One major benefit of quarantine for me has been having more time to read. I’ve been really trying to dedicate Sunday mornings to flipping through my favorite magazines and books. Today I’m sharing everything I read in April and May.
I feel like I didn’t read quite as many books as I’d like to, but it’s a start. I’ve also been really enjoying audiobooks lately, so I’m sharing a few of those favorites.
Also, lot of important discussions are happening around our country right now. One of my goals is to read more books written by black authors. It’s really easy for us all to just pick up books that reflect ourselves.
I also want to help by purchasing more books from from black-owned bookshops. Here’s a list I found online.
There’s two on this months list by black authors, but I’d love for you all to share more recommendations below!
Everything I Read in April and May
Behold the Dreamers – My mother-in-law sent me this book, and I really enjoyed it. It feels incredibly timely right now. Much of the book centers around discussions of immigration, the American Dream and what it means to be different in this country.
The author is a black woman from Cameroon. “Behold the Dreamers” follows a Cameroonian immigrant who comes to NYC with his family and works as a driver for a wealthy banker as the financial crisis is about to hit. I loved seeing the financial crisis from two wildly different perspectives.
We Came Here to Forget – Need a twisty beach read? Try “We Came Here to Forget.” This book is about Olympic skier who suddenly picks up and moves to Argentina to get away from a dark family secret. I got through it really quickly and enjoyed it.
Where the Crawdads Sing – Our book club decided to read this for our first book. It has been on absolutely every list of last year for fiction. It’s about a young woman who lives in a swamp on the outskirts of a Southern town. A handsome local turns up dead, and the town suspects the woman.
This book is a little slow for the first 100 or so pages, but ends up having a twist I did not see coming.
Also, there’s some pretty interesting back stories about the author and her husband, who are allegedly wanted for questioning in the murder of a poacher in Africa!
The Proposal – If you’re a fan of chick lit and are looking to read more books by black authors, any of Jasmine Guillory’s books will do the trick.
It’s a fun little summer gem. The main character rejects her famous actor boyfriend’s public proposal at a baseball game then meets a handsome doctor who swoops in for her rescue. This is a book you could easily finish in one sitting.
She also has another really popular book called “The Wedding Date,” which I thought was just ok. I thought “The Proposal” was much better.
Audiobooks:
Open Book – Jessica Simpson’s memoir “Open Book” brought back my faith in audiobooks. I really enjoyed this book. It spans her early years competing with the likes of Britany and Christina for singing and acting gigs to her eating disorder struggles and memorable romances with bad boys like John Mayer. This has been one of my favorite reads this year.
Know My Name – I listened to “Know My Name” on audiobook, and I actually think it would’ve been stronger to physically read in print. Author Chanel Miller writes about being sexually assaulted in 2015 by Stanford swimmer Brock Turner. It paints a really clear and vivid picture about how confusing and chaotic life is during and after a sexual assault investigation.
In Progress:
Untamed – I just started reading “Untamed” yesterday, but it already has so much truth to it as to what it means to be a woman today. The book by Glennon Doyle is part memoir part reflection on the expectations that society puts on women. I’ve heard great things about it.
American Royals – This NY Times best seller is based on the premise: “what if America had a royal family.” I am a huge royals lover, so I couldn’t resist picking it up. Just a few chapters in.
No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram – As someone who uses Instagram as a major component of her business, I was incredibly intrigued by No Filter. It follows the early beginnings of Instagram and how it became a cultural phenomenon.
It’s fascinating to listen how it has fundamentally changed how we eat, think, travel, etc. I’ve been listening to it on an audiobook, and it’s perfect for that.
Books to Read by Black Authors and Anti-Racist Books:
Now for a reading list of books I hope to pick up in the next few months…
–The Chiffon Trenches, A Memoir
Recently on Haute Homebody:
-I shared a bunch of interesting pieces on re-entering society and travel in a time of pandemic a few weeks ago. Are you getting back out there and doing things amongst people?
A little something I hope can brighten your week:
We are excited to kick off summer!
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