First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"I'm trying to think of how to describe this room in a way that's not only accurate but also does it justice. I like to be deliberate with my words."

~ Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen 

Love in 280 Characters or Less

"I want all my fellow Black girls who have ever been told they're 'too much' to stand up." ~ 76%

How could I not read a book with this cover? It is so vibrant, fun and modern, much like its content. Sydney Ciara is a Black college student navigating academics and love. Starting college is exciting but also nerve-wracking, as she'll have to make new friends and figure out her place on campus now that her best friend Malcolm is miles away at a different university.

Sydney finds solace in blogging and tweeting, where she connects with YoungPrinceX. But there's also a boy on campus named Xavier that she clicks with. Can romance thrive online as much as IRL? And if writing is so therapeutic, can it also be a lucrative career? Something to noodle on...

Clearly I am on a YA reading streak. It is helping me build a list of books to recommend for summer reading. Something light for buddy reads with the teen in your life. Go ahead and add Love in 280 Characters or Less to the list. It is mostly told in an easy-to-read format of blog posts, tweets, emails and texts. Unconventional but the perfect writing style to tell this story of self-discovery and connections in today's world. 

Love in 280 Characters or Less is a love letter to social media and to Black girls who think they won't get chosen. Oh, how I adore this story and its message!

Happy Early Pub Day, Ravynn K. Stringfield! Love in 280 Characters or Less will be available Tuesday, April 15.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Love in 280 Characters or Less
Author: Ravynn K. Stringfield
Published: April 2025
Pages: 177
Edition: Galley
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Needy Little Things

"I fulfill needs until I'm numb to my own." ~ pg. 133

Sariyah is blessed with the unique gift of hearing what people need. It could be menial things like a pencil, hair tie, batteries or chewing gum. As a result, she carries around a Santa Bag of items just to clear her mind and help others. But when she fulfills a need for her friend Deja who disappears shortly after, she questions whether it's a gift or a curse.

Determined not to let another Black girl be lost and forgotten, Sariyah and her best friend Malcolm try to find Deja. Meanwhile, Sariyah balances life at home with a mother experiencing lows and a brother facing complications with sickle cell disease. It's a lot for a teenage girl to handle on her own but Sariyah draws strength and resources.

"That ability has done you, and a bunch of others, a whole lot of good." ~ pg. 17

I am impressed for this to be a debut novel. Channelle Desamours certainly knows how the minds of young adults work being a high school science teacher. She perfectly captured their language and emotions. As the story unfolded, I could see where it was heading and appreciated the skillful way she told this important story with a twist. Oh, she took it there! Needy Little Things is fictional with a touch of magic, but the real life message was heard loud and clear!

I recommend Needy Little Things for young adults, parents of teenagers and educators. It may help us become more intentional, pay more attention to signs and respect the needs of others. The vibrant book cover will look good on your bookshelf too!

Title: Needy Little Things
Author: Channelle Desamours
Published: February 2025
Pages: 306
Edition: Hardcover
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: Persuader

(Jack Reacher #7) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Persuader, the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. Reacher lives for the moment. No commitments. No home. Just a toothbrush and burning desire to right wrongs. DEA Agent Duffy lives for the future. But she too needs to right a wrong. Together, they aim to rescue an agent from a crime lord's waterfront fortress. With his massive size, Reacher is a hard man to miss but he goes undercover in this early installment of the best-selling series.

I bought this paperback from my local library for one buck a few years ago and just now getting to reading it. I figured it would be perfect timing for the Sistahs Be Readin' Book Club selection for March with the 3rd season premiering on Prime Video. Let's prove whether the book is always better.

"It's been a complete waste of time, beginning to end." ~ pg. 269

The Sistahs have our snacks ready, excited for a new TV commentary season on Patreon and the opportunity to buddy read and watch. We said it before: the casting for the Prime Video series is so perfect. The actor meets all of the physical features, witty remarks, grifter style and kick-ass attitude of the beloved character created by Lee Child. So imagine our surprise when by episode 3, we threw in the towel and held our own finale. The book's gotta be better though, right? 

So I eagerly dusted off the 465-page paperback and started reading. I can see how the show followed the main parts and fell short. The action was translated better on the pages than on-screen. Reacher's dry jokes landed better. And there wasn't annoying side characters with horrible accents. Yet it was too damn long. I don't know if the show tainted the story for me, or if this was just a lull in a series that started over 20 years ago. It certainly does not sway me from continuing though. I'll just cherry pick which Reacher book to read next.

Please visit www.patreon.com/sistahspeak if you are interested in joining the Sistahs Be Readin' Book Club. ~Sistah LM

Title: Persuader

Author: Lee Child

Published: April 2003

Pages: 465

Edition: Paperback

Genre: Mystery

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"The best summer of my life evaporated as fast as it had appeared. Those long sunlit days were like smoke, barely there and yet somehow managing to leave a lingering aroma that clung to everything, asserting its presence."

~ Love in 280 Characters or Less by Ravynn K. Stringfield

Happy Land

"I didn't know until I'd lost it how much Mama's Virgo predictability had stitched our lives together." ~ 14%

Rightfully named a Most Anticipated Book of 2025; Happy Land is finally here! A young black woman learns the story of her family's ties to an American Kingdom in this multi-generational novel inspired by true events.

When Grandma calls, granddaughter comes running. After years of silence due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, Nikki does not hesitate to drop everything when her grandmother calls out of the blue asking for a visit. Upon arrival, Mother Rita tells Nikki about a kingdom on this very mountain and its Queen Luella.

The Kingdom of Happy Land sounds like a fairy tale—royalty, community, freed people, acres and acres of owned land. Nikki soon learns this land is their legacy so she must do whatever possible to protect it while trying to heal a broken relationship.

"Calling something your own is a powerful prayer and there was God in it." ~ 19%

Dolen Perkins-Valdez took her time with this one, Bookhearts. The prep, the history, the facts, the setting details, the character development and the story itself was so well written and thorough. I had no prior knowledge of kingdoms on U.S. soil or the rich origins of bordering land. I was as caught up in the logistics of land ownership as I was the character's relationships and emotions. 

Happy Land just may have sparked a leisure research project. It truly is a fascinating 5-star story.

Happy Early Pub Day, Dolen Perkins-Valdez! Happy Land will be available Tuesday, April 8.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Happy Land
Author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Published: April 2025
Pages: 363
Edition: Galley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

"Probably more like Honey Boo Boo." ~ pg. 43

Denny Voss is a 30-year-old man who lives at home with his elderly mother and blind, deaf Saint Bernard in rural Minnesota. (The book cover is so perfect!) He lives a relatively quiet boring life cleaning up roadkill for a living. Even though he is limited by a developmental delay, Denny considers his life a good one. Until he is charged with the murder of a politician after crashing a sled full of guns into a tree. Wait, what?! 

As Denny awaits trial, his court-appointed therapist walks him through events of the past year, his family history, painful truths and what led up to the murder. It is shocking, sometimes funny and makes you feel empathy toward Denny. Chaos seems to find him when he just tries to mind his own business.

Even though the author Holly Kennedy did an excellent job penning a realistic story with elements of humor and care, the story was not as memorable once I finished reading. It did not leave a lasting impression; therefore, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss was just okay. Worth adding to your TBR if you're looking for an unconventional murder mystery.

Happy Early Pub Day, Holly Kennedy! The Sideways Life of Denny Voss will be available Tuesday, April 8.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The Sideways Life of Denny Voss
Author: Holly Kennedy
Published: April 2025
Pages: 330
Edition: Galley
Genre: Chick Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤