Hey Bookish Boo!

This has been a week and I debated whether to bring any of that into the newsletter this week, but ultimately I am an advocate, a Black woman and a journalist. All of that comes with me to my work, to the books you love. So are book political? Is there room in the bookish space online for politics?

In short. Yes. Let me explain briefly before you roll your eyes and scroll down to the freebie romance books.

Every time you pick up a book that centers women, women's pleasure, joy and needs you are being political. You are voting with your dollars about what matters, what and who is important. You financially supporting women in an industry that has deep inequities, you are supporting women in their small business as indie authors, you're making a political statement every single time you tap open that Kindle or sail into a Barnes and Noble and tell the powers that be what stories you want to read. About who deserves more marketing, those ad dollars, that spot on the table or end cap at the store. That's powerful stuff. YOU'RE powerful stuff.

Even reading for leisure - how many times has someone said you should be laboring - around the house and outside of it either for the comfort of others or to make more money to spend on more things? Or reading something more 'important.' You prioritizing your rest is political.

Did you know I was told to change my main characters to white women if I ever wanted to be successful? Then was told to leave their brown faces off the book because people would be turned off? And this was not one person but many, and among them professional book marketers/editors etc. So, me just showing up and insisting my characters stay the way I see them to be is political, is an act of resistance.

That's just a tiny look at why books are political, why reading is an act of protest and why we should NEVER silence someone speaking about the politics of books and publishing. These conversations keep our choices at the forefront and strengthen, not weaken the bookish community. Now go on and find you some books.

And set a reminder to join me tonight on Instagram: