Review of Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

 

I kept seeing this book at Target so I knew I had to pick it up. What appealed to me was the girl on the cover, but when I learned that it was a queer story, I was sold. 

Honey Girl looks at Grace Porter, a recent doctoral student who has just drunkenly married a woman in Vegas. For Grace, something so unplanned and wild is entirely unusual, but as she continues on her journey it might be just what she needed. 

This book can be intense at times, it deals with self-harm, mental health issues, post-college crisis, the issue of trying to find a job in academia while a queer black woman. Despite these somewhat dreary themes, the book remains a feel-good story that leaves the reader hopeful when they've finished it. 

For me, this book is just what I needed. I am a current college student soon to be pursuing a master's degree and I could relate to the stress Grace felt at not relaxing. I saw some people describe this as an adult coming of age story and I think that describes the book perfectly. We get to watch Grace grow as a person throughout the story. 

Although there is romance present, it mainly focuses on Grace's own journey of self-discovery. I recommend picking up this book if you're looking for a story that will show you the hard things without making you feel you'll never get through them. It's really a feel-good read with a heavy emphasis on friendships, love, self-love, etc. I highly recommend checking it out. 

Recent Read: Court by Tracy Wolff

 

First off, no, just no. Just kidding, but that seems to be one of Grace's catchphrases and it never fails to make me laugh. It feels so cheesy but is also exactly the kind of thing I would say as a high school student. 

I first started the Crave series back in November. I was absolutely obsessed, devouring the first three in two months. To be honest, they're what got me back into reading. For me, they feel like I'm back in middle school falling in love with books all over again. 

Court is the fourth book in the Crave series and my boyfriend got it for me the day it came out. Now, it wasn't my favorite of the series, that title goes to Crush because I absolutely love Hudson and enjoyed getting to know him. However, Court was fantastic. 

I was, of course, happy that my own theories were proved true in this book. (There's really nothing like being right). What I really liked though, was all the learning Grace did in this book. She's still our frustrating jump-into-things-without-really-thinking girl, but she learned a lot about being more dependent on her friends instead of just herself. I also really appreciated how she came into her power and her confidence in this book. My inner teenage me was screaming with joy and pumping her fists. 

Overall, it was a really fun read. It was hard at times and I found myself cursing in frustration, but I enjoyed the book and flew through it. If you haven't read the others, I definitely recommend doing so because this series is honestly one of the best I've read and I wish it had been available to me when I was a teenager. 

The Three Books I Read In Voices of Black Women

 

A few semesters ago, I took a women and gender studies class called Voices of Black Women. This class focused on books by black women that should be considered classics. In high school, I remember many of the books at my public school (I'd gone to a charter school before which featured a larger variety) being written by dead white men. Books like Catcher in the Rye, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (not remotely close to a high school level book), and various works by Shakespeare. I often wondered why English classes were so bland, so single-sided. The US has such a wide variety of cultures, identities, and experiences and it makes absolutely no sense that the books taught in school should be so narrow. 

It's almost as if my public school experience was urging us to believe that the only works of value came from white men, with the occasional white woman thrown in. There is literary value in the works of women, of people of color, of immigrants, of nonChristians. These books that I read in my women's studies class are great examples of works that demonstrate excellent writing and the voices of black women. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is one of those books that I value even more each time I read it. I have read it a total of three times now and realize more each time. I read the book first in middle school for a personal read, then again in a women's lit class as a senior, and of course in college. Maya Angelou is a fantastic writer. Her description of her childhood is different from any other writing I've encountered. She drew me in like I was there with her. This book is about her life and it was not an easy one. She grew up with segregation, there's an interview with her in her hometown saying she still doesn't like to cross over to the white part of town. It also deals with the sexual assault she experienced as a child and the ramifications of the experience on her life. She stops talking, but she also shows her journey after, regaining herself and giving hope to those who have experienced the same thing. I highly recommend this book. 

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison. First of all, Toni Morrison is an excellent writer and this is the second book of hers that I'd read. The first was Beloved which I chose to read as part of a school project in high school. God Help the Child looks at the story of Bride, a very dark-skinned woman dealing with the ramifications of her mother's lack of love as an adult. Her mother's treatment of her is heavily related to the darkness of her skin. This is one of the first books that I read that looked so heavily at colorism. More than that, the story itself is very interesting. I recommend reading this book as well. 

The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor. I love this book because of how heavily it focuses on the relationships between black women. It shows friendly love, sisterly love, motherly love, and romantic love. The book tells the story of multiple women who somehow end up living in Brewster Place, an apartment complex. Because of their shared living area, the women are all connected, but some end up connected well before they find themselves in Brewster Place. The book is beautifully written and fills my heart when thinking about it. It's not all happy as it deals with collective trauma, but it is a wonderful read. 

Just Finished: Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

 

I first saw this book on a trip to Barnes and Noble and although I didn't get it, the book stayed in my mind. The description on the back talked about a mother and daughter. A mother who was unsure of her parenting and unsure she wanted to be a mom and a daughter who hated her mother and wanted her father all to herself. The description sounded like some sort of creepy demonic child from hell plotting her mother's demise every second of her day. Something about it, just made me unable to stop wondering, so I eventually caved and picked it up on a trip to the mall. 

This book was a wild ride. It was not at all what I was expecting, but I think that made me like it even more. First off, it talks in detail about the mother, Suzette's, health issues. She has dealt with Crohn's disease since she was a young woman and the trauma of it has had a huge impact on who she is. Her life has been restricted to close bathrooms and exhaustion. On top of that, her mother was never very attentive and let her struggle for a long time before she was finally diagnosed. Her issues with her mother make her wonder about her own ability to be a mom. 

Another thing I really liked was addressing some common fears of parenthood. I am not a parent and don't really desire to be one, and Suzette expresses some of the reasons I feel this way. She feels guilty for not enjoying being a mom, guilty for wanting space from her child, she feels guilty for wishing she hadn't had a child, and guilty for wishing her child wouldn't ruin her bond with her husband. Overall, I don't think these things make Suzette a bad mom, I'm not saying she's great, she screams and curses at her seven-year-old child, but she's not a monster. 

The daughter, little Hanna, on the other hand, is a monster. And maybe she wouldn't be so bad if her parents had taken her issues more seriously earlier, but the child wants her mother gone, as in dead. She has a different persona for her mother and the rest of the world and for her father. For Daddy, as she calls him, she is sweet, fun, loving little Hanna, but for Mommy she is cruel. What makes it worse is that it is pretty clear she understands what she's doing harms her mother and the other people she interacts with. She doesn't care. She only cares about her father. 

I was really surprised by this book. To be honest, it wasn't at all what I expected and I can definitely see some horror fans not liking it. For me, it's very human (which seems to be a trend in the horror novels I pick up). However, there is a lot of cruelty. And the ending, it got me. I'm still processing my feelings. 

Overall though, this book was really good. I enjoyed the read, it made me think without it feeling like work. I zipped through the last 100 or so pages. If you're looking for something to mess with your mind and you like extremely flawed characters or maybe you're a parent looking for someone who has it worse, I highly recommend this read. 

Another Older Read: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

 

(Don't mind the book in the background of the image, that's my current read) 

I received M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains for Christmas and began reading it on my flight from Texas back up to Virginia. 

Now, I have been in a few plays and theatre companies throughout my life, but I'm not really a theatre kid. I've read Shakespeare in high school and even performed as Hermia and a fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream. I also had a bit of a crush on the long-dead playwright as a starry-eyed preteen. However, I am no expert or even intermediate on theatre or Shakespeare. I have a healthy enjoyment and that is all. I have a feeling because of this, I likely missed out on some of the key details expressed in the quotations. 

This book tells the story of 7 college students attending a prestigious university (Dellecher Shakespeare conservatory). They have been made to live and breath Shakespeare since their freshman year and here there are as seniors. These kids are strange, unable to truly separate themselves from the typical characters they play, possibly more the characters than themselves. 

We follow Oliver in this book, his story, and find ourselves along with Detective Colborne trying to figure out why Oliver went to prison. We want to know the motives and secrets behind each of these students. This book is hard to put down. 

I think that it gives a good representation of what it is to be a theatre kid (hopefully minus the tragedy and prison sentence of this book). The way the character you play seeps into you without your knowledge. The way passion, tension, drama of the play finds a way of getting into your life. Anyone who's performed in a play knows how utterly exhausting it is and yet thrilling. I can't imagine what it would be like to perform, live, breathe Shakespeare for four years straight would be like. It obviously had a deep impact on these kids. 

I will say despite my liking of this book and the good rating on Goodreads, it's definitely not for you if you hate Shakespeare. His words are ever-present throughout the book and if you're like me and never really got the hang of interpreting his words when written, you may find yourself frustrated and confused. It is a beautiful story about love, friendship, and the darker side of ourselves, but you may find yourself annoyed with the choices of the cast. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It took me about 4 days to finish so it was a relatively quick read. I rated it 5/5 stars on Goodreads. I would recommend the book, but I can see many people not enjoying it the same way I did. 

An Older Read: Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon

 

Yes, I did start the series that went crazy on Booktok. 

Let me be honest, when I first heard about Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians I was intrigued, but I wasn't really interested in romance novels. It wasn't until I saw the lovely special edition print of the first book on an outing to Barnes and Noble that I decided it was time for me to see what all the hype was about. 

Let me tell you, the first book was so fun. I soared through it laughing, gushing, and clapping the entire time. No, it's not the sexiest book out there or the most sci-fi intense, but it's great if you want a brain candy read with a little romance and a little smut. 

When the second book came out in the special edition print, I rushed over to Barnes, once again, (I have to make the most of my membership) and picked it up. (This was actually the same trip I got Tender Is the Flesh on). 

Yet again, I tore through this book, spending late nights after class reading about Liz and Raahosh. This book was much sexier than the first, but still left room for things other than sex. I will say I was disappointed that after Liz makes this big effort to be independent and her own person, she then throws herself at Raahosh. Liz in the beginning did not feel like the type of woman to throw herself at a man, regardless of "resonance" bonding. 

I feel that she did lose her personality some and took on a Stockholm Syndrome like personality after being intimate with Raahosh. (And no, I don't feel this is a spoiler, they're obviously going to hook up, it's a romance novel). I was disappointed. Plus, Liz didn't want to be a mom or have a family so it really felt she succumbed to Raahosh and her "cootie". 

However, I still like her better than Georgie and Raahosh really hit a soft spot for me. I will also more than likely be reading the next book in the series sometime soon and will of course update if I do. I may also look into some other books by Ruby Dixon. 

Overall, I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads and if you liked the first on or sexy ice planet aliens, I highly recommend reading this. 

The Books That Made Me

 Here is a simple list of the books that made me fall in love with reading. 

• The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa (if you like young adult, faeries, romance, etc then I highly recommend. I started these in 4th grade and it's what hooked me on reading)
• The Giver books by Luis Lowry (my overall favorite is Gathering Blue. These books are good if you like dystopian. I read these in elementary/middle school during summer break from my local library)
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker (I absolutely loved this book and read it around 12 or 13 which is probably not a great age to read it, but it was such a beautiful book) 
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (first of all, I absolutely adore Maya Angelou and I've now read this book three times. I first read it in 7th grade then again in 12th and in college)
• Fried Green Tomatoes at Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flag (this book was my absolute favorite book for a very long time. I read it in middle school and even wrote a song inspired by it) 
• The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins (I read this book in 4th grade and even dressed up at school for the premier, which I did not attend) 
• The Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer (I read these in middle school, but I will say I'm not a strong supporter of getting young people to read it as I think it can create some inappropriate relationship expectations. However, I am a fan for life, but a strong critic of Meyer) 
• The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking (I read these in middle school and let me just say it was a lot of spice for young Zoe. I loved these books so much and recently bought all of them in one book. They're fun and I highly recommend) 
• The Wicked Lovely Series by Melissa Marr (another one of those book series I read over the summer at my local library in middle school. I loved, and love anything fairies so I was absolutely obsessed) 
• Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson (oh, my heart. This book was so beautiful and sad, I read it in high school) 

Recent Read: Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

 

 

 I first saw this book on Tiktok from the user @luckyleftie (definitely go check them out for some disturbing book reviews and good content). I put the book in the back of my mind until I stopped by Barnes and Noble as I tend to do at least once a week (or anytime I'm having a rough day) and spotted the book in the horror section. I decided I would give the book a try. 

This book is very good. It messed with my mind, had me questioning humanity and capitalism, and I tore through it. 

The premise of this book is that humans are no longer able to eat meat because of a virus in animals that kills humans. At first, all hell breaks loose and people are panicking. People get attacked and eaten until the government decides that it would be in the best interest to legalize cannibalism.  Now, if you've read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (I have the book, but have yet to read it) you have an understanding of the meatpacking process and if you've watched any PETA video about farming you also have an idea of the horrors of the farming industrial complex (yay capitalism). Now, imagine both of these things, but instead of animals, it's humans. 

Marcos Tejo is our main character and he works for one of these human meat processing plants. His job is to check the livestock holders, meet with the butchers, meet with the game facilities (yes, there are people who hunt humans), and meet with the scientist. He's really just floating through life, numb, questioning his reality, abandoned by his wife, dealing with his sick father, and ignoring his selfish sister. That is until he is gifted a female "livestock" and has to figure out what to do with her. 

I think this book is a great thought experiment on how far people would really be willing to go to meet their own desires. It also could be interpreted as an interesting commentary on the faults of capitalism (like do we really need to kill people in order to uphold the monetary system of meat consumption, this book says yes). Although the book was disturbing and I didn't always agree with his decisions, I really liked Marcos. I thought that he was in a tough situation, but clearly, he seemed better than some of the other people such as his sister and the boss of the tannery. 

If you look at Goodreads, you'll find a lot of people praising the ending, but that's the part that ruined the book for me. I know it's deep, but I was disappointed in Marcos. I had liked him so much and then he really let me down. 

Overall, I gave this book 3/5 stars on Goodreads. It was a good book. I enjoyed reading it and I would definitely recommend it if you like disturbing reads. Also, despite being disappointed by the ending, I don't regret reading the book. 

Welcome to A Year In Books With Zoe

I'm a current college student at George Mason University studying Political Science. I plan to graduate soon and pursue a Master's in Library Science with a specialty in Archival Studies.

Reading has been a passion of mine since the fourth grade. The first books I ever fell in love with were Julie Kagawa's The Iron Fey Series. Since then, I have been unable to put books down and have dabbled in writing a bit myself.

College makes keeping up with reading a lot harder than I expected. With the 21+ readings I get assigned by my professors weekly, it can be difficult to keep up with the works I really want to have my nose in. However, I have been making an effort to keep reading ever-present in my life. I try to read at least two books a month as that is about as many as I can promise myself amongst all my assignments, but between you and me, I tend to read at least four.

I am most definitely a bookaholic with a collection of over 500 books amassed over the two decades of my life. My one money problem is my inability to tell myself no when it comes to books.

On this blog, I will record my journey of reading throughout the year. Letting you know what I'm reading, what I plan to read, and what I thought of the readings. I am 110% a book lover so I definitely struggle to give less than 4 stars, however, I will do my best to give honest critiques. I hope you enjoy following along my journey.