Salema📚💙

The cover of The Vampire Who Tried It by Marcia Black. Featuring a cartoon drawing of a Black man wearing a green shirt and gold jewelry standing in front of a darkened cityscape.

I’ve never heard of this author but I came across this book cover and I absolutely adore it so I’m about to dive in #Booksky #Blackbooksky #Vampires

A photo of Spy x Family vol2/ Nana vol2/ and The Poet Empress by Shen Tao lying on a tan blanket.

My first time visiting a BAM so I got my first haul of the year. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about The Poet Empress and it’s beautiful so I snatched it up. Also got the 2nd books in the #manga series that I was introduced to last year. #tbr #booksky #diversebooksky

I read from mostly my fav authors this month. It was great way to start the year. I’m going to try to concentrate more on new authors in Feb. Here are my fav reads for January. #Booksky #Blackbooksky
Mexican Gothic
Predators MC duology
Wolf Worm
To Steal a Throne

The cover of Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui

The cover of Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher

The cover of To Steal a Throne by Gabi Burton

I’ve had such good luck so far this year with my ARCs. I highly recommend all 3 of them
Aicha- Moroccan fable retelling
Wolf Worm - historical horror featuring insects!
To Steal a Throne- YA fantasy featuring political intrigue and budding romance
#booksky #diversebooksky #blackbooksky

The cover of To Steal a Throne by Gabi Burton. Featuring a young Black woman wearing an emerald green scarf that shadows her face. Topped with an ornate emerald and gold crown.

The good news-I just got approved for #ToStealaThrone on #NetGalley (one of my most anticipated reads for ‘26). The bad news-it archives 1/31 so I guess I’m dumping the 4 other books I’m in the middle of. I know what I’ll be doing during the storm. I’m so excited! #Booksky #Blackbooksky #YAFantasy

The cover of Birth of a Dynasty by Chinaza Bado

I just got the ebook of Birth of a Dynasty on sale from Amazon for $1.99👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 #Booksky #Blackbooksky

Book cover of I’LL Make a Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker. Featuring a red sky and a shadowy outline of a church in the woods. The roots of the trees are visible underground and form the shape of a skull.

I was able to fit one more book in at the last minute. I’ll Make a Spectacle of You was such an interesting southern gothic horror. Its focus on hoodoo intersectioning with Christianity was a new subject for me. Happy NewYear to all 🎉🎊 #Booksky #Blackbooksky

I accept I’m not going to finish any more books this year so here are my top 5 of the 208 I got through
5 A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
4 Son of the Morning
3 The Burning Queen
2 The Everlasting
1 King of Ashes

It’s been such a great reading year. I’m so excited for 2026!

#Booksky #Diversebooksky

The above mentioned books laying on a white couch

B&N haul 💕 I’m a sucker for sprayed edges.

The Bloodsworn Trilogy-J Gwynne (new to me author but ppl love this series so I have high hopes)

The Vallendor duo-R H Hall ( I’ve read her thrillers and l’m excited to try a romantasy)

Nana-A Yazawa (I’m just getting into manga)
#Booksky #Blackbooksky

The Burning Queen by Aparna Verma was the perfect book to mark my 200th read of the year. The character work was so intricate, the plot was deliciously complex. The narrators were great. It gets all the stars. I can’t imagine I’ll read a better book this month. #Booksky #Diversebooksky #Fantasy

The cover of Our Sister’s Keeper by Jasmine Holmes featuring a drawing of a steam train carrying Black couple through a vague purple landscape.

I just started an eARC of Our Sister’s Keeper. I can just tell I’m going to love this. It’s giving Don’t Worry Darling but make it Black historical fiction. I’m ready for all these men to get it because WTH! #Booksky #Blackbooksky

A photo of Salema’s hand holding the hardcover book Dawn of the Firebird

She’s so pretty! Happy Release Day to Sarah Mughal Rana🎉 Dawn of the Firebird is one of my priority reads in the new year #Booksky #Diversebooksky #fantasy

I’m currently listening to The Scammer by Tiffany D Jackson and I am so stressed for little Ms Jordyn! Imma have to take a break and pick this back up tomorrow smh #Booksky #Blackbooksky

I read 23 books in Nov and here are my top 5

1 Son of the Morning by A Emezi

2 A Vow of Shadow & Blood by C Antrobus

3 A Mastery of Monsters by L Sambury

4 All Superheroes Need Photo Ops by E Stephens

5 One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by O Akkad

#Booksky #Diversebooksky

A graphic with the cover of Ba’ir in the center surrounded by information about the book ‘Met Ba’ir in My Alien Thresher, Nial’ ‘Forced Separation’ ‘Trigger Warnings: forced servitude, kidnapping, physical trauma’ ‘Fated mate betrayal’ ‘Second Chance?’ ‘35+ MCs’

Happy Release day to Nikki Clarke. Ba’ir book 6 of Lyqa Planet Lovers is out today🎉 This series was my intro to alien romance and it’s such a good time #Booksky #Blackbooksky

Hardcover versions of The Final Strife/ The Battle Drum/ and The Ending Fire sitting on a white background.

I LOVED the first two books in The Ending Fire trilogy but really hated the last one so off the the little free library we go! Hopefully someone gets it who can appreciate it more than I did. #Booksky #Blackbooksky

All Superheroes Need Photo Ops was an incredible fun read. The first book wasn’t for me but I picked this one up because Mrs Stephens is an autobuy author. This turned out to be 5⭐️! Violent and spicy while also being so funny and lighthearted💕 #Booksky #Blackbooksky

I read my first manga last night. I was just trying to finish up my bookish bingo squares, but it was a banger! The first Spy x Family. I was at work just chuckling away 😂 Now I need to pick up the series #Booksky #Diversebooksky

Cover of Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi

#sonofthemorning was phenomenal! It really showed that the #romantasy genre really has a lot of room to grow if more diverse voices get a hold of it. This felt so original and fun. No notes💕 #Booksky #Blackbooksky

It was King of Ashes. Absolutely phenomenal book!

A StoryGraph screenshot showing 172/150 books read and 60,055/60000 pages read in 2025

And just like that my reading goals for the year have been met! #Booksky #Blackbooksky

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I was just driving and listening to the end of A Mastery of Monsters and this book is so 🔥. I ended up making two wrong turns because I was so invested. It’s the best YA book I’ve read in a while. The characters are complex and the plot has so many layers. #Booksky #ablackbooksky

I opened my Our Vicious Oaths Trove box in front of the family unaware that it came with artwork. So hiding that was fun 😂 #Booksky #Blackbooksky

A photo 2 books- Eternal Ruin by Tigest Girma and Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi- sitting on a white background.

Today is a good day! My #tbr just got bumped. They are both so pretty 😍 #Booksky #Blackbooksky

Happy Novella November! I’ve got a long lineup of novellas to get through. I think I’ll work about 20 in between a few longer books I want to prioritize this month. #Booksky #Blackbooksky #TBR

It was an incredibly cozy warm hug. The perfect offset to my darker reads this month.

I read 21 books this month. Here are my 5 ⭐️ reads #Booksky #Blackbooksky #Diversebooksky
1 The Everlasting by Alix Harrow
2 A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping
3 The Crownless King by Dria Anderson
4 The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
5 What Stalks the Deep by T Kingfisher

Well… 80% into The Everlasting and it just made me cry so I guess it wins best book of the month by default. #Booksky