**A Conversation about Representation in Literature**

I was very happy that I as a white American woman I was able to discuss this with someone from the Caribbean and then you know we both talked about different own voices reviews that we had seen and shared that so I would highly recommend if you're not a person from the Caribbean that you you know ask one of your friends from the Caribbean or go seek out own voices reviews or something like that because this is a very difficult topic that Kansas cardi Williams is handling besides that whole conversation that's been happening so I think this book is definitely you know this is her debut and I think there's definitely a lot of growth available for there if I were to give the book a star rating I would give it three stars because it was fun in page-turning and it dealt with a lot of difficult Opik spelt like there was some improvement that the writer could have and I'll definitely be checking out the books that this author writes in the future but for me beyond the fact that it was page-turner II I thought there were some like plot kind of issues of like when things happened and you know some other things that could be discussed and I'll be very interested to see what this author writes in the future and what's also interesting that we talked a lot about about what the book is how there's so much expectations that you know much of the book is about Queenie and how her white boyfriend breaks up with her and it looks at a lot of the races and that she faced but it's really just about her and her life and her just trying to live a life it doesn't have to be doing this grand thing I think you know there should be representation of books of people just living their everyday lives with everyday issues and I really appreciated that this was that take on that book so I'll be very interested to see where this author goes next and I am very much interested in following the conversation around it yeah this was part of my research for Caribbean Heritage Month we actually ended up not going with Queenie and picking something else for various reasons I don't want to spoil but still it was very informative to read and I'm glad that I read it but it's you know I don't know I feel like when I say three stars I'm like oh yeah that was that was fine that was you know solid fine but I feel like for other people three stars is like a disappointment so it should be clear that's a good reading for me so the last book I read is also a book that I just enjoyed and it was fun and it was fluffy and it's like this you know fun three star read which is fine I guess I feel like I always have to describe that what if I ever do star this is why I don't do stars anymore but that is the romance book club and this is a book about a man who was a professional baseball player and he lives in Nashville I believe and his he and his wife are getting a divorce they have separated and they have started having talks about divorce but he wants to he wants to be with his wife he loves his wife he wants to save his a relationship so a friend refers him to this romance book club which is a book club of really powerful men in Nashville they are professional sports players and nightclub owners and all this stuff and so he joins this book club where men read romance novels to learn how to better relate to women and to be better husbands boyfriends whatever and so he kind of goes through this kind of boot camp to try to save his marriage and so I found this really interesting I you know whenever I get really stressed is when I want to read something like a middle grade fantasy or romance novel and I really like certain different takes on romance novels so I really enjoyed listening to this one if you're looking for something fun and fluffy and kind of escapist then I would say pick up this one I've also read the next one which in May so I'm enjoying the series so far and I know there's a third one coming out in October as of right now I could change but yeah so definitely go check this out it's a fun series it does it you know it's exactly what I wanted it to be I don't think it's going to win the Booker Prize but is it is fun it's definitely fun to read and I enjoy seeing you know obviously the author loves romance novels but she kind of makes fun of them in certain ways but then also like in the end legitimize like this is a valuable genre that we should be reading kind of deal so I really appreciate that it's just fun.

**The Importance of Representation in Literature**

I was fortunate enough to discuss a book with someone from the Caribbean, which allowed us to share our thoughts on different own voices reviews. If you're not familiar with books written by authors from the Caribbean, I highly recommend reaching out to friends or seeking out own voices reviews. This is especially important when discussing books that tackle difficult topics like those handled in Kansas cardi Williams' debut novel.

**Debut Novel with Potential for Growth**

If I were to give this book a star rating, I would give it three stars due to its enjoyable page-turning and tackling of difficult subjects. However, there are areas where the writer could improve, which I'll definitely be keeping an eye on as I follow her future work. What's interesting is that we discussed the book extensively, particularly regarding expectations surrounding Queenie's story, racial tensions, and her everyday life. There's a growing need for representation in literature, and I appreciated how this book focused on ordinary people living everyday lives with everyday issues.

**Part of Research for Caribbean Heritage Month**

As part of my research for Caribbean Heritage Month, we decided not to read Queenie due to various reasons, but it was still an informative experience. While I'm happy to have read it, I realize that my rating may be perceived differently by others. For me, three stars means a solid and enjoyable reading experience, but one that didn't exceed expectations.

**A Fun and Fluffy Romance Novel**

In contrast, the last book I read was a fun and fluffy romance novel that ticked all the boxes for me. It's part of a series that I'm enjoying, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a lighthearted and engaging read. The author has a clear passion for romance novels, which shines through in their writing style. While not perfect, the book is enjoyable and fun to read, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a romantic escape.

**The Romance Book Club**

This romance novel was part of a book club featuring powerful men in Nashville who read romance novels to improve their relationships with women. The protagonist joins this book club to learn how to better navigate his marriage, which is a fascinating concept. I enjoyed reading about the author's take on romance novels and how they've evolved over time.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello friends kinder here so now I'm gonna be doing the second part of my April wrap-up I decide to split these in two videos because des seemed okay so like we talked about and Sam's wrap-up I finished the Goblet of Fire I'm taking a break from reading more because this was you know I read the first four in quick succession which is you know a lot about her so I'm gonna take a break before the longest Harry Potter book which is the order of the Phoenix and my least favorite and then after I finished that and say I'm finished as that will do that video but hopefully that means that we can you know we do we do some stuff so I read some other books as well to wrap up April I actually spent a lot of time reading to the mirror in the light but I didn't finish it until May so we'll talk about that next time but I did finish another a discussion book for API Heritage Month and this is minor feelings and that youjin American reckoning by Kathy Park Kong fans of tabs it's really really good and my only thing is that I wanted more of this and it took me a while to figure out that she was taking parts of her own life and kind of expanding them and commenting on them in a cultural way on different parts of being Asian America and what that's like for her as an artist she looks that the woman is artists so many things so if you would like to hear more about this book the discussion episode goes up next week the third Wednesday in May in 2020 so you can go check that out we talked about this for a very long time I think like thirty minutes I don't know how I'm going to edit that down to a more reasonable length but we really love this book Sachi and I did and I really enjoyed seeing a lot of our Asian American and I've really enjoyed seeing a lot of our Asian and Asian American and contributors read this book and have their reviews up on Instagram as well there's so many own voices reviews for this book which is great as well so I paired this with Maxine Hong Kingston as the woman warrior and is very interesting to read these two close together so I would recommend doing that if you're interested so yeah that's this one I also read Queenie by Candice cardi Williams now this was really interesting because I had seen other reviews for this book was very popular so I actually avoided it was really popular and I actually buddy read this book with my friend Laura who is originally from Haiti and so we discussed this book and it was really great to be able to discuss the book with someone from the Caribbean and get that perspective now Queenie is of Jamaican descent and so there is a difference there but I think one of the big things that people have talked about with this book is how Queenie has her own and turn alized kind of prejudice and racism going on and how she has had a very traumatic past or some things that have happened to her and that's a big part of the book so I don't want to give any spoilers but she eventually goes to therapy to work out these things and one of them has her own internalized racism towards particularly black men and that's something that she has talked to her therapist about and they're the reasons for that and so we talked a lot about this and how you know this is a real thing that happens and she is going to talk to someone about it and getting the help that she needs because that is based in some trauma that she experienced so I think it's really important to remember when were reading books that just because a character is racist or has some internalized ideas about themselves that doesn't mean that the author is racist or has these shares these ideas the characters are separate from the author and I found some discussions about this book that don't separate the author with her main character but they are very two different people and I think it's really important that women like Queenie who have experienced this kind of trauma are able to see themselves in books but also see their own imperfections and the things that they need to work on in books as well so I think that's been a very interesting discussion as always I would recommend going and checking out some particularly Jamaican British people to see what their perspective is on it also from a literary criticism I should go check out some reviews if you're interested but I think this is a very important conversation because of the way that Queenie's trauma the way she deals with that manifests itself is something that you know more people should be able to see in books and see themselves in that way so anyway this was a very interest interesting one to discuss and I was very happy that I as a white American woman I was able to discuss this with someone from the Caribbean and then you know we both talked about different own voices reviews that we had seen and shared that so I would highly recommend if you're not a person from the Caribbean that you you know ask one of your friends from the Caribbean or go seek out own voices reviews or something like that because this is a very difficult topic that Kansas cardi Williams is handling besides that whole conversation that's been happening so I think this book is definitely you know this is her debut and I think there's definitely a lot of growth available for there if I were to give the book a star rating I would give it three stars because it was fun in page-turning and it dealt with a lot of difficult Opik spelt like there was some improvement that the writer could have and I'll definitely be checking out the books that this author writes in the future but for me beyond the fact that it was page-turner II I thought there were some like plot kind of issues of like when things happened and you know some other things that could be discussed and I'll be very interested to see what this author writes in the future and what's also interesting that we talked a lot about about what the book is how there's so much expectations that you know much of the book is about Queenie and how her white boyfriend breaks up with her and it looks at a lot of the races and that she faced but it's really just about her and her life and her just trying to live a life it doesn't have to be doing this grand thing I think you know there should be representation of books of people just living their everyday lives with everyday issues and I really appreciated that this was that take on that book so I'll be very interested to see where this author goes next and I am very much interested in following the conversation around it yeah this was part of my research for Caribbean Heritage Month we actually ended up not going with Queenie and picking something else for various reasons I don't want to spoil but still it was very informative to read and I'm glad that I read it but it's you know I don't know I feel like when I say three stars I'm like oh yeah that was that was fine that was you know solid fine but I feel like for other people three stars is like a disappointment so it should be clear that's a good reading for me so the last book I read is also a book that I just enjoyed and it was fun and it was fluffy and it's like this you know fun three star read which is fine I guess I feel like I always have to describe that what if I ever do star this is why I don't do stars anymore but that is the romance book club and this is a book about a man who was a professional baseball player and he lives in Nashville I believe and his he and his wife are getting a divorce they have separated and they have started having talks about divorce but he wants to he wants to be with his wife he loves his wife he wants to save his a relationship so a friend refers him to this romance book club which is a book club of really powerful men in Nashville they are professional sports players and nightclub owners and all this stuff and so he joins this book club where men read romance novels to learn how to better relate to women and to be better husbands boyfriends whatever and so he kind of goes through this kind of boot camp to try to save his marriage and so I found this really interesting I you know whenever I get really stressed is when I want to read something like a middle grade fantasy or romance novel and I really like certain different takes on romance novels so I really enjoyed listening to this one if you're looking for something fun and fluffy and kind of escapist then I would say pick up this one I've also read the next one which in May so I'm enjoying the series so far and I know there's a third one coming out in October as of right now I could change but yeah so definitely go check this out it's a fun series it does it you know it's exactly what I wanted it to be I don't think it's going to win the Booker Prize but is it is fun it's definitely fun to read and I enjoy seeing you know obviously the author loves romance novels but she kind of makes fun of them in certain ways but then also like in the end legitimize like this is a valuable genre that we should be reading kind of deal so I really appreciate that it's just fun so basically the second half of my April reading was reading fun books and the mirror to the viewer the thing we heard in the light whatever it is anyway so I will talk about that next time and my next wrap-up but until then yeah I'll talk to you later guyshello friends kinder here so now I'm gonna be doing the second part of my April wrap-up I decide to split these in two videos because des seemed okay so like we talked about and Sam's wrap-up I finished the Goblet of Fire I'm taking a break from reading more because this was you know I read the first four in quick succession which is you know a lot about her so I'm gonna take a break before the longest Harry Potter book which is the order of the Phoenix and my least favorite and then after I finished that and say I'm finished as that will do that video but hopefully that means that we can you know we do we do some stuff so I read some other books as well to wrap up April I actually spent a lot of time reading to the mirror in the light but I didn't finish it until May so we'll talk about that next time but I did finish another a discussion book for API Heritage Month and this is minor feelings and that youjin American reckoning by Kathy Park Kong fans of tabs it's really really good and my only thing is that I wanted more of this and it took me a while to figure out that she was taking parts of her own life and kind of expanding them and commenting on them in a cultural way on different parts of being Asian America and what that's like for her as an artist she looks that the woman is artists so many things so if you would like to hear more about this book the discussion episode goes up next week the third Wednesday in May in 2020 so you can go check that out we talked about this for a very long time I think like thirty minutes I don't know how I'm going to edit that down to a more reasonable length but we really love this book Sachi and I did and I really enjoyed seeing a lot of our Asian American and I've really enjoyed seeing a lot of our Asian and Asian American and contributors read this book and have their reviews up on Instagram as well there's so many own voices reviews for this book which is great as well so I paired this with Maxine Hong Kingston as the woman warrior and is very interesting to read these two close together so I would recommend doing that if you're interested so yeah that's this one I also read Queenie by Candice cardi Williams now this was really interesting because I had seen other reviews for this book was very popular so I actually avoided it was really popular and I actually buddy read this book with my friend Laura who is originally from Haiti and so we discussed this book and it was really great to be able to discuss the book with someone from the Caribbean and get that perspective now Queenie is of Jamaican descent and so there is a difference there but I think one of the big things that people have talked about with this book is how Queenie has her own and turn alized kind of prejudice and racism going on and how she has had a very traumatic past or some things that have happened to her and that's a big part of the book so I don't want to give any spoilers but she eventually goes to therapy to work out these things and one of them has her own internalized racism towards particularly black men and that's something that she has talked to her therapist about and they're the reasons for that and so we talked a lot about this and how you know this is a real thing that happens and she is going to talk to someone about it and getting the help that she needs because that is based in some trauma that she experienced so I think it's really important to remember when were reading books that just because a character is racist or has some internalized ideas about themselves that doesn't mean that the author is racist or has these shares these ideas the characters are separate from the author and I found some discussions about this book that don't separate the author with her main character but they are very two different people and I think it's really important that women like Queenie who have experienced this kind of trauma are able to see themselves in books but also see their own imperfections and the things that they need to work on in books as well so I think that's been a very interesting discussion as always I would recommend going and checking out some particularly Jamaican British people to see what their perspective is on it also from a literary criticism I should go check out some reviews if you're interested but I think this is a very important conversation because of the way that Queenie's trauma the way she deals with that manifests itself is something that you know more people should be able to see in books and see themselves in that way so anyway this was a very interest interesting one to discuss and I was very happy that I as a white American woman I was able to discuss this with someone from the Caribbean and then you know we both talked about different own voices reviews that we had seen and shared that so I would highly recommend if you're not a person from the Caribbean that you you know ask one of your friends from the Caribbean or go seek out own voices reviews or something like that because this is a very difficult topic that Kansas cardi Williams is handling besides that whole conversation that's been happening so I think this book is definitely you know this is her debut and I think there's definitely a lot of growth available for there if I were to give the book a star rating I would give it three stars because it was fun in page-turning and it dealt with a lot of difficult Opik spelt like there was some improvement that the writer could have and I'll definitely be checking out the books that this author writes in the future but for me beyond the fact that it was page-turner II I thought there were some like plot kind of issues of like when things happened and you know some other things that could be discussed and I'll be very interested to see what this author writes in the future and what's also interesting that we talked a lot about about what the book is how there's so much expectations that you know much of the book is about Queenie and how her white boyfriend breaks up with her and it looks at a lot of the races and that she faced but it's really just about her and her life and her just trying to live a life it doesn't have to be doing this grand thing I think you know there should be representation of books of people just living their everyday lives with everyday issues and I really appreciated that this was that take on that book so I'll be very interested to see where this author goes next and I am very much interested in following the conversation around it yeah this was part of my research for Caribbean Heritage Month we actually ended up not going with Queenie and picking something else for various reasons I don't want to spoil but still it was very informative to read and I'm glad that I read it but it's you know I don't know I feel like when I say three stars I'm like oh yeah that was that was fine that was you know solid fine but I feel like for other people three stars is like a disappointment so it should be clear that's a good reading for me so the last book I read is also a book that I just enjoyed and it was fun and it was fluffy and it's like this you know fun three star read which is fine I guess I feel like I always have to describe that what if I ever do star this is why I don't do stars anymore but that is the romance book club and this is a book about a man who was a professional baseball player and he lives in Nashville I believe and his he and his wife are getting a divorce they have separated and they have started having talks about divorce but he wants to he wants to be with his wife he loves his wife he wants to save his a relationship so a friend refers him to this romance book club which is a book club of really powerful men in Nashville they are professional sports players and nightclub owners and all this stuff and so he joins this book club where men read romance novels to learn how to better relate to women and to be better husbands boyfriends whatever and so he kind of goes through this kind of boot camp to try to save his marriage and so I found this really interesting I you know whenever I get really stressed is when I want to read something like a middle grade fantasy or romance novel and I really like certain different takes on romance novels so I really enjoyed listening to this one if you're looking for something fun and fluffy and kind of escapist then I would say pick up this one I've also read the next one which in May so I'm enjoying the series so far and I know there's a third one coming out in October as of right now I could change but yeah so definitely go check this out it's a fun series it does it you know it's exactly what I wanted it to be I don't think it's going to win the Booker Prize but is it is fun it's definitely fun to read and I enjoy seeing you know obviously the author loves romance novels but she kind of makes fun of them in certain ways but then also like in the end legitimize like this is a valuable genre that we should be reading kind of deal so I really appreciate that it's just fun so basically the second half of my April reading was reading fun books and the mirror to the viewer the thing we heard in the light whatever it is anyway so I will talk about that next time and my next wrap-up but until then yeah I'll talk to you later guys\n"