by K. Osorio-Teamer

I made a goal this year to read 12 books. That didn’t happen. I made it to 9, though! This breaks my record for the past few years and I’m proud of it. I wanted to read more for two reasons: 

Reason 1: Reading was once my favorite pastime and I wanted to reconnect with that part of me. 

Reason 2: Even though I don’t agree with the sentiment that you have to be an avid reader to be a writer, I don’t diminish the endless benefits of reading for my writing. It stirs my imagination and curiosity. I enjoy learning new words and witnessing how other writers craft their sentences together to build a story. 

So here is my reading list and a valuable lesson I learned from each book as a writer or just a human.

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 

The answer is inside of me. Whatever I’m looking for in life, I have to search within me and be willing to listen to what I find there. 

2. Have You Seen Marie? by Sandra Cisneros

This is an illustrated short story that I read with my one and a half year old. I didn’t think she’d actually sit through it, but maybe she was just as invested as I was in the gorgeous illustrations and search for Marie the cat. I was there because I love all things Sandra Cisneros, but I stayed for the grieving daughter coming to terms with the loss of her mother. 

3. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros

Sandra is always teaching me something. This time she taught me you can tell a story in a number of ways. This collection was heartbreaking, inspiring, and all the things in between. It’s sprinkled with surrealism and magic, but stays grounded in it’s telling of women’s survival and the many forms of love. One story really stayed with me: the many prayers left on the altar in a church. You read the pleas and gratitude of the parishioners and get a glimpse into their reality. For a split second you are them. It had me balling! 

4. Corazón by Yesika Salgado

I started following Yesika on Instagram years ago, but I had yet to read any of her books. This bad bitch has 3 out now! She is a Salvadoran poet currently in LA and her heart and soul are split between two countries. As a Central American writer who writes about love, sadness, death, and body image, she speaks all my languages. She taught me the beauty and acceptance of poetry. It is truly the most intimate storytelling device. It is entirely ours and can have any shape and form. You’ll see her again on this list. 

5. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

I was a child raised on fantasy books, and this one came in a time when my quintessential magic story Harry Potter was beginning to be stained by the tweets of a woman who shall not be named. It was an exciting story from the first page, and the protagonist Zelie was strong, stubborn, and had all the courage I wanted to personify this year. Also, I got sorted into a maji clan, which is always fun. (Who doesn’t love a quiz?) Connectors, assemble! The sequel to this book just came out and it’s on my tbr list for 2020. 

6. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay 

I needed this book. I often question if I’m enough of a feminist or if I’m even doing it right. Roxan taught there is no right way to do it, and that we’re all doing it wrong, too. I think. It made me laugh multiple times and gave me a glimpse into the type of book I’d like to write one day. 

7. Small Doses: Potent Truths for Everyday Use by Amanda Seales 

I went through an Amanda Seales binge for a couple of months this year. I consumed her podcast, Instagram, and HBO special. When I realized she wrote a book, I couldn’t wait to read it! The book was insightful and filled with original art and poetry by Amanda. As a fan, it was exactly what I wanted. 

8. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

This story was told from multiple points of view starting in present day and ending in the Garcia sisters’ childhood. The family travels from the Dominican Republic to New York due to the father’s political ties to a coup orchestrated by the United States. I could connect to their immigrant story, but I was often annoyed at the family’s privilege and even in the US. The reverence of the US government and the way indigenous and black people were portrayed pissed me off, but I think that may have been the point. All in all, a great read and I plan to read more of her work. 

9. Tesoro by Yesika Salgado 

Tesoro was written for women about the ways we hold each other up and help each other survive. Many of these poems had me squealing and I had to read them out loud to finally calm down. I’m a wordy writer and used to see beauty only in long prose, but Yesika’s poetry helped me see that three words or lines can be just as, if not more, powerful. One of my favorite poems, Las Locas, speaks to the double standards between men and women. It ends in these five lines. 

“tell me about that time again

where you were free, 

when you made a mess,

and were forgiven

the way we forgive men”

Happy reading and next year I’m coming at ya with 10 AT LEAST!

by S. L. Jordan

Read Between the Wines Reads:

1. January 2019 – Homecoming by Yaya Gyasi Massey
2. February 2019 – Glass Town by Steven Savile
3. June 2019 – Let Love Have the Last Word: A Memoir by Common
4. July 2019 – Finding My Voice by Valerie Jarrett
5. August 2019 – More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth
6. September 2019 – Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
7. October 2019 – Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

Worst Read of the Year:

1. Let Love Have the Last Word: A Memoir by Common

This book was a complete waste of my time.

Best Worst Read of the Year:

1. Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

The most infuriating protagonist. I found her to be an unreliable narrator, but her writing style was so raw that I couldn’t put the book down once I started. I also walked away with a new perspective on how I choose to compliment children. I found myself recommending this book to many people. 

Most Awaited Books of the Year:

1. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
2. Good Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
3. Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
4. Children of Vengeance by Toni Adeyemi
5. War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi
6. Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke
7. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo 
8. The Toll by Neal Shusterman

By: Tony Williams

Here’s a poem of sorts inspired by Mary Oliver’s “I Want to Write Something So Simple”

I want to write a romance

With a meet cute

A boy meets girl

Two adults, age is just a number

He’s into her, she into him

He’s an intellectual

A Starfleet Captain, maybe

Or a teacher, professor, civil servant

She’s an artist, astronomer, civil servant

Starfleet Captain

He would slay monsters for her

She would fight alongside 

He would cook and clean

She would bring him joy and 

Activism

There would be obstacles

Wouldn’t be a story without, Conflict

Real Love, Mary J Blige style

Breaks it all down

Makes a new template

Turns romance into love

I want to write a love story

With fallible characters who disappoint 

And, still have their HEA.

By K. Osorio-Teamer

The word I set for my 2019 was courage.

As a deeply committed Harry Potter fan, I spend much of my time reaffirming my Ravenclaw status (as a Ravenclaw does). I relish in knowing the answer to any question, I seek knowledge when I don’t know something, and I do my best to read as much as I can. Once an avid reader, I hit a slump a few years ago, but am proud to say I’ve read more books in 2019 than in any year since 2014. With that being said, knowledge and wit have been my greatest treasure since I took the Sorting Hat quiz all those years ago. This year, I ventured toward another house for the quality I wished to embody: Gryffindor’s courage. 

I wanted the lion hearted nerve that Hermione, Harry, and Ron had within them every time they broke school rules, travelled into the Forbidden Forest, and somehow still won the house cup! It showed up for me in different ways throughout the year. Simple things that now have become habit. Saying no to things instead of agreeing to everything and feeling overwhelmed and tired once the day came. That took courage for my people pleasin ass. I figured out honest but considerate ways to tell people when I disagreed with their ideas. 2018 Me would have taken the easy way out and either agreed or said something vague like “that’s interesting” in order to get out of the conversation as soon as possible without potentially upsetting someone. 

Focusing on courage throughout 2019 meant becoming more comfortable with the uncomfortableness of vulnerability. Having tough conversations with friends, family, and myself. Conversations that once would have been avoided at all costs – like a fight with a best friend that I confronted head on instead of letting time pass. We’re closer than ever because we allowed the awkward conversation to lead us to safety. I think the greatest leap in courage has been with myself. Taking the time to call out my own bullshit while still being kind was a big one for me. I finally took the step to start therapy this year after years of knowing I needed it, but choosing to let any obstacle stop me from taking action. Oh, this therapist’s office never called me back, I guess I won’t try calling them. Oh, I can’t make online appointments? This is so inconvenient. *Six Months Later* Shit, my ass needs therapy. And the cycle would continue. Holding on to courage and kindness this year allowed me to take the necessary step to improve my relationships and my mental health journey. 

2020 is a month a way and I’m not quite sure what word will steer me for the next 365. JK Rowling has fucked with my head a lot the past few years with her wild claims about the wizarding world. Like Hogwarts students shitting all over the castle and simply using a spell to make it disappear before they integrated muggle plumbing into the school. REALLY?? Regardless, there’s something still pure and powerful about the canon I lived with my entire childhood. I could aim to embody another house’s traits next year: Hufflepuff’s fairness and hard work or Slytherin’s cunning and loyalty. Until I take a moment to really think it through I will continue on with the heart of a lion.