Sistahs Shop Talk – 6/12/16 – Summer Loving….

Sistahs Shop Talk is random ramblings from yours truly about books, news, and views that captivate me.

One Thought…

The thing about summer: Lately I’ve been reading a lot of mass-market romance books, the kind that promise a torrid love scene or two and happily ever afters. I think it’s because summer is approaching, and I need to indulge myself in an uncomplicated world where true love wins, considering the tragedies we’ve been experiencing as of late (#prayforOrlando). In addition to black lesbian romance, I plan to dive into Beverly Jenkins (of course), Francis Ray and was just turned on to Rochelle Alers’ Cavanaugh Island series. So what are some of your favorite romances? Also, what are your summer reading plans?

What I’m Reading…

Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction edited by S. Andrea Allen and Lauren Cherelle

I’m about 45 pages in, and the stories so far have captivated my attention. It’s almost like coming home because I know what I’m getting with this array of talented authors I’ve read before and enjoyed, like Claudia Moss, Lauren Cherelle, K.A. Smith, Eternity Philops, and Sheree L. Greer, etc. We need more compilations like this that show the range of our lives and our experiences. I think this will be a satisfying read.

Book Quote…

Attend me, hold me in your muscular flowering arms, protect me from throwing any part of myself away.
— From A Burst of Light: Essays by Audre Lorde (1988)

Trolling for New Books…

The Belle vs. the BDOC: A Bend or Break Novella by Amy Jo Cousins
Amazon Digital Services LLC
Release Date: May 23, 2016

Love is a battlefield.

Shelby Summerfield is a Southern belle at a northern college in 1993, which is a challenge to begin with. And yes, Florence Truong, the object of Shelby’s lust and the only other woman on campus not wearing flannel, does catch her in what looks like a compromising position with a straight boy at pub trivia night.

But Shelby is a gold star lesbian and Florence’s dapper fashion sense makes her weak in the knees, so her rejection stings hard. To exact her revenge, Shelby cheats a little when putting together her own trivia dream team, because nobody strategizes to win like a Southern girl on a mission. And if trivia can’t settle their rivalry, then maybe the annual campus-wide game of assassin will do the trick.

Shelby’s gonna come out on top of Florence—in bed or out, one way or another. Bless her heart. And her silk pocket squares.

Heat Wave: Southport by La Toya Hankins
JMS Books LLC
Release Date: August 16, 2015

When Zora comes to visit her childhood hometown for the Fourth of July, she expects to be helping with the family business, greeting old neighbors and friends, and carefully avoiding the topic of her sexuality. But then Zora’s old mentor introduces Zora to her granddaughter Sarah, a blast from Zora’s past, now grown into a leggy brunette who remembers Zora more than fondly.

As the two women reconnect over old memories, sweet treats, and tales of the intervening years since they’d last met, Zora begins to suspect the attraction she feels for Sarah might be returned. The sparks flying between them ignite into fireworks celebrating their independence from sexual solitude when they exploring a new way to use the town library.

Visit This Website…

Brown Girl Reading
https://browngirlreading.com

Brown Girl Reading is a book blog run by Didi, who reads and reviews diverse books with passion, and also has a booktube channel on YouTube. You need to check her out because she is hella funny, hella smart, and tells it like it is. She has lived in France for 23 years, where she teaches English as a Foreign Language, and enjoys reading, writing, painting/drawing, music, origami, movies, languages, etc. In her bio she states, “If it’s good, I’ll read it!”

A Return to Arms by Sheree L. Greer

Publisher/Date:  Bold Strokes Books; Mar. 2016
Genre(s):  Activism, Romance
Pages:  240
Website:  http://www.shereelgreer.com

Rating: ★★★★★ 

When Toya meets Folami and joins the activist collective RiseUP!, she thinks she’s found her life’s purpose. Folami’s sensuality and her passion for social justice leave Toya feeling that, at last, she’s met someone she can share all parts of her life with. But when a controversial police shooting blurs the lines between the personal and the political, Toya is forced to examine her identity, her passions, and her allegiances.

Folami, a mature and dedicated activist, challenges Toya’s commitment to the struggle while threatening to pull her back into the closet to maintain the intense connection they share. How ever, Nina, a young, free-spirited artist, invites Toya to explore the intersections between sexual and political freedom.

With the mounting tensions and social unrest threatening to tear the community apart, can Toya find a safe place to live and love while working to uplift her people?

A RETURN TO ARMS by Sheree L. Greer is one of those books I found hard to review, because it was difficult to find words for how powerful her story and the message are. While her book is fiction, it’s grounded in the reality of what we see on the daily news, what we read on Twitter, and alas, what we see in our streets: black people fighting for their lives.

But wading through this turmoil for justice are Toya, and her lover, Folami, who share intimacy as lovers, but find themselves on opposite ends of the bed over what version of leadership one must abide by to further the cause. Both work at RiseUP!, an organization that promotes protection and empowerment against police brutality, and Toya and Folami labor to ensure that their actions and voices are heard above the fray.

Within RiseUP!, like any dedicated group working in the trenches, the politics and viewpoints are lit like fuses. Toya all too often sees the writing on the wall, as her black lesbianism is a source of contention despite her dedication. It’s tricky enough evading minefields with the enemies at large, but to deal with it from your own people, the ones side-by-side with you during protests, it’s enough to make Toya re-think her involvement.

The tone of this book is somber, indeed. Each chapter in A Return to Arms has this almost foreboding quality, while raising issues of self-sacrifice and intersectionality in a way that shows that Greer’s endless talent to tell a story and put us in the moment.  Her book also gives much food for thought: the battle between being black and gay; the effectiveness of marches and rallies vs. simply shutting shit down; and being sick and tired of never receiving justice for our loved ones.

Romance is in the mix, but not so much that it takes away from the bigger theme at work here. Folami’s interactions with Toya are frustrating as hell, but I can understand her reasons for it. What makes up for it is the fire they possess – both for the cause and for each other – that intertwine so well. It reads like sex.

Sunlight set profiles aglow in amber and crimson; bodies contorted with passion and protest – clenched fists and tight jaws, arched back and strained necks.

And that ending? I wasn’t prepared. This was the response I shared on goodreads when I finished.

Sheree, you did it again. I just wish this story wasn’t our reality. But alas…

Reviewed June 2016