My Sister, the Serial Killer. Oyinkan Braithwaite. 2018. Doubleday. 240 pages. [Source: public library.] Older siblings are often like surrogate parents to their younger brothers and sisters. They leverage their wisdom and experience to help the younger ones navigate life. Or get away with murder. In My Sister, the Serial Killer, Korede has the misfortune of being the only person her younger sister Ayoola calls when one of her boyfriends has the misfortune of encountering her late father’s prized knife. I suppose the third time is a charm, because that’s what turned her into the textbook serial killer. Korede, with her meticulous attention to detail, has proven herself a worthy accomplice, shielding Ayoola from the consequences of her actions. Ayoola is, by all accounts, the more beautiful and beguiling sister. I read her as flighty and self-centered, and prone to ignoring the perceptions about her behavior, especially as she “mourns” her missing boyfriend. Ayoola, for all her naivete, is also cunning. She uses her charisma to endear herself to people, but her ability to manipulate everyone around her to protect her demonstrates that she’s not the beautiful fool she seems. I found myself very early on not trusting her, straddling a very thin line…

A Spark of Light. Jodi Picoult. 2018. Ballatine Books. 384 pages. [Source: Public Library.]  It’s hard to temper your expectations when you know a book starts off with what many consider a worst-case scenario – a hostage situation at a women’s reproductive health care center. I came into this book bracing myself for the worst, but still clinging to hope that there could be a happily ever after … of sorts … for the characters. The book presents a great deal of tension, obviously. There is, of course, the suspense of wondering how the hostage situation will resolve and how many casualties will lie in its wake? But more than that, there’s the tension of a divisive topic – abortion rights — what perspectives will be presented, and how, if at all, that impacts the overall narrative. This was my first foray into Picoult’s writing, and I have to say I was impressed. What became immediately apparent to me was how balanced her writing felt in the face of such a polarizing topic. I expected to read this book and just know I’d be able to pick out any pro-life or pro-choice leanings. I’m glad to say I couldn’t because…

A Princess in Theory. Alyssa Cole. 2018. Avon Books. 373 pages. [Source: Public Library.] A Princess in Theory is a book I couldn’t ignore. I saw frequently in passing, but not at times when I was adding to my TBR pile. Finally, seeing it on the Goodreads lists for best romance book of 2018 made me stop and check it out. Surely, there was some hype I was missing. I thought this was a cute story, but it didn’t draw me in. In fact, it took me 3 separate checkouts over 4 months to finish. I was pretty shocked by this, because the reason I was interested in reading it was due to how much fanfare I’d seen about it. I was disappointed that I was immediately sucked into the story. That being said, A Princess in Theory, is an enjoyable, if not predictable fairy tale. I mean, it has to be, if I went through the trouble of checking it out thrice. I was entertained by the somewhat awkward courtship between Naledi and Thabiso, and genuinely was interested in seeing how their story could be resolved. Naledi is a hard working graduate student whose nuisance du jour is the never-ending emails she gets on behalf of…

The Autobiography of Gucci Mane. Gucci Mane & Neil Martinez-Belkin. 2017. Simon & Schuster. 270 pages. [Source: Public library]. Trap God. Guwop. Gucci Mane. Radric Davis. All names for the same man whose career — and rap sheet — has read like a series of unfortunate events. Admittedly, I am not a Gucci Mane fan. There are a handful of songs of his that I like, but otherwise, I’ve only been as familiar with him as Twitter’s trending topics demanded.  Nonetheless, I was intrigued by the fact that a rapper who has spent at least a third of his “fame” behind bars still maintained a near cult-like fan base. I picked up this book mostly because I didn’t understand quite why the man with an ice-cream cone tat on his cheek actually got a book deal. I heard he had a “glow up” after his most recent prison stint, and figured this was part of it.  I put myself on the hold list with my local library and came into this book with low expectations. I was hating a little bit, but I was genuinely interested in what he had to share. When I started reading, though?

Dear Martin. Nic Stone. 2017. Random House. 212 pages. [Source: Public library.] If nothing in the world ever changes, what type of man are you gonna be? I picked up Dear Martin on the recommendation of someone because I’d enjoyed The Hate You Give. This book is in a similar vein as THUG in that it follows the aftermath of an officer-involved shooting that results in a young, black teen’s death.  More than that, however, it explores the complexities of racial and social class in nuanced ways. Told from the perspective of 17-year-old Justyce, Dear Martin gives a young, black males insight, which I found especially interesting. Justyce is an honor student who attends a prestigious private school on a full scholarship.  He is, however, from the other side of the proverbial tracks, the child of a single mother and lives in what he describes as a bad area of Atlanta.  His bright future is a foregone conclusion – Ivy league education, law school, public policy career. However, he receives a rude awakening that his accomplishments mean little in the face of biased community members.