Two For Tuesday: Spring has Sprung

If you’ve been keeping up with this month’s Two for Tuesday, you already know the gist. If not, Two for Tuesday is a weekly tag I host on this blog and encourage others to take part in. I have a fun time creating themes and picking books that fit them.

This week’s theme is Spring has Sprung. With spring comes color, so make sure to pick out two colorful covers for this week’s prompt. If you’re interested in joining Two for Tuesday, be sure to comment down below.

I decided to pick two books I haven’t read for this prompt. They’re both on my GoodReads TBR and I definitely need to go buy them. The reviews are looking great so far.

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

*Goodreads Synopsis*

This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who is filled with self-loathing and must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant—even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence.

What’s not so regular is that this time they all don’t have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma. It’s not that Genesis doesn’t like her grandma, but she and Mom always fight—Grandma haranguing Mom to leave Dad, that she should have gone back to school, that if she’d married a lighter skinned man none of this would be happening, and on and on and on. But things aren’t all bad. Genesis actually likes her new school; she’s made a couple friends, her choir teacher says she has real talent, and she even encourages Genesis to join the talent show.

But how can Genesis believe anything her teacher says when her dad tells her the exact opposite? How can she stand up in front of all those people with her dark, dark skin knowing even her own family thinks lesser of her because of it? Why, why, why won’t the lemon or yogurt or fancy creams lighten her skin like they’re supposed to? And when Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again?

*My Thoughts*

I wish this book was around when I was in middle school. I struggled with so much anxiety about myself and how others felt about me. I had a lot of self-hate at the same time. I wish I’d seen more stories like this with main characters who looked like me and had struggles I could relate to. I’m so thankful for this movement toward more inclusive stories and I plan on adding this book to my shelf soon.

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

*Goodreads Synopsis*

Dove “Birdie” Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: She quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she’s on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past…whom she knows her parents will never approve of.

When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into the family’s apartment above their hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded–she’s also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for addiction. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she’s known to be true is turned upside down.

*My Thoughts*

I’m excited for this to come out in the summer. It sounds like a more real take on the old girl meets boy trope. Having the influence of family should makes things pretty interesting and I love how it seems to be discussing real issues of addiction.

What are your favorite colorful covers?

Do you plan on adding these books to your TBR?

What are you currently reading?

Let me know in the comments, let’s chat!

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My Thoughts on Breakthrough (Movie Review)

This post should’ve been a Mini Review Monday (remember those) but I watched this movie on Tuesday and wanted you to hear my thoughts.

Breakthrough is a movie based on the true story of a boy that fell through the ice of a frozen lake. He was stuck under water for fifteen minutes without oxygen and had CPR performed for forty five minutes afterward. Even after all that, he still has a chance. It’s a Christian film with a beautiful message.

I loved Breakthrough. I was not expecting to cry as much as I did. I’m a pretty emotional person, but that was a lot of tears, even for me. I went to see this with my mother and she was looking over at me the whole time. She should know me by now, I’m just that kind of person.

All in all, great movie and I highly recommend it.

Two for Tuesday: Earth Day

As you may know, Earth Day was yesterday. In honor of Earth Day, today’s prompt is to name two books that encourage a change. These don’t have to be environmental, just a positive change of some sort.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I love books with a message. This whole blog’s focus is promoting diversity and inclusion in all forms of media. I know it would’ve been easy to mention The Hate U Give for the 30th time, but I really want to start expanding my palate as far as activism goes.

I’m going to start off with a recent one. This book has resonated strongly with me, I even got to meet the author, herself.

5 Funny Easter Eggs from On My Block Season 2

If you read last week’s post, you already know how I breezed through Season Two of On My Block. It’s honestly a great show. Since I finished the second season, I decided to rewatch Season One. It’s just as great, if not better, than I remembered. While recapping on Season One, I noticed a lot more references from the first season in Season Two. Here are a few.

Sidenote: There will be spoilers so read at your own risk.

My Thoughts on Little (Movie Review)

*Synopsis*

The premise of Little is simple enough. Our main character, Jordan, goes to sleep grown and wakes up little. It’s not only strange, but also inconvenient for this tech mogul.

Jordan is not someone to be messed with. From an early age she realized that to avoid being bullied, she had to become the bully. She’s had to step on a lot of toes to get where she is today.

Now, she’s the head a huge tech company and she’s making some serious bank. I’m talking top penthouse suite kind of money. But that money can’t buy happiness, or the love of her coworkers. They completely fear her, and that’s how Jordan likes it. Her assistant, April, is at Jordan’s beck and call.

After messing with the wrong little girl, Jordan has some black girl magic thrown in her face. The next morning, she wakes up thirteen again, aka the worst time of her life. She calls in April to help her figure out how to get back to grown Jordan and the story goes on from there.

*My Thoughts*