Another week of reading is done: five books, nearly all of them winners! I love when that happens!

Here’s what I read during the week of June 5, 2023:

• The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates – Hiram Walker, born into slavery, goes on a journey with the Underground in this magical book by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I listened to the audiobook version and loved the prose and the story, despite finding it to be a little slow at times.
• Role Playing by Cathy Yardley – A grumpy-meets-sunshine rom-com treat for those of us beyond our twenties. Cathy Yardley is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, and while I didn’t love this as much as her Ponto Beach Reunion series, I loved the exploration of bi- and demisexuality.
• Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner – Confession – I listened to this one and all I know is that it was a stereotypical domestic thriller. The end.
• Push (Precious #1) by Sapphire – Oh, this book broke me into a million pieces. I haven’t watched the acclaimed movie Precious with Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique, but this book was so, so good. The narration was perfect, and despite the brutal content, I couldn’t stop listening to Precious’s story of abuse, motherhood, poverty, and survival.
• Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen – I finished the week with this beautiful, fast-paced novel that weaves magical realism into a heartfelt story about found family, love, and loss. I loved the characters and the atmospheric writing.