Recommended Reading | Jonah's Gourd Vine

 What's the last book you read that took you to a different time and place?

Reading Jonah's Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston a few months back transported me to the deep south via 1920-something, thanks to Zora Neale Hurston and her way with vivid imagery + colorful dialect.

While breezing through Jonah's Gourd Vine, I met this super charming preacher named John Pearson who just couldn't seem to leave the ladies alone, much to his wife Lucy's chagrin. Due to his chasing and constant running, I was introduced to so many interesting characters from "over the creek" and miles between Alabama and Florida. And every time I thought John was gonna chill out & get his (I promised not to curse while discussing this book) fool self together, he came with more foolishness. This man was the busiest guy I've met through typed pages in a minute!

Without giving too much away, I just wanted to share that I enjoyed this book so much. Zora Neale Hurston is a gem and no personal library is complete without her work. I made a vow at the beginning of the year to read more from her, so I decided to start with her first published book. If reading about the lives of beautifully flawed black folks in the deep south is your bag (as it def is mine), I recommend that you give Jonah's Gourd Vine a read. I hope you laugh, gasp, and shake your head as much as I did while reading it, too.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Have you read Jonah's Gourd Vine yet? 

What's your favorite Zora Neale Hurston book?

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle | 5 Reasons Why Prince Is BookBae

"Don't ever think I fell for you or fell over you. I didn't fall in love, I rose in it. I saw you and made up my mind. My mind. And I made up my mind to follow you too." -Toni Morrison (as recited by Dani in Love Radio)

5 Reasons Why Prince Is Bookbae:

💜 He's a dope DJ who has a way with words. If he isn't saying all the right things, he's spinning all the right songs 🎶 Plus, he has that "radio voice" thing going for him.

💜 Dude doesn't mind taking down braids his first time coming over. I mean, I have to be pretty open to let someone see me with my hair looking crazy. But all that would probably subside the moment babe comes through with the scissors and rat-tail comb 🤷🏾‍♀️

💜 Prince loves the kids (and he's always looking out for family). Imagining him agonizing over countless bookshelves at the library for books his baby brother would appreciate really made me swoon. And don't get me started on how attentive he was with his mother.

💜 He was so patient, understanding, and in touch with his feelings. Just dig how he communicates with his friends and family. And peep how he gives advice on his radio segment with such care + consideration. We'll also say he fares well in situations most of us would seriously get "caught up" in. Very admirable.

💜 He really pays attention to detail. The way Prince planned that scavenger hunt around the bookstore within the spaces + pages of Dani's favorite authors (yes, he included my fav 3) was the cutest. Can we say "rizz?" (My teens would be mortified to see me saying that 😂)

Prince aka DJ LoveJones and Dani had the cutest lil vibe going. And I enjoyed getting wrapped up in it a few months back.

Have you read Love Radio yet?

And while we're at it, what's your favorite romance movie from the 90s/2000s?