Blackreadingjoy
@robinlashanna.bsky.social
Writer. Reader. Activist. Public health. Retired chef. Hufflepuff
Current Reads:
Beyond the Mark
Current Reads:
Beyond the Mark
3.75✨ An author who is struggling with inspiration, a firefighter who struggles with his past and a small town called Santa Clause! Good story but lost me a bit in the middle due to focus on the spicy scenes and less on the actual story.
🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Holiday: 🎄🎄🎄/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Holiday: 🎄🎄🎄/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
December 15, 2025 at 3:26 AM
3.75✨ An author who is struggling with inspiration, a firefighter who struggles with his past and a small town called Santa Clause! Good story but lost me a bit in the middle due to focus on the spicy scenes and less on the actual story.
🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Holiday: 🎄🎄🎄/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Holiday: 🎄🎄🎄/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
3.5✨ Bee and Clover swap apartments as both are looking to get away from home for the holidays and find a fresh start across the country.
This book fell flat and didn’t bring me the Christmas vibes I was looking for.
💪🏾 LGBTQIA+ rep!
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🔥
Holiday cheer: 🎄
#booksky #Blackbooksky
This book fell flat and didn’t bring me the Christmas vibes I was looking for.
💪🏾 LGBTQIA+ rep!
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🔥
Holiday cheer: 🎄
#booksky #Blackbooksky
December 11, 2025 at 4:00 AM
3.5✨ Bee and Clover swap apartments as both are looking to get away from home for the holidays and find a fresh start across the country.
This book fell flat and didn’t bring me the Christmas vibes I was looking for.
💪🏾 LGBTQIA+ rep!
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🔥
Holiday cheer: 🎄
#booksky #Blackbooksky
This book fell flat and didn’t bring me the Christmas vibes I was looking for.
💪🏾 LGBTQIA+ rep!
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🔥
Holiday cheer: 🎄
#booksky #Blackbooksky
4✨ Christmasy Noel rents out her apartment for the holidays. In walks Kanton, a business man (Scrooge) with a plan. Much to his surprise Noel is home when he arrives and they must coexist for the week.
Predictable but cute!
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🔥🔥.5/5
Holiday Cheer: 🎄🎄🎄🎄/5
#blackbooksky #booksky
Predictable but cute!
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🔥🔥.5/5
Holiday Cheer: 🎄🎄🎄🎄/5
#blackbooksky #booksky
December 10, 2025 at 12:29 AM
4✨ Christmasy Noel rents out her apartment for the holidays. In walks Kanton, a business man (Scrooge) with a plan. Much to his surprise Noel is home when he arrives and they must coexist for the week.
Predictable but cute!
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🔥🔥.5/5
Holiday Cheer: 🎄🎄🎄🎄/5
#blackbooksky #booksky
Predictable but cute!
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🔥🔥.5/5
Holiday Cheer: 🎄🎄🎄🎄/5
#blackbooksky #booksky
I knew it’d be tough to read, and it was. It’s well structured, essy to read, and doesn’t drop huge bombs, but it does share some surprising political moments. What stands out most is her genuine concern for the country and her willingness to own her mistakes.
Version: 🎧
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Version: 🎧
#booksky #Blackbooksky
December 9, 2025 at 2:33 AM
I knew it’d be tough to read, and it was. It’s well structured, essy to read, and doesn’t drop huge bombs, but it does share some surprising political moments. What stands out most is her genuine concern for the country and her willingness to own her mistakes.
Version: 🎧
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Version: 🎧
#booksky #Blackbooksky
The last month I’ve been moving a bit slower. Taking time to reflect and breath. I read my books a little slower and that’s ok. Here are my November reads brought to you by @thestorygraph.com . An independent company that is doing this book thing on their own. #booksky #Blackbooksky
December 7, 2025 at 4:16 AM
The last month I’ve been moving a bit slower. Taking time to reflect and breath. I read my books a little slower and that’s ok. Here are my November reads brought to you by @thestorygraph.com . An independent company that is doing this book thing on their own. #booksky #Blackbooksky
3.0✨ The book focuses on a wedding in the family. The bride finds out that an assassination is set to happen and she can’t tell anyone except her funny aunties!
Some of the laughs are there but it dragged. Not as good as the first in the series.
Version: 🎧
Twists: 🌪️🌪️
#booksky #bluesky
Some of the laughs are there but it dragged. Not as good as the first in the series.
Version: 🎧
Twists: 🌪️🌪️
#booksky #bluesky
November 29, 2025 at 3:51 AM
4.0✨ It gave full-on “how did we get here?” energy, involving one daughter, four Chinese-Indonesian aunties, a dead body, a wedding, and a second-chance romance - all in one book!
Sometimes you just need a ridiculous, feel-good escape.
Version: 🎧 via Libby
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️/5
#booksky #bluesky
Sometimes you just need a ridiculous, feel-good escape.
Version: 🎧 via Libby
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️/5
#booksky #bluesky
November 23, 2025 at 2:56 AM
3.5✨This bio is thorough, messy, and honest. Pearlman digs deep, sometimes too deep, and the audiobook drags. He covers Afeni, the Panthers, Pac’s brilliance, contradictions, and the harm he caused.
Main critique: the cultural and systemic context is often missed.
Version: 🎧
ALC from NetGalley
Main critique: the cultural and systemic context is often missed.
Version: 🎧
ALC from NetGalley
November 20, 2025 at 1:09 AM
3.5✨This bio is thorough, messy, and honest. Pearlman digs deep, sometimes too deep, and the audiobook drags. He covers Afeni, the Panthers, Pac’s brilliance, contradictions, and the harm he caused.
Main critique: the cultural and systemic context is often missed.
Version: 🎧
ALC from NetGalley
Main critique: the cultural and systemic context is often missed.
Version: 🎧
ALC from NetGalley
3.75✨ Well written? Did it pull me in? Major twists? YES!
But, there was one big storyline element that just didn’t work for me. Can’t say more without spoilers, but definitely Google the trigger warnings before diving in.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️.5/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
But, there was one big storyline element that just didn’t work for me. Can’t say more without spoilers, but definitely Google the trigger warnings before diving in.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️.5/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
November 9, 2025 at 1:54 AM
3.75✨ Well written? Did it pull me in? Major twists? YES!
But, there was one big storyline element that just didn’t work for me. Can’t say more without spoilers, but definitely Google the trigger warnings before diving in.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️.5/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
But, there was one big storyline element that just didn’t work for me. Can’t say more without spoilers, but definitely Google the trigger warnings before diving in.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️.5/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
4✨ Dark. Twisty. Intense. Jane is in a loveless marriage, in a house she hates, with a career that has never gotten off the ground. But all this is about to change when she finds out her college friend Thalia is going to be at a writers con.
Read it!
Version: 🎧
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️/5
#booksky #bluesky
Read it!
Version: 🎧
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️/5
#booksky #bluesky
November 1, 2025 at 4:33 AM
3.50✨ Summer’s Echo is a story of friends to lovers, lost love, and a whole lot of slow burn. The story flips between Summer and Echo, both as teens and then as adults, right after Summer’s wedding goes up in smoke.
Moved way too slow. Not my fave.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Moved way too slow. Not my fave.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
October 29, 2025 at 3:16 AM
3.50✨ Summer’s Echo is a story of friends to lovers, lost love, and a whole lot of slow burn. The story flips between Summer and Echo, both as teens and then as adults, right after Summer’s wedding goes up in smoke.
Moved way too slow. Not my fave.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Moved way too slow. Not my fave.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
4.5✨ Natasha Bishop has officially become one of my go-to romance authors, and the final book in her “Lost and Found” series did not disappoint!
We’ve got a second-chance romance, a demanding father, and women’s sports all in one book!
Read the series
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
We’ve got a second-chance romance, a demanding father, and women’s sports all in one book!
Read the series
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
October 26, 2025 at 3:07 AM
4.5✨ Natasha Bishop has officially become one of my go-to romance authors, and the final book in her “Lost and Found” series did not disappoint!
We’ve got a second-chance romance, a demanding father, and women’s sports all in one book!
Read the series
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
We’ve got a second-chance romance, a demanding father, and women’s sports all in one book!
Read the series
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Sorry I’ve been a bit MIA. I’ve been busy becoming an official half marathoner! Back to your regularly scheduled reading programming #booksky #Blackbooksky
October 25, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Sorry I’ve been a bit MIA. I’ve been busy becoming an official half marathoner! Back to your regularly scheduled reading programming #booksky #Blackbooksky
3.5✨ Two POVs: a 1930s actress and a 1950s ballerina dealing with her father’s death. Their stories intertwine, but I never felt fully pulled in. Clocked the culprit early, which made the rest feel like a slow march.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
October 25, 2025 at 2:50 AM
3.5✨ Two POVs: a 1930s actress and a 1950s ballerina dealing with her father’s death. Their stories intertwine, but I never felt fully pulled in. Clocked the culprit early, which made the rest feel like a slow march.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
3.25✨ Mafia romance wasn’t quite for me.
1️⃣Spice? Very morally grey. Felt like it was steering the plot more than supporting it
2️⃣Story itself needed more meat.
3️⃣SO many pop culture references.
Easy listen and great narrators
Thanks to NetGalley for ALC.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#Blackbooksky #booksky
1️⃣Spice? Very morally grey. Felt like it was steering the plot more than supporting it
2️⃣Story itself needed more meat.
3️⃣SO many pop culture references.
Easy listen and great narrators
Thanks to NetGalley for ALC.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#Blackbooksky #booksky
October 11, 2025 at 1:31 AM
3.25✨ Mafia romance wasn’t quite for me.
1️⃣Spice? Very morally grey. Felt like it was steering the plot more than supporting it
2️⃣Story itself needed more meat.
3️⃣SO many pop culture references.
Easy listen and great narrators
Thanks to NetGalley for ALC.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#Blackbooksky #booksky
1️⃣Spice? Very morally grey. Felt like it was steering the plot more than supporting it
2️⃣Story itself needed more meat.
3️⃣SO many pop culture references.
Easy listen and great narrators
Thanks to NetGalley for ALC.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#Blackbooksky #booksky
5✨Did y’all know there was a Black king & queen on US soil, who were formerly enslaved? Me neither.
A real town built by formerly enslaved folks, determined to build a life on their own terms. They called it The Happy Land.
History we should have learned in school.
#Blackbooksky #booksky #Bluesky
A real town built by formerly enslaved folks, determined to build a life on their own terms. They called it The Happy Land.
History we should have learned in school.
#Blackbooksky #booksky #Bluesky
October 8, 2025 at 1:45 AM
5✨Did y’all know there was a Black king & queen on US soil, who were formerly enslaved? Me neither.
A real town built by formerly enslaved folks, determined to build a life on their own terms. They called it The Happy Land.
History we should have learned in school.
#Blackbooksky #booksky #Bluesky
A real town built by formerly enslaved folks, determined to build a life on their own terms. They called it The Happy Land.
History we should have learned in school.
#Blackbooksky #booksky #Bluesky
October 6, 2025 at 2:37 AM
4✨ A rollercoaster ride. Deep-state vibes, a Supreme Court justice in a coma, and his legal clerk suddenly thrust into some high-stakes political chaos. She’s dodging operatives, unraveling secrets, & can’t trust anyone, especially not the government.
🎧
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
🎧
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
October 6, 2025 at 2:36 AM
4✨ A rollercoaster ride. Deep-state vibes, a Supreme Court justice in a coma, and his legal clerk suddenly thrust into some high-stakes political chaos. She’s dodging operatives, unraveling secrets, & can’t trust anyone, especially not the government.
🎧
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
🎧
Twists: 🌪️🌪️🌪️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
4.75✨ We finally get Sophie’s story. In book one she came off as a privileged socialite. Enter Trevor Bishop. He sees Sophie, not just the beauty and chaos, but the soul underneath. A love story that’s hot, heartfelt, and deep.
Trigger warning: Rape
Version: 🎧
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Trigger warning: Rape
Version: 🎧
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
September 28, 2025 at 3:14 AM
4.75✨ We finally get Sophie’s story. In book one she came off as a privileged socialite. Enter Trevor Bishop. He sees Sophie, not just the beauty and chaos, but the soul underneath. A love story that’s hot, heartfelt, and deep.
Trigger warning: Rape
Version: 🎧
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Trigger warning: Rape
Version: 🎧
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
4.5✨ Cam + Jo’s story was just wow. Their love is epic. Ryan digs deep, and what unfolds is one of the most layered, beautiful stories I’ve ever read. I’m still processing.
Topics-child abuse & addiction -handled with care and purpose.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Topics-child abuse & addiction -handled with care and purpose.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
September 28, 2025 at 2:24 AM
4.5✨ Cam + Jo’s story was just wow. Their love is epic. Ryan digs deep, and what unfolds is one of the most layered, beautiful stories I’ve ever read. I’m still processing.
Topics-child abuse & addiction -handled with care and purpose.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Topics-child abuse & addiction -handled with care and purpose.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
4.5✨ This second book pulled me in way more than the first. Walsh and Kerris’ story continues, complicated, emotional, and real. It’s not just about love, it’s heartbreak, healing, and hope. All the big stuff.
Definitely sticking with this series.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Definitely sticking with this series.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
September 26, 2025 at 3:25 AM
4.5✨ This second book pulled me in way more than the first. Walsh and Kerris’ story continues, complicated, emotional, and real. It’s not just about love, it’s heartbreak, healing, and hope. All the big stuff.
Definitely sticking with this series.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Definitely sticking with this series.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
4.25⭐ 🎧 She Didn’t See It Coming kept me up way too late. A wife vanishes, suddenly everyone in her life is a suspect.
Devoted husband? Best friend? Sister? Stranger? The twists had me second-guessing everyone to the last page.
🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️ twists / 🌶️ spice
#booksky #bluesky
Devoted husband? Best friend? Sister? Stranger? The twists had me second-guessing everyone to the last page.
🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️ twists / 🌶️ spice
#booksky #bluesky
September 24, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Kerris is dating Cam, but her heart belongs to his best friend, Walsh. That’s the story.
I wanted to love this, but the miscommunication wore me down. Didn’t connect with the characters, but I’ll keep reading the series, I’m in too deep.
#booksky #Blackbooksky
I wanted to love this, but the miscommunication wore me down. Didn’t connect with the characters, but I’ll keep reading the series, I’m in too deep.
#booksky #Blackbooksky
September 21, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Kerris is dating Cam, but her heart belongs to his best friend, Walsh. That’s the story.
I wanted to love this, but the miscommunication wore me down. Didn’t connect with the characters, but I’ll keep reading the series, I’m in too deep.
#booksky #Blackbooksky
I wanted to love this, but the miscommunication wore me down. Didn’t connect with the characters, but I’ll keep reading the series, I’m in too deep.
#booksky #Blackbooksky
TW: Harm to children
⭐️ 2.5/5 | 🌪️ Twists: 4/5
Solid twists & I didn’t guess the ending but it dragged. Each chapter introduced a new suspect, with flat characters. Gets graphic near the end, felt uncomfortable.
The ending? No closure.
Also, basically a JonBenét Ramsey copy.
#booksky #bluesky
⭐️ 2.5/5 | 🌪️ Twists: 4/5
Solid twists & I didn’t guess the ending but it dragged. Each chapter introduced a new suspect, with flat characters. Gets graphic near the end, felt uncomfortable.
The ending? No closure.
Also, basically a JonBenét Ramsey copy.
#booksky #bluesky
September 19, 2025 at 12:59 AM
4✨ Where We Found Our Heart is a sequel. It is a romance novel, and while I did miss the suspenseful edge of the first, it delivered on sweetness, swoon, and spice.
Heartfelt romance, emotionally available men, and feels like a hug.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Heartfelt romance, emotionally available men, and feels like a hug.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
September 7, 2025 at 2:14 AM
4✨ Where We Found Our Heart is a sequel. It is a romance novel, and while I did miss the suspenseful edge of the first, it delivered on sweetness, swoon, and spice.
Heartfelt romance, emotionally available men, and feels like a hug.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky
Heartfelt romance, emotionally available men, and feels like a hug.
Version: 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
#booksky #Blackbooksky