Author: Erica Ezeifedi

Translated Books by Women of Color, New Releases, and Your Faves on a T-Shirt

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date August 15, 2022

Sponsored by

Welcome to In Reading Color, a space where we focus on literature by and about people of color.

Have y’all been feeling super tired lately? I have been unexplainably sleepy the past week or two. I’ve heard from a couple friends that they have been, too. I always find it interesting when one thing is experienced by different people. Probably means something is in retrograde or something.

As I consult the stars (and pop some vitamin D and B12 *lolsob*), I’ve got some new releases, a bomb shirt with writers, and some translated works by women of color.

Bookish Goods

Black Women Writers Shirt by crystaljSTUDIO

Love the color options (there’s also a rainbow one!) and LOVE every one of the writers listed. $21+

New Releases

The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

This is the much anticipated follow-up to the World Fantasy Award-nominated book The Jasmine Throne, which I mentioned a couple weeks ago. In it, we rejoin Malini and Priya as they fight to pry the kingdom from the clutches of a tyrant. Malini has been declared the rightful empress by a god’s prophecy, and readies her loyal army. Meanwhile, Priya, a reborn priestess, sets out to cure her country’s land of a mysterious sickness that has been spreading and affecting all living things. The two women’s paths again cross, and together, they wage war on oppressive forces.

Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana

This has been described as giving serious The Women of Brewster Place vibes, and I agree. I’d even say it’s kind of like an updated version, but outright set in Harlem. Each of its stories is about a tenant at Banneker Homes, a low income housing unit. As gentrification looms, Swan in 6B is excited about his friend’s release from prison, Mimi in 4D is struggling to raise the child she has with Swan, and Quanneisha hopes her education will be enough to leave the high rise for good. Banneker Homes has a pull, though, that seems to keep tenants there, and their stories interwoven.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

It’s Women in Translation Month, so I’ve got some excellent books in translation by women of color for you. Once you read about (and hopefully actually read them), you’ll feel some type of way about how less than 31% of books translated into English are by women, and how only 36% are from non-European countries. I know I do.

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

An amateur cryptozoologist has accepted a job investigating the fabled beasts of Yong’an, a fictional Chinese city. As she uncovers each creature’s story, a deep mystery presents itself that may unravel everything she believes about what it means to be human.

Witches by Brenda Lozano

Friends, I am simple. If I see a book about an Indigenous Mexican healer that’s titled “Witches,” and has a woman with a rooster head on the cover, I’m reading it, period.

Here, Zoe, a young journalist from Mexico City, is sent to a mountain village to report on the murder of a woman named Paloma. She soon finds out that Paloma was not like other women, though. Before she was killed, and before she even drew breath as Paloma, she lived as Gaspar, a traditional healer. Once Zoe meets Paloma’s cousin Feliciana, the two woman become entangled in each other, their disparate experiences complementing the other’s as they try to survive in a man’s world.

Thanks for reading; it’s been cute! If you want to reach out and connect, email me at erica@riotnewmedia.com or tweet at me @erica_eze_. You can find me on the Hey YA podcast with the fab Tirzah Price, as well as in the In The Club newsletter.

Until next week,

-E

Bookish Goods

Bookish Good of the Week: August 14, 2022

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date August 14, 2022

Minimalist Wall Art by ALCANDESIGNPROJECT

This set comes with three minimalist reading figures and is great for those of us who want a little something, but not too much. $40+ depending on dimensions.

In The Club

Read These Women in Translation

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date August 9, 2022

Sponsored by

Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met, well-read, and well-fed.

A couple weeks ago, a friend asked me if I wanted to go to the African art museum. I thought it was the Smithsonian’s big African American museum, but it was actually located in a smaller building, an offshoot of a larger collection. Apparently my reaction is common, and many people don’t really know about its existence. Which is a shame, because it was fab! There was art rendered in various media and an exhibit featuring these gorgeously saturated photos of Nollywood (Nigerian Hollywood) stars.

Everything together really added depth and context to my view of the many countries and cultures of Africa. I think it’s easy for westerners to get stuck with a certain image of African art that is not very representative of the expansive continent, nor the time. But this collection featured a lot of modern artists and performers, which allowed me to see what entertainment and art my African peers grew up consuming and currently consume.

This looking at someone else’s experience is at the heart of why Women in Translation Month exists and is celebrated in August. Only 3% of books being published in the U.S. are translated, and from that measly number, the translated books by women is even lower. That means we’re missing out on an entire world of experiences and perspectives. I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel some type of way. Especially since so many are so good! We can start to remedy that a bit today, though!

Now let’s get to the club…

Nibbles and Sips

Have you tried a Dirty Shirley yet? I’m all for simple (especially in this heat!), and this is super simple, but I feel the nostalgia gives it a lil sumn extra. You know what I mean? This is another trend from TikTok that I actually appreciate.

What you’ll need:

vodka, fresh lime juice, grenadine, lemon-lime soda, and Maraschino cherries and lime wheels for garnish. See? Super simple.

Now you can have a lil sip while you read these translated books by women!

Fire, Translated

The subtitle isn’t super original or clever, but it is how I feel! Seriously, these translated books by women are groundbreaking, subversive, and just all around brilliant, and I am miffed just thinking about other works that are similarly brilliant that are waiting to be translated and that will either A) be translated decades from now, or B) will never be translated. I mean, at least we have these, but also who do I ask for a refund??

Talk to My Back by Yamada Murasaki, translated by Ryan Holmberg

Murasaki’s graphic novel Talk to My Back was originally published serially in the influential alternative manga magazine Garo from 1981-84. It was just published as a collection this July, and follows Chiharu as she struggles with the state of her marriage and mothering two teenage daughters. As her husband’s disregard for her — he sees her as a domestic servant and cheats on her — becomes apparent, so too does Japan’s failing of its female population. Murasaki was the first manga artist to use manga as a medium to explore the lives of Japanese women in such an honest way.

Panics by Barbara Molinard, translated by (September 2022)

Molinard (1921–1986) was a prolific writer but only published this one book in her lifetime. The reason being that she would destroy most of her stories almost as soon as she had finished them. Luckily, her close friend Marguerite Duras saved these stories that were later translated by Emma Ramadan. They are like a fever dream of warped experiences of violence, mental illness, and autonomy — in one story, surgeons dismember their patient; in another, a man travels to a city for a meeting, becomes lost, and travels along the city wall for months. Molinard’s friend Duras describes them as an intimate look into the author’s internal struggle. The same struggle that had her creating and destroying her works in such rapid succession.

Moonbath by Yanick Lahens, translated by Emily Gogolak

In this novel, award-winning Haitian author Yanick Lahens writes a family saga of four generations of women fighting to hold their family together in Haiti. She really immerses you in the world of the Clémestals/LaFleurs/Dorivals and the voodoo, romance, and political upheaval that surrounds them.

The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft

Tokarczuk really won me over with Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. I haven’t finished this one yet, though (it’s super thiccc at 956 pages *cries in ADHD*). A young Jewish man arrives in Poland and adopts a new name and persona. Taking advantage of the general sense of unrest and change that has swept over the land, he soon also has an enthusiastic following. As the years go by, the man, Frank Jacob, will travel over the continent, converting just as many people into disciples as enemies, continuously reinventing himself along the way. He lives as a Muslim and then a Catholic, a heretic, as well as the Messiah. All while rumors concerning the nature of his following’s secret rituals swirl about. One thing I like about Tokarczuk is the way she deftly navigates philosophical and existential questions, and the story of Frank, a real and mysterious historical figure, is the perfect set up for her musings.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Suggestion Section

The DOJ is suing Penguin Random House (PRH) from acquiring/merging with Simon & Schuster and it’s messssy

The worst tropes in mysteries and thrillers

The best series of all time!

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is Jenna Bush Hager’s August pick for the Today Show book club

Root Magic is Noname’s August pick

I hope this newsletter found you well, and as always, thanks for hanging out! If you have any comments or just want to connect, send an email to erica@riotnewmedia.com or holla at me on Twitter @erica_eze_. You can also catch me talking more mess in the new In Reading Color newsletter as well as chattin’ with my new cohost Tirzah Price on the Hey YA podcast.

Until next week,

Erica

In Reading Color

The Artist’s Life, New Releases, and a Little Toni Morrison for You

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date August 8, 2022

Sponsored by

Welcome to In Reading Color, a space where we focus on literature by and about people of color.

I went to a 3D Van Gogh exhibit the weekend before last and really liked it. I don’t quite know what I was expecting, but I guess it wasn’t that. I knew there would be original paintings, of course, but I really liked the main exhibit. I’ve heard some criticize it for simply being projections, and it was in a way, but they were immersive, in my opinion, which made all the difference. Also, the whole room had immaculate vibes. So maybe it was just vibes?? I might be a vibe girl this summer, who knows.

As I ponder my new identity, I’ve got a bookish goody, new releases, and some books about artists for you!

Bookish Goods

Toni Morrison bookmark by KLigg

This cute bookmark features a quote by my late play auntie, Toni Morrison. $4

New Releases

Bronze Drum by Phong Nguyen

Picture this: 40 CE Vietnam. Two sisters —Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhi — live privileged lives as the daughters of a lord, but it’s under the oppression of the Han Chinese. So, they spend their days training and studying, trying to resist complete assimilation into their oppressor’s culture. One day, Trac’s dutiful studying and Nhi’s straight mackin’ (IYKYK) come to an end when their father is executed, and the tenuous peace Lord Trưng had maintained falters. Now, with no protection from the Han, the sisters step up, forming an army of 80,000 women. Okurrrr! And let me tell you, the girls put on a show when they went to war — the elephants! the drumms! The good sis Han had to collect all the bronze drums after a while, they had her so shook.

The Undead Truth of Us by Britney S. Lewis

After Zharie’s mom dies, she’s left with many questions. Chief among them: why no one else noticed her mother turning into a zombie right before she passed away. If that seems like it came out of nowhere, that’s kind of how I feel this feels, but in a good way. Now Z is living with her aunt, whose emotional distance adds to her loneliness. When a charming and cute boy, Bo, becomes her new neighbor, she is eventually intrigued by him. But once he starts switching back and forth between being a zombie and not, she starts to wonder if learning more about him will answer somethings she’s been wondering about her mother. This YA novel is a poetic exploration of grief wrapped up in a trippy, surreal zombie package.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

In the spirit of the artists’ life, here are a couple books by and about artists!

cover of 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir

1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei

The history of Ai Weiwei’s family and that of China seem to be intrinsically linked. His father, Ai Qing was once the country’s favorite poet and a friend of Mao Zedong. once he was labeled a rightist, however, he was banished to Little Siberia and forced to do hard labor. After surviving a childhood in exile, Ai Weiwei moved to the U.S. to study art. There, he became friends with people like Andy Warhol and Allen Ginsberg. The link connecting him to China called him back, though, taking him from an unknown artist in his home country to a highly celebrated one. But with his artistic renown also came notoriety for being a human rights activist. Like his father, he became an enemy of the state, despite his earlier favor, and was secretly imprisoned for months without being charged in 2011. With this memoir, Ai juxtaposes his life against his father’s — highlighting how his father was silenced as an artist — as well as the culturally relevant moments of their nation.

The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo by F.G. Haghenbeck, translated by Achy Obejas

Frida Kahlo is an obvious art icon, but I wonder how much people know of her life. Here, a fictionalized version of her life is imagined, courtesy of several actual notebooks of hers that were found in her Mexico City home. From her terrible car accident to her lovers (like Tina Modotti and Diego Rivera) to her distinctive art, this book fully fleshes out a larger-than-life person. The recipes included are also a really nice touch.

While we’re talking about Toni Morrison, Akwaeke Emezi shared some amazing reading charts you should get into ASAP.

-Erica

Bookish Goods

Bookish Good of the Week: August 7, 2022

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date August 7, 2022

Personalized Wildflower Book Tote Bag by EndlessCreationsCo

Who couldn’t use more totes? This one I customizable and would be perfect a a gift, or to keep in the car for library, bookstore, or even grocery runs. $17

In The Club

Books like Jordan Peele’s NOPE

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date August 2, 2022

Sponsored by

Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met, well-read, and well-fed.

So at this point, Jordan Peele’s movie Nope has been out for about two weeks and I’ve seen it two times. Although I love movies as much as the next person, I’ve never been a really big movie buff. Nor have I been someone who likes to analyze every movie she sees within an inch of its life. I want to with the movie Nope, though.

I don’t want this newsletter to be too spoilery, but it might be, so if you want to see the movie and want to be totally surprised, you’ve been warned. By now, many people know the movie is about aliens. And it is. But, like everything with Peele, his version of aliens is totally new and interesting, taking a commonly held view and flipping it on its assumptions. What the movie is really about though — the theme that is just beneath the surface, obvious, but also somewhat obscured — is exploitation. The exploitation of people, namely Black people, as well as the exploitation of animals, especially as that exploitation applies to Hollywood. I like that Peele concerns himself with the well-being of all living beings, animals included.

Now, on to the (Nope) club!

Nibbles and Sips

You ever heard of hot honey peach cornbread? Yeah, me neither. I literally hail from the land of peaches and cornbread, so I will need to have a discussion with my parents on how they’ve failed me. Thankfully, Yinka Ogunbiyi is righting that wrong. Here’s a bonus instagram video.

You’ll need:

120g butter, plus extra to grease
230ml milk
2 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar
150g cornmeal or polenta
125g clear honey
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 large peaches, or 3 small
1 medium egg
200g caster sugar
120g self-raising flour
vanilla ice cream, to serve

Unless you’re familiar with grams and the like, you’ll want to convert the measurements into U.S. customary units.

Now for some books!

“Nope, Nah” — Daniel Kaluuya’s character in NOPE

Emily Martin has written an excellent post that went up on the main site about books like Peele’s movie, which I recommend. The books I include here, though, are totally different and focus more exclusively on what I felt like were his more subterranean points, namely how the vulnerable are exploited by others just because, and the unsung influence of Black Americans in America’s culture.

cover of A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this one before, but it’s worth mentioning several times. Black people’s contribution to American culture still isn’t fully acknowledged. Peele references that fact in the first few minutes of his new movie when Keke Palmer’s character explains how the first person filmed was a Black man riding a horse, but no one knows his name. One could say that this very first disregarding of Black people’s contributions as far as film was concerned set the standard for the future.

With this book, Abdurraqib similarly shouts out the many Black people who have shaped America — from entertainment to politics — with their art. He injects his own personal history as well as the pain and joy, rhythm and musicality, that got us to this point as he shows just how woven into the very fabric of America Blackness is.

Book club bonus: Were you surprised by any of the contributions Abdurraqib mentions? What would you add?

cover image of The Compton Cowboys by Walter Thompson-Hernandez

The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America’s Urban Heartland by Walter Thompson-Hernandez

If you see the movie and immediately start looking up theories like I did, you’ll likely run across articles speaking of how Peele was influenced by Hollywood and the film-making process. What you might not see as much of is what I felt like was his ode to the Black cowboy. Despite there being so many — an estimated 25% or more — they’ve never been shown in classic Westerns, much less as the heroes. In The Compton Cowboys, the legacy of Black cowboys is continued through a ranch in Los Angeles. At the ranch, the cowboys find camaraderie, freedom, protection, and pursue dreams of winning rodeo competitions.

Book club bonus: How does the image of Black cowboys settle in your mind? Does it feel natural or very unfamiliar? Discuss how, through media’s influence, actual history can feel so foreign sometimes.

cover of tender is the flesh by agustina bazterrica

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses

Phew, ok, now this one is not for the weak-stomached. Merely reading the premise of it low-key makes me gag, so consider that your warning.

By showing how humans start being exploited in place of animals, I feel like this book perfectly tackles how animals and humans are treated. It follows Marcos, who works at a processing plant that slaughters humans, except they’re not referred to as humans any more. Since the virus emerged that made all animal meat poisonous to humans, all animals were killed on sight, and “special meat” soon became legal to eat. Well, one day Marcos gets a live specimen of the highest quality (ugh), and he breaks the rules by starting to treat her like an actual person. Once reality sets in, he starts to think that the humanity that’s been lost may be too much to bear.

The grotesque aspect of this book’s central premise scratches at that itch that Peele’s movie gives me — a gnawing, disturbing one that makes me feel like there are those who would disembody others for entertainment.

Book club bonus: So! There is so much with this one. The taking away of humanity from people reminds me of American chattel slavery. How people are willing to sacrifice other living beings for an unnecessary luxury speaks to capitalism and the United States overindulgent meat industry. SO much to discuss!

Suggestion Section

Facts you might not have known about James Baldwin

New Books out this week!

Mika In Real Life is Good Morning America’s August pick

Wrong Place Wrong Time is Reese’s pick

Until next week,

Erica

In Reading Color

A Summer Renaissance, Courtesy of Beyoncé

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date August 1, 2022

Sponsored by

Welcome to In Reading Color, a space where we focus on literature by and about people of color.

So I went to a Beyoncé Renaissance album listening party the day the album dropped, because obviously I did. And, it wasn’t what I was expecting, but in the best way. I knew the flyer for it on Eventbrite said that it was an album listening party, yes, but that it was also a space for women of color to network, make connections, feel supported, and all that good jazz. And it really was that. As soon as I stepped in, it felt like being at an older sister’s or auntie’s house.

The music was loud, but not so loud that you couldn’t hold a conversation, and everyone was warm and happy. Once I started speaking to the friend I came with, my conversations kept flowing. From her it went to one of the hosts, then to a new person who I spoke with at length about entrepreneurship and an app she was developing. It seemed like so many women there had apps, nonprofits, or some other business of theirs in the works.

Surprisingly, I didn’t pay as much attention to the album when I was at the event — I definitely blasted it on the drive back home, though, trust — but the glimpses of it I heard, had Beyoncé singing of owning your singularity, being a bad bitch, and basically every other aspect of exhibiting TGE (That Girl Energy TM). All of it was over the backdrop of a very ’90s House — dare I say Mansion? — accompaniment. Make sure to blast Renaissance as you read these books.

Bookish Goods

Booked and Busy Sticker by 525DesignShop

This vinyl sticker fully exhibits TGE, is waterproof, and perfect for sticking on laptops and water bottles. It also comes in a bookmark version, and even within a set of other TGE giving stickers. $4

New Releases

What’s Coming to Me by Francesca Padilla

Minerva Gutiérrez is 17 and dealing with a lot. Apart from having to contend with a sexist boss, her mother has been hospitalized yet again, and she’s been kicked out of school…but back to her boss real quick: an armed robbery at her job reveals money hidden somewhere on site and her and her neighbor are desperate to find it. If she can get things to go her way this time, she may finally be able to find a way out of her situation while also getting revenge on her boss. Sis is into some shady stuff, but desperate times and all that!

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

You think you love books? Well, there’s a line of people living in the Yorkshire Moors for whom books are literal food. Certain genres even carry particular flavors (spy novels are peppery, apparently). Devon is a descendant of book eaters, and, like other book eater women, was reared on a diet of cautionary fairy tales while her brothers feasted on adventures. Things change, though, and Devon’s son was born with a more sinister appetite. One for human minds.

Side note: Sunyi Dean is an autistic science fiction and fantasy writer and this is her debut. You love to see it!

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Apart from the new releases, today’s books fully exhibit TGE just like the new album (the first song is titled “I’m That Girl”). This means that characters are true to themselves despite any opposition, social norms, or anything else that would stifle or oppress them.

cover image of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

The Secret Life of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

Philyaw’s church ladies are anything but simple. Her collection of stories shows the multifaceted and complex lives of Black women as they carve out their own lives despite expectations of the Black church, which has been a huge presence in the lives of many Black Americans for hundreds of years. Queer women meet with their lovers, young girls start to piece together their individual identities, and therapy — still not wholly accepted in many communities — is sought to break unhealthy ties. Philyaw’s characters jump off the page as she explores their most intimate moments.

Fittingly, Beyoncé has a song titled church Girl, which has the lines “church girl, don’t hurt nobody” followed by “You can be my daddy if you want to.” I mean, not that I know what those words in that order mean, or anything *cough*, but they really fit this book so well.

Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman

Black people — Black women, in this book’s case — have never been granted the opportunity to meet societal expectations in the Western world. Many would argue that what Black people were not allowed to do — and what white people could do in contrast — defined what it meant to be white, but that’s another point for another book. Considering all this, though, it makes sense that, following the Victorian era’s strict social mores, many Black women bucked so-called respectability politics and lived as they wanted. Hartman outlines how they redefined what marriage, motherhood, and sexuality meant. By determining which kind of relationships — and even working conditions — they wanted for themselves, they shaped a cultural movement.

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith

Might I suggest you don’t mess with my sis

Cause she comfortable

Comfortable in my skin

Cozy with who I am

I feel like this is the song Cozy from the Renaissance album in book form. We follow Kim, Tanisha, Davene, and Cookie as they navigate their own friendship, as well as their everyday lives, in the Bronx. As the title suggests, the importance of wash day — when many Black women set aside time for self-care through hair maintenance — centers the friends’ story. Differing color palettes help set the mood — which is often cozy! — in this graphic novel as the women revel in their sisterhood.

I’ve been loving slice-of-life graphic novels/manga lately, and it’s dope to see Black women’s everyday lives brought to life on the page. I could see myself spilling tea with them in the hair salon as we sang along to someone’s playlist.

-Erica

Bookish Goods

Bookish Good of the Week: July 31, 2022

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date July 31, 2022

Get Lit t-shirt by LadybuggdesignsCreat

This seemingly simple t-shirt has a double meaning. ‘Round here, we like to get lit on lit! Get into it for $11+.

In The Club

Obama’s Summer Reading List and the Booker Longlist

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date July 26, 2022

Sponsored by

Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met, well-read, and well-fed.

I mentioned in the yesterday’s In Reading Color send how I’ve been socializing *gasp*. I’ve always been the biggest homebody, but the past couple years of really isolating has gotten to even me, so I’ve been making a concerted effort to be amongst the gworls a little more. This led me to an open mic night on Monday. And, apart from an older white guy saying the n-word in reference to himself (yes, I’m serious), the performers were actually pretty good.

There were quite a few young people that did really well. I’m talking young like 13-young. There was even this family that had several kids performing (one played guitar, one rapped, one sang). They were so cute! Then, there was this table of barely-out-of-high school spoken word artists who all took the same poetry class in high school who absolutely killed it. Gen Z is really out here, I’m telling you.

The overall vibe of the room was so chill and supportive. I hope you’re feeling a least a little of that this week as we get to the club!

Nibbles and Sips

I was going to share the harira soup I had at the restaurant where the open mic night was, but I thought I’d spare y’all a soup recipe with all this *waves hands frantically* going on. Instead, I’ll share the other thing I head alongside my much-needed sangria. Korean cauliflower! It was so good, y’all. I low-key want to go back today to have it again (lol!), but luckily I have Kaitlin over at The Woks of Life to not have me doing the most.

Now for some books!

A Lil Mix n Match

Former President Barack Obama released his summer reading list on the same day that the Booker Prize Longlist was announced. Although I’ll obviously read anything at any time, I also appreciate keeping up with the latest award nominees and the most buzzed about books. They generally make for great book club picks! I’ve highlighted a couple from both lists to talk about during future gatherings.

Obama’s Summer Picks:

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

With Eleanor Bennet”s death, she leaves her two kids, Byron and Benny, a black cake and a whole lotta questions. The questions are from the siblings, as they learn from a recording left by their mother that she wasn’t quite who they thought she was. For one, there was the suspicion of murder that hovered over her head as she left her island home. Secondly, there was another child she had unbeknownst to them. And, as shocking as the revelations are, the siblings know she still held back details. They want to try to piece together who their mother really was— and who there are by extension— but they’ve got to work on their own relationship first.

The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang

This is another one dealing with deceased family members and their secrets. Here, the Chaos have lived in a pleasant town where their restaurant has been serving residents for more than 30 years. This is despite certain unsavory rumors about them spread by townspeople. When the patriarch, Leo Chao, dies, a murder case is opened and the town suspects his three sons. Apparently, the sons, Dagou, Ming, and James all had motives. As their father’s secrets come to light, they’ll have to cope with his legacy and their own shortcomings. This one is as funny as it is heartbreaking.

From the Booker Prize Longlist

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

At 20, Mottley is the youngest person to be nominated for the Booker Prize! I’m only second guessing my life choices a little (just a little) *ahem*.

Anyway, this amazing book is getting praised all up and down, and was chosen by Oprah for her book club. It follows Kiara as she tries to keep her and her brother Marcus afloat in East Oakland. Marcus is busy trying to be a rapper while Kiara discovers a line of work she never thought she’d be involved in. Nightcrawling opens her up to a world that eventually leads her to being a key witness in a scandal within the Oakland Police Department.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

In Sri Lanka in 1989, Maali Almeida wakes up in what appears to be a celestial visa office and finds out that not only is he dead, but his dismembered body is floating in a lake. The current state of the country makes it hard to narrow down a list of suspects, and he only has seven moons to contact the woman and man he loves most and show them shocking photographs that will change the country. This is a trippy, funny satirical novel about the state of things.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Suggestion Section

Goodreads’ list of the best dark academia

The World Fantasy Award Finalists!

A funny list of totally original literary podcast that don’t exist yet

What it’s like being an autistic librarian

New LGBTQ+ graphic novels that you need to get into ASAP

Until next week,

-Erica

In Reading Color

World Fantasy Award Nominees, New Releases, and Beautiful Bookmarks

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date July 25, 2022

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Welcome to In Reading Color, a space where we focus on literature by and about people of color.

Friends! Somehow, some way, I have been outside going to events (and brunches!) despite this oppressive heat and my innate aversion to it. I haven’t passed out yet, but the summer is young.

Before we begin: this week, we’re matching up to $2500 in donations to the National Network of Abortion Funds. Here’s how to take part!

Ok, back to the books and things.

Bookish Goods

Chinese Style Metal Bookmarks by SealCuttingArts

These metal bookmarks are super pretty and are inspired by Chinese art. They also remind me of the cover of The Daughter of the Moon Goddess, which is an obvious plus. $15

New Releases

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen

Get ready for a morally gray witch who goes from being a pauper as a child to plotting in the palace. Violet is a prophet who will scheme and scam as it suits her, but when she’s asked to lie about a prophecy concerning the prince, a curse is awakened.

Nobody’s Princess by Erica Ridley

This is the third in a fun, romantic series and follows Kuni and Graham. Kuni wants to become the first Royal Guardswoman, and Graham is a spy of sorts and under the impression that Kuni is a royal that he must save. Yeah, she’s good, bro, but she might entertain a lil steam, if you know what I mean. *winks*

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

The World Fantasy Award Nominees have been announced and three out of five of the authors are POC and all of them have queer, female protagonists! Woo!

Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

Clark, how shall I say, did the damn thing with this one. This has already been nominated/won other awards, and it’s clear why. The novel follows Fatma el-Sha’arawi, the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy in an alternate 1912 Cairo where magical Djinn walk the earth. While listening to the audiobook, I felt like I was being led through the gorgeous steampunk Egypt Clark builds, and I loved trying to figure out the mystery of who murdered the members of a rich brotherhood dedicated to the legendary Djinn master Al-Jahiz. Plus, Fatma’s girlfriend, Siti, sounds fine af. *looks, respectfully*

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

Jessamyn is in a messs. She’s broke and has to move back home to Malaysia after going to school in the U.S.— which isn’t a bad thing unto itself, but she’s not out to her family and now needs to hide that part of herself. Annd then there’s her grandmother who is deceased but also somehow in Jess’s head throwing up gang signs for the Black Water Sister, a deity her grandmother served as the avatar for when she was alive. Well, G-Ma is ride-or-die for the Sister, and has no problem dragging Jess into a world of gangsters, gods, and ghosts in order to exact revenge against those who have wrong her deity. *cue the Migos adlibs*

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Sure

Two women from vastly different classes are thrown together in this novel inspired by the history and epics of India. Together, Malini and Pray, a princess and a maidservant, will use magic and everything else at their disposal to right the wrongs of a tyrant and save the empire. I mean, I’m always here for morally gray lesbians who set fire to empires, I don’t know about you.

-Erica