Taurus Season Reads Adoration
Commentary on the books of Taurus Season, from a humxn who loves books.
Taurus Season is always an interesting one for someone who was born in winter. I find the violence of erupting flowers and grass all a little unsettling. While I appreciate the journey and ever changing landscape of the earth, it is all of a sudden so colorful and a little overwhelming. The sight of electric violet rhododendrons and soft petaled magnolia trees interrupts what once was still, lifeless, and cold. A good reminder that all things change, I suppose.
My book choices this season were sisters of the yam by bell hooks and The Blood Gift by N.E. Davenport, vastly different texts but a necessary balance as the northern hemisphere prepares for summer.
sisters of the yam took me on a journey of self-recovery. One that I’ll be re-visiting and deepening the experience through embodied practice. I think what I most enjoyed was the collection of essays. Each with their own self-contained efficacy which allowed me to take breaks and journal without feeling like I needed to rush through the book. I think it’s an excellent text to engage with curiosity and willingness. If you are a black woman who is interested in self-recovery this book can support that work. I HIGHLY suggest having a therapist as you move through the essays. It raised a lot of questions and shook loose some patterns that I needed support processing and my therapist is a GEM.
Don’t have a therapist? Therapy for Black Girls can help.
Now for sci-fi schenanigans. My whimsical read Taurus Season was The Blood Gift; book 2 in the duology.
I love a good blood gifted creature and I love a good black woman protagonist. This book has both. The main character Ikenna comes into a gorgeous gift and a community of people who truly rock with her. While I really wanted a few more mystical beasts, overall I loved this read. Ikenna is ruthless and stays ruthless and uncompromising. I appreciated her ability to stay settled in her sovereignty and demonstrate her power in order to balance the scales of power in a corrupt political system.
If you enjoyed Dune (the films—haven’t read the books yet) and The Gilded Ones Trilogy (post coming soon about this series), you will deeply enjoy this duology.
Stay tuned for Gemini Season reads and other book commentary.
