Girl Goddess #9

My flashback Friday book of the week is none other than my number #1 favorite author Francesca Lia Block! Francesca Lia Block is my queen when it comes to magical realism and she is the first author that I have read that introduced me to the genre of magical realism. She is the reason why magical realism is my favorite genre to read and this is the year that I will be rereading all of her glittering works of art!

Flashback Friday Book Pick

The book I chose for my Flashback Friday is Girl Goddess #9! Girl Goddess #9 is a collection of short stories about girls who realize the power and beauty that has always been inside them all along…

Last week I just picked up Girl Goddess #9 because I was feeling a bit down about the progress of my novel (The middle of a first draft is hard guys) and I have been feeling extremely insecure about my writing in general. Francesca Lia Block’s words always remind me of the power of art and that I must never stop finding the girl goddess that is within myself. Block reminds me that when I create something I can conquer absolutely anything…she reminds me to continue working on what sparks my soul and for me, that is writing…

Flashback Friday Story

I was about sixteen-year-old and it was the summer of the year 2000 and I was baking in the backyard on a tiny lawn chair of my childhood home covered in tanning oil while reading Girl Goddess #9. On top of the tanning oil, I had the horrid sun-in sprayed all over my hair and I literally smelled like an overly chemically processed lemon which is what sun-in is made up of anyway.

I distinctly remember reading the short story Dragons in Manhattan when I was baking in my parents’ rainbow-colored lawn chair and instantly feeling like the sun was warming me up instead of stifling me. Dragons in Manhattan infused the power of pure unadulterated love and acceptance before our world got scary and uncertain.

Back then, my world was so sheltered and predictable and I was bursting to break out and live my life. The short stories of Girl Goddess #9 gave me solace in a time when I was trying to find myself and helped me get through a time when I was told by the media that my curvy body wasn’t good enough and Latinx people to look up to were few and far between. Through these crazy times, we all need a little girl goddess in our lives…

Monday’s are usually less than magical for me but I decided to start this post to add a bit of magic to my Monday and your Monday as well! There are so many books out there that have added so much comfort in my life and I think comfort is what we all need on difficult Mondays!

1…Girl Goddess #9

I have read this book multiple times as a teenager and I have made a promise to myself this year that I would begin rereading books again instead of giving in to all the hype of recently released books. Goddess #9 is the perfect book to add some serious magic to my Monday! Lately, I have been experiencing a bit of the winter blues and Francesca Lia Block is the kind of author that brings me comfort through difficult times. These stories are stories of empowerment for girls and they are stories that teach girls that we can all find the magic within ourselves.

2…Dear Martin

I am picking this book to read in honor of Black History Month and for the March book event that I will be attending March 2nd which is called BAM! – A Festival of Books * Art * Music! The author Nic Stone will be attending this event! I met Stone in the Miami Book Fair and never got around to reading her books! I have just checked out this book to listen to on audio through my library and I have heard so many stellar reviews on this book! Not to mention, it doesn’t hurt that this book is only about four and a half hours long on audio!

3…Stranger the Dreamer

Laini Taylor will also be in the BAM book festival and I am seriously scared about reading this book because I read a short story from the short story holiday anthology My True Love Gave to Me and I wasn’t thrilled with it! Actually, the story bored me to tears and I was completely confused with it. The worst thing about it is that it was a short story and I wanted the story to be over that quickly. I am going to give this book a chance since she will be in the book festival and if this book doesn’t work out I will look into reading her previous trilogy series Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I have heard that her books are high fantasy and I am not much of a fantasy reader so I am going to cross my fingers that this will be a good reading experience for me!

If you want to help yourself and others get rid of the Manic Monday blues you are officially tagged to participate in this book tag!

Flashback Friday Book: Girl Goddess #9

Magical Three Monday Reads: Winter Bluesies