“Like many people who identify strongly as readers, I’ve been having trouble with focus lately. While I yearn for the brain engagement that a good reading session can bring, I find my eyes skimming over words, my mind skipping like a broken VHS tape over images and emotions that keep me perpetually distracted. Some days are better than others, but many days, reading text-only books—a thing that used to light me up—feels almost impossible. However, there’s solace in the fact that I’ve found graphic literature more accessible to my flighty mind right now. Something about the combination of words and images, the pace of it, is a welcome barb that my mind can get caught on. There’s something soothing about the visual aspect, even if the content itself isn’t all that soothing…” Switch up your reading, it might do you a world of good. “There are many lists going around with books to read—anti-racist reading lists, illuminating fiction about Black lives, cookbooks from Black chefs, and more. I asked several literary leaders—some with their own books, others who manage independent bookstores—what book they think everyone should read. What you’ll find here is a shelf’s worth of important books by Black authors, read and recommended by these book lovers (and in some cases, written by them too).” A wonderful roundup of reading recs from Black authors, bookstore owners, and literary leaders. “I love discovering novels that bring to light little-known or overlooked historical events. When the novels are emotionally nuanced and beautifully written, they make my top ten list. Here’s that list, in no particular order.” This type of historical fiction is my book candy.
