Instagram story viewer> @thatgoodgoodbook> Posts

✨

@thatgoodgoodbook

6.2K

followers

1649

following

🇵🇦 Poly-Reader 📚
𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿-𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 & 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Flowers obsessed 🥀💐🪴

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

This and that. by @thatgoodgoodbook

35

6

2 months ago

💃🏽😍🪩🍸🇮🇹

#oliviadean #oliviadeantour #theartoflovingtour #pregaming summer2026 by @thatgoodgoodbook

22

1

2 months ago

Patrick Radden Keefe is always at his best when he approaches a story sideways. In Empire of Pain, he doesn’t focus primarily on the devastation wrought by OxyContin, but on the Sackler family: their pursuit of wealth, their obsession with protecting their name, and philanthropy as reputation rinsing. In Say Nothing, he takes the disappearance of Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and uses it as the thread to tell a much larger story. Cinematic, jaw-dropping revelations, rich history, and unexpected heart-racing detours make his books so absorbing. I’ve always gotten more than I bargained for with Patrick Radden Keefe, but with London Falling, I got a lot less this time.

#londonfalling #audiobook #newnonfiction by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

5

4 months ago

I caught a very brief snippet of Marcia Hutchinson’s interview for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist and knew immediately I wanted to read The Mercy Step. Set in the early 1960s during the Windrush era, it follows Mercy, who is born in Britain, to parents from Jamaica. The novel deals with difficult themes: domestic abuse at the hands of her tyrannical father, a deeply religious mother, and some of the unfortunate rites of passage many girls experience, but Hutchinson handles them with care from the very bright and precocious Mercy’s POV. By the end I imagined Mercy wearing a small hero ‘s cape. Fierce, determined little Mercy.

Marcia Hutchinson’s British cadence, warmth, and vivid storytelling was an immersive experience. 10/10 for THE MERCY STEP.

#themercystep #womensprizeshortlist #audiobook by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

0

4 months ago

I quit this. As a music head wanting to read more love stories this year, 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗖𝘂𝘁𝘀 had a promising premise—music as a central theme, a slow-burn romance with complicated timing—but I bailed and I wont finish. It didn’t deliver the emotional depth or immersive storytelling I was hoping for. I didn’t feel big feelings. Switching to audio highlighted its weaknesses, where the writing felt more like commentary. When a book leans heavily on telling rather than showing, especially in romance, it doesn’t land. Deep Cuts read like a music lover’s blog and nerdy dissection of music. Not a bad thing, but not a great thing when it’s not what you were hoping for. by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

11

2 years ago

I want to suggest On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder as a balm, solace, and a powerful guide for the times we are living in - a gift for ourselves and for those we love. ⁣

Snyder’s reminder, “Make sure you and your family have passports” not as surrender but reality, is worth heeding.
⁣
It is a small but profound work and although every chapter hits hard, 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟯 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 resonates because of the storied history of the civil rights movement and the universal truth that real change has always required people to put their bodies on the line: ⁣
⁣
“For resistance to succeed, two boundaries must be crossed. First, ideas about change must engage people of various backgrounds who do not agree about everything. Second, people must find themselves in places that are not their homes and among groups who were not previously their friends. 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨. 𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙮𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙣𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚-𝙙𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚.⁣”

⁣
⁣
⁣ by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

8

2 years ago

Beyonce wins Album of the Year and now this! Thank you @aaknopf. I’ll report back on my findings!

#galleybrag by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

7

2 years ago

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀’𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼!⁣
⁣
First, I agree with every word of writer Adrienne Maree Brown’s recent review of this book on Instagram. I would also add that intrinsic to my being able to enjoy 𝗜’𝗺 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗠𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗯𝘆 𝗚𝗹𝘆𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹 was the author’s acknowledgment of her privilege. As someone who doesn’t share her identity, I appreciated her candor—like how being a white woman softened the blow of losing her green card after being mugged. And at the sentence level, her words landed. This book succeeded for me in ways that 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 didn’t.⁣
⁣
MacNicol, a single, middle-aged, childless freelancer living in a New York studio, is always navigating the challenge of securing six months’ worth of income to stay financially afloat. Unlike the character in All Fours, she doesn’t have $20,000 to blow on a motel room renovation. She peeks open the door to her studio apartment to see mice scurrying down the halls of her abandoned building during the pandemic. She also hasn’t been, umm, laid in quite some time.⁣
⁣
When pandemic restrictions ease, she carefully plans her annual August ritual of visiting Paris by booking a reliably affordable apartment—this time with the explicit goal of getting laid—and she scores! lol These scenes where MacNicol takes ownership of, and consummates, her desire are, to me, mature, grown-woman stuff.⁣
⁣
While the memoir plays out in Paris and via a dating app — sex, chocolate chaud, riding a bicycle through familiar Paris streets, dinners, and dancing the night away with her girlfriends, living authentically — it feels like a rite of passage that many women, regardless of identity, can relate to. I know I did. ⁣
⁣
I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself has a nice overlap with Elizabeth Gilbert’s 𝗘𝗮𝘁, 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆, 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲, but it’s more grounded in everyday realities. I dug it. by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

8

2 years ago

They got it right!

When I saw Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc on The New York Times’ 2024 list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, I thought, They got it right! It was also validating seeing it on many authors’ lists. ⁣
⁣
I read it in 2005 because I wanted to learn more about the Rockefeller Drug Laws—a topic I had become interested in through the advocacy of Def Jam founder Russell Simmons, who had been actively campaigning for their repeal.
⁣
LeBlanc examines the laws’ consequences through the lives of her subjects in the South Bronx: Jessica, a young woman navigating life and motherhood; Cesar, her boyfriend and a drug dealer; Tio, Jessica’s brother caught in the drug trade; Coco, Jessica’s close friend; and Nene, Jessica’s daughter growing up in this turbulent environment. ⁣
⁣
The Rockefeller Laws, were introduced in 1973 under Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and imposed minimum mandatory sentences of 15 years to life with no parole for minor drug offenses, and marked a shift from rehabilitation to punishment during the “war on drugs.” The laws were also meant to ignite Rockefeller’s presidential ambitions. They were adopted as a template in other cities, disproportionately targeted Black and Latin communities, and perpetuated mass incarceration across the U.S. The damage reverberates today and the drug crisis persists, despite reforms and presidential pardons.
⁣
Random Family belongs to the canon of essential sociological works written from an empathetic and rigorous reporting lens, similar to 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿: 𝗔 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀, creators of the HBO series The Wire, and 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗕𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗞𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇. These works, along with recent titles like 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱’𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮, offer deep and necessary perspectives into the realities and impacts of misguided public policy.
⁣
⁣ by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

5

2 years ago

Watching 𝘽𝙖𝙗𝙮𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡, the film starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson and directed by Halina Reijn—who has described it as being about power, control, and surrender (to which I would also add female desire)—brought into focus why Miranda July’s 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 didn’t resonate with me. Both are age-gap stories that are complex, layered, and emotionally deep. July’s narrative is also earnest, but while Babygirl felt like a true tour de force, All Fours felt flat and inert. It lacked the crackle and pop of the film. Perhaps All Fours would translate better as a film, but then again, Babygirl has already outshined it in execution.

#babygirlmovie #allfours #mirandajuly by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

13

2 years ago

Nora is a former track star whose career was derailed by a sex tape that still looms over her. Her sister Yanne, a free-spirited, free-loving, and adventurous personality—the exact opposite of Nora—joins her in rehabbing a rundown cottage in rural Maine. Yanne and Nora are the daughters of a secret family their father had outside his marriage. The cottage is their inheritance, but they must renovate it to keep it from foreclosure and collect their $3M share. Along the way, they meet Bear, an Indigenous tour guide. As Bear helps Nora rehab the cottage, they become romantically involved, and we learn Bear has his own baggage to unpack.
⁣
As for the steam ♨️, Bear works well as a character connected to the land and his heritage, but his narration of the sex scenes often felt corny and cliché. I understand that different cultures and races use varying language to describe anatomy and intimacy, but I just couldn’t with him—lol—it gave me secondhand embarrassment. Nora’s perspective was better written and felt more authentic, but it became repetitive at times.⁣
⁣
Good marks for character development, a well-rounded cast, and premise—a retelling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility adapted for modern times. Payne also excels in weaving in the nuanced intersection of Black and Indigenous cultures, for example, the common belief in many Black families, of Indigenous or Native American heritage, often unproven but ingrained in Black family lore.
⁣
I’d read Payne again for these strengths—and with the hope that the bedroom scenes are less cliché. by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

1

2 years ago

I’m starting 2025 with a lineup of upcoming releases:⁣
⁣
• 𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗔 | Allegra Goodman (02/04/25)⁣
⁣
• 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥 | Nnedi Okorafor (01/14/25⁣
⁣
• 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗗𝗚𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 | Olufunke Grace Bankole (02/04/25)⁣
⁣
I’ve started with Bankole’s engrossing debut. Set between Nigeria and New Orleans, it’s an exploration of love and silence between a mother and daughter. ⁣
⁣
Thank you to the tagged publishers. ⁣
⁣
I’ll report back on my findings. ⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#newyearreads #2025ARCS #wellreadblackgirl #africanliterature by @thatgoodgoodbook

3

6

2 years ago