Next month is the
23rd National African American Read In. This year I will be hosting an online read in with Edi from
Crazy Quilts and Vasilly from
1330V. Today is the last day to head over to
Vasilly's blog to vote.
In honor of Black History Month, there's going to be a Black History Month Hop hosted by Reflections of a Bookaholic and Mocha Girls Read.
Purpose: To give black authors, books and those who support them a month in the spotlight.
Before the hop the hosts site will open the link for entry. Your site can post anything related to the weeks topic. Your site must link to the host site and add the button to the post as well. 
The Weekly Topics for the Black History Month Hop can be found here I am really looking forward to participating. Besides the Read In I can't wait to include my interview with Vaunda Micheaux Nelson about her newest release No Crystal Stair. I loved this starred Kirkus Review novel so much, which was illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.
Nelson sent me her answers today (very early) and she does a much better job of summarizing No Crystal Stair then I ever could.
"No Crystal Stair is a 15-year labor of love. It’s about two things near and dear to my heart -- books and family. It’s is the story of a remarkable man who was a pioneer in the struggle toward literary diversity, a pioneer in the efforts to make more African and African American literature available in America. The man was the Harlem Professor, Lewis Michaux, my great uncle. His National Memorial AfricanBookstore became a Harlem landmark -- a gathering place for scholars, politicians, activists,writers, artists, actors, and athletes -- until its closing in 1975."
Yesterday I finished
Panther Baby by Jamal Joseph. Joesph joined the Black Panthers when he was 15. At 16 he was the youngest Black Panther arrested in the
Panther 21 case in 1969.
There's a beautiful sensibility to the authors writing. This excellent adult memoir screams YA crossover. For much of the book Joseph is talking about his teen years as a Black Panther. Can't wait to review this one and link it to the hop. Read an
excerpt, via publisher.
I have a change of heart regrading Blog Tours. In the past I was against them because I thought caused online overload for books on tour. Now I realize that authors have to do what they must to promote their novels. It's not easy for authors and its getting harder every day. Plus there are so many blogs it would be easy for an author to do a tour with little readership overlap.
My first
interview of 2012 was with Jasmine Richards, was part of the author's
blog tour for her wonderful debut The Book of Wonders. As is my second interview with Ashley Hope Perez. Perez's blog tour for The Knife and the Butterfly begins at Forever Young Adult on the 30th. I am glad I do not have to follow them. Their review is
awesome and serious bonus points for slipping in a Golden Girl.
Another thing that helped change my opinion, are authors who show that not all blog tours are the same. Perez's
blog tour schedule , she's visiting a lot of diverse blogs and thanks to the great teaser lines I know each day will offer up something new.
I managed to squeeze in four titles in this post, hopefully one has caught your eye. If not how about one of the six books in the
African American Read In Poll
Ninth Ward is Rhodes first middle grade novel. I had the pleasure of interviewing the author when the book was released in 2010. Since Jewell Parker Rhodes is known for adult fiction, I hope readers who normally don't read MG or YA fiction will consider participating in the Read In which will start on Monday Feb.2oth,
