october was a little all over the place. the weather was mostly great, and i got to dog-sit and enjoy a change of scenery for a few days, but so much of it was overshadowed by election stress.

october highlights.

cooper-young virtual 4 miler // celebrated 40 years of dillard // dog sitting adventures with jack // beautiful fall weather // voted // porch time with corrinne // birthday dinner for chrystal // // indie memphis film fest // another getaway to the smokies

october books.

roll of thunder, hear my cry by mildred d taylor. i never read this children’s classic when i was growing up, so when i saw it mentioned in an article i checked the libby app to see if the library had a copy available; it did, so i put it on hold and received it on my kindle in a few days. this story set in mississippi in the 1940s as told from the point of view of cassie, the only daughter of a land-owning black family, is still incredibly timely. so many of the fears of cassie’s family, so much of the racism they encounter, is still prevalent in 2020. i didn’t realize until i borrowed it that roll of thunder, hear my cry is actually the 4th in a series of 5 books about the logan family, so i’ve added the others to my list and will read them over the next few months.

turning 15 on the road to freedom by lynda blackmon lowery as told to elspeth leacock and susan buckley. in mid-october i had the opportunity to learn about lynda blackmon lowery’s story and was blown away. the youngest person to march the full distance from selma to montgomery in 1965 – she turned 15 on the march – this young reader chronicles her experiences as an activist marching for voting rights for black people. it’s a quick read – i read it in about an hour – but packs so much in. as someone who advocates for youth engagement and empowerment, it was great to read this story of a young girl being a part of something bigger than her.

beach read by emily henry. this latest from emily henry has been getting a lot of great reviews recently, but i didn’t realize until after i finished a million junes that it was the same author. i got it as an add-on from book of the month [i have a lot of credits i need to us] and read it over a weekend last month. it was exactly what i expected and also exactly what i wanted: a quick read, interesting characters, predictability with just enough conflict, and a happy conclusion.

currently reading: ayana mathis’ the twelve tribes of hattie. it’s taking some time because it’s a heavy read, but it’s a beautifully-written book. and interspersing it with jasmine guillory’s royal holiday.

the best things i watched.

that west wing reunion was everything i needed in 2020. and it’s free for all to watch on hbomax!

the closing night film for indie memphis film fest was regina king’s one night in miami, and it was incredible. it releases on christmas day, and i encourage everyone to watch it.

the best things i read on the internet.

an in depth look at many of the issues trans people continue to face.

ashley c ford on how she came to love her own body.

kayla rodriguez graff, co-founder of sweet bio, was recently featured on inc as a badass female founder [i editorialized that a bit].

why everyone wants a nancy meyers house. i dream of those kitchens.

kayla on what it’s like to be a facilitator.

local bookstores are continuing to struggle, and the outlook doesn’t look good.

these portraits of professionally-dressed black women by endia beal are fantastic.

what happens if we prioritize friendship over love?

what it’s like to travel at the intersection of black, female, and plus-sized.

happy november, my friends.

xx