This year for my birthday all I asked for was an e-reader. I made it my goal to read more this year and because going into a bookstore was impossible for most of the year I decided making the switch was necessary. And despite my lifelong love for the wonder that is a physical book, I quickly took a liking to my Amazon Fire and the Kindle App.
My afternoons and weekends are now spent reading under a window. Reading while letting the light spill in is so calming and serene. I've also been trying to read more stories from black authors and my reading list is starting to grow! Here are a few books I have finished (and loved), are in the middle of and just started (due to recommendation:
MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER
By Oyinkan Braithwaite
Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.
MORE THAN ENOUGH
By Elaine Welterath
In this part-manifesto, part-memoir, Elaine discusses race, identity, love, friendship, taking up space as a Black woman in a predominantly white workplace, and the meaning of success.
WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH
By Elizabeth Acevedo
With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.
ZAMI: A NEW SPELLING OF MY NAME
By Audre Lorde
ZAMI is a fast-moving chronicle. From the author’s vivid childhood memories in Harlem to her coming of age in the late 1950s. *Description given by a friend who recommended it: "About Audre's life and how she navigated her life being a black woman & a lesbian."
All photos and descriptions c/o Google.
These are just a few that are currently occupying my reading time. I highly recommend giving them a read! And if you are considering converting to an e-reader I will say that one of pros is being able to download samples that include a few chapters. It has saved me time and money being able to preview before committing!
I personally would love to read more books from black authors who focus on more light-hearted stories. So if you can recommend books written by black (or POC) voices please them in the comments below!