Hey, y’all…

Remember me? I have tried to write a new edition of this newsletter like 10 times since December, and I have FINALLY found the time to sit down and get to it. It’s like when you enter adulthood the holidays are just a chaotic season that you can’t wait to be over so you can breathe again. (But at the same time you also want time to freeze so you can savor the season.) You also realize that to hang out with your friends now you have to plan a month ahead to make sure everybody’s schedule matches up, and don’t even get me started on the one friend (me) who may accidentally misread her calendar further spurring disarray. (My time management has got to get better in this year 😭) But all that matters now is I’m still here, and this newsletter isn’t going anywhere. Period. You just might not receive it on a consistent basis all the time, and that is okay! I don’t believe in stressing myself out over things I enjoy, and this newsletter is one of them. Beyoncé was definitely on to something when she said “I’m human, not a machine.”

So what have I been up to recently? Back in December, I treated myself to reading nothing but Black romance books to help get myself in the Christmas spirit. Here are my top picks:

For my YA romance lovers

• Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello

• Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon

For the Hallmark girlies

• You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh

For the grown folks

• What He Wants for Christmas by Brenda Jackson

• The Christmas Rivalry by Beverly Jenkins

• One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson

For the sake of time/space, I’ll discuss my other recent reads, plus reviews, further down in this newsletter!

The rest of my holiday season consisted of a trip to South Africa (😱) and a new gig with the bookstore Steamy Lit, writing their new newsletter For Your Pleasure. (You can sign up for the newsletter here.) I’m planning to do a lil TikTok soon of some of the bookstores I went to in South Africa, so be on the lookout for that as well, and make sure to follow me on TikTok!

Concerning my approach to reading this year, I set a pretty modest goal for reading at least 20 books. Amazingly, I’ve already finished four books so far. Here’s a look at some of my favorite reads of 2023, which includes some books set to release this year that I was able to procure via Net Galley.

As someone who used to be a physical book purist, I’ve seen the light and realized the beauty of reading comes in a multitude of mediums. With my crazy schedule, audiobooks have made it easier to get through books. (If any employees at Spotify or Audible see this, consider sponsoring your girl!)

Ok, that’s all I have to say for now 😌 Enjoy these snapshots of my life these past couple of months.

See you s(w)oon,