The 12 Books I'm Most Excited About: Black Authors Edition

Well, I feel like a heel. I posted a long list of books that I’m looking forward to reading this summer, and after looking at it this week — I realized while there are books by POC and by women, there are none by Black authors. This was a total oversight on my part, and I apologize for it; like many white women, I felt like I could say “I don’t see color” when prioritizing my reading. I have been doing a lot of exploration this week, and I now want to smack myself upside the head for not realizing how problematic that is.

I know right now, we are all focusing on immediate actions that we can take to assuage our guilt, and reading is one of my favorite things to do — so I’m committing to reading at least 25% books by Black authors, and your girl is prioritizing Black women. It’s the least I can do, and honestly, it feels almost a little too much like a gift to self.

Below are some of the books I can’t wait to read — all upcoming 2020 releases! Read along with me!

“The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett (Bookshop | Kindle) - I actually have this one coming to me right now in my June BOTM box, and I am anxiously tracking the USPS alerts because I want to read it this weekend. The premise — of Black twins who could pass for white and have drastically different lives — is so engaging, and I can’t wait to delve into Stella and Desiree’s world.

“Transcendent Kingdom” by Yaa Gyasi (Bookshop | Kindle) - Full disclosure: I did have this one on my summer reading list, but I decided it came out “post-summer” so it got cut. This book looks absolutely amazing. I grew up in Alabama, and so I am so excited to see how Yaa Gyasi tackles life in my home state. The synopsis seems super ambitious, touching on addiction, racism, academia, family, faith, and community, but I know that she’ll be able to blow my mind.

“Take a Hint, Dani Brown” by Talia Hibbert (Bookshop | Kindle) - I read and adored Talia Hibbert’s “Get a Life, Chloe Brown” and so I obviously can’t wait for the sequel. This one focuses on Chloe’s younger sister, Dani, who agrees to “fake date” a friend after a brief moment of social media virality. I can’t wait to see how this goes horrible awry.

“Snapped” by Alexa Martin (Bookshop | Kindle) - I know, I just reviewed "Intercepted" on Tuesday, but it’s confession time: I’ve read both “Fumbled” and “Blitzed” this week, too. I love the world she’s created with the Lady Mustangs, and honestly, I want to see her set up every single member of this NFL team. This last book doesn’t come out until October, and I’m genuinely sad I have to wait that long.

“Party of Two” by Jasmine Guillory (Bookshop | Kindle) - Honestly, on almost every romance I review, I find a way to drop a “If You Like This…” link to one of Jasmine’s romances (usually “The Proposal” because that’s my personal fave in this series), so it’s a total oversight that this didn’t make it onto my original summer reading list. I can’t wait to revisit The Wedding Date world, and revisit some of my favorite characters.

“Riot Baby” by Tochi Onybuchi (Bookshop | Kindle) - I do kind of feel like we are living in a dystopian era, so I’m not sure what it says about me that I want to read about it right now. (I am the person that read pandemic fiction at the start of COVID, so take all of this with a big grain of salt). This is the story of a Black man who was born in the midst of the LA riots, and his sister who holds the ability to wreck cities.

“The Death of Vivek Oji” by Akwaeke Emezi (Bookshop | Kindle) - Okay, I don’t really know how to provide a quick description of this book, so just click through and read the publisher synopsis. It’s okay, I’ll wait…right? doesn’t that sounds super intriguing? I want to take a personal day so that I can read it all in one sitting. My boss will totally understand, right?

“Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture” by Emma Dabiri (Bookshop | Kindle) - I know I have expounded about my love of microhistories before, so I won’t rehash that here. When I read the description of this book — how Black hair has been politicized for centuries and in all countries — I knew that this was one that I needed to read. Now just to claim the review before Shannon does.

“The Voting Booth” by Brandy Colbert (Bookshop | Kindle) - I am a big politics nerd, and I have volunteered for years as a legal advocate for those who have their voting rights infringed, so when you combine that with a YA romance? I love it. I actually think this one may have to be a SFOL book club pick for this fall — it combines so many of our collective favorite tropes.

“Trouble the Saints” by Alaya Dawn Johnson (Bookshop | Kindle) - I didn’t know that “historical fantasy” was a genre of book, and I feel like I’ve got some major catching up to do. This book, set in New York City, has an underworld, assassins, and badass young women. I’m totally in.

“The Space Between Worlds” by Micaiah Johnson (Bookshop | Kindle) - So, imagine a world where you can travel to…other worlds. Yes, that’s right — we can hop between the multiverse, without having to use Blake Crouch’s giant box. There is one catch; you can’t go to a world where another version of yourself exists. Cara’s a great candidate as so many of her “other selves” have died, but when it looks like her remaining selves are being killed off, she sets off an adventure. This feels like a great beach book (fingers crossed!).

“When No One is Watching” by Alyssa Cole (Bookshop | Kindle) - We all know Moira is the resident She’s Full of Lit thriller queen, but this one coming out in September is totally on my TBR, too. I’ve read some of Alyssa Cole’s romances — and I would totally recommend them! — but she’s taking a turn towards the scary with this book about the murderous side of gentrification.