will you take another coffee shop throwback!? i have no idea where this one is. went to so many🥺. hoping you all are doing ok. decluttering your heart, mind & spirit for greater things and a peaceful life! 🤎☕️ 🍂 (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIQ-_hSHFjW/?igshid=wydhm9lc6pjx

Excited to pick up a book again. This one is special because I went to college with Ger. He’d come and hang out in my apartment at the time. He is 7 feet tall, was recruited for b-ball of course but what I remember about him was how soft spoken, extremely mild mannered and kind he was. It’s been YEARS since I’ve seen him but I still feel so proud. Ger was a child soldier and when the North Sudanese military attacked his village, he lost so many friends and loved ones. He somehow made it out to safety and later became an international peace activist and actor. I never new the full details of his backstory and I’m excited to dive in. What are you currently cozied up with!? 🍂☕️🕯 Hoping you’re having a good day so far! (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CG0T8k8Hhl5/?igshid=1mpmybsnj12vh

Happy Sunday!! 🍂☕️🎃🕯 It’s cold out & a little gloomy. Excited to curl up with the goodies and watch Netflix. I feel like I’ve watched everything lol. I recently watched The Social Dilemma & omgggggg I feel like not having any kind of social media presence at all. So scary, but really interesting. I also watched the Chicago 7. What have you been watching lately? What are some of your recommendations!? (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGxu5ZXntaK/?igshid=4swmshggzqgp

Throwback to warm apple cider donuts & a crispy cool day at the pumpkin patch.🍂☕️🎃 I was thinking about if someone were standing, face forward, in front of me and we decide to play a game to see how many tennis balls I could catch. The first one is thrown. I catch it. No problem. Then the second one is thrown and I catch that one. Easy breezy. Same thing with the third. I’m feeling pretty good!! Now they’re being thrown at greater frequency, the game is getting harder and there’s a break in my catching streak. I catch maybe two more, but all the rest have slipped from or were completely out of reach from my hands & fallen to the ground. All the balls have been thrown. Game over. Rather than celebrate the balls I did catch, my confidence & self esteem lie in a pile with the ones I DIDN’T. How do we begin to reframe our thinking away from ignoring our successes no matter how small they are!? How do we see failure, under any circumstance, as just a lesson and/or the part of the process rather than the totality of our self worth!? Why are we conditioned to ignore our own accomplishments, blessings!? “Yes Cici!! You caught 5 tennis balls!” NOT “Aw Cici!! You didn’t catch *insert number* tennis balls!” Maybe it’s listening to your own voice acknowledging the triumph or writing down your accomplishments so that you visually see them. I don’t know. I have an unpopular opinion these days about the self movement because to me it seems to have taken, what I think, could be a detrimental turn but the flip side is how can you be a vessel for others when your own cup is empty. I’m facing one of the biggest, most heartbreaking challenges of my life RIGHT NOW. Rather than focus on the failure of it, I’m choosing to call it the greatest lesson I have ever learned so it’s actually a gift. You are not your failures. You are not your mistakes. Concede to your own self defeating voice. Hoping you’re having a good weekend so far!! 🤎 (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGvEnJ1nP3i/?igshid=1xiyl2xzizpyc

Nothing like the spirit of autumn 🍂☕️I was reminiscing about the apple cider donuts I made from scratch last year. I was so proud. Thanks to YouTube, I think I’m going to make custard cream buns this year. Will be in my stories of course. I think it’s time to plan my visit to a pumpkin patch too. 🍂Have you baked any special autumn treats!? 🍂What autumnal activities have you gotten into!? 🍂 I am not much of a rereader but I will be rereading The Night Circus. I do it every year. It’s rainy and gloomy so today would be a perfect day to curl up with it, but that probably won’t happen LOL. Are you reading any particular books during this season!? Hi btw 🤎. Such is life....ooooof...it’s been millenniums and I hope everyone is ok! (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGsgN9JnkUU/?igshid=4j8to8a1wlgu

🍂🕯☕️🤎✨ Just a little autumnal musing on this cool, damp Sunday while I’m still reading my way through High As The Waters Rise. I’ve made it to chapter 20 and it’s falling a bit short for me. 🍂 Do you have any specific books you’re looking forward to reading for fall!? I re-read The Secret History & The Night Circus every year and I will be adding a re-read of The Vanishing Half because it’s magnificent. I’m not a seasonal reader overall, but there’s just something about this time. 🍂 If you have any fall reading recs, drop them below!! Hope you’re having a not to stressful day! (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEzlCchnMTY/?igshid=fj54depqvyfr

🍂🕯☕️✨🤎 Hi all! It’s been awhile. I’ve had to REALLY focus on my health unlike any other time in my life, but I am the girl with all of the faith no matter how things APPEAR to be. 🍂 There are coffee shops open in my area so I am looking forward to relaxing there, reading and working on things. It’s still warm but autumn is upon us. I just can’t consume social media the way I used to. I go DAYS without looking at IG b/c I’ve created so much peace in my personal life. I HAD to so I won’t spiral. There is such an emptiness on this app as a whole that I find impossible to put into words; although I love the bookstagram community. There is a way to teach truth and educate without darkness and a way to learn and understand without darkness. You CANNOT fight what is without a doubt, spiritual warfare with just viral sentiments & an app. I will leave that there🙏🏽. However, I have been peeping all of your beautiful fall photos and it gets me more amped for the season. 🍂 I’m currently reading High As the Waters Rise by Anna Kampmann. It’s translated from German by Anne Posten. It tells the story of an oil rig worker whose friend goes missing and the set of circumstances around his friend’s disappearance that sends him spiraling into mental and emotional breakdowns across many landscapes. I am only on chapter 10 but the writing is so vivid and I also appreciate how the author has written the relationship between the main male characters in a sensitive, tender and intimate way. I’m really enjoying it so far. Thank you so much to the folks @catapult for sending this one my way!! (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CExBlyLnuHg/?igshid=1payme0o5da1y

Happy release day to A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan!! Thank you so much @penguinrandomhouse for sending this fantastic book my way. I am almost finished and this is going to be one of my favorites this year. This is my first novel by an author with autism and a main character with autism. These are the stories and representation that matters. The writing is so good and I will be ambushing @coffeeandbooks to discuss this! A Room Called Earth is an extraordinary story of a fiercely original young woman whose radical self-acceptance illuminates a new way of being in the world, and opens up a whole new realm of understanding and connection. I would absolutely keep this one on your radar my friends!! Hope everyone is doing ok!! 🤎 (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEC1PiqHfpH/?igshid=5xwap692k9dy

Hi all!! I’m curious about your reading position.🥰 Where is your typical reading spot!? Where are you most cozy!? I discovered that I am incredibly restless when I’m reading in the bed. I cannot get comfortable to save my life lol. I go from on my back with the book hovering over me, to on my side, to flipping to the other side. For some reason, I can sit at my desk for HOURS and do Bible study and prayer time, but I can’t sit there comfortably with a book. My couch actually reclines in three sections so the cozy corner to the left has become my spot. I’m reading my way through two books. Luster by Raven Leilani and A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan which I’ll be discussing with @coffeeandbookss. I am really enjoying both so far so it’s a win win. (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD4PPCJnCc5/?igshid=19hb8d8b3ka0g

BOOK REVIEW 🍂 Thank you so much @penguinrandomhouse for sending this free copy of Zadie Smith’s Intimations my way! Swing Time was the first Zadie Smith novel I read and also happened to be the very first book I received from a publisher. I didn’t enjoy Swing Time at all, where I found it to be beautifully written, I was also extremely bored by it. However, I have still been interested in reading more of her work. I finished this one today. Intimations is a collection of Smith’s short personal essays written at the inception of the quarantine. Permeated throughout each essay is Smith’s deeply softhearted, funny and emotional introspection as she’s processing life’s foundational and existential questions. Reading her essays made me reflect on my own ebb and flow in our current climate. In the beginning of quarantine I was thriving. I had no problem sitting with myself, basking in the little things and processing my feelings. Where others complained of boredom, I saw the opportunity to self improve; to try to grow in some area or in some way. Then when the civil unrest began, that was interrupted. It caused me to lose sight of the little things so I began to feel a heaviness - a weight that both belonged and didn’t belong to me and so I HAD to be MORE intentional about my time, my energy and my peace. This one is all of 97 pages. I didn’t find these collection of essays “deeply” moving but I like that they made me reflect on my own sense of self & how I’ve processed my feelings during these unorthodox times. (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD1_CrWHsCc/?igshid=117mil38qj2xh

How do you describe someone practically indescribable!? How can you compare someone undoubtedly incomparable!? How do you sum up everything you’ve learned from one individual when the vastness of their knowledge and wisdom is boundless!? And how can one person weave together, so eloquently in words, the foresight & forethought on the American system of racism that will reverberate forever no matter the era!? I met you when I was 17. Not physically, but at a book fair and from there I have been enamored with who you are, your storytelling, your truth, your sagacity and fearlessness. To my favorite author, thank you for leaving a legacy of sentences, essays, poems & an overall body of work that points towards hard truths and necessary change. Happy birthday #JamesBaldwin 🤎 artist credit for third photo 🎨 : NIKKOLAS (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDZjLkcnoZs/?igshid=mq3bqift1ejt

#ad #sponsored I miss traveling so much. {insert things we took for granted number 3536637} I’m so glad I got the chance to travel last year. I went to Rome, Bali and my dream destination, Paris🥰. There are a few books I want to read that highlight the travel experiences from the perspective of Black women - Black Girl in Paris by Shay Youngblood & Hola Morocha! A Black Women’s Adventure in Buenos Aries: Culture Shock by Jennifer Poe. When we get the ok, where would you like to travel to!? I’ve collaborated with @ariatravelkit to share their eco friendly travel kit with you. I said yes because the main items included are all locally sourced from reputable small business owners, their items are all handmade, all-natural products & they say no to mass-produced factory made items. I put together a little IGTV video to show you what comes inside the case {outside of comfort zone alert}. I actually love it and will be taking it with me on my next journey ✈️. Hope you all are ok & enjoy the vid!! 🤎 (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCzD8wiHSR3/?igshid=qvml97engaf1

🍂REVIEW FOR THE VANISHING HALF IS UP ON @the.storygraph & Goodreads. LINK IN BIO IF INTERESTED 🍂 I don’t know that I’d be adding anything different to the conversation about TVH that hasn’t already been stated. It is WELL worth the praise it has gotten. I gravitate towards generational stories {thinking of Min Jin Lee} and Brit Bennett did a PHENOMENAL job. I was hooked with every turn of the page. From the synopsis & reviews of others, I was prepared to just dive into a story about the twins, but fell even deeper into the story of their daughters. Glad I steered clear of spoilers. I became invested in them both. The story is excellently paced, the writing is stellar and although I found a few parts repetitive, I think it was necessary to drive home the theme of colorism. PLEASE if you haven’t read this one do so!! RECOMMENDATION FOR THEME RELATED BOOKS: A few books dealing with colorism that I’ve read are Passing by Nella Larsen and The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips. If you have any more recs to add here please do so. QOTD: Do you prioritize your reading each month or do you just go with the flow!? 🍂 Photo’d are a few books I’m looking forward to. Not necessarily for just the month of July but according to what I’d like to read next. This stack is ambitious but I’ll just go with the flow. I started reading Stamped by Ibram X. Kendi because of @melantedreader follow her read along of it. It’s not too late and EXTREMELY well organized. I am 30 pages or so into The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom because of @absorbedinpages and I am really blown away already. I am halfway through Free Food for Millionaires which I started during #APAH month and have been paused on for ages. Also photo’d is my dairy free, sugar free chocolate chip banana bread!! 🤎🥰 The recipe is still in my story, if you want to give it go and it will be in my ‘tranquility’ highlight if you miss it! Sending you all so much love 🤎 and happy Sunday. (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCjixkDn-g5/?igshid=6ywrwz4w04ha

#ad #sponsored with honest review 🍂 TW for book, not mentioned below: su**ide I organized my desk space again to make it a bit more cozy. Really being intentional about protecting my peace and that includes creating intentional spaces for tranquility. I sat in this corner with a warm cup of vegan hot chocolate and I finished a new read.🤎🥰 Thank you so much to Samantha @onfrolic & Jane at @kensingtonbooks for sending an ecopy of A Duke, The Lady, And a Baby by @vanessarileyauthor my way. I love historical fiction, but have not read many historical romances. This is the first book in a series and the story centers around a secret society on a mission to aid widows in financial privation during the 19th century and an interracial romance with an Afro-Caribbean heroine. Although this book was very enjoyable to read {very much needed honestly} @vanessarileyauthor didn’t stray away from pointing readers to a few historical details like the history of the Blackamoors of English society, the history of amputees and the experiences of emigrants from British colonies. I found myself researching about the Blackamoors {Africans in Tudor, England that were NOT slaves}. Themes: romance, patriarchy, strong women friendships, women empowerment, racialized hatred, disability and inequities all from the lens of the 19th century. I found the romance to be incredibly endearing. It was soapy not sappy. I appreciated the way in which the author wove the strengths, weaknesses & vulnerabilities of the women together without the singular “women are powerful and can take abuse” trope. However, I did find the pacing a bit slow in some parts and was also confused at times about the person-perspective. It seems to be written in first and third person with a consistent back and forth between the two. Although different from my usual preferred writing style, this book was still enjoyable to read. If you’re in need of a historical romance novel that highlights a bit of history, definitely snag this one. Hope everyone is doing ok and having a good end of the week.🤎 (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCenhJvHxBh/?igshid=1tgnnb3ui8du4

#ad #sponsored with honest review 🍂 TW: su**ide I organized my desk space again to make it a bit more cozy. Really being intentional about protecting my peace and that includes creating intentional spaces for tranquility. I sat in this corner with a warm cup of vegan hot chocolate and I finished a new read.🤎🥰 Thank you so much to Samantha @onfrolic & Jane at @kensingtonbooks for sending an ecopy of A Duke, The Lady, And a Baby by @vanessarileyauthor my way. I love historical fiction, but have not read many historical romances. This is the first book in a series and the story centers around a secret society on a mission to aid widows in financial privation during the 19th century and an interracial romance with an Afro-Caribbean heroine. Although this book was very enjoyable to read {very much needed honestly} @vanessarileyauthor didn’t stray away from pointing readers to a few historical details like the history of the Blackamoors of English society, the history of amputees and the experiences of emigrants from British colonies. I found myself researching about the Blackamoors {Africans in Tudor, England that were NOT slaves}. Themes: romance, patriarchy, strong women friendships, women empowerment, racialized hatred, disability and inequities all from the lens of the 19th century. I found the romance to be incredibly endearing. It was soapy not sappy. I appreciated the way in which the author wove the strengths, weaknesses & vulnerabilities of the women together without the singular “women are powerful and can take abuse” trope. However, I did find the pacing a bit slow in some parts and was also confused at times about the person-perspective. It seems to be written in first and third person with a consistent back and forth between the two. Although different from my usual preferred writing style, this book was still enjoyable to read. If you’re in need of a historical romance novel that highlights a bit of history, definitely snag this one. Hope everyone is doing ok and having a good end of the week.🤎 (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCem5y6HoR-/?igshid=bqbnww02ffqg

Afro puff in Paris + books. Take me back. @polly.florence ‘s post made me reminisce about a dream come true. (at Shakespeare and Company) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB_geI0nIJl/?igshid=1zn5hzj0u28r

Hope everyone is doing ok today🤎 First, I am so thankful for all of your lovely comments, support & encouragement on my last post🤎. We can’t evolve resting w/in the confines of our comfort zones. . I also wanted to note that since the amplification of more Black voices in the bookstagram community, there’s been a shift & I think it’s wonderful!! Last year I created a story highlight trying to shoutout more Black & POC bookstagrammers {NOT virtue signaling🙏🏽 please spare me} but when I went on a very long hiatus, I clean swept EVERYTHING from my bio including that. I wish I hadn’t done that because I hadn’t been able to remember them all, but what’s been so beneficial for me is rediscovering a lot of them again & new ones. I couldn’t see them at these “numbers”. They HAVE been suppressed & now Black literary voices matter and are reverberating beautifully. There’s been so much reflection, introspection & respect in the community. Nonsensical and irrelevant conversations regarding themed vs. non themed accounts, peoples captions, “generic” photos, grow pods etc. {still out of the loop on that one. I think I was away from social media when that one kicked off, per usual lol} have taken a back seat to more important topics; to the allure of storytelling; to unique narratives. There’s been more exploration of Black lit & more unlatched conversations. . I personally still don’t fully agree w/ the notion that if you are not deeply critiquing a book in every single caption that your post is somehow “thoughtless”. The foundation of bookstagram is absolutely reading, reviews, critiquing & dissecting because those are the privileges of the written word, but humanness is behind every bookstagram account & sometimes in between the written word people need, what some believe, to be “frivolous” or “thoughtless” sentiments. If you are a believer in “non conformity”, that has to extend across the board including what you think are the precepts to bookstagramming. I digress here, but all in all bookstagram seems to be a different space b/c there’s more of an openness. We have Black voices to thank for that!!🤎 . This stack was featured in my last post. See any on your tbr!? (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB9ASCln5XM/?igshid=uwxq5hf53ec