I stopped by Pages Bookshop (Detroit) on Independent Bookstore Day to support one of my favorite indie bookstores. (And not gonna lie, I also really wanted to see Pip the bookstore cat. She’s adorable!)

It was hard to choose just one book because I have so many on my reading wish list. After browsing the bookshelves, I decided to buy James McBride’s novel Deacon King Kong (2020).

A week ago, I had checked out Deacon King Kong on my Libby app, and after reading the first two pages of the book, I was instantly hooked!

Have you read it yet?

Pages Bookshop, independent bookstore in Detroit, Michigan.
Pages Bookshop in Detroit, Michigan is an independent, woman-owned bookstore located at 19560 Grand River Ave.
Pages Bookshop bookstore cat Pip
Pip, the bookstore cat at Pages Bookshop. She’s so soft, and I loved petting her. Made my day!

Since I just started reading Deacon King Kong, I haven’t gotten far enough into the book to give a good summary of what the novel is about.

However, I can tell you the book is about a church deacon who shoots and kills a drug dealer in his neighborhood. Sportcoat, the church deacon, shoots the drug dealer, point-blank, right in front of a group of neighbors.

Gabino Iglesias for NPR called Deacon King Kong “fast, complex and funny…” and it’s “a love letter to New York City.”

Books to Read: Deacon King Kong by James McBride
Pages Bookshop in Detroit, Michigan
Such a beautiful cat!

I’m looking forward to reading more of James McBride’s latest novel this month. Last month, I didn’t do a lot of reading, despite having a few library books checked out.

April was a busy month, so it was hard for me to find the time to read like I wanted.

But this month, I’m going to make it a goal to at least read 30 minutes a day!

What are you reading this month?

All photographs are courtesy of J. Hamra for Good Life Detroit.

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Written by

Jennifer Hamra

Jennifer Hamra is a freelance creative and the founder of Good Life Detroit. She lives in Metro Detroit with her husband Travis and their six children. Contact Jennifer at [email protected].