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#booked2022 #includesarecipe
I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a good story with the narrative of problems facing people leaving the Caribbean islands and going to the U.K./U.S
I don‘t have a picture of a black cake - but here‘s my daughter‘s 21st cake 😁 it‘s family party tonight and I sneak read the end of this book in the bath this afternoon before chaos descends.

I finally finished this one today. I never felt vested nor bonded with the characters. I was curious how things were going to pan out but in parts it was really slow and felt like the author was just trying to put a bunch of scientific and research information in there without really rounding it out. It just didn‘t flow well to me. I‘d never heard of black cake before so that part was interesting. This one was just a miss for me.

Enjoyed this. It was a bit difficult to keep track of who was who but the story was engaging and the pacing good.
The afterward about the history of different races in the Caribbean and UK and how they were treated - mainly Asian Caribbean people was informative and important.

I loved the start of this and then finished it with mixed feelings. I think it‘s probably me, not the book, as I‘ve been struggling a bit lately to take an interest in things. I‘m reading this as part of a book club with my family this summer, so I‘ll be curious what the other readers think!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Not at all what I expected, but that made reading it, even more enjoyable. It was easy to follow the characters through each of their chapters, and I loved what the Black Cake signified to their family. Traditions like that are not so commonly passed down as much anymore.

What started as a rainy, dreary day turned sunny and beautiful in the afternoon, so I took advantage of my day off to do some patio-reading ☀️📚 This was a wonderful book that, while predictable at times, was still great storytelling and kept me hooked. This was my June #Doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really nice story.

Let‘s see what all the hype is about 😃

#kindledailydeal. You‘re welcome 😁

Rating: 4 🌟
Book: 16 of 2022

What a beautiful debut! Wow, at first I wasn‘t sure about the dual timeline but then I started putting the puzzle pieces of the story together and it was amazing. Such great descriptions and character development. Highly recommend!

Seems like I rarely have time to pick up a book lately. so Audiobooks are my go-to right now. Started this one a couple days ago.

In the midst of moving and packing up all my books, I saved 20 for May‘s #Bookspin list!

A lot happens on this book — it‘s got estranged family, secrets, flashbacks, settings in several countries, new identities, everything. I really liked it because I think all the threads came together well.

Meh. I really, really wanted to like this book. It had gotten good reviews but I just couldn‘t get into it. I did not abandon it because by the time I figured out I didn‘t really like it, I was 50% through. I kept waiting for it to get better.

I wanted to love this but it just wasn‘t for me. It was repetitive, anti climactic, and would expand on details that had no baring on the plot but rush through important events that could be fleshed out & embellished upon. I vacillated btwn a So-So & Pan, but ultimately this was a chore to push through.

I‘m on the edge with this book. Parts of it were very good, but other parts seemed to drag on. I expected more, having read the rave reviews. The author is definitely a good writer. I don‘t think it would have hurt the story if the book were a bit shorter. I did like reading about Jamaica, one of my favorite places.

Reading slumps are brutal. I thought it was over but I‘m still only able to manage audiobooks and fluff reads… I‘m carrying this book everywhere I go… but haven‘t cracked it open. 😭 I‘ll get there. 🤞

This is a wonderful story of family, secrets, and struggle, starting when Byron and Benny are brought back together after their mother‘s death to hear a recording she made before she died. We learn her story going back decades and across half the world. It‘s so good!

I‘ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately and have stuck mainly with audiobooks and graphic novels… but I woke up today and wanted to read everything! So I started a book in each form 🤣#currentlylistening #currentlyreading #ebook #audiobook #manga #hardcover

Fantastic read!!!☺️

This is a lovely debut novel about estranged siblings Benny and Byron who reconnect when their mother dies and listen to an audio recording of her life. There are secrets and lies that reveal her history and how it shaped their lives. Fast-paced and relevant, the book draws you in until the end. Can‘t wait to read more by this author!

This was great! I loved the little bit of mystery and the family secrets revealed. A worthwhile read!

I loved this read. A mother hides her past from her son and daughter. Through the telling of her past in her will, all the people in her life are made aware of her secrets. Every character in this book tells a story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ swim forever!

Finished this late last night. I really enjoyed spending time with the characters through this book. A story of family secrets, a story of losing and finding.

New book! Hope I get it done before the library calls it back...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With captivating characters and settings, this poignant tale examines how culture, family, chance, and untold stories work together to influence our heritage and identity. I felt nostalgic for a slice of Caribbean black cake even though I‘ve never had it! The audiobook narration was also beautifully done. 🎧

The story of one woman‘s life, from beginning to end, and those in her orbit. The complete picture is slowly revealed via video that Eleanor leaves behind for her two adult children after her death. The novel flashes between past and present, giving readers more and more of Eleanor‘s life but also learning about her children‘s lives. Secrets are revealed, many secrets. A great novel, with a lot going on, and I can so see this as a tv series.

I have 3 books that I'm working on now. The next up is tagged above. I'm currently finishing A Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires. And something total different me, a genre I've enjoyed but haven't explored too much is Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. I love this cover- I turned up the contrast and realized unwittingly there's a face there!

#BOTM I mostly liked this. Good debut. Short chapters with alternating points of view kept me turning the pages. Always enjoy the reveal of a family secret. Was excited to read that it has been picked up by Oprah‘s Harpo films and is in development as a Hulu original series.

For @marleed and everyone else who is now looking for a black cake recipe… Sweet Reads featured Black Cake in the February box and included a recipe card, which is the author‘s mother‘s recipe!

A very engaging story of a family‘s complicated secrets that had me hooked from the beginning. Beautifully simple writing, and characters are all complex and believably human. It got really busy near the end, but ultimately I loved it.

I supplemented with audio for about 1/2 of the book and sort of wish I had done it all that way… really great narration/accents. This is an excellent debut, and I can‘t wait to read more from Wilkerson.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My dad used to make jokes about the overuse of “Dawson” on Dawson‘s Creek. Ever since, I notice frequency of word use, and “black cake” was overused (imo) in Black Cake, and it kind of drove me nuts. I did not like BC as much as this book about family secrets ⬇️, which came out in January, but Eleanor‘s story of deception and protection of her family kept me the pages, especially with its short chapters. A solid #botm pick.

This is what I got in my #sweetreads box

Hi members of #lmpbc Group K! @Kayla.Adriena @shellleigh33 @BennettBookworm I‘m am super excited for our round together! Here are 4 books I‘m considering for my pick. Any that you want to read? I totally have other options if we don‘t love these.

Helllooo #GroupE and thank you for also having a BOTM backlog to get through! 😂 So here are some of my choices, have you already read any of them, or would like to read one more than another? I tried to get a good genre mix. Let me know! I'll tag the books in the comments.
#LMPBC @Catsandbooks @sprainedbrain @JackOBotts

I loved this! It just worked for me in every way. Loved the simplicity of the writing even as it was also elegantly interweaving a bunch of stories across generations. Though we spent a relatively small amount of time with many of the characters, I felt like I learned a lot about most of them. Loved how many social issues were addressed because many social issues very much affected these characters' lives and identities. ❤️

🖤 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🖤
⁣
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻's debut, 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗮𝗸𝗲, is a moving exam. of ⁣adapting when perceptions & beliefs about family members‘ decisions & choices are upended by revelations of long-held secrets. Complex & absorbing family drama, it is imbued with longing, insight, compassion, humor, & peace for memorable characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: https://tinyurl.com/mmz96468

I know it is only February and it has started off so strong with so many great books, but this one might go down as one of my favorites. There is mystery, complex families and so much more. I cannot say enough about this book, so just go out and read it.

This book leaves me with much to think about. First, where can I find a slice of Caribbean black cake!? Then multi-cultural immigration (I want to read more about Chinese immigration to the Caribbean) and double immigration (to England then America). All of this wrapped inside a great story that oddly gave me Bridges of Madison County vibes! ↓

I enjoyed this debut novel, as one family‘s secret history is revealed through a recording left by the matriarch when she dies.

Loved all of the characters; I thought they were really well drawn, and the places, including London, the Caribbean and California, were almost characters in themselves.

Just one niggle - I could have done without the environmental sub-plot. Rather clumsy and definitely superfluous, I skipped a lot of it.

☆** 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗽-𝗨𝗽 **☆⁣
⁣
📖 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 by Diane Chamberlain ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣

📖 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 by Heather Gudenkauf ⁣⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣

📖 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 by Lisa Lutz ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⁣

📖 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 by Lisa Gardner ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⁣

📖 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝗿 by Lisa Gardner ⭐⭐⭐⁣⭐⁣

📖 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗮𝗸𝗲 by Charmaine Wilkerson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣

Happy Pub Day!! 🥳🎉📚
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Book Review— https://www.boleybooks.com/2021/08/01/black-cake/

#boleybooks #blackcake #charmainewilkerson #bookbeast #bookjoy #netgalley #NowAvailable

January wrap-up! Favorite overall was Black Cake, but this was just a great reading month overall!

What an impressive debut novel! Spanning decades, this family saga opens with siblings Byron & Benny reunited after a family rift. Their mother has died & she left an audio recording for them- with a big revelation & plenty of secrets they never knew. Though their parents were both Caribbean, they never returned & now they finally learn why. It‘s an engaging novel, with strong characters & makes you long to taste the cake at the heart of this.

#NetGalley

I started this last month and then got distracted by library holds and never finished it. I'm glad I finally did.

There's a lot going on in this family saga. Benny and Byron return to their family home when their mother passes away. Their mother for years has been keeping a secret though, and before she dies she records the things she couldn't bring herself to tell them while she was alive.

Beautiful, heartfelt story. 💚

I'm pretty sure this is going to be my favorite read of the month! It's funny, because it's not my usual genre, but I was drawn to it when I saw the cover on the BOTM website, and I already had the audio books for the other choices I might have picked (total perks of being a bookseller). Although this is a story of siblings reconnecting, the main focus is on their mother and the story she is telling them posthumously, as they gather with their ⬇

I‘m giving this a pick as it‘s an amazing debut, but I had some issues with it too. There‘s A LOT going on here, and it reads like an epic saga…but at 400 pages. This is a generational story of a Caribbean family told in various voices, in various locales and in various timelines (1960s to present). I had to pay close attention to keep it all straight, but it centers on family secrets, lies, loyalty and love. No specifics here, but the writing 🔻

I think the writer tried to do too much and ended up spreading herself too thin. We get pieces of stories that go back and forth in time, and some of the topics didn't seem to be necessary or fit the main narrative.⭐⭐⭐/5

I loved it! Really intriguing story about family and tradition. #BotM

I'm loving my #BOTM selection this month - so much that I've been squeezing in a chapter any time I can during the day. Right now, I'm multitasking by rocking the baby to sleep with one hand and reading with the other.