Swift River (Essie Chambers) – Ryan bought me this for Christmas, and I didn’t know it was a “Read with Jenna” pick until I searched for it to get the spelling correct for Essie Chambers’ name. Truthfully, I’m a little weary of past / present storytelling, but I still manage to fall into these types of novels again and again. Swift River’s present is 1987, where Diamond tips the scales at almost 300 pounds, almost friendless, and definitely the only Black person in Swift River. As the summer unfolds, she learns to drive, navigates her relationship with her white mother during the legal process of declaring her missing Black father deceased, and learns about her family and her heritage through a series of letters, both current and historical. It’s a sweeping story of race, matriarchal relationships, trauma, and legacy, but it’s also a quick, tightly woven story. A truly wonderful beginning to my reading for the year.