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The Bookspace 📚

@__thebookspace

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✟ we love Jesus round here😄.
📚 book lover spreading good vibes and reviewing books. People who love to read, follow along.

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Hey Booklovers 📚

Here are my May to July hopefuls! I’m excited to read some a fresh and pick up ones that I didn’t finish.

We have a few to get through.

The Obelisk Gate @njemisin
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde @tiawilliamswrites
If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin
All the Women she Knows @tutku_barbaros
My Week With Him @joya.goffney
All the Broken Pieces @authortilliecole
Firstborn of the Sun @justmarvewrites
And lastly, Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Have you read any of these? Where shall I start? Let me know in the comments x

#literature #readersofinstagram #readinglist #reading #bookstagram by @__thebookspace

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5 months ago

Hey Booklovers 📚

Here is part 2 of me reading an excerpt from the ‘Who’s Loving You’ short story collection.

This snippet is from the short story written by @kelechnekoff - enjoy!

#shortstorycollections #excerpts #reading #literature #diversereads by @__thebookspace

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6 months ago

I shared this over on the clock app, and thought it made sense to share here too.

I love a book that has sentences or quotes that stay with me long after the book is finished. This book did just that for me. The writing in some of the stories was rich. My heart skipped a beat a few times, I shed some tears, I gasped, laughed and giggled.

I love a short story collection, and this one was no different! You can check out my review (and what stories were me fave) on my page.

I hope you enjoy!

@__thebookspace x

#bookstagram #reading #excerpts #diverseauthors #bookreading by @__thebookspace

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6 months ago

Hey booklovers 📚

Love from the Cosmos by @mothebad

Thank you @netgalley for this Arc.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! It did take me a while to get into the flow of the book but once I got into it the story became delicious.

I lovedddd all of the main characters - Moyo, Anjie, Sewa, Merc, Vee and of course the main man Niyi.

This slow burn was worth every single page. I also enjoyed the individual characters storylines outside of Moyo and Niyi’s budding romance.

I’m proud of Moyo, understanding her worth, understanding the different forms of love and when it’s time to move on out. Prioritising one’s wellbeing is so important as well as occasionally deviating from the script!

I loved the friendship between Moyo, Anjie and Sewa. Sisterhood is so important and when you have the right people in your corner it is a beautiful beautiful thing. Thank you Mowa for reminding us that good friendships do exist and are just as important (if not more important) than our romantic ones.

I enjoyed reading Niyi’s growth and internal dialogue. Sometimes we are so caught up with wanting to please our parents that we put what we need aside. I’m glad he stood up for what he needed. We love an emotional intelligent man. *adds Niyi to my book boyfriend list*

Overall. I’d recommend this and would love to see how their story continues to develop…book 2? 👀
🌟🌟🌟🌟

#grumpyxsunshine #datingapp #slowburn #debut by @__thebookspace

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7 months ago

Hey booklovers 📚

The Man who Lived Underground - Richard Wright

“Nobody can say we’ve mistreated him if we let him see his old lady”

We follow the story of Fred Daniels who works at a home owned by a White couple, in a White area. After finishing his shift, he is pulled up by police who detain him.

For any Black man, this is obviously a scary situation. Fred in the beginning is confused as to why they’ve detained him. And then the ball drops, there’s been a murder and they assume he’s done it. Not because there is evidence, not because he was seen committing the murders, but because he is a Black man. Sound familiar? Right.

Fred ultimately confesses to a crime he did not commit. Throughout the novel, we see coercion, battery, manipulation and other forms of police brutality.

Fred then has a chance to escape and he takes it. He climbs into the sewer and lives underground. Scaling the sewers, finding his way into peoples homes, shops etc and seeing things that make him question why we as humans (or those above ground) live the way we do.

He then leaves the sewers and that’s where my review ends, the last section of the book had me shouting expletives at Fred because I was so confused 🤣

But, upon reflection. It’s the subtle and not so subtle conditioning of society, the police force and others which ultimately led to the decisions he made.

This book will stay with me for a long time. I recommend if you can, have a read. The scariest part is, behaviour outlined in this book, like corruption still exists today and it was written in 1941🙂

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

“He had lived within the narrow grooves of habit so long that he had learned to see in his dark world without the aid of eyes.”

Heavy themes are in this book so please take care when reading and researching.

#richardwright #racism #refuge #humanity by @__thebookspace

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7 months ago

Hey Booklovers 📚

In February, we read Who’s Loving You: Love Stories by Women of Colour, by the late Sareeta Domingo, and wow.

Such a beautifully written collection of short stories that explored the depths of love in all its beauty, grief, uncertainty, longing and hope.

I love a short collection story and definitely recommend this book as a somewhat light read.

My favourite short stories were:
➻ Long distance, a story about two women who form an online friendship. One of the women are in present day and the other 4 years ahead. A lovely story about the lengths we’d go to meet someone we love even if we understand the consequences.

➻ Motherland, a story about the loss of a mother. The complexities of navigating grief in a foreign country but learning to live day by day and keeping going despite life’s changes.

➻ Brief encounters, whew this story had me on an emotional rollercoaster. What a beautifully depiction of grief and the lengths we’d go to not deal with reality. Sometimes leading us to do things we’d later regret. But this story also boldly showed that love is a choice. It’s not always easy, but you have to choose your person through every. Single. Thing.

➻ My Heartbeats. This story was about unrequited love, and the love we accept because we love somebody - at times more than ourselves - it has been the reality for many. Sometimes internal deep dives into our trauma help us identify why we accept unrequited and conditional love.

➻ Rani. I really loved this story and resonated with the loss of the main characters grandma. It was lovely to have a glimpse into the life of her gran, her love interests (because her granny was a hot gyal) and the decisions we must make for the people we love. It was nice to read how love transcended through the years.

Overall, this read was thought provoking, heart warming (and in some stories, heartbreaking) but a highly recommended read nonetheless.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Have you read this book? What was your favourite story?

#love #grief #shortstory #blacklove by @__thebookspace

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7 months ago

Hey booklovers 📚

The Color of Mourning by Kim Dempster

This is such a rich story. Wow. What a debut.

Thank you @netgalley for this and thank you Kim for writing this story, shedding light on what it probably was like for women in Syria during the war.

We follow a mother called Nooda and her daughter Layal through their new world and life as they navigate what it means to be a woman in a place that is laden with ruthless laws, war, oppression and little hope.

Their journeys were written so well, I felt every emotion with them, the weight of every decision made and the battles they journeyed through and overcame. I found myself holding my breath when they held theirs and smiling when Layal found her sisterhood with Serap, Aws the other women.

Brilliant brilliant debut that will stay with me for years to come.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Check trigger warnings as there are heavy themes.
#debut #emotive #fyp #recommendedreading by @__thebookspace

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8 months ago

I didn’t hate it, but almost did.

Hey booklovers 📚

The Housemaid is Watching - Freida McFadden

We follow Millie and Enzo in the third installment of the housemaid series. They’ve gotten married, had two children and have just moved to a beautiful house, in a safe neighbourhood. Sounds too good to be true right? Because it is.

I really wanted to love this book after reading books one and two, but honestly the story line dragged in places. The end reveal and the ‘why’s made sense, but I was very close to dnf’ing.

I find this authors writing extremely repetitive and that’s what frustrates me the most. I also had an expectation that Millie would use her common sense more and that Enzo wouldn’t be so secretive because of how much he’s always expressed that he loves her. But I was obviously wrong 🙃.

The sneaking around and lying from these two annoyed me. Surely knowing one’s past would mean you’re more communicative!? It was written so unrealistically - to me - especially when Millie has been a bad b in the past couple of books. Like BFFR Freida.

Will I read or listen to another Freida McFadden book? Maybe. But not in a hurry.

⭐️⭐️💫

#thehousemaid #freida #bookreviewer #thriller book3 by @__thebookspace

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8 months ago

Hey booklovers 📚

I’ve been a bit MIA on here, life has been fun, but busy. However, me and a friend have been working behind the scenes on something special 🥹🤭.

I introduce to you, ‘The Well-read Collective’. A bookclub birthed out of a love of reading, gist and community.

We look forward to reading & gisting with you 🙋🏽‍♀️

Our first read is: None Like Him by @jenwilkin and we’ll be meeting virtually in the first week of March.

Link in my linktree to join or download the @bookclubshq app and search “The Well Read Collective”

We hope to see you there.
SP
x

#bookclub #firstread #community #christianreads #WRC by @__thebookspace

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8 months ago

Hey booklovers 📚

Here is the list of my 1st quarter hopefuls! Are any of these on your radar or have you read these?

Let me know in the comments your first quarter hopefuls 🫶🏽

#booksbooksbooks #tbr
@njemisin @njambimcgrath #christian by @__thebookspace

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9 months ago

Hey booklovers 📚

It was my 30th birthday in December 🥳 and I got 18 books🤭

Here is part 1 of my birthday book haul. Have you read any of these?

@wordsiren @joya.goffney @writeinbk @musih_tedji_xaviere @jenevaroseauthor @alexiskeir @sadeqasays #sacosby by @__thebookspace

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9 months ago

Hey Booklovers 📚

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by @a.k.benedict

We follow Edie, an eighty-something-puzzle-setter when she receives a cryptic delivery, a note and a few puzzle pieces.

Edie enlists the help of her Nephew DI Sean and her neighbour Riga. As the story unfolds and people begin to get murdered Edie must solve the case before it’s too late.

This was such an enjoyable read. I’m not much of a Christmas novel girl, but this was a fab read. Most of the characters were likeable and this Christmas who-done-it had all the elements of a good guessing game. And I liked getting into the backstory of each character.

I thought I knew who the killer was and then all was revealed and I was shocked and slightly baffled because??? But that’s a good place to be. Clearly, I’m not ready to be a detective yet.

If you want something easy to read and fairly lighthearted I’d recommend! I will say to check trigger warnings as some of the underlying themes can be heavy if you’re not expecting them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#christmasmurdermystery #whodoneit #guesswho #solveit #christmasfiction by @__thebookspace

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10 months ago