Historical, fake dating, and spirituality just to name some! I've surpassed my original reading goal of 2024, to read 24 books. And more rewarding than the number of books I have read (32) are the stories and lessons I've learned from them. Let's dive into some of my favorites!
But first... What we gonna do right here is go back! Back in time, before 2024.
I have loved books since I was a little girl. I loved weekly trips to the school libraary. The Scholastic Bookfair. Borrowing books from my teacher's classroom library. Picking out books from Dollar Tree.
In high school, I read The Great Gatsby in a couple days. I read PUSH by Sapphire in six hours. Reading was, and still is, an adventure. It's a mental vacation where I can go places I've never been, and meet people I've never met.
During college and even after, I would read about 2-3 books a year for leasure. My nose dive back into reading happened in September 2023, after I let my dating life bite the dust. I kept seeing a lot of books recommendations on Instagram. Specifically, books by Black authors about Black life and love. I read Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle and and then Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. Both are Blackity Black romance novels and I found myself fully invested in this rekindled hobby.
In October, I read All I've Wanted All I've Needed by A.E. Valdez in three days. And then I read Moth to a Flame by Ashley Antoinette in 24-hours. A few days later, I started Maame by Jessica George. I didn't read it in 24-hours but it was the first book in a while that I felt connected to. Maddie's unique relationship with her father as well as her behavior towards the men in her life resonated with me. Plus, her Google searches made me feel seen!
I read the 90-day devotional, Upon Waking by Jackie Hill Perry and finished off the year with Sula by Toni Morrison.
But my favorite of 2023 was Fast by Millie Belizaire. Fast is a story about the effects of childhood trauma and the healing power of love. While the trauma and abuse is painful, the friends to lovers story threaded throughout is its redeeming quality. This book is example of a love that keeps no record of wrongs.
I welcomed 2024 by reading two books at the same time! First up was Only for the Week by Natasha Bishop. This book gave me hope that there is a man who will respect and cater to me just because. It also reminded me to continue the fight to stop being a people pleaser. And then I got just the revelation I needed in Relational Intelligenceby Dr. Dharius Daniels.
3. The Beginning of Forever by A.E Valdez
4. A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole
5. Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola
6. Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren
And the 7th book I read was one of the top books I read this year: Archer's Voice. It will forever be the book that made me boo-hoo cry. I cried over this book like I cried when T.T. died in Set It Off. To keep from spoiling the book, I'll simply say that I fell in love with Archer and his courage to become his best self.
8. The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith
9. Feeding the Soul by Tabitha Brown
10. This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
11. The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
12. Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
Book 13 was Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson. It was another 6 hour read, because I had to find out how the Surviving R. Kelly meets Criminal Minds story ended!
14. Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins
For book 15, I read the sequel to The Way I Used to Be, The Way I Am Now. This is another book that closely deals witht the effects of trauma. This books and it's prequel was hard to read at times, but I'm so glad I pushed through. It reminds me of every in-flight safety demonstration, "Save yourself before you save someone else."
16. Breathless by Beverly Jenkins
17. The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest
18. Love Stories of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream
19. Tempest by Beverly Jenkins
20. Somebody's Wife by Robbi Renee
My 21st book was A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams. Although I had already read Seven Days in June, this book was a masterpiece in its own right! The best parts of this book, outside of the love story, are the Harlem Renaisance history, found family, and magical realism.
22. Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
23. Never Lie by Freida McFadden
24. Luca by Grey Huffington
25. Dangerous Prayers by Craig Groeschel
26. When I Think of You by Myah Ariel
Binding 13 was my 27th book. It and it's sequel, Keeping 13, took me on an unforgettable Irish tale of love and loss. The story offers a balance between sorrow and sweetness. Some have said this book is reminiscent of One Tree Hill.
29. Through the Storm by Beverly Jenkins
30. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
31. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
32. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
As my most recent reads, The Wedding Date and Part of Your World are still on my mind. I found myself comparing the two because they have some similarities. The main one being that the couples in them are long distance lovers. However, I favor Alexis and Daniel in Part of Your World more because of their easy conversation and mutual love for books. Also, "grace costs you nothing."
All these books have rocked my world! And I've upped my reading challenge for the year to 44 books! You can see what else I read this year by following me on Instagram @miyaa.mariee or on goodreads: http://goodreads.com/miyamarie
Until next post
Xo,
Miya Marie~
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