Category: Book Club

Podcast 5 Show Notes

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The 5th book is Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

About the Author

Elise Bryant was born and raised in Southern California. She graduated from California State with a B.A. in Africana studies. She also has a Masters in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University. Prior to her writing career, she was a special education teacher. Happily Ever Afters is her debut novel and her follow up One True Loves has also been published (our next read!).

Book Look

Felicia and Sam talk about how the cover of Happily Ever Afters captivated them right away. They wanted to know what the girl with the cute mini afro was thinking and loved all the stickers on her laptop. The sisters love beautiful black hair on display and the foreshadowing that all the designs provided for. 

Bookmark

Most of their favorite quotes came at the end of the book, but Sam did share a sweet moment between the main character Tessa and her new friend as he tried to help make sure the cream from her wash and go was properly worked in. 

  • “Don’t worry, I won’t touch your hair, I know that’s not kosher” pg. 50 
  • “You need to get out of this mindset that you don’t deserve to be here. You’re here for a reason. As a writer, an artist, you belong here. And nothing, not some mean girl, or even your own inner critic, can take that away from you.” pg. 303
  • “I thought I needed a real-life love story of my own to start writing again… but what I really needed, to find my own words and my voice again was to love myself. And I do” pg. 373 

POV

Sam’s favorite character was – Sam (the character). How fitting! She loved how he made an effort to be an ally without overstepping. He was a great listener and a great friend – Felicia completely agreed. They both also really liked Lenore who was a helpful friend to Tessa starting on day 1 at the art school. 

Their least favorite characters were Nico and Poppy. Poppy was clearly set up to be the mean girl and easy to dislike. Poppy’s distaste for Tessa was understandable, but Poppy just took it too far in Sam’s opinion. Nico just wasn’t the one and was never the one (Felicia’s words!). He was your typical bad boy and was clearly self absorbed. 

Deep Dive


Sam and Felicia absolutely adored Elise Bryant’s debut novel. The story was charming, funny, and took them back to their own high school days in some ways. The novel touches on young romance, friendship, and family. The book reminds the main character and you that your creativity has always been inside you and you are right where you belong – you just have to believe and be open to it! Happily Ever Afters is about self-love as much as it is about falling in love for the first time. This book is for every romance lover and should be on your TBR if you haven’t read it already.  Watch the full video to get more details on their thoughts or read Felicia’s book review. The sisters can’t wait to read One True Loves!

Podcast Episode 3 Show Notes

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For their 3rd pick the girls discuss the New York Times Bestseller fantasy novel Legendborn by Tracey Deonn

About the Author

Tracey grew up in  North Carolina with a geeky nature and a fan girl spirit. She believes in diversity and representation in science fiction and has written for the Star Wars franchise. Tracey has also written non-fiction for our stories and our voice anthology.  Earned a bachelors and masters degree for communication and performance studies which lead her to working in theater, video game production, and education. 

Book Look

The sisters discuss how they were captivated by the colorful cover and the magic already on full display. They also connect with the fact that there is a Black girl on the cover, emphasizing that this story will center around a character that looks like them and they can identify with. 

Bookmark

Felicia admitted that her favorite part of the book was the Author Notes because it brought everything about the book full circle for her. Sam struggled with the book until about page 200 but she began enjoying the way the King Arthur legend and African American roots started to come together. The quotes they discussed touched on one of the major themes in the book – African American heritage and lineage: 

  • “To be able to trace one’s family back that far is something I have never fathomed. My family only knows back to the generation after Emancipation. Suddenly, it’s hard to stand here and take in the magnificence of the Wall and not feel an undeniable sense of ignorance and inadequacy. Then, a rush of frustration because someone probably wanted to record it all, but who could have written down my family’s history as far back as this? Who would have been able to, been taught to, been allowed to? Where is our Wall? A Wall that doesn’t make me feel lost, but found. A Wall that towers over anyone who lays eyes on it. Instead of awe, I feel… cheated.” p 135
  • But how can I be at peace when I look down and see that they’re still working? You know? 

POV

Sam’s favorite character was Bree’s father and found him to be quite progressive. She found all the other characters to be likable at moments and others not so much – she even the main character Bree at times. Felicia’s least favorite character was Tor, one of the higher ranked Legendborn members and her favorite characters were Bree and William (the healer). 

Deep Dive

Sam and Felicia ultimately loved the book, the story never left its fantasy element but managed to keep an authentic Black voice throughout. Felicia loved the mix of medieval lore and African American ancestry. She’s looking forward to reading more about root magic in the sequel. Sam is also looking forward to the sequel but hopes there is a more diverse love interest introduced – she’s not looking forward to the 700 pages but is excited to read about these characters again. 

Legendborn | Book Review by Felicia

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This is a wonderful 4.5 star rating kind of book. I don’t know why it took me so long to read Legendborn but I completely understand the hype it has been given. I was truly locked in and loving this novel all the way through. 

Felicia Reading Legendborn

About: 

Legendborn is a fantasy novel about Bree Mathews, a young Black girl who needs to work through her mothers death. While attending an early college program Bree learns that there might be more to her mothers death than meets the eye. This launches Bree on a quest to discover the truth about her mom’s death and along the way she uncovers a world of magic.

Review:

This novel is loosely based on Arthurian legend. But, don’t expect it to follow the typical storyline. Tracey Deonn writes a new and fresh perspective to the traditional King Arthur tale. Lgenedborn eloquently incorporates a diverse tone to the writing that acknowledges aspects of race, class, and gender. I really appreciated the way Deonn recognized diversity in her writing in such a seamless way. The importance of race, class, and gender truly elevated the story. 

Set in four parts this novel perfectly introduces readers to a new and fantastical world. In part one, Order, you realize that nothing in Bree’s, the main characters, life is in order.  After her mothers death, Bree is understandably struggling to move on. In an attempt to regain order in her life Bree joins an early college program that allows her to attend classes at her moms alma mater. As Bree starts the early college  program she is thrust into a magical secret society,The Order of the Round Table.

 Part two, Discord, Bree learns  not to take things at face value. The secret society claims that they are about protecting humans from demons but Bree witnesses how there might be more to the Order of the Round Table that isn’t too great. The Order of the Round Table has a long history of excluding people who don’t fit their mold or idea of what it takes to protect humanty. 

Part three ,Root, Bree really gets the chance to connect with her ancestors. Bree discovers new information about her own family history when she starts therapy. Her therapist shares information about Bree’s mom and shares how Black people have practiced root magic for centuries.  Tracey Deonn uses the history of American slavery to introduce root magic, a form of magic that was passed down to the descendents of enslaved people. They learned a completely different type of magic that is deeply connected to honoring ancestors. 

 Part four, Splinter, so much has been introduced to the reader between different types of magic, history, and monsters to keep up with. In addition, Bree continues to surprise everyone around her by channeling great power instead of being a damsel in distress. In the end, we are left with a cliffhanger but it’s a cliffhanger that I am content with. 

This was such a great read! I can’t stop thinking about this novel and the world Tracey has created. It has elements of Arthurian legend but it included so much more. This goes beyond a young adult novel; it encompasses so many creative pieces mixed with  rich history.  In addition Deonn writes about the power within family, community, and oneself . I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series and hope you read it too. 

You Don’t Know Us Negroes | Book Review by Sam

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About:

You Don’t Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston is a collection of essays that expand on topics such as African-American history and folklore,  art, politics, race, and gender. The collection is spread out over five sections “On the Folk”, “On Art and Such”, “On Race and Gender”, “On Politics”, and “On the Trial of Ruby McCollum”. Each section is filled with Ms. Hurston’s beautiful prose and descriptive language. 

Review:

Zora Neale Hurston’s imagery cannot be matched. I don’t know that I’ve ever read such passages that captured my senses. Ms. Hurston is so unapologetically Black in every essay and is clearly writing to an audience of her people. She is not at all concerned with the white gaze. These essays that were written so many generations ago are truly a breath of fresh air. Ms. Hurston’s words are for me and you that identify with the Black experience. We get a taste of Ms. Hurston’s vast talent as we are able to read various genres within this collection including fiction and nonfiction writing. There are times that I truly felt as though Ms. Hurston’s words could have been written today, she was a woman ahead of her time in terms of her vision as to what was happening to Black culture, specifically the way in which it was being watered down. 

Ms. Hurston challenges us to embrace the real and imaginative creative work of Black people. Our rich history is nothing to be ashamed of – in spite of all of the tragedies befallen on Black people we have proven to be triumphant and excellent in every avenue that we are given the opportunity to pursue to the fullest extent. 

Although, the collection is split into subjects, there is a chronological list of the essays so that you are able to read the essays in order – which could potentially give context to Ms. Hurston’s frame of mind as she wrote each essay. 

This collection is truly powerful and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read more from Zora Neale Hurston or who is looking for authentic takes on Black culture and politics. Take a moment to open your mind to think and imagine

Podcast Episode 2 Show Notes

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In honor of Black History month  The Bootleg Book Club read You Don’t Know Us Negroes by Zora Neal Hurston. 

About the Author

This book revitalized the well deserved attention and recognition towards Zora Neale Hustron. Zora was born in Alabama, but grew up in Eatonville, FL, an all black community. Evident in her writing that she grew up around Black excellence and believed that there was no need to cater to the white gaze. She was a novelist, filmmaker, and anthropologist. She was a student at Howard and then Barnard. She was married several times over, but did not stay married. While a decorated and well known writer, unfortunately, she was never properly compensated and buried without a headstone until Alice Walker (another great novelist) found the grave and gave her a headstone in 1973. 

Book Look

  The book is a collection of Zora Neale Hurston’s writing that expresses the essence of the Black community. Curated in five different sections the reader is given an in depth view on how Hurston believes the Black  community is portrayed in society.  

Bookmark

This collection of work has many moments to highlight. Here are a few of the noteworthy factors we mention:

  • “First off he was a whisper, a will to hope, a wish to find something worthy or laughter and song.” p 28
  • “Contrary to popular belief their creation is not confined to the slavery period.” p 76
  • “But, I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it. Even in the helter-skelter skirmish that is my life, I have see that the world is to the strong regardless of a little pigmentation more or less. No, I do not weep at the world – I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.” p 187 

POV

We discussed a few of our favorite pieces from the book but overall we found that the writing style itself was quite vibrant, poignant, and spectacular to read. On the other hand it was quite difficult to read certain parts because it was challenging to determine when Zora was writing fiction or nonfiction. 

Deep Dive

 Hurston tackles subjects such as Black excellence, exceptionalism, colorism, integration/segregation, equality/justice, family, love, Black womanhood, singleness, faith, and mental health. We review and analyze each section on  the folk, on race & gender, on politics, and on the trial of Ruby McCollum. 

Podcast 2: You Don’t Know Us Negroes
Podcast 2

Podcast Episode 1 Show Notes

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For the first episode of The Bootleg Book Club, Sam and Felicia discuss Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s debut novel Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? The sisters introduce themselves and why they decided to join the online reading community including #Booktube and #Bookstagram. 

About the Author

The background on Mrs. Blackburn and the influence of her British Nigerian culture in her book. 

Book Look

  The main character Yinka is feeling a lot of pressure to get married by her mom and aunt. Especially considering her younger sister and cousins have already found love. 

Bookmark

Some of the most poignant moments are discussed through the girls favorite quotes they found highlight worthy such as 

  • “The midnight sky is just as beautiful as the sunrise” p. 73
  • “I am who  I say I am” p. 132 
  • “Don’t be suffering in silence” p. 264
  • “You see, I’m responsible for my happiness” p. 174 
  • “Well, that’s the way God made you. That explains things. As long as you’re happy.” p. 214  

POV

Sam and Felicia discuss their favorite characters, Nola and Aunty Blessing as well as their least favorite character Ola. 

Deep Dive

Felicia and Sam share a few spoilers and talk in depth about the book’s themes such as family, love, Black womanhood, singleness, faith, and mental health. 

Podcast 1 Youtube: Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?
Podcast 1 Spotify: Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? | Book Review by Felicia

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Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn is a  heartwarming and hilarious novel about learning to love yourself. I definitely give this book a 4 star rating and suggest you read it. 

About:

This is a romance book about Yinka, a 31 year old British Nigerian woman who pushes to find a date to her cousin’s wedding. At a glance it seems as if Yinka has a great life. But, according to her mom and aunties she needs a man.  After feeling a lot of pressure to find a man, Yinka strategically, sets out a plan to meet and be with the best guy. Date after date Yinka starts to change herself for all of the wrong reasons. With help from friends Yinka learns how to love her true self. 

Review:

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn writes with such an authentic and creative voice. Every page of this book was a worthwhile read. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who needs a bit of love, especially self love in their life. It’s a great laugh and lively book. 

The story begins at Yinka’s little sister’s baby shower and we are introduced to all the women in the  family. We quickly learn that there are many  issues brewing within Yinka’s family and life. In just six months Yinka’s cousin will be getting married and Yinka really wants a date for the occasion. Blackburn, intensely expresses the desperation Yinka feels to find a date for the wedding. From there everything in Yinka’s life starts to go downhill because Yinka begins to transform herself for the wrong reasons.

In addition to looking for a date it is clear that Yinka is in search of purpose in her life. As things start to unravel Yinka continues to slip down a dark path and quickly loses the best pieces of her character. She starts hiding behind lies and schemes that generate tension between the real relationships she has with friends and family. Eventually, Yinka must face the hard truths in her life in order to accept the love, comfort, and kindness she deserves to thrive rather than just survive. 

Lizzie’s writing captures the authentic emotion and mindset a person faces when challenged with learning how to be comfortable in their own skin. I felt deeply connected to the position Yinka was in life as she dealt with family dynamics, career choices, mental health, and so much  more. Yinka was seeking love in all the wrong places. It took time but in the end she is able to look inward and fight for herself. 

Essentially, Yinka is going through it but I found a lot of myself in her and admired many other characters. I truly enjoyed reading this novel and I can’t wait to read more from Lizzie Damilola Blackburn. 

This is Why Sam Loves The Bootleg Book Club

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What It’s All About? 

Sam with portrait of Toni Morrison, American Novelist. National Portrait Gallery Washington DC

The Bootleg Book Club Podcast has been an idea that Felicia and I have considered for a few years now. Although six years apart we have always been able to connect on being book nerds. I introduced her to Wattpad when I realized just how much her book budget had grown. Fast-forward a few years and as she was busy in college and I in law school we realized we just weren’t reading for fun as much as we used to. This project is a way for us to get back into reading regularly now that we have both graduated and to foster a book reading community that can have candid conversations. 

Initially, The Bootleg Book Club was born from the reading circle of my sisters and aunt. We all loved reading and were able to share that with each other by passing books back and forth between us. It was a perfect way to stay connected and it helped reconnect us when I returned from teaching English in Spain. As we read books one after the other, it was a joy as we could reminisce and laugh at certain scenes or characters together – even coming up with inside jokes and recommending books to each other based on our favorite characters. Namely, we joked how we were all too cheap to buy our own copy and were bootlegging off of each other as we passed the book from person to person. The  summer we intentionally all read Crazy Rich Asians, it was a special treat when the book was made into a movie and we all got to see it together at an early screening, solidifying what it meant to be part of our bootleg club – love of books and love of each other. With this podcast, we hope to share that love with other book lovers. 

My Reading Journey

I cannot tell you the exact moment I fell in love with reading, I just know that I always loved language and words. I loved making up stories and had many imaginary friends growing up whose stories I enjoyed writing about. 

I can tell you that my parents fostered that love for language (probably because they needed help with English since they are Haitian immigrants) and that at nine years old I was placed in the advanced reading group at my school. One weekend while at the local library, a woman was looking to get rid of her book collection of The Baby-Sitters Club and she asked my dad if I liked to read (DUH!). She gave us her entire collection for free – it was an entire bin’s worth. I would read The Baby-Sitters Club all day and night long. I just couldn’t put the books down. This obsession with reading continued – I was admittedly part of the Twilight fan craze, even finishing Breaking Dawn within a 24 hour period. 

In a professional capacity, my love of language became more obvious when I became  an English Language Assistant and a Reading Tutor after college. Then, I went to law school, and reading for pleasure started to feel like it would never happen again for me. A book that used to take me 2-3 days to finish now could take as long as 2-3 months. With The Bootleg Book Club Podcast, I can already see myself being pulled out of that rut – I’m so excited to discuss our first pick I’m flying through it.  

More About Me

I am at the tail end of my 20s and a single cat mom. An introvert through and through who will always pick watching a movie at home on the couch over going to any event with more than 3 people in attendance. You can lure me out with the promise of a good glass of wine (whiskey or rum).  I’ve recently picked up scrapbooking and can’t get enough of purple washi tape. I’m an inactive attorney trying to figure out the data privacy world. And, I’m a former world traveler who hasn’t been on a plane since 2020, praying Omicron doesn’t cancel any more of my travel plans. 

Until then, happy reading and follow us on all of our Social Media Platforms and Save the Date for the Launch of our first Podcast. We are reading Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s debut novel Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? This book is a  timely and perfect fit for Valentine’s day coming so grab your copy to read along with us or wait for our review.

What to Expect From The Bootleg Book Club

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Felicia pictured with Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American novelist.
Felicia with one of her favorite authors, Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American novelist

Welcome to the Bootleg Book Club! My sister, Sam, and I are building a space for any kind of reader to come and discover what to read. We welcome avid readers, book lovers, and reading beginners to our Bootleg Book Club. Twice a month we will discuss a book during our video podcast to help expand and broaden listeners’ reading experience. This is a friendly environment where we nurture and develop deep interest, passion, and appreciation for the reading world. The ultimate purpose of the Bootleg Book Club is to hold ourselves accountable for reading all kinds of books that allow us to have candid conversations that enrich our reading journey and lives. 

Who am I? 

I am a pink lover, musical fanatic, and planner enthusiast who found comfort in reading at a young age. The first book series I fell in love with was the Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne. From there, I read many other books in all kinds of genres and as I got older my taste in reading grew with me. I truly felt at peace while I was reading and I still feel a sense of happiness when I have a book in my hand.

My Reading Journey 

As I developed a passion for reading, I discovered that not everyone enjoyed reading as much as I did. Children in my class never expressed an interest in books. Students hated to go to the library and did not like any summer reading assignment. While I lived for library days and summer reading logs. My family always supported my reading obsession. In particular, my aunt was my biggest supporter. Not only did she buy and find books for me to read, she would read along with me. This was the initial formation of The Bootleg Book Club. 

My aunt and I would mainly read young adult novels together. We would find books at the bookstore or library to read. When we both finished the book, I would spend the night at her house to share a few laughs, tears, and ideas about the book. Then one day after returning home from living abroad my oldest sister joined us as we read a new series. All the fun and great memories I made with my aunt increased once my sister joined us. Eventually, my other sister became a part of the crew the next summer. 

After heading off to college, I still loved to read and I even found a few friends who loved to read too. However, between all of the class lectures, assignments, and student organizations I no longer had all of the time to read the books I wanted to read. So, the first summer I came back home from school I created a summer reading list that I wanted to get through. On the top of that list was Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan.  

The Official Bootleg Book Club

That same summer my older sisters were home and my aunt lived 5 minutes away from our house. Once they knew of my reading goals they all wanted to join in the fun. But, being very thrifty people we said why buy 4 copies of the same book when we could just get 1. So, I bought the book and we planned to each have the book for two weeks.  By the end of the summer the book was torn up. After taking the book to coffee shops, bookstores, vacations, and all sorts of places it had seen better days. There were countless ripped pages, dog eared corners, and mysterious stains that the book received. 

Our book was well read and well loved. At the end of the summer we talked about the book. The dialogue was intense, hilarious, and wonderful to have. We even had debates about book etiquette and how to read. As four dynamic women we definitely had our fair share of opinions. Overall, it was a great experience, even watching the film adaptation was icing on the cake. We knew it was a bootlegged way to start a book club like this but it worked for us. We were always aunties angels and now we are The Bootleg Book Club. 

What’s Next? 

After graduating from college, work life and adulting has become a bit mundane. Especially with living a post grad life during a pandemic. I really want to feel a spark of joy for something I do every day. Currently, a practical job is providing the stability I need but it is not fulfilling the creative spirit that is stirring inside me. As an avid reader I am excited to combine my reading ambition, writing aspirations, and sisterly love into a new project that will open the doors to more reading and community. 

I urge you to follow us on all of our Social Media Platforms and Save the Date for the Launch of our first Podcast. We are reading Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s debut novel Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? This book is a  timely and perfect fit for Valentine’s Day coming so grab your own copy to read along with us or wait for our review. 

Until Next Time, 

Felicia J.