Peek at my bookshelf!

New school year starting, lots going on, and I've recently acquired some new books that I'm excited about, so I figured as a break from book reviews, why not take a little peek at some of the additions to my TBR shelf? Who doesn't love a shelfie? (Rhetorical question. If you don't love shelfies, sorry. It's still shelfie time.)

Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston - The story of Cudjo Lewis, Clotilda survivor and the last living person enslaved in the United States. I haven't read Zora Neale Hurston since college, and I don't know if "looking forward to it" is the right descriptor for this book, exactly, but I do look forward to learning more about the actual history of the United States and unlearning the whitewashed BS I learned in high school.

Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith - I'm currently reading How to Raise an Intuitive Eater, which was recommended to me by a friend, and a family member recommended this one, so...looking forward to reading it next! Fuck diet culture!

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury - Aladdin retelling? HELL YEAH. I'm still holding out for a queer retelling, but this will do nicely in the meantime.

The Dream Runners by Shveta Thakrar - Oh hey, I didn't even realize when I picked this out that I had read another of Shveta Thakrar's books, Star Daughter. I reviewed it on here and gave it three stars, which I was a little surprised at when I went back to see if I had. That was before I started rating based on multiple factors, though - I think if I had been using my new system it would have been higher. Anyway, that book had a gorgeous cover, this book's cover is equally beautiful, and it's a fantasy about dream runners, who harvest mortal dreams for the naga court. Can't wait!

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis - Oooooooooh, I'm thinking this is going to end up a book club book. It's set in the US during the Progressive Era and follows a wealthy Black family in the United States, based on the true story of a man named C. R. Patterson. I don't think I've ever come across a book like this before, particularly set in this time period? Also, the cover is just...so good.

I love it like this, but in person it's even better - shiny and gold and just beautiful.

The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta - Fantasy about a dreamer named Indir who has prophetic dreams and a seer named Saya who hasn't been formally trained as a Dreamer but is used by her mother to make money and is, seemingly, on the run from something. This was a runner-up for Read Harder challenge #17, read a YA book by an Indigenous author, and it might also need to be a book club book! (Also, another entry to the beautiful book cover club!)

Cafe con Lychee by Emery Lee - You already know what I'm going to say. I love the cover of this book! Honestly, it's a truth universally acknowledged that if there's a book I've fallen head-over-heels in love with, that love affair started with its cover. Two high school boys whose family own feuding food establishments join forces when a new fusion restaurant threatens both shops. (This author also wrote Meet Cute Diary, which has been on my TBR for.ev.er. so shame on me for getting this one before I read that one, but here we are. The book heart wants what it wants.)

Now...anyone want to take bets on how long it will take me to actually read all of these? 🤣