebrate all identities.

Pictured are the books: All Because You Matter, Keepunumuk, Shin-chi's Canoe, Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, Finding My Dance, Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross Cherokee Space Engineer, Kapaemahu, Bounce Back, The Best At It, This is our Rainbow, King and the Dragonflies, Hurricane Child, Towers Falling, Almost Flying, Anna on the Edge, Quiet Hero: The Ira Hayes Story, and Cardboard Kingdom.

#readersofinstagram #teachersofinstagram #iteach4th #4thgrade #bookstagram #readindigenousauthors #readqueerauthors #queerbooksforkids #picturebooks #filipinobookstagrammer #classroomlibrary ...

Listen. I had all the best intentions of reading poetry this month but when Babel landed on my doorstep thanks to the amazing @nerdtasticnoms those plans were laid to waste.

Obviously I have no regrets because The Poppy Wars was a warm up to this masterpiece. You knew RF Kuang was onto something there, but here, her thesis feels more fleshed out. I love how she writes her novels with no easy answers. I loved the etymological tidbits in this as well and the exploration of where words come from. Some people may find it a bit much but it has me thinking about language and colonization. Can a translation ever be true to its source material? The magical system in this book as a metaphor for the way power works within colonial systems is outstanding.

There is so much more packed into this chonker, from colorism to sexism and white woman tears. It’s A LOT, but I never felt like it was overstuffed. Kuang is a pro, and says just enough without beating you over the head with it. She clearly knows her stuff and trusts her readers to read between the lines.

This will be one of my favorite books this year. No question.

#Babel #RFKuang #Fantasy #DarkAcademia #Novels #Translation #BooksBooksBooks #Bookstagram #ReadMoreBooks #Academia #oxford ...

Before reading this book I highly suggest you do some research about “Magdalene Laundries” in Ireland. Without that context this might not hit as hard. I really liked this novella. I think it is beautifully written, I mean Keegan writes the process of baking a cake seem beautiful. Which I guess it is when you really sit with it. This is a reminder that how we live our life and how we treat others can make a huge impact in making sure justice and safety is provided for all. Power and greed corrupt and by now I hope we can all understand that the Catholic Church has those things in spades. This is short, but it packs a punch. I don’t want to say too much because I think this is best left for you to decide and unravel yourself. It’s a quiet one, but moving.

[ID: The novella Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan lies flat on a wooden table. There is an indoor plant next to it in a terracotta pot. The leaves are green with light green streaks going through it. The book cover is also green with the title and snow falling]

#bookerprize #bookerlonglist #bookerlonglist2022 #smallthingslikethese #smallthingslikethesebyclairekeegan #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookreflection ...

It is day three of #TheSealeyChallenge and I am emotionally unprepared for what I feel like some of these collections are going to do to me. These two collections have pushed the air out of my lungs wondering if I’m making the right choice by diving head first into more like them. My initial thoughts after just reading these two is that I was surprised they followed some type of narrative. Please keep in mind I’m pretty much a complete n00b right now. However loose the narrative is, it's definitely there in these two collections. It’s clear you can read each poem individually, but the collections work as a whole. I honestly don’t know what I was expecting, bc it does seems obvious now that poetry collections follow themes, much like art exhibits and novels.

#Unaccompanied by Javier Zamora singes the skin. It is raw, emotional, and cutting. Zamora is a Salvadoran poet and activist, he came to the US when he was 9 years old. He has a memoir coming out soon, and I will one thousand percent be reading that. Favorite poems are: Saguaros, Second Attempt Crossing, Cassette Tape, Abuelita Says Goodbye, and June 10, 1999. Thanks @laurathestudent for this rec.

While Unaccompanied is all fire and dust, #DeafRepublic by Ilya Kaminsky is snow and ash. Making your skin prickle and your eyes sting with tears. This was breathtaking in its beauty and stretched my imagination on what this art form is truly capable of. It swallowed me whole. The poems tells the story of a town under occupation, finding ways to communicate and protest after the death of a young boy renders the whole town deaf. It will definitely go down as one of my favorite books this year. Thanks for the push @sethisreading

By the end of August I imagine I will be a puddle. This world can be a cruel place, but damn, look at the beauty we can create.

[ID: Viv’s hands holds up the two poetry chapbooks Unaccompanied by Javier Zamora and Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky. In the background are the branches of an old oak tree.]

#TheSealeyChallenge #Poetry #DeafRepublic #Unaccompanied #Poems #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #readmorepoetry ...

This was an action packed summer read I loved! Fans of Iron Widow will probably love this wild ride too. It features Ikenna, a bad ass, foul mouthed MC on a revenge mission. More please! A wonderful fantasy. I can’t wait for book 2! Edit: this can also be adult fantasy. But ya know what genre stuff can be so stupid. Read whatever the heck is good. [ID: The Blood Trials by Nia Davenport rests flat on a porch banister. There are green plants and a fountain blurry in the background.] #YA #youngadultbooks #youngadultfantasy #niadavenport #thebloodtrials #readmoreYA #fantasy #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #epicbooks #adventurebooks #duology #duologybooks #adultfantasy #adultfantasybooks ...