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OKAY let’s talk about some books by Black authors. https://twitter.com/DailyJulianne/status/1266047149210566658
YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN by Leah Johnson is a wonderful romcom about a girl competing to be prom queen in order to win a scholarship. There’s a lovely family dynamic, great friendships, and the cutest f/f romance. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781338503265
I was gonna stick to books I read, but let’s continue on with books out on Tuesday! A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN by Roseanne A. Brown is a West African inspired fantasy featuring a princess and a refugee destined to kill each other. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780062891495
A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow is a book set in an alternative world where magical creatures are the norm - and Sirens are the most hated of all. It’s a story about sisterhood and about prejudice. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781250315328
ONCE UPON AN EID is a middle grade anthology about Muslim characters celebrating Eid, and some of those characters are Black Muslims. This collection is just SO joyful and hopeful. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781419740831
I feel like I’m always recommending THE SOUND OF STARS by Alechia Dow. It’s a book about a Black girl who loves books in a world where aliens have taken over Earth and all forms of art are forbidden….even to the alien who loves music. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781335911551
I could mention Alyssa Cole a bunch, but the one book of her’s I personally have read so far is A PRINCESS IN THEORY and it’s just a delight. If you love romance and you love royalty and you haven’t read this? Fix yourself. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780062685544
SUCH A FUN AGE by Kiley Reid feels a lot, to me, like a must read for white people. Because it’s a book about a Black girl who has a recorded confrontation with a security officer and the Nice White People who are trying to “help” her. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780525541905
SAY HER NAME by Zetta Elliott and Loveis Wise is a poetry collection and focused around Black Lives Matter and the resilience of Black women and girls. I loved this collection so much. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781368045247
I love all of Alexa Martin’s romances and I’m so excited she has another book in the series coming later this year. They’re all companions, but I think it helps to read them in order, starting with INTERCEPTED https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780451491954
Jasmine Guillory? Jasmine Guillory.
tbh, my favorite book of hers, so far, is THE ROYAL HOLIDAY, which features the mother of the heroine from THE WEDDNG PARTY, if y’all are looking for older couples. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781984802217
tbh, my favorite book of hers, so far, is THE ROYAL HOLIDAY, which features the mother of the heroine from THE WEDDNG PARTY, if y’all are looking for older couples. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781984802217
GIRLS LIKE US by Randi Pink is SUCH a gut punch of a book. It’s historical YA, set shortly before Roe v Wade, when abortion is still illegal. The story follows several girls dealing with teen pregnancies at a time where there are few options. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781250155856
FULL DISCLOSURE by Camryn Garrett is essential reading. Simone is an HIV-positive teen falling in love for the first time and trying to figure out how to manage that relationship. She has SUCH a lovely relationship with her dads, too. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781984829955
I’m SURE most of y’all have heard of CHECK, PLEASE!, Ngozi Ukazu’s graphic novel about a gay hockey player who loves to bake. The second volume came out recently, too! https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781250177964
Claire Kann writes books filled with so much JOY. Her latest, IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY, features a fat Black girl in a small town who dreams of taking over her grandmother’s diner. She’s in a queer platonic relationship but is also falling for this guy. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781250192677
I feel like I have so many Talia Hibbert books on my kindle, but so far they only one I’ve read is GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN and it’s SO delightful and wonderful and there’s a cat and the companion novel comes out in a few weeks! https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780062941206
I’ve seen a lot of people asking about paperback originals in YA and did you know that Debbie Rigaud released TRULY MADLY ROYALLY last year? It’s an adorable royal contemporary romance https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9781338332728
Roxane Gay’s obvious, but I gotta mention HUNGER, her memoir about being a fat Black woman that I connected to a lot. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780062420718
Full disclaimer: I work with Tiffany Jackson. But even before I started working with her, I read MONDAY’S NOT COMING and it stuck with me. It’s a story about the Black girls we let disappear. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780062422682
Elizabeth Acevedo is such a stunning writer. i’ve only read THE POET X, but it’s such a beautiful piece of work and I can’t wait for more. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780062662804
I have so many Kacen Callender books to read, but I DID read their first YA, THIS IS KIND OF AN EPIC LOVE STORY, which was so fun and adorable and just. A great romance. https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780062820235
I wanna keep going but also there’s so many in YA and I’ve actually made lists for the past three years of as many YA books by Black authors as I could find.
2016-2018: https://piquebeyond.com/2018/02/black-authors-making-history/
2019: https://piquebeyond.com/2019/02/black-authors-continuing-history/
2020: https://piquebeyond.com/2020/02/celebrating-black-history-month-2020/
2016-2018: https://piquebeyond.com/2018/02/black-authors-making-history/
2019: https://piquebeyond.com/2019/02/black-authors-continuing-history/
2020: https://piquebeyond.com/2020/02/celebrating-black-history-month-2020/
BINTI by Nnedi Okorafor is an amazing sci-fi novella series and now you can get them all in a bind up! https://bookshop.org/a/1199/9780756415181
