This book is obviously illuminating and inspiring and impactful to read, because Angela Davis is Angela Davis. Every word from her is a gift to our hearts and brains.

Swimming Back to Trout River is an absolutely beautiful novel with quiet, stunning prose and characters. who hop off the page. I’m shocked that it’s a debut.

Sorrowland is a brutal, impressive novel that’s hard to look away from. Slow-paced but engrossing, this is cultural and historical commentary through science fiction at its finest.

I really enjoyed Brood. It’s human and quietly empathetic, with emotional layers and astute attention to detail. I am going to have to read it again someday.

As You Were is a well written but extremely dark, heavy memoir. I recommend reading it across a long stretch of time.

The Naomi Letters is a fantastic collection with so, so many layers, and I loved reading it.

Tar Baby wasn’t my favorite of Toni’s novels, but there’s still just no denying that she is one of the greatest writers in all of history.

Mutualism was a fascinating, approachable book made me think about the future and the safety net we can build for ourselves in a lot of new ways.

I have nothing but so much praise for Angel & Hannah. From the first page, I was hooked, and by the last, my heart had left my body.

The Bone Maker was a fun, creative standalone fantasy novel. I loved the characters, and I thought it did well with the “heroes: where are they now” premise.

The Performance is excellent. It’s deeply layered; impressive from a craft perspective but also approachable, emotional, and resonant.

Interesting, approachable, and compelling, Futureproof was a pleasant surprise among this kind of nonfiction. It offers both moral and practical insights, and it reads quickly.

The Unbroken manages to flip tropes on their heads and make big statements while giving fantasy lovers all the things they love: an underdog, a mystery, magic, and a world worth fighting for.

Don’t Read Poetry is not quite the reading-poetry-how-to I’d expected, but I’m so glad I picked it up; it is an homage to the world of poetry that’s a delight to read.

What can I say about Song of Solomon that hasn’t been said before, and a hundred ways? Toni Morrison continues to blow me away in a way that I never could have been prepared for.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a short but super impactful collection of stories. They’re sharp, incredibly crafted, and deeply resonant.

Burnt Sugar is not going to be for everyone, but I found it to be a beautifully, carefully written novel about memory and childhood trauma with an A+ ending.