The 15th Annual Great Midwest Book Fest : June 17, 2023 : Tickets are on sale now!

 

 

The 12th Annual Great Midwest Book Fest

This book event was held on November 7, 2020. Below are the list of of authors in the order that they appear. Enjoy! Intro : Radiah Hubbert J.D. Mason Sierra Kay LaJill Hunt Michelle Mitchell Naleighna Kai Stacy-Covington Lee Brenda Jackson Obelia Akanke Shakir Rashaan Portia A. Cosby Pat Simmons Bonnie J. Edwards Shana Burton Patricia Balentine Sheila Bell LaShaunda Hoffman T.C Blackwell Altonya Washington Vivian King Nakia R. Laushaul Lalanii Wilson Jones Treavion Davenport Wrap Up : Radiah Hubbert

New Review : Reparations : Style + Soul : James R. Sanders

4 out of 5 books

Reparations : Style + Soul is a beautiful coffee table book by James R. Sanders. What’s interesting about this book is the way that African American history & African American fashion history is mixed in between the pages of the pictures of high fashion African American models. Sanders also does a great job of including his personal history of how his grandmother influenced his own fashion and personal style.  This book is delightful to look at and is educational as a bonus. Reparations : Style+ Soul is a perfect gift for lovers of fashion & history.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert 

Get your copy of Reparations : Style + Soul today!

The Forthcoming : Hold You Down: Tracy Brown : Release Date : November 1, 2022

Hold You Down is an edgy novel from rising star Tracy Brown about the perils of love and the ties that bind…

New York City. Late 1980s to early 1990s.

Mercy and Lenox Howard have always only had each other. Growing up on the mean streets of Harlem with an absentee mother meant that they had to have each other's backs. Now young, smart mothers they are determined to survive in New York City while raising their two sons, who have bright futures ahead of them.

Mercy is the quiet, straight laced hospital administrator, struggling to make ends meet. At night and on weekends, she pours her heart into her cooking and her dream of owning her own restaurant. Lenox is the diva, the wild child, looking for excitement and her big come up in life and love. Their boys, Deon and Judah, have been raised more like brothers than cousins, forging a bond that is unbreakable.

When Lenox heads down a path that she believes will bring success and power, it changes the entire course of her life and her family’s life forever. As a result of their mother’s choices, cousins Deon and Judah soon find themselves in uncharted territory.

Pre-order your copy of Hold You Down today!

The Forthcoming : Running to Fall : Kalisha Buckhanon : Release Date : November 1, 2022

 

Tragedy Powell tries to feel she has it all- until her and her husband's perfect life online becomes a whirlwind of spilled secrets about Tragedy's drinking, a missing woman, and their all-white town.

Tragedy and Victor Powell have moved to the desirable but dark Grayson Glens enclave of dream homes just outside of Chicago. Stressed urbanites, they've got to live large in real life to stay large online. With only a few blacks in their elite gated community, they settle in but never quite feel at home. Then, a missing young black woman floats up in the Grayson River. Running to Fall is a suspenseful, truthful look into the lives of women who drink to survive or just to cope, with a provocative narrator who carries readers along an emotional journey to acceptance.

Pre-order your copy of Running to Fall today!

New Review : In the Face of the Sun : Denny S. Bryce

 

5 out of 5 books

I fell in love with Denny S. Bryce’s writing with her first book, Wild Women and the Blues. I absolutely love historical fiction, so I was eager to read In the Face of the Sun. Ba-byyyy, it did not disappoint! In the Face of the Sun is a dual timeline novel, switching between Los Angeles (Daisy - 1928) and Chicago (Frankie - 1968). Daisy's had a hard life, and it shows, as her personality completely changes between the timelines. Back in 1928, she was a hardworking, honest person that cared about her family and friends. In 1968, she’s drinking, smoking, and doing the absolute most, a complete opposite of sweet innocent Daisy.

Frankie’s life isn’t peaches and cream, she’s pregnant and escaping her abusive husband. Her and her aunt Daisy pick up and head for L.A., for the adventure of a lifetime. You’ve got to read this book, I couldn’t put it down. I loved that there are history lessons interwoven in the pages, you’re reading and also learning at the same time.

Denny’s words are so vivid they spark your imagination, and you can almost “see” yourself in the book. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a “meat & potatoes” book, it’s got substance, believable characters, a great plot, and suspense. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

Thank you to Dafina, Kensington and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book, this review is my own honest personal opinion.

Reviewed by Kiera Northington

Get your copy of In the Face of the Sun today!

New Review : Justified : De'nesha Diamond & Briana Cole

5 out of 5 books

One of the things I liked best about this book is that it was really 2 novellas under 1 cover. Black and Blue is the first story by the late, great De’Nesha Diamond. Charlie gets crossed up after witnessing a murder and is sent to prison, but when she gets out, she serves up platters of revenge. (I’m sad that this will be the last work by De’Nesha Diamond, she is truly missed!)

In Pseudo, Kennedy’s abusive ex forces her to take the only way out, she runs away. Kennedy’s made a clean getaway and is living her best life. How? By stealing other women’s identities. What could possibly go wrong? One of the women is murdered. This story had me sitting on the edge of my chair, trying to figure out how Kennedy will get out of this tangled mess she created for herself. Lots of plot twists and turns.

Overall, I really liked the book. I would have loved to see each story fleshed out into their own books. I’d give this book 5 stars for creativity, plot, and suspense. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a quick fulfilling read.

Thank you to Dafina, Kensington and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book, this review is my own honest personal opinion.

Reviewed by Kiera Northington

Get your copy of Justified today!