It’s Jane Austen’s necroversary this week (no, that’s not a real word, and yes, I’m sorry). To celebrate her life and work, we’re running all Jane Austen content, AND giving away a collection of all of her works from the beautiful Penguin Clothbound series.
The giveaway is open worldwide, and entries will be accepted through July 24th.
Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click on the lovely image below. Good luck!
Happy Friday, redshirts and rogues. Today we’re talking about Roses and Rot and Kai Ashante Wilson’s novellas, plus sibling stories, dialect on the page, a new Charlaine Harris show, and more. Here be were-tigers.
This newsletter is sponsored by The Folio Society edition of American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
For nearly 70 years, The Folio Society has been creating beautiful, illustrated, hardback books and the Folio collector’s edition of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is guaranteed to delight fans of this modern classic. It has been illustrated, at the author’s request, by long time collaborator Dave McKean with 12 original illustrations, 3 of which are double page spreads. Dave has also written an insightful introduction on the specific challenges of illustrating such an established and well-loved work. The text has been lauded by Neil as his preferred version and copies are available exclusively from www.foliosociety.com.
Do you need more siblings in your sff? We’ve got a post for that. This is always an odd thing for me to think about, because I tend not to notice siblings (absent or present) in novels, unless it is somehow super-important to the story. Or they are twins, because twins! I have two brothers, and was one of those kids who dreamed of only childhood or being whisked away by my REAL parents (my poor actual parents, sorry Mom and Dad). My sibling-blindness notwithstanding, there’s no doubt that family dynamics can be an excellent addition to a plot. In fact, we’ve got a sister story in the reviews today!
Let’s talk about heroines! We’ve got a list of heroines that will remind you of Wonder Woman, and a list for badass middle-aged heroines. I will take both, please and thanks! Especially the latter; it’s lovely to see women my own actual age on the page, as easy as it is to tap into my internal 16-year-old.
We’ve talked about naming conventions; now let’s talk about dialect! What does the future sound like? Brandon O’Brien has some thoughts. Personally, I’m a sucker for fictional slang and books written in patois, as we’ll talk about more below; the more voices, the merrier my brain is. (Although yes, agree, stop trying to make “schway” happen.)
Do you need more supernatural creatures with drama on your TV? Charlaine Harris’s other series Midnight, Texas has been made into a show and premieres next Monday, July 24. With Teen Wolf (the MTV one) ending, I am considering adding this to my rotation even though I never did watch True Blood. (Which I will get to some day, I swear.)
Bring on the cute: here is a book of highly adorable illustrations about the crew of Firefly and their adventures on Earth! I might need this for that cross-stitch pattern alone? Ahem.
Today we have no babies or parenting — instead, we have siblings and possibly-doomed love! That felt like it deserved an exclamation mark!
Roses and Rot by Kat Howard
Here is a fantasy novel about an artist retreat run by the Fae. Half of you are already sold, like I was — it seems so simple, so obvious! How is this the first time (at least to my knowledge) that someone has done this?! I am so glad Howard did, because this novel is a delight, and it’s newly out in paperback.
Sisters Imogen and Marin are both talented artists — Imogen is a writer and Marin a dancer — who come from a dysfunctional, abusive home. They’ve grown up and (mostly) put their past behind them, and now both have been accepted to a prestigious program that will give them the time, space, and mentors to hone their talents. But once they get to Melete, they find that it might actually be too good to be true, and the price for greatness beyond what they could have imagined.
Interweaving the wounds of their childhood with the uncanny nature of Melete, Roses and Rot looks at the art world, the bonds of sisterhood, and the universal struggle to know your own worth. Her Fae are strange and beautiful, her characters engaging and complex; if you’re well-steeped in Faerie stories, you’ll probably recognize some of her influences and refrences, but you don’t need them to enjoy it. This is one of my favorite modern fairytales from the past year.
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps & A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson
Novellas are a hard format for me; if they’re good it’s never enough, and if they’re not good then anything is too much. But I finally got my hands on both of Kai Ashante Wilson’s, thinking that perhaps that would be enough if I read them back to back. Readers, it was not. They were excellent and I need more immediately.
I read them in the order in which they were published, and while you really don’t need The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps to understand A Taste of Honey, Sorcerer teaches you more about the mechanics of the world they’re set in and it was knowledge I was glad to have running through the background. (Also, for the record: I would have used a map had there been one.)
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps follows Demane, a demigod masquerading as human and working for a merchant caravan. His fellow guards know he’s special, but not how special, and he’s careful to keep it under wraps. Also keeping secrets is the caravan’s Captain, a beautiful man with a past that casts long shadows. As if two not-humans keeping their identities and relationship on the down-low wasn’t enough, a strange monster is stalking the road to the Wildeeps, and their caravan isn’t safe.
I loved the interstitial snippets of letters, writings, and folklore between the chapters; the small glimpses of the grander world were fascinating. Wilson’s world-building is both fantastical and science fictional, a thing I am delighted to see more and more of, and he manages to provide clarity and context without ever descending into an infodump. On the last page, I was not ready for it to be over (and also I needed a tissue).
A Taste of Honey initially disappointed me in that it didn’t follow Demane, but then I got over it. Instead we meet Aqib, a beast-master, fourth son, and a bit of an outcast in his family, and Lucrio, a soldier with a visiting embassy. They meet, they fall in love — but nothing is simple. In Aqib’s country homosexuality is forbidden, and his older brother doesn’t scruple to use violence to send a message. Will Aqib leave his home and his family, who he loves regardless, for a soldier he’s known barely a week? When the twist comes in this book, it actually dropped my jaw.
Wilson has a talent for taking a seemingly small, private story and giving it opportunities to shoot light into the broader world of the books. You’ll notice hints of ancient Rome and Africa, but Wilson has taken those threads and made them his own. He’s also given his characters beautifully distinct voices and dialects — the different “accents” of the caravan guards in Sorcerer, or the playful lessons in grammar Aqib and Lucrio give each other in Honey, were just as important in fleshing out their world as any description of setting or culture or custom.
I am ready and waiting. Where’s the next one?
Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by The Special Ones by Em Bailey, a HMH Book for Young Readers.
Esther is one of four Special Ones: spiritual guides who live in a remote farmhouse under the protection of a mysterious cult leader. He watches them around the clock—ready to punish them if they forget who they are—while broadcasting their lives to eager followers outside.
Esther knows that if she stops being Special, he will “renew” her. Nobody knows what happens to Special Ones who are taken away for renewal, but Esther fears the worst. Like an actor caught up in an endless play, she must keep up the performance if she wants to survive long enough to escape.
Today’s The Stack is sponsored by SUPERB and Lion Forge Comics.
Life is tough. Having superpowers is tougher.
In the fight for freedom, it’s not enough to be different.
You have to be SUPERB.
Teenager Kayla Tate is forced to move back to Youngstown, Ohio an “Event” Level 5 impact zone. Compared to her new life, returning to Youngstown is a step backwards. She has a strained relationship with her childhood friend, Jonah Watkins, school is a nightmare, and everyone is talking about the mysterious superhero and internet sensation, “Cosmosis,” and his nighttime battles against the supposedly-benevolent corporation Foresight.
THE THIRD MONTHLY SERIES FROM THE CATALYST PRIME UNIVERSE!
A NEW UNIVERSE … A NEW GENERATION OF HERO!
Hello from beautiful Colorado, audiobooky friends,
This road trip has been quite the experience. I’ve driven through some of the most beautiful parts of the country and, honestly, I’m enamored. Well, I’m not enamored with the BUDBUGS that attacked me in a hotel in Santa Fe. Those little shits can suck it. (Please do not tweet your bedbug horror stories at me. I’m so paranoid about bringing them home. I’ve done all the things I’m supposed to do but I’m still scared. You may, however, tweet me reassuring pictures of puppies at any time. Also, you may tweet me other kinds of reassuring stories. Like, say, you went on a road trip once and then you slept in a bed-buggy bed and then everyone told you that you were definitely going to bring bedbugs home with you BUT YOU DIDN’T, feel free to tweet that story at me. Cuz I need it.)
Sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio
The summer months are a great time for road trips with the whole family, but the car ride can get old…quick. Listen to an audiobook the whole family can enjoy and your destination will arrive in no time! Visit TryAudiobooks.com/Family-Travel for suggested listens and for a free audiobook download of MY FATHER’s DRAGON!
BUT I’m trying to focus on the positive. And I have seen some truly beautiful places in the southwest. So for this week’s newsletter, I’m doing something a little different. I’m going to pick one book from each state I visited on the way to Oklahoma, and next week I’ll pick a book from each state on the way back.
What prompted this, aside from the beauty of the state I have traveled through, is a new (print) book purchase I made in New Mexico: Mary Miller’s new collection of short stories, Always Happy Hour. Which reminded me how much I enjoyed my first exposure to Mary Miller, which was the audio version of The Last Days of California. So without further ado:
California:
The Last Days of California by Mary Miller
This story about a 15-year-old girl with evangelical parents, a secretly pregnant sister and a road trip in anticipation of the End Days isn’t YA, but it accomplishes what all good novels about teenagers should: it makes you remember being 15. It makes you remember that strange space where you’re trying to understand the big, incomprehensible things adults do and the realizations that happen once you figure out adults are pretty much as clueless as anyone else. More than anything, though, it is a story of a family–-one that loves each other but is complicated and confused, just trying to make it through to the end of their journey.
Nevada:
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.
I challenge you to drive through the Nevada desert and not think about at least a few of the hallucinogenic scenes from Thompson’s classic novel. Via the publisher: “In Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, Raoul Duke (Thompson) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (inspired by a friend of Thompson) are quickly diverted to search for the American dream. Their quest is fueled by nearly every drug imaginable and quickly becomes a surreal experience that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. But there is more to this hilarious tale than reckless behavior, for underneath the hallucinogenic facade is a stinging criticism of American greed and consumerism.”
Arizona:
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
I read this book Freshman year of high school and I fell in love with Kingsolver’s rich prose.
“Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity of putting down roots.”
New Mexico:
The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob
I haven’t listened to this one personally but it comes highly recommended by Rioter Jess and it’s read by the author (something Jess noted the author does very well). Here’s what the publisher had to say:
“Celebrated brain surgeon Thomas Eapen has been sitting on his porch, talking to dead relatives. At least that is the story his wife, Kamala, prone to exaggeration, tells their daughter, Amina, a photographer living in Seattle.
Reluctantly, Amina returns home and finds a situation that is far more complicated than her mother let on, with roots in a trip the family, including Amina’s rebellious brother Akhil, took to India 20 years earlier. Confronted by Thomas’s unwillingness to explain himself, strange looks from the hospital staff, and a series of puzzling items buried in her mother’s garden, Amina soon realizes that the only way she can help her father is by coming to terms with her family’s painful past. In doing so, she must reckon with the ghosts that haunt all of the Eapens.”
Oklahoma:
It was harder to find an Oklahoma-based book, so this is an official call out to share any OK-based books you think are great. And you can’t go wrong with Toni Morrison in the meantime. This is an abridged version of the book (boo!) but it’s read by Toni Morrison (yay!) so maybe it evens out? “In Paradise, Toni Morrison gives us a bravura performance. As the book begins deep in Oklahoma early one morning in 1976, nine men from Ruby (pop. 360), in defense of ‘the one all-black town worth the pain’, assault the nearby Convent and the women in it. From the town’s ancestral origins in 1890 to the fateful day of the assault, Paradise tells the story of a people ever mindful of the relationship between their spectacular history and a void ‘Out There…where random and organized evil erupted when and where it chose.’”
New Books:
A Beautiful, Terrible Thing by Jen Waite
“What do you do when you discover that the person you’ve built your life around never existed? When “it could never happen to me” does happen to you?
These are the questions facing Jen Waite when she begins to realize that her loving husband – the father of her infant daughter, her best friend, the love of her life – fits the textbook definition of psychopath. In a raw, first-person account, Waite recounts each heartbreaking discovery, every life-destroying lie, and reveals what happens once the dust finally settles on her demolished marriage.
After a disturbing email sparks Waite’s suspicion that her husband is having an affair, she tries to uncover the truth and rebuild trust in her marriage. Instead, she finds more lies, infidelity, and betrayal than she could have imagined. Waite obsessively analyzes her relationship, trying to find a single moment from the last five years that isn’t part of the long con of lies and manipulation. With a dual time line narrative structure, we see Waite’s romance bud, bloom, and wither simultaneously, making the heartbreak and disbelief even more affecting.”
A MYSTERY IN WHICH RESCUE DOGS ARE SAVED?! SIGN ME UP (unless something terrible happens to the rescue dogs, in which case I will have nothing to do with this book).
“Lawyer Andy Carpenter’s true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. All kinds of dogs make their way to the foundation, and it isn’t that surprising to find a dog abandoned at the shelter one morning, though it was accompanied by a mysterious anonymous note. But they are quite surprised when they scan the dog’s embedded chip and discover that they know this dog. He is the “DNA dog”.
Two and a half years ago, Jill Hickman was a single mother of an adopted baby. Her baby and dog were kidnapped in broad daylight in Eastside Park, and they haven’t been seen since. A tip came in that ID’d a former boyfriend of Hickman’s, Keith Wachtel, as the kidnapper. A search of his house showed no sign of the child but did uncover more incriminating evidence, and the clincher that generated Wachtel’s arrest was some dog hair, notable since Wachtel did not have a dog. DNA tests showed conclusively that the hair belonged to Hickman’s dog. Wachtel was convicted of kidnapping, but the dog and baby were never found.
Now, with the reappearance of the dog, the case is brought back to light and the search for the child renewed. Goaded by his wife’s desire to help a friend and fellow mother and Andy’s desire to make sure the real kidnapper is in jail, Andy and his team enter the case. But what they start to uncover is far more complicated and dangerous than they ever expected.”
In Case You Missed It on Book Riot:
A guest post from Carina Pereira making “THE CASE FOR REREADING ON AUDIO”
Audiobooks aren’t cheating; in fact, they add extra dimension to already beloved favorites.
Until next week, I’m your itchy pal,
~Katie
We have a $100 giftcard to Half Price Books to giveaway this week.
One winner will be randomly selected and notified via entered email. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents. Full giveaway rules are available here.
Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the the image below. Good luck!
Hi my fellow mystery fans! I’m melting and it isn’t even August yet which has me wanting to read mysteries/thrillers set in cold settings. If you’re looking for the same thing I very much recommend North of Boston by Elisabeth Elo–freezing water sounds amazing right now.
Sponsored by the high-octane political thriller We Are Holding the President Hostage.
The most popular high-octane thriller from the bestselling author of The War of the Roses – We Are Holding the President Hostage is an electrifying death match that grips you from the first page until long after the last. Aging Mafia Don Salvatore Padronelli, a.k.a. the Padre, is furious when fanatical terrorists capture his beloved daughter and grandson on a trip to Egypt. Fed up with diplomatic caution that prolongs their captivity, the Padre and his loyal henchman cleverly insinuate themselves into the White House to hold the President and his wife hostage. Now the Padre calls the shots on getting the President to take steps to release his family. But will his plan go as expected?
I ain’t afraid of no ghost!
Death in D Minor (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #2) by Alexia Gordon: And neither is Gethsemane Brown (an American musician living in Ireland), who summons a ghost in the hopes of saving her cottage from developers. Except, whoopsie, the wrong ghost appears. At the wrong time. But that’s a side plot—in a delightful way, not a distracting way—from the actual mystery: Gethsemane’s brother-in-law is in town for an art auction and quickly finds himself entangled in a fraud case as the suspect. Gethsemane makes a deal to help gather evidence against suspected art frauders to prove his innocence, but soon there’s a death and Gethsemane is in danger. This was a great read with a couple of ghosts, music, and art history that complimented well with the mystery at heart and some laughs. Now I have to go read the first in the series!
If you’re going to be in Maine on the 29th Tess Gerritsen is having a mystery garden party!
Over on Paste: Read an excerpt from The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter.
A judge in Spain ordered Salvador Dali’s body exhumed for a paternity test and because I clearly read too many mysteries my first thought was “But what if the body isn’t there when they open the casket?!”
True crime is stranger than fiction ( A living Jane Doe): Finding Lisa: A story of murders, mysteries, loss, and, incredibly, new life
Chrissy Teigen reads true crime. So does John Legend. The couple that reads true crime together, stays together?
DiCaprio and Scorsese are uniting again, this time on an adaptation for the true crime Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.
Breakfast Club meets murder mystery:
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus: This starts with five students in detention–most professing innocence. Each seems to take on the classic trope of teen movies giving you the Breakfast Club type vibes (brain, jock, pretty/popular, bad boy) except things quickly turn tragic when a student dies. Soon it appears he may have been murdered. Suspects? Technically anyone who he’d destroyed in his gossip app (he was like the TMZ/Perez Hilton of his school) but the police are zeroing in on the four students left from that detention. As you get to know each character—point of view changes each chapter—you realize they’re fully fleshed out characters who are complex and not necessarily who they each thought the other was. If “one of us is lying”–and slowly it looks like at some point each of them could be the killer, or at least has a secret–then is it wise for them to be sneaking off to meet to try and figure out the mystery themselves? Especially, when the police are watching them…
PI mystery that ends like a thriller:
The Last Place You Look (Roxane Weary #1) by Kristen Lepionk: Roxane Weary is a PI having a bit of a rough time (aren’t all PIs?): her father, a police officer, has passed away; she’s drinking a bit too much; and her romantic life is more in the unhealthy department. Sure, all of that sounds like this is just a gender swapped PI mystery, but there’s more to Roxane than the usual tropes– starting with her being bisexual. As much as she can be prickly (again, most PI?), she’s genuinely trying. She may not make the wisest choices–romantically, personally, nor professionally–but she evolves at the same time, recognizes her issues, and (most importantly as a PI) doesn’t give up on her case. The case is technically an already solved case–there is a man on death row for the murder of his girlfriend (body never found) and her parents fifteen years ago. But his sister is certain he didn’t kill anyone and she swears she just saw the body-never-found girlfriend walking in broad daylight. The case is complicated enough, and the fact that the town’s police don’t want Roxane anywhere near their town makes it nearly impossible for her to do her job. But a man’s life is hanging on the balance and she really doesn’t take kindly to being told to mind her own business. A good read for fans of mystery and thrillers as you get a healthy dose of both.
Poked around the Kindle monthly deals and found you these:
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet for $2.99
The Murder Game by Julie Apple for $1.99
The Girl Before by JP Delaney for $3.99
And I’ll leave you with my best read of June review for Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke. Y’all should definitely add it to your TBR list and pounce on it when it releases in September. It’s so good. SO GOOD!
I have to go shopping now:
Agatha Christie typewriter pins with mystery quote
Detective trench coat cufflinks
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.
Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.
Heyyyy YA Readers!
This week’s edition of “What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Annotated.
Annotated, presented by Hachette Book Group, is Book Riot’s new audio documentary series about books, reading, and language. Check out the latest episode, “Why Aren’t Bookstores Extinct?”: In 1995, there were more than 7000 independent bookstores in the U.S. By 2008, there were just over 1400. Everyone was proclaiming the death of bookstores, and independent bookstores. But then something strange happened. Over the last nine years, the number of indie bookstores has risen 64%. This episode of Annotated looks at how independent bookstores first survived, then figured out how to thrive, in the age of Amazon.
I mentioned in last week’s newsletter that I wanted to do more with YA backlist titles. A number of readers emailed with some of their favorite titles — many of which, I think, are fairly well-known, either because of the awards they’ve won or because they had strong sales. That doesn’t mean they’re not worth talking about, of course, but I’m hoping we can go even deeper, into those small gems that maybe were overlooked at the time of their publication and yet still resonate today. Or, perhaps, they resonate even more today than they did upon original release.
Let’s start with something that doesn’t get the attention it deserves: black authors of YA fiction from the backlist. While we’ve been seeing more titles by black authors earning much-deserved accolades lately — including The Hate U Give still sitting on the New York Times Bestsellers list (as it should) and books like March earning huge YA prizes and honors — there is a back list of black YA authors more than worth digging into. Some of these will be obvious ones, while others might be new titles to many readers.
And that is part of the fun.
Some of the authors here have published far and wide and will have more than the title list as one worth picking up. Others have maybe only published one YA novel among other books or have only published one single novel in their careers. Still other authors here are publishing still, meaning you might find something by them on your local new releases shelf.
Backlist, if you’re curious, is defined as books that hit shelves a year or more ago. But for me personally, I find backlist to be something that goes even further back. All of the titles listed below were published five or more years ago. So without further ado, let’s get our black authors of backlist reading on.
The Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Adoff
Sixteen-year-old Jayson Porter wants to believe things will get better. But the harsh realities of his life never seem to change. Living in the inland-Florida projects with his abusive mother, he tries unsuccessfully to fit in at his predominately white school, while struggling to maintain even a thread of a relationship with his drug-addicted father. As the pressure mounts, there’s only one thing Jayson feels he has control over—the choice of whether to live or die.
Tyrell (series) by Coe Booth
Tyrell is a young, African American teen who can’t get a break. He’s living (for now) with his spaced-out mother and little brother in a homeless shelter. His father’s in jail. His girlfriend supports him, but he doesn’t feel good enough for her – and seems to be always on the verge of doing the wrong thing around her. There’s another girl at the homeless shelter who is also after him, although the desires there are complicated. Tyrell feels he needs to score some money to make things better. Will he end up following in his father’s footsteps?
So Not The Drama (series) by Paula Chase
In exactly one hour, eighteen minutes, and thirty-five seconds, Mina Mooney will be dipping her pink Nellie timbs into the infamous frosh pit. . .
Hoping Del Rio Bay High will live up to her greatest expectations, Mina has big plans for infiltrating the school’s social glitterati. After all, she’s been mad popular for as long as she can remember–and she isn’t about to go from Middle School Royalty to High School Ambiguity. But Del Rio Bay is a big school, so it’ll take some plotting to avoid getting lost in the crowd. Good thing she isn’t afraid of a little hard work and that her playground peeps–Lizzie, Michael, and JZ–have got her back.
But it isn’t long before Mina’s big plans for securing her social status take a back seat to some drama that was so not expected. Lizzie’s scored an invite from the beautiful people that Mina can only dream about, and not only is Michael tripping about being back in school, but now he’s beefing with JZ. Worst of all, Mina’s sociology class experiment to rid the world–or at least Del Rio Bay High–of prejudice is about to backfire. . .because it might just mean she’ll have to rid herself of her very best friend.
Bucking The Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
Luther T. Farrell has got to get out of Flint, Michigan.
As his best friend Sparky says, “Flint’s nothing but the Titanic.”
And his mother, a.k.a. the Sarge, says, “Take my advice and stay off the sucker path.”
The Sarge milked the system to build an empire of slum housing and group homes. Luther’s just one of the many people trapped in the Sarge’s Evil Empire—but he’s about to bust out.
If Luther wins the science fair this year, he’ll be on track for college and a future as America’s best-known and best-loved philosopher. All he’s got to do is beat his arch rival Shayla Patrick, the beautiful daughter of Flint’s finest undertaker—and the love of Luther’s life.
Sparky’s escape plans involve a pit bull named Poofy and the world’s scariest rat. Oh, and Luther. Add to the mix Chester X., Luther’s mysterious roommate; Dontay Gaddy, a lawyer whose phone number is 1-800-SUE’M ALL; and Darnell Dixon, the Sarge’s go-to guy who knows how to break all the rules.
A La Carte by Tanita S. Davis
SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD LAINEY DREAMS of becoming a world famous chef one day and maybe even having her own cooking show. (Do you know how many African American female chefs there aren’t? And how many vegetarian chefs have their own shows? The field is wide open for stardom!) But when her best friend—and secret crush—suddenly leaves town, Lainey finds herself alone in the kitchen. With a little help from Saint Julia (Child, of course), Lainey finds solace in her cooking as she comes to terms with the past and begins a new recipe for the future.
Peppered with recipes from Lainey’s notebooks, this delicious debut novel finishes the same way one feels finishing a good meal—satiated, content, and hopeful.
The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
Miss Saunders, whose skin is blotched with a rare skin condition, serves as a mirror to Maleeka Madison’s struggle against the burden of low self-esteem that many black girls face when they’re darker skinned. Miss Saunders is tough and through this, Maleeka learns to stand up to tough-talking Charlese.
Heaven (series) by Angela Johnson
Marley has lived in Heaven since she was two years old, when her mother found a postcard postmarked HEAVEN, OH on a park bench and decided that was where she wanted to raise her family.
And for twelve years, Marley’s hometown has lived up to its name. She lives in a house by the river, has loving parents, a funny younger brother, good friends, and receives frequent letters from her mysterious Uncle Jack. Then one day a letter arrives form Alabama, and Marley’s life is turned upside down. Marley doesn’t even know who she is anymore — but where can she go for answers, when she’s been deceived by the very people she should be able to trust the most?
His Own Where by June Jordan
Nominated for a National Book Award in 1971, His Own Where is the story of Buddy, a fifteen-year-old boy whose world is spinning out of control. He meets Angela, whose angry parents accuse her of being “wild.” When life falls apart for Buddy and his father, and when Angela is attacked at home, they take action to create their own way of staying alive in Brooklyn. In the process, the two find refuge in one another and learn that love is real and necessary. His Own Where was one of The New York Times‘ Most Outstanding Books and was on the American Library Association’s list of Best Books in 1971.
A Friendship for Today by Patricia McKissack
The year is 1954, the place is Missouri, and twelve-year-old Rosemary Patterson is about to make history. She is one of the first African American students to enter the white school in her town. Headstrong, smart Rosemary welcomes the challenge, but starting this new school gets more daunting when her best friend is hospitalized for polio. Suddenly, Rosemary must face all the stares and whispers alone. But when the girl who has shown her the most cruelty becomes an unlikely confidante, Rosemary learns important truths about the power of friendship to overcome prejudice.
47 by Walter Mosley
The story you are about to read concerns certain events that occurred in the early days of my life. It all happened over a hundred and seventy years ago. For many of you it might sound like a tall tale because I am no older today than I was back in the year 1832. But this is no whopper I’m telling; it is a story about my boyhood as a slave and my fated encounter with the amazing Tall John from beyond Africa, who could read dreams, fly between galaxies, and make friends with any animal no matter how wild.
In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Walter Mosley weaves historical and speculative fiction into a powerful narrative about the nature of freedom. 47 is a young slave boy living under the watchful eye of a brutal slave master. His life seems doomed until he meets a mysterious runaway slave, Tall John. 47 soon finds himself swept up in an otherworldly battle and a personal struggle for his own liberation.
Slam by Walter Dean Myers
Seventeen-year-old Greg “Slam” Harris can do it all on the basketball court. He’s seen ballplayers come and go, and he knows he could be one of the lucky ones. Maybe he’ll make it to the top. Or maybe he’ll stumble along the way. Slam’s grades aren’t that hot. And when his teachers jam his troubles in his face, he blows up.
Slam never doubted himself on the court until he found himself going one-on-one with his own future, and he didn’t have the ball.
The Kayla Chronicles by Sherri Winston
Kayla Dean, junior feminist and future journalist, is about the break the story of a lifetime. She is auditioning for the Lady Lions dance team to prove they discriminate against the not-so-well endowed. But when she makes the team, her best friend and fellow feminist, Rosalie, is not happy.
Now a Lady Lion, Kayla is transformed from bushy-haired fashion victim to glammed-up dance diva. But does looking good and having fun mean turning her back on the cause? Can you be a strong woman and still wear really cute shoes? Soon Kayla is forced to challenge her views, coming to terms with who she is and what girl power really means.
Narrated with sharp language and just the right amount of attitude, The Kayla Chronicles is the story of a girl’s struggle for self-identity despite pressure from family, friends and her own conscience. Kayla’s story is snappy, fun and inspiring, sure to appeal to anyone who’s every questioned who they really are.
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
“Hope is the thing with feathers,” starts the poem Frannie is reading in school. Frannie hasn’t thought much about hope. There are so many other things to think about. Each day, her friend Samantha seems a bit more holy.There is a new boy in class everyone is calling the Jesus Boy. And although the new boy looks like a white kid, he says heis not white. Who is he?
During a winter full of surprises, good and bad, Frannie starts seeing a lot of things in a new light:her brother Sean’s deafness, her mother’s fear, the class bully’s anger, her best friend’s faith and her own desire for the thing with feathers.
Sunday You Learn How To Box by Bil Wright
Fourteen-year-old Louis Bowman is in a boxing ring — a housing project circa 1968 — fighting “just to get to the end of the round.” Sharing the ring is his mother, Jeanette Stamps, a ferociously stubborn woman battling for her own dreams to be realized; his stepfather, Ben Stamps, the would-be savior, who becomes the sparring partner to them both; and the enigmatic Ray Anthony Robinson, the neighborhood “hoodlum,” in purple polyester pants, who sets young Louis’s heart spinning with the first stirrings of sexual longing. Bil Wright deftly evokes an unrelenting world with quirky humor and clear-eyed unsentimentality.
Want more black YA reading in your life, both of the front and back list varieties? I cannot recommend The Brown Bookshelf enough as a tremendous resource. You’ll also want to know Zetta Elliott’s blog, as she’s been a prolific advocate for authors of color, and many of her books would be great fits on this very list.
Hope you’ve found a great read or several here, and we’ll see you back again next week!
–Kelly Jensen @veronikellymars
Our tote bags are big enough for your book and a bottle of wine, making them perfect for a book club BOGO. So this week, when you buy any tote, you’ll get a notebook free. Head to your next meeting–book club or otherwise–in literary style.
Today’s The Stack is sponsored by Diamond Book Distributors & Oni Press.
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!
November 1989.
MI6 spy Lorraine Broughton was sent to Berlin to investigate the death of another agent, and the disappearance of a list revealing every spy working there. She found a powder keg of mistrust, assassinations and bad defections that ended with the murder of MI6’s top officer, as the Berlin Wall was torn down.
Now Lorraine has returned from the Cold War’s coldest city, to tell her story. And nothing is what it seems.
