Yes, I kept the WordPress title. Mainly because it pretty much nails how I would introduce myself anyway.

Hi, I’m the Xennial Reader. A melanated one. Yes, it changes how I view things. I realized that when I found the glorious term “Xennial” that magically seemed to describe me – a magical mix of Generation X and Millennials. Someone who constantly found her born-in-1982 self saying, “I don’t relate to people in the mid-to late-20s demographic, yet they’re also considered millennials… I feel like the people in their early 30s don’t get my pop culture references as much as people slightly older than myself do… what the heck is wrong with me?”

Then I realized the problem. First off, the time span that encompasses “Millennials” isn’t even set in stone. As someone born in the early eighties, I could fall either into the Generation X or Millennial category, depending on who you ask.

The second issue with the term and time frame for “Millennials”? It has been the fastest-changing time we’ve ever experienced, as initial research has shown. And by that, I mean things got “old” and went “out-of-style” super fast… at a rate we hadn’t heard of yet as new tech kept emerging and pop culture had to keep up.

I knew there was a problem – and major generational gap between us millennials – when they started calling Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. “old school” artists… and it was only 2006.

I’d only been out of high school for six years, mind you. And while they had passed on years ago, their music was still highly influential and popular. But they were filed right up there with the pioneers of hip-hop for some reason.

I just chalked it up to a generational gap. Until I had a chance to see Gen Z come out, and I listened to some of the complaints of younger millennials – or “Zennials-With-A-Z” as I like to call them – had about trying to relate to Gen Z, including, “Were we like that coming up?”

The answer? Yes. Yes, you were. As were we, and our parents, and their parents. No generation of youngsters is any different from the one before it. We just like to think we are.

The point being, I LOVED the term “Xennial”. Don’t care who coined it, or who I heard it from, or who’s trying to make it relevant and popular. I just like it. So much so that I call myself a “Xennial-With-An-X” – not just to remain in solidarity with the confusion our aging younger millennials (the “Zennials-With-A-Z”, remember?) are starting to feel as they navigate their 30s, but to also have a reason to throw up an “X” with my arms as tribute to the late rapper DMX.

Micro-generations are definitely necessary these days (in my humble opinion), but this isn’t the time to talk about that. I just want you to understand what you’ll receive here.

Honest, fun, and funny book discussions – not reviews – from a Xennial point of view. Someone who was reading people like Terry McMillan at wayyyy too young an age, mixed with eclectic YA favorites like Ann M. Martin, Rosa Guy, Barthe DeClements, Christoper Pike, R.L. Stine, and a stream of other super amazing storytellers that blew my young mind away. (Literally hundreds of authors.) Authors who were able to hold my attention even though I explored outside and went on weird neighborhood adventures and wrestled for my turn at video games.

I was an advanced reader, so yeah… I’ll even be discussing the Harlequin Romance novels I was reading at eight and why they’re still problematic AF.

I want us – yes, you matter here, too – to talk about the impacts a book had on our psyches and how they perhaps shaped society and behaviors in a way we may not have expected. We’re gonna have fun here. We don’t talk about books we didn’t enjoy. We don’t do that here, since there’s no fun in that over here in Xennial Reader Land.

Reading shouldn’t feel like work; it’s not a job. It should be fun. An adventure. Whether you’re reading fiction or non-fiction, it should be a journey of learning we all excitedly embark on. Not something we feel is a chore or is painful to get through. Forget that. Life is too short to spend reading things that don’t fill our hearts and souls. I remember hating having to slog through books when I was in school and FORCED to read them by teachers. It turned so many of my peers off from reading. Thankfully, I was confident in who I was as a reader and knew how to escape into the books I enjoyed.

I know and respect that no two readers are alike, nor do I expect anyone that frequents this space to be. It’s about exuding the JOY we feel for books, the nostalgic smile talking about them evokes. Let’s all drink that up. All I ask is that we respect each other’s opinions of a book and express our opinions kindly and with respect. No dissing allowed here.

I’m a positive person who really enjoys stimulating conversations and having fun, and I’m looking forward to making more connections with you guys… I’m not taking any day prior to it for granted.

I say this because I happened to be perusing the social media pages of some of my peers from high school and I noticed quite a few of them lamenting the approach of the “40-year milestone”. Being “the old ones”, even though we swear we’re still young. Wishing we’d accomplished more and berating ourselves as millennials for not having our shit together. Mourning the loss of our body’s vibrance and youth as we perform simple tasks like bending over and picking something up from the floor.

I see how it can be a drag for some people. But not me.

Ever the annoying optimist, I refuse to be depressed about turning 40. It’s not the end of the world or the start of the “last leg of my life”.

40 was the big reset for me. Starting with a trip to Niagara Falls. It was on my list of things to do by the time I turned 40, but I kept putting it off for this reason, or that reason. And the fact that the Falls might be frozen? An added plus of majestic visuals for me, as long as I have my earmuffs, anyway.

The other things on my to-do list for the great reset? They all deal with my love – and loss – of reading. I was determined to return to my roots and restore the woman I truly was. That meant reading full-time again. Learning, seeking, and sharing truth to feed my starving mind and soul.

The “Do NOW” List

• Read at least 3 books a week.
• Watch less TV (including YouTube, Curiosity Stream and Gaia documentaries, and random binges)
• Take a deep dive back into the romance genre.
• Read at least three more Beverly Jenkins novels.

It’s okay to rediscover and heal the little child in all of us. The one that the world tried to change, chip away, and mold to their liking. The adult version of us may resemble what the world wants us to be, but the truthful, innocent child in us is that constant reminder of what the Creator made us to be.

Anywhoo, as spring rolls in and I prepare to get out into my garden to plant some foody food… next up after my Beverly Jenkins deep dive is gonna be “Caprice” by Fayrene Preston. It takes place in Texas during their hot seasons, has a bunch of action, danger, and suspense, and I wanna go somewhere hot for a minute. I really should move back into sci-fi and fantasy ‘cuz I’m anxious to share some awesome books by quite a few unsung and innovative Black authors, but I’ve been feeling the lovebug lately and don’t want to do anything reckless out here in the world. The literary world is the safest place for me right now. LOL

What books are on your TBR for spring? Chile… I can’t wait to curl up with some old romance novels from the Loveswept Group. Especially after DEVOURING all of Beverly Jenkins’ work during the month of February! I’m telling you, that woman could carry a Black romance publishing imprint on her OWN if she wanted to! Whoo!

XOXO, fellow book eaters.

Stay blessed and later days.