Lex With The Text

HOUSTON 📣 You only have a few more days to experience Fences at The before it ends on May 10th. Trust me… this one is worth seeing. 🎭📖

I had the opportunity to attend opening night, and the entire experience was incredible from start to finish. Before the show even began, we were invited in early for an exclusive sneak peek of the set before the audience entered, which made the experience feel even more immersive and special. There was also a themed specialty cocktail crafted specifically for the production, which was such a fun touch for the evening. ✨

Directed by Eileen J. Morris, this production of Fences is powerful, emotional, and deeply human. Having previously read the play and the watched the film starring Viola Davis and Denzel Washington, seeing one of August Wilson’s most iconic works come to life on stage added a completely different emotional depth to the story for me.

Themes of family, love, sacrifice, generational tension, and forgiveness are woven throughout this play in such a moving way. Even decades later, the story still resonates.

🎟 Use promo code LOVEALLEY for $10 off any performance!

7 YEARS of Bookish HTX Bookclub 🥹📚

As April nears its end, I’m sitting in so much gratitude reflecting on 7 years of .htx. We’ve read over 70+ books and have tried so many Houston restaurants. I can’t believe it. 🙌🏽

Back when and I started this book club in 2019, we were just two friends who simply LOVED reading and were looking for a community of like-minded readers to consistently engage with in Houston.

From those early meetings with just a few of us in the room… to now, with 20+ members each month…we had no clue this group would grow into a powerful sisterhood of women who show up, month after month, to read together. It’s beautiful. So incredibly grateful! Book friends really are the best friends! 🤎

Shoutout to and more for taking us to the next level! Love y’all down!

Sisterhood WomenWhoRead BookCommunity HoustonBookClub ReadingCommunity Bookstagram 7YearsStrong

Some books grab your heart from page one.
Zeal by Morgan Jerkins doesn’t just grab, it holds you tenderly and doesn’t let go.😍
 
I finished reading it in June and it’s still sitting with me. The kind of novel where you’ll keep turning pages b/c you NEED to know what happens, but also want to pause and just sit with these characters a little longer. 🥹
Spanning over 150 years, Jerkins traces two love stories, one rooted in 1865 Mississippi, the other unfolding in contemporary Harlem. Jerkins weaves a multigenerational tale about romantic love, ancestral love, self-love, and the hard-won, often incomplete love we try to give and receive through generational trauma.

We meet Tirzah and Harrison, newly freed, as they try to find each other again after emancipation. The circumstances that pull them apart are cruel but real. And then generations later, we meet Ardelia and Oliver, whose love story is tangled up in the echoes of that past. When Oliver gifts her a letter from his ancestor, that letter becomes the emotional bridge between centuries.
There are so many layers here. Black love, legacy, the cost of silence, the tenderness and trauma passed down through bloodlines. The writing is gorgeous but grounded, literary without being inaccessible. Every era felt authentic and alive. And the characters? So human. Flawed, loving, scared, courageous. Jerkins lets them be messy and beautiful and complicated, especially the women. You feel their ache and their agency.

If you’re someone who loves dual timelines, layered historical fiction with emotional weight, or stories that feel sacred, Zeal is absolutely for you. It reminded me why I love reading in the first place.

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

POLL: Have you read Zeal yet?

📖 Currently Reading: Fish Tales by Nettie Jones!

Published in 1983, out of print for decades, and now reissued by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in 2025, Fish Tales is a bold, brash, and beautifully bizarre ride through 1970s New York and Detroit. Think Studio 54, bohemian chaos, and champagne-soaked nights, all centered around Lewis, a 30-something party girl whose voice and choices leap off the page.
Y’all, this book is wild. It had me hooked from the first page. NGL, It’s very strange and provocative, but impossible to put down. The writing is sharp and fluid, and I truly have no idea where it’s going (which I love).

What makes this one even more special? It was edited by Toni Morrison herself during her time at Random House. Nettie Jones was part of a wave of Black women writers Morrison championed in the ’70s and ’80s, but unlike her peers, Jones’s work slipped into obscurity. This reissue is finally giving her the spotlight she deserved all along.

I’ll be back with a full review after this weekend’s book club meeting, but if you’re into literary fiction with edge and grit, this might be one to add to your list.

POLL: Have you read this one yet?

Last night was unforgettable. ✨

I had the absolute honor of moderating an intimate and powerful conversation with the one and only at the historic Eldorado Ballroom for the launch of his debut novel, The Best Man: Unfinished Business. 📚🎬

This was Malcolm’s first-ever trip to Houston (!) and the love in the room was electric. We laughed, we reflected, and we celebrated the next chapter of a story, and a legacy, that’s meant so much to so many of us over the years.

🙏🏽 I’m still processing what a gift it was to hold space for this conversation, and for the brilliant storytelling that continues to shape our culture.

Thank you to for hosting this beautiful evening! Another great author talk in the books!

Shout out to for the amazing signature cocktails! So smooth! 😍

And thanks to the incredible team at for bringing this book into the world.

And finally big thanks to everyone who showed up, showed love, and made this event a moment !

📍 The Best Man: Unfinished Business is out now. Support the trilogy, get your signed copy from , and let’s keep the love going!

HOUSTON! I’m so excited to be moderating an unforgettable author talk with filmmaker this Monday, July 7 at 7 PM CST at the historic presented by my beloved bookstore!

We’ll be celebrating the release of his debut novel The Best Man: Unfinished Business, a continuation of the iconic Best Man film and TV series we all know and love. 🎬📚

This smart, sexy, and soulful book picks up with Harper, Jordan, Robyn, and the crew, offering a heartfelt reckoning with love, purpose, friendship, and second chances. Think grown folks love, plot twists, and emotional depth—with all the charm and humor you expect from this franchise.

📚 WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ In-person conversation with Malcolm D. Lee moderated by yours truly
✨ Each paid ticket includes a pre-signed copy of the book
✨ Signature cocktails by

🗓 Date: Monday, July 7th!
🕖 Time: 7 PM CST (Doors open at 6 PM)
📍 Location: The Eldorado Ballroom, 2310 Elgin St., Houston, TX
🎟 Tickets & details: Eventbrite via or thebestmanbooks.com

This is your chance to meet a legend, talk craft and culture, and celebrate the legacy of The Best Man, now entering its literary era. Bring a friend, bring the crew, and get ready for a night of nostalgia, love, and Black excellence. 🖤

POLL: you coming or nah?

Cowboy Carter Tour! 🤘🏽 thank you, Beyoncé 👑🐝

I’m still trying to process what I witnessed over the weekend. This concert seriously was a show for the history books 😍

I had the BEST time, celebrating with my hometown hero! Beyoncé gave us everything…sky-high energy, a flawless performance, and when that car stopped? She got down and kept moving. Top-tier professionalism. Brilliance. Work ethic. Legacy! 😍

It was everything. An unforgettable moment in every way.

And yes, I picked up my merch—and I’m most excited about the book 🔥🙌🏽

🤠⭐️✨ 🤠⭐️✨

I’ve got my hands on Family & Other Calamities by —and you can too 👀 Giveaway below!❤️

I just started reading this debut and it is so good already. It’s the perfect read for summer, and full of humor. Thank you 🎉

This story follows journalist Dawn Roberts, who returns to her hometown juggling grief, betrayal, long-buried secrets…and way too many carbs. Just when she thinks she can lay low, an old scandal resurfaces, a movie paints her as the villain, and her messy family reunion is anything but calm. With the help of a rising journalist and an R&B diva? Dawn is ready to rewrite the narrative—and maybe find a second chance at love.

If you’re a fan of Black women’s fiction, witty romcoms with emotional depth, or just love a tell-it-like-it-is protagonist, this one is for you.

🎉 GIVEAWAY 🎉
I’m giving away one finished copy of Family & Other Calamities (open to US + Canada)!
To enter:
📖 Follow me
🗒️ Save this post
💬 Leave a comment below
-More comments = more entries

Giveaway ends June 29th. Good luck!

POLL: Anybody else read this one already or is it on your TBR?

Author Talk Recap: This Could Be Forever ✨

I had such a beautiful time last month at the author talk with at in Houston! It was an absolute joy to meet Ebony in person—her energy, warmth, and brilliance radiated throughout the space. 🧡

She shared thoughtful reflections about her writing process, the characters, and what it means to write a story rooted in joy, growth, and Black love. The conversation with was so grounding, and hearing Ebony speak about the journey of This Could Be Forever made me even more excited to dive into her second novel.

Of course, I had to bring both of my copies—Love Radio and This Could Be Forever—and she signed them both! Meeting her felt like such a full-circle moment after loving her debut. 🥹📚

📍Kindred Stories | Houston, TX
📖 Signed copies are still available in-store and online!

How similar is our taste in books?

I finally joined the “How Similar Is Our Taste in Books?” challenge! I picked 36 books I loved or am excited to read soon.

+10 points if you’ve read it
+5 points if it’s on your TBR

Tally up your score and let me know in the comments! Which ones have you read? Which ones are your favorites?

How Similar Is Our Taste in Books?

I finally joined the trend! I picked 36 titles I loved or am really looking forward to reading.

+10 if you’ve read it
+5 if it’s on your TBR

Add up your score and tell me your total in the comments 🙌🏽

Which books have you read?
Spot any favorites?