Summer is a great time to start reading a new book!! There are so many great spaces and places where you can get your literary fix! To be honest, summer is when I get to catch up on a lot of books that have been added to my “To Be Read” list. As a matter of fact, two of the books on this list I am currently reading (Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson and Rivals by Jilly Cooper)! Since we are also halfway through 2025, this is a great time to find your next read and accomplish one of the New Year’s resolutions!
June is also Caribbean Heritage & Pride Month, so I definitely added a few nuggets under each theme for your reading pleasure.
Let’s jump right into it this week, 2024 Times 100 list honoree and Golden Globe winning actress Taraji P. Henson just dropped her debut children’s book. Her book, “You Can Be A Good Friend (No Matter What!) was released on June 18th and tells a story that “shows kids the great things that can happen when we approach others and ourselves with empathy, patience, and love.” It’s the perfect story for classroom story time, bedtime reading, easing those back-to-school jitters, promoting friendship over bullying, and embracing the importance of standing in one’s own uniqueness. You can find her latest book anywhere books are sold
Need a refresher on Season 1 of the Onyx Collective/Hulu legal drama Reasonable Doubt ? Check out this 1-minute breakdown featuring the show’s lead, Emayatzy Corinealdi:
Season 2 premieres on Hulu on August 22, with episodes dropping every Thursday. And while you wait you can stream the first season now.
Looking for a new wine to jumpstart your summer?? As we celebrated another Juneteenth on last week, Mother New York (of Mother Design) launched Auntie Whine, a limited-edition wine that honors all the aunties and their signature dance moves. “Named for how aunties whine their hips at family gatherings, this wine captures the essence of these joyful moments.” It’s the perfect blend of cocoa butter notes and a smooth, silk bonnet-like mouthfeel just right for your next BBQ! In addition to the wine it comes with a sweet, soulful Spotify playlist of songs!!
In some more good TV news, STARZ is dropping the “Down in the Valley” premiere a WEEK early!! Aww shucks, you know who is a happy camper…that would be ME!! It is set to drop on this Friday June 28th at midnight/ET on STARZ. Hosted and executive produced by Nicco Annan, who is best known as Uncle Clifford in STARZ’s critically acclaimed tv show “P-Valley,” the six-episode half-hour docuseries follows Annan as he explores the people, sensuality, music, culture and stories of the South. “The series confronts uncomfortable truths, challenges societal norms, and advocates for a more inclusive and enlightened future.” Check out the trailer below:
This Jeopardy! host for 37 years is being honored with a Forever Stamp…Who is Alex Trebek? The well-known hostess who passed away in 2020 from pancreatic cancer is getting his own stamp!! Each stamp will read “This naturalized U.S. citizen hosted the quiz show ‘Jeopardy!’ for 37 seasons.” And underneath upside down, you can find the answer: “Who is Alex Trebek?” The new stamp will become available on July 22nd.
For all my foodies, check out these Black-owned restaurants in the Fort-Worth area of Texas:
And to close us out we got Four Features blazing this week’s Tiny Desk Concert-Black Music Month, a nice mix of gospel, soul, r&b, country, hip hop and pop!! Yes to ALL of this, check them out below:
Books on top of Books, this is definitely something that you will not see a shortage of whether in my home or office (especially recently!!). Nothing like adding a new literary treat to your rotation! As I prepare for my upcoming trip, I have a few books that will be getting me through my vacay!! As summer is officially here make sure you don’t forget to grab a book for you, one for your friend, and an extra for good measure!!
Check out June’s Monthly Book Recommendations below:
The Bookshop Sisterhood ~Michelle Lindo-Rice
The Rich People Have Gone Away ~Regina Porter
Daughter of the Merciful Deep ~Leslye Penelope
The Lion’s Den ~Iris Mwanza
Between Friends & Lovers ~Shirlene Obuobi
Blackheart Man ~Nalo Hopkinson
Do What Godmother Says ~L.S. Stratton
Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant and Completely Over It ~Lester Fabian Brathwaite
The Volcano Daughters ~Gina Maria Balibrera
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read ~Rita Lorraine Hubbard & Oga Mora
And as always, Don’t forget to support your local bookstores!!
Happy Black Music Month!! Happy Pride Month!! Happy Juneteenth!! and Happy Summer Solstice!!
Don’t forget you can always go back and check out previous lists in the “Resource” section of the website!
It’s a new month with a whole new set of trailers! Summer is upon us folks and the prospects are looking really good!! We got a nice mix of final seasons, period dramas, anti-heroes, some history lessons, action, and even a little child’s play!! Check out this week’s trailer below:
Origin (Streaming on Hulu-June 10th)
Season 3- Bridgerton, Part 2 (Streaming on Netflix-June 13th)
WondLa (Streaming on Apple TV+ – June 28th)
Season 4- The Umbrella Academy (Streaming on Netflix-August 8th)
Harold and the Purple Crayon (In theaters August 2024)
I am truly a sucker for a good book. Getting caught up in a good book definitely brings me much joy!! Books on top of Books, this is definitely something that you will not see a shortage of whether in my home or office. Black joy is not limited to one idea, much like reading diversely is not limited to one genre of interest.
Thus, today’s #BlackJoy moment is all about celebrating Black literary work that encompasses Pride, Juneteenth, and Summer Solstice! Along with my monthly book recommendation list, I am including books that exude and channel Black Joy!!
The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World ~Jessica Nabongo
It’s Not All Downhill From Here ~Terry McMillan
Open Water~Caleb Azumah Nelson
Who Will You Be?by Andrea Pippins
Friday I’m in Love ~Camryn Garrett
A Lowcountry Bride~Preslaysa Williams
You So Black by Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D
A Garden of Black Joy: Global Poetry from the Edges of Liberation and Living ~Black Table Arts
Meals, Music and Muses: Recipes from My African American Kitchen ~Alexander Smalls
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Dr. G’s Monthly Book Recommendations-June Edition
Jubilee ~Margaret Walker
Power & Magic The Queer Witch Comics Anthology~Edited by Joamette Gil
Black Queer Freedom : Spaces of Injury and Paths of Desire ~GerShun Avilez
Palmares by Gayl Jones
Light for the World to See: A Thousand Words on Race and Hope ~Kwame Alexander
Charming As a Verb ~Ben Philippe
The Brightest Day: A Juneteenth Historical Romance Anthology ~Kianna Alexander, Alyssa Cole, Lena Hart, & Piper Huguley
Beasts of Prey& Beasts of Ruin ~Ayana Gray
Happy Pride Month!! Happy Juneteenth!! and Happy Summer Solstice!!
By sharing these lists I hope they bring you much joy as you read them and please feel free to share these awesome literary treats/books by Black authors with your friends and family!!
And remember you can always go back and check out the previous month’s list and past recommendations in the “Resource” section of the website!!
“Never be afraid to sit a while and think.” ~Lorraine Hansberry
Keeping up with my tradition from 2020 and 2021 I have compiled my ‘Top 22’ books from this year!! I feel like I always have an endless supply of books, you can never have too many! Plus I love seeing my library grow!!
This year I added a few graphic novels that caught my attention during one of my many travels this year!!
All in all, I love sharing some of my top reading faves!! As I always say, ‘sharing is caring.’
So in no particular order, here is my Top 22 List of Books for 2022!!
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever the Courage to Dream ~Frederick Joseph
The Keeper ~Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes
Take My Hand ~Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough ~Candice Marie Benbow
The Silent Twins ~Marjorie Wallace
The Light We Carry ~Michelle Obama
Black Disability Politics ~Sami Schalk
Riding Jane Crow:African American Women on the American Railroad ~Miriam Thaggert
Finding Me ~Viola Davis
Walking in My Joy In These Streets ~Jenifer Lewis
Surviving Southampton: African American Women and Resistance in Nat Turner’s Community ~Vanessa M. Holden
Happy Holidays!! As we close out another year, I have one more list of recommendations to close out!! This month’s list is split with a little holiday flair!
“We write for the same reason that we walk, talk, climb mountains or swim the oceans – because we can. We have some impulse within us that makes us want to explain ourselves to other human beings.” – Maya Angelou
Every month I always look forward to feature books for my followers, family, and friends to read. I am always on the lookout for books to add to my monthly lists, so much so that I had to create a file just for “Book Features”. Well this month is no different!! I found some goodies that I hope you will like and feel free to share with others!!
FREEDOM…LIBERATION…BLACK RESISTANCE…BIRTH… It is interesting that these words came to mind as I was compiling this month’s list, because I honestly did not have any particular intention. This list was just meant to be, I guess you could say… There’s a lot of amazing literary energy that is coming from each of these texts whether it celebrating an iconic freedom fighter, showcasing the crime fiction genre, chronicling Black resistance via picture and verse.
Let’s just say this we got another set of heavy hitters this month, a few of them I have been anxiously (and patiently) waiting to be released!!
Remember to make sure you pre-order, add to your cart, or run to your local bookstore and grab a copy or two!! So with that said check out this month’s book recommendations below:
Black Future Feminist 