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#BlackHistoryMonth Recommendations Day 17 Fiction.
The incomparable Toni Morrison.
I read all of her novels last year. Tar Baby was my favorite and the one I rarely hear mentioned. As with all of Morrison's writing it is a sharp and lyrical story that faces racism head on. The Caribbean setting makes this feel a bit different and warmer even as bitter cold goes on in the house.
A fantastic read.

One of my 2023 goals was to read the novels of Toni Morrison and today I finished my last one. What a phenomenally lyrical writer she was. This was an excellent challenge for the year.
Not shown was her brilliant Recitatif which I read as an ARC.
My favorite of them all was Tar Baby.

I will say if this has been written by anyone else I probably would not have enjoyed it. There are some dated terms and tw for domestic violence.
But Morrison 's writing is as always impeccable. And I found the damaged and complex characters interesting.

I loved some of the beautiful flowing and descriptive prose throughout the book. I enjoyed the character development and some of the outrageous scenes. Entertaining and haunting interactions, and quite compelling supporting characters. My biggest letdown was being very unsatisfied by the conclusion. I wish there was just a little more resolution. Not one of my favorite Morrisons.

Prioritizing these backlist books for #BlackHistoryMonth!

I really enjoyed the way Morrison looked at the various relationships and interactions between the characters and the way race played a role within them. I especially enjoyed the relationship and banter between Valerian and Sydney, they provided some wonderful comedic interactions. This is a book I will need to get a physical copy of as I see it being one I‘ll read more than once. #AuthorAMonth #AAMTM

Today‘s #firstlinefridays comes from Tar Baby

This will most likely be my next Toni Morrison book, unless I get to Beloved first.

Just from this opening line and the premise, I know I‘ll be in for a beautifully written and emotional ride.

”I don‘t think I could have happily stayed here in the world if I did not have a way of thinking about it - which is what writing is for me. It‘s control. Nobody tells me what to do. It‘s mine. It‘s free and it‘s...it‘s a way of thinking. It‘s pure knowledge.” - Toni Morrison (1931-2019). #ToniMorrison #Literarylegend

Tar Baby is a beautifully written story of two people falling in love who want to have more in common than they really do. As two young beautiful people searching for comfort, they‘re propelled together by unusual circumstances. Toni Morrison‘s incredible sentences and imagery are the stars of the novel, and it is fun to see her make sentences work in artful ways you never expected! This was a very enjoyable read.

I'm intrigued. Toni is taking her time developing this story.

First Toni Morrison I‘ve read that I didn‘t care for.
oh well.

Still struggling with this one 🤦🏾‍♀️
#nationalfragranceday

I don‘t think I‘ve ever read as many books by a single author! #tonimorrison

What a fantastic read with loads of rich dialogue. Some of the best ranting i‘ve read in a while. If you want to know more in depth what I thought about Tar Baby, go check out the the live discussion I had last night with 3 other Booktubers. You can catch it on my YouTube channel Brown Girl Reading.

Morrison is such a strong writer. The plot in this one wasn't quite as engaging as some of her others, but she more than makes up for it in the depth of her characters and the richness of her explorations of relationships.

This was a pick until the non-ending. The characters were complex, the settings were great, the turmoil was real. The ending was nonexistent.

#ReadSoulLit read along going on now for Black History Month! Honoring the Great Toni Morrison an African American writer that must be read. Go over to Goodreads and join the discussion group. #reafsoullit

It's February and time for one of my favorite online reading projects, #ReadSoulLit. I know I won't even come close to reading this whole shelf, but I have so many good choices to choose from.

February TBR. Most of them are pre-orders, so I don‘t have them yet. #ReadSoulLit

Hope you'll be joining in on the #readsoullit photo challenge on Instagram in February for Black History Month in honor of African-American writers and their works.

Spent too much time/money at Half Price Books this weekend, and after scouring the store for books from my TBR, I have some advice for my #secretsantagoespostal stalker. Namely, I'm BORED by my TBR. Yes, I still want to read the books on it, but if you have any books you think I'd love or books that you love, I'm more interested in those. My Goodreads will tell you if I've read something already. But... your call! I'm always happy with books.

#JuneBookBugs Day 26 - Published in the 1980s

I absolutely love ToMo, and these are her books that had US publication in the '80s

I'm continuing my goal of reading through Morrison's books. I thought I would like this one, but I did not. This book is about 2 servants who are married and their employers, a white married couple. It's an interesting premise and I thought it was going to work, but the pacing was uneven, the plot was clunky, and the magical realism ineffective. This book had real beautiful moments that examined race, class and violence. But, it was fleeting.

#photobookchallenge day 24 - heartbreaking

Are any of Toni Morrison's books NOT heartbreaking?!

#diversebooks #blackhistorymonth #womenwriters

This was such a beautifully written book. This was only my second Toni Morrison book but I definitely need to read more. Also, we've started our very Canadian winter tradition of Roll up the Rim!!

Time for some Toni Morrison.

Round four of our #tenatatime project! Here's my new round of ten books. @Kosugi and I have definitely found success in slowly whittling down our TBR piles since we started doing this! #TBR

Lordie, but she hits hard. Toni Morrison don't play! Who do you all think are the next generation Toni Morrison?

If you've read enough Toni Morrison, you know it's coming...that OMG moment when your heart stutters because of something horrible that happens/is revealed. And yet, I'm never prepared even during a reread. I just gasped and had to put the book down for a few minutes to regain my composure. And composure is the wrong word because after you get socked by Ms. Morrison, I don't think you are ever the same.

For Read Harder challenge reread a book prompt, Cleo and I are tackling Tar Baby by Toni Morrison.

I read The Bluest Eye for my degree but haven't read any others. Tar Baby was so beautifully descriptive even when describing unlikeable events. The writing will stay with me. I liked that the ending was not happy!

Picked up a new copy of Beloved and Got Tar Baby - time to work though Morrison's Cannon! #books #tonimorrison #reading

True to its flap, this really is a story of relationships. Multiple characters reflect on each plotline, progressing the story and their personalities through their reactions (above), secrets and different beliefs. Beautifully written and thoughtful, with insight into how people truly interact and react.

"...[T]he windows could be left open even in a storm and no rain could enter the rooms — only wind, scents and torn-away leaves." What a perfect description of summer storms.

"So he never knew what it was exactly that had refreshed him." Baltimore, the city he left, becomes a living stream he drinks from and then forgets. Yet he remains refreshed. Lethe.