Books on My Desk: Books on Transitions, Becoming & Finding Your Magic
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month! I’ve been fortunate enough to get a new haul of books for May! Thank you to all of the authors and publishers who reached out to share these remarkable stories. Scenes from a Chrysalis by Jana Jones, who served as the editor of Spoken Black Girl Issue 6 Beauty, is coming out this May! I was fortunate enough to get an advanced copy, but you can pre-order this deeply relatable story of resilience and becoming after a serious storm here. We have two Author Spotlights to share as well as some new releases that I am currently enjoying. Want to win a free book courtesy of Saga Press? I have 6 arc copies of Not With a Bang by Temi Oh to give away. Scroll to the bottom to get the details on how to win!
Scenes From a Chrysalis by Jana Jones
It’s always an adventure whenever Maya “Peach” Calloway is on the brink of becoming someone new.
After surviving a prison sentence that taunted her sanity daily, Maya has successfully rebuilt her life brick by hard-won brick. Through sheer willpower, she has acquired a fulfilling job, a friend group of ambitious women who keep her laughing, and a therapist who refuses to let her hide from herself.
When forces beyond her control cause her new and old worlds to collide, Maya leans on her support system on both sides of the veil to confront the patterns that threaten to destroy everything.
Along the way, her path crosses with a charming group of young people determined to beat the odds, a lukewarm old flame who wants back into her orbit, and two new admirers with mysterious histories.
Every choice is a turning point.
Every step forward requires leaving something behind.
This is a story to remind us all that life is about becoming...again and again.
Mirror: An Intro to Healing and Reflective Poetry by Bianca Roberson
Mirror: An Intro to Healing and Reflective Poetry is a deeply personal and introspective collection that explores the journey of healing, self-discovery, and emotional growth. Through raw and honest reflections, it invites readers to confront their thoughts, embrace their emotions, and reconnect with themselves on a deeper level. This book serves as both a mirror and a guide—encouraging readers to reflect, release, and trust the process of healing as part of their divine path.
About Bianca:
Bianca is an author of reflective poetry centered on healing, growth, and self-discovery. Her work encourages readers to pause, reflect, and embrace their journey.
Abundantly You: A Toolkit for Authentic Self-Care by Kelly Ayana Nembhard
Abundantly You is a practical, evidence-informed guide that helps readers reconnect with who they truly are beneath the expectations they've absorbed from others. Built around the Authentic Self and Created Self framework, the book moves through seven dimensions of well-being — body, beliefs, truth, trauma, relationships, purpose, and daily life — with each article ending in an Intention of the Day. Self-care tips are woven throughout, and the book closes with a hands-on Self-Care Toolkit. The book Includes a foreword by R. Kelly Crace, PhD.
About Kelly:
Kelly Ayana Nembhard is an Authentic Self coach and energy healer born in Miami, raised in Jamaica, and based in Durham, North Carolina. She is a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Reiki Master Teacher, Advanced Crystal Master®, and certified aromatherapist. She is also former developmental and clinical researcher who holds a B.A. in Biology from Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Cell Biology from Duke University. Kelly is the founder of My Wealth in Health and the author of Abundantly You: A Toolkit for Authentic Self-Care.
Departure Story: a novel by Rowana Abbensetts-Dobson
I can’t believe my first novel, Departure Story, is turning five in June! If you haven’t read it yet, now is a great time to dive in.
Celestine Samuels is making the biggest trip of her life, from Guyana to the United States for college. At first, she is relieved to get away from her annoying sister, neglectful mother, and troublemaker brother and eager to embrace the new freedoms of the United States like Starbucks, bagels, and wild college parties. Reality sets in when she gets the news that her aunt and uncle in Guyana have been shot in an act of political violence. Unable to go home, Celestine decides to find justice by championing the cause of an African Dance group on her small midwestern campus. Meanwhile, matters of the heart couldn't be more confusing. She finds herself entangled in a romance with classmate and photographer Richard Wirth, while she can't help her curiosity about the obnoxiously cocky football star Don Bradford who also happens to be her fellow student council representative. No matter how far she travels, "Home" keeps haunting her dreams, leading her to question unforgivable family secrets and search for answers she may not want to know.
Cece’s Sour + Sweet Journey to Medical School by Dr. Candicee B. Childs
From a young age, Cece had her heart set on learning new things, and discovering how she could make a positive impact on the world. As she grows up, her passion for helping others intensifies and she sets her sights on a big dream – attending medical school to become a doctor. But Cece‘s path to her goal is filled with both sweet victories and sour setbacks. As the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
Through the highs and lows of her journey, Cece learns that failure is not the end, but a vital part of the process. In this heartwarming story, children will be inspired to embrace life's sour moments, and find the sweetness that comes from never giving up and staying true to their dreams. Join Cece as she teaches young readers valuable lessons about overcoming obstacles and staying hopeful, no matter how tough the journey gets.
Library of Flowers by L.C. Chu
Rooted in memory and steeped in magic, The Library of Flowers is a radiant exploration of family, identity, and the expectations we inherit, perfect for anyone who has ever carried the weight of a legacy—and dared to make it their own.
For centuries, the Hua women have held sway over the courts of emperors and billionaires with their magical perfumes able to stir hearts and ensure fortunes. And in every fifth generation, an eldest daughter is born with the rarest gift of all: the ability to summon true love.
As a long-awaited fifth daughter, Lucy was supposed to be the miracle her exacting mother had been waiting for. But when her magic failed, Lucy fled Vancouver, her legacy, and the expectations that had nearly broken her. Now, years later, she runs a tiny perfume shop tucked away in Toronto's Kensington Market—crafting beautiful, perfectly ordinary scents and keeping her extraordinary past firmly behind her. That is, until a death in the family brings her home...and saddles her with an unwelcome inheritance: the centuries-old Hua family register, brimming with secrets, formulas, and forgotten truths.
As Lucy unravels the stories of the women who came before her—including the mother whose complicated heart she never could understand—she must confront the tangled threads of love, power, and identity...and ask herself whether her magic was ever truly gone, or simply waiting for her to decide for herself what it means to be a daughter of the House of Hua.
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Spoken Black Girl Magazine Issue 6 Beauty
Spoken Black Girl Magazine: Issue 6 – Beauty is a radiant, full-color exploration of Black beauty rooted in self-love, authenticity and community. Weaving compelling mental health narratives with poetry and stunning visuals, Spoken Black Girl Issue 6 Beauty contains works that redefine beauty. Written, edited and curated by Black women and femmes, Spoken Black Girl Beauty offers a unique editorial viewpoint in which our beauty is the standard. Our Issue 6 cover features Solitude by Julie Atkinson.
Featured Issue 6 Beauty Contributors:
Adwoa Amponsah, Yewande Akinse, Julie Atkinson, Maroula Blades, Daisy Brown, Christie A. Cruise, Jada D'Antignac, Daniela Dampare, Kamaria Delaney, Elizabeth DeHaan, Crystal Foretia, Salisa L. Grant, Brandon LA Hutchinson, Yuki Jackson, Rev. Lotus La Loba, Michaela "Mikki" McKenzie, Brittney Miles, Amari Murray, Traci Neal, Adrienne Prather, Khalisa Rae, Karla M. Scipio, Kayla T., Chidera Udochukwu-Nduka, Afton Williams-Jacobs, Jasmine Williams-Jacobs, Maya Williams
Win a copy of Not With a Bang from Saga Press.
About the Book:
"Our father had imagined the end of the world so often that, for a while, he believed that he summoned it."
The Minton family is in crisis. After losing his job, Marcus begins stockpiling cans, running evacuation drills and digging a doomsday bunker in the back garden. At the same time, his daughters are unravelling in their own ways – Chantale is being haunted by dreams of disaster, and Briar’s obsession with a missing classmate draws her deeper into the seductive world of a UFO cult. Meanwhile, no one is aware of the diagnosis their mother has been trying to keep hidden.
When, on the morning of the eldest daughter’s wedding, an extinction-level event tears the world apart, the Mintons must fight their way through a devastated city—back to safety, survival, and each other.
How to Join the Giveaway:
Join the Spoken Black Girl Book Club
Follow @spokenblackgirl on Instagram
Tag 1 reader friend under this post who would enjoy the book.
The first 6 entries win a free arc copy!
