Fave Reads of 2023 (#Bestof2023)

I got to read for pleasure again in 2023! What a concept, y’all. And I am hoping to do more pleasure reading in 2024. Since 2020, my reading has been impacted due to (a) pandemic, duh; (b) not traveling to an office job during the week, which is where I did most of my reading; and (c) job stuff—be it acquiring/editing full-time and/or teaching. And one cannot forget the release of my own book at the end of last summer as well as judging for the PEN Awards from the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023. All said, I decided to keep my reading goals on the low side. For me that meant 40 books. I ended up reading 44, maybe 45 or more if you count the books I didn’t quite finish but made a good dent in by the end of the calendar year. Yet again, one of my biggest regrets reading-wise is that I didn’t get to read as much poetry as I would have liked. I did binge a few graphic novels the last two months. I love me some graphic novels; they’re a great way to learn more about pacing and storyboarding for one’s own work. As I often say, you can learn from every genre

Now, do I have stacks upon stacks of books all around me in my home office? Absolutely! Will I be buying even more books in 2024 on top of the stacks piling up that need homes on shelves? You’re damn right, I will, because: solidarity and this is my brand, after all. 

If you’ve read some or all or most of these books, I’d love to hear your thoughts (and recs)! Below are my fave reads of 2023, in no particular order:

• If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie (2023) - This is such a sweet campus love story between two gals who aren’t always the best communicators when it comes to relationships, especially since they’re both new to them. Momo and PG have their meet-cute a couple times before descending into a deep friendship that’s more than that. If You’ll Have Me has laughs and a lot of tender moments, especially with how Eunnie illustrates the main characters’ past heartbreaks leading to their present actions. 

• Mexikid by Pedro Martín (2023) - I was laughing SO much when I read Mexikid on my way back from NCTE this year and gobbled it up as soon as I landed. Martín creates such a layered story of a family trip encompassing a learning experience for the characters, namely about one another, as well as how a big family shows love in different ways while coming to understand more about their heritage. If you follow Martín’s IG account (mexikidstories) you’ll see that he has mini comics about his childhood as well, so this graphic novel is a great culmination of what readers have been introduced to online. 

• Blackbirds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert (2021) - Colbert’s award-winning nonfiction account of the Tulsa Massacre is a great book, not only for young readers but those of us at every age. Colbert doesn’t spare the details and provides a wealth of facts around how white supremacy led to the slaughter of hundreds of Black people and a Black town. Building the story from a lot of pieces that constitute the whole to the glaring omission of this massacre from not only local but national discussions, makes this an essential read. Particularly with what we’re seeing in our news media and globally now, Blackbirds can help articulate to younger readers current discussions of occupation, colonization, and persecution, in addition to the bias in media that can skew stories with even a headline.

• Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (2020) - Not only was, am, I on a graphic novel kick, I’m also digging the rom-coms! I was in Chicago this summer and a wonderful bookseller at Unabridged Bookstore suggested Alexis Hall to me when I mentioned I was eager for a book that was along the lines of Casey McQuiston’s work. Boyfriend Material didn’t disappoint! Now the premise may seem a little Hallmark (no shade) though the execution is completely hilarious and sweet. Luc is dealing with straight up homophobia at his job along with his former “bad boy persona” due to a jerkwad ex who sold bits of their story to the tabloids—something that continues to haunt Luc. (His dad is a famous rock musician, by the way.) So he enlists a handsome guy he hates, and thinks dislikes him, named Oliver who is the creme de la creme of partners. What ensues is shenanigans! And there’s a follow-up to this one so you can figure out how it ends, but the journey is one you wanna be on the ride for.

• I’m From by Gary R. Gray Jr. & Oge Mora (2023) - You’re gonna see a few picture books on this list and Gary R. Gray Jr & Oge Mora’s collaboration, I’m From, is one of the most endearing and celebratory (picture) books I had the chance to read recently. I’m From gives testament and love to the small things like getting a nice shape up to the food and community that makes us who we are. It’s Black joy personified! Pick this one up if you haven’t and listen to Gary’s podcast, It’s Personal. As a fellow podcaster I have a lot of admiration for anyone who has a job, creates, and provides space for creators to talk about work.

• We the Animals by Justin Torres (2011) - Alright, it took me a while to read this one solely because it was in one of those TBR stacks! Newly minted National Book Award winner, Justin Torres’ debut is a taut and teachable (I love using it for workshops) book with such strength in it’s depth and conciseness. Each chapter feels like a complete scene and a full-fledged moment building to the next, and the shift in POV is also something to learn from. To master such a story of a young man, let alone a family, in less than 200 pages??? Sir! (slow clap) It will not take me a decade to read Torres’ latest Blackouts. The experimental style he brings to his current book is a model for authors to see there are no bounds to our stories. 

• Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (2020) - Back on the rom-com train! I’d been hearing about Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters series and wanted to dig in. So I was delightfully enchanted with the sexual energy between Danika Brown and hunky former rugby player Zafir. Little does Dani know Zafir has had a thing for her for a while, and little does Zafir know, Dani has some commitment issues—due to, you guessed it, a jerkwad ex! Anywho, similar to Boyfriend Material the two act as a couple to help Zafir earn some visibility (and donations) for a charity he runs. And, as you can imagine, things get salacious when they let their true feelings float to the surface. A super funny and spicy read. 

• BIG by Vashti Harrison (2023) - I will be shouting from the rooftops how much I love Big! When I first heard about Harrison’s new picture book I thought it was about a young Black girl growing up. Well, it is and isn’t. This is about how a young Black girl’s body can start to be policed and at such a young age based on problematic societal expectations. Big is sparse in words, so this may be great for reading time and an opportunity to explore with younger readers the impact of each page/spread. On IG, Vashti explains a bit about her methodology & intention especially with the use of colors like “husky gray.” As I noted with Torres, sparseness can be impactful in so many ways. A book like Big is one you have to take in each page slowly to see how every aspect builds the whole, which is what you should do with any illustrated work, and yet in this one it feels even more potent. Ten-ten recommend! 

• Tangled Up in Mayhem by Merrill Wyatt (2023) - I got an early read of this one and I thought it was so fun! (See a theme this year?) This is a middle grade mystery series where two besties, Sloane and Amelia, are trying to up their YouTube docuseries game. (They have an account where they record the cases they solve.) They get hired by one of their foes’—yes even tweens have foes—parents to try and find a valuable artifact in an amusement park. Of course trouble ensues when the girls find out there’s more than meets the eye with this job. Tie in some grandma’s with klepto tendencies, their foes unexpected arrival at the park, some creepy figure bumping around in the night, and you have a quirky series with twists, turns, and characters’ building deeper family connections. 

• Dyke (geology) by Sabrina Imbler (2021) - I was introduced to Imbler’s work because they’re one of this year’s recipients of the National Book Award Science & Literature prize. And Dyke has that lovely and brilliant duality of merging the personal with the geological and environmental–much like Imbler’s current book, How Far the Light Reaches, that you can also hear me gush about on the Literary Arts podcast, The Archive Project (TAP)! In some ways, Dyke reminds me of Mean by Myriam Gurba with the direct correlations, research, and confrontation of feelings and societal “norms” and others expectations as we build on our own. Imbler’s voice deftly weaves so much into a chapbook that you can read it over and over again, absorbing the potency of each line. I behoove you to pick this one and How Far the Light Reaches up.  

• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (2020) - The hype is real with this one. Good Indians was one of those books I heard about nonstop in 2020, especially since it won so many awards. When I had a chance to read it for a Center for Fiction reading group, I made sure to add it to the list. And it did not disappoint. Character and voice are some of my biggest go-tos and this novel had it all with A LOT of creepy stuff in-between. A haunting impacts four friends who reside on or have left their reservation. One-by-one they’re impacted in ways you wouldn’t expect. By the end of Jones’ novel you’re wondering who will be left standing and what this means for the legacy these characters were trying to carry on in the first place. I’d love to write more, but I want you to come into it cold just like I did so you can experience it all first-hand. So please go read and then come talk to me about it! 

• Shutter by Ramona Emerson (2022) - Longlisted for the National Book Award and a finalist for a PEN Award, Emerson’s Shutter is another title I was completely absorbed by and am teaching whenever I get the chance. One of my favorite parts of Emerson’s novel is how she builds parallel storylines until they meet, reflecting the past (in the types of doodads she uses to take photos) to the present mystery of a woman who was killed but won’t leave forensic photographer Rita Todacheene alone. As in, Rita is not getting any peace thanks to her ability to communicate with the non-living, so factor that in for years with her gift and you have a lot of stuff going on. Much is at stake for Rita from her sanity & health to her job to potential corruption within the ranks of her police department. This is not only a top-notch thriller, it’s a nuanced exploration of how much follows us when we refuse to face the truth.  

• The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi and Loveis Wise (2021) - Yay picture books! Zoboi and Wise collaborated on this immersive and vivid picture book on Black history as well as how the tenets of Kwanzaa have always been crucial parts of Black culture. From the Kingdom of Dahomey to the impact of the Voting Rights Act to the election of Barack Obama and ongoing protests for Black lives, The People Remember is a testament to thriving, fighting, and loving ourselves and our community. 

And of course this list wouldn’t be complete without some additional book recommendations of some wonderful titles! So make sure to check out: 

John Manuel Arias’ Where There Was Fire, Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender Is the Flesh, Huda Fahmy’s Huda F Cares?, Scaachi Koul’s One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, Glenis Redmond’s The Listening Skin, Ari Tison’s Saints of the Household, and The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela.

Fave Reads of 2022 (#Bestof2022)

Welp, I started many books but didn’t finish a ton. And I read many manuscripts so I can say with confidence there are so many good books coming out soon! I’m really hoping 2023 is the year I get back into the full swing of reading (and finishing) books so I can get back to my 50 book a year minimum.

Of the titles I did read this year there were most definitely standouts and those I’m still finishing as we flipped the calendar. Here’s a handful of goodness I hope you may take a look at because they’re definitely worthwhile!

Lone Women by Victor LaValle (2023): Masterclass, I tell you. Master. Class in pacing, story building, suspense, description. All of it. LaValle’s sentences are tight and his chapters even tighter. There’s so much tension carried throughout and there’s a payoff of retribution in many ways. The writing is stellar, as we’ve all come to expect from LaValle and I simply can’t get over how much was packed into these short chapters! Between this and All the Light We Cannot See I’m like “How do y’all do this?!” Anywho, this is a goody and I was super glad that I got a sneak peak. Make sure to pre-order!

Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes (2019): I read Grimes’ memoir in verse while on a retreat to finish my book at Highlights. I happened to be in the cabin named after this literary legend and so had the treat of many of her books being available on the shelves. Grimes’ is able to really balance some heavy moments with so much levity and ends on a beautiful note of when she finds her voice as a poet/writer. I think this was such an expertly handled memoir in general let alone one designed for young readers.

A Career in Books written & illustrated by Kate Gavino (2022): Make sure to check out my interview with Kate on the MiP podcast (episode 120). If you have been thinking about getting into the editorial side of publishing or currently are, especially as a recent grad, then this book is for you! (It’s for everyone, but you’ll for sure relate when you delve in if you know the biz.) Three gals from AAPI backgrounds and besties to the end set out for their dream jobs in publishing, or is this their dream job? There are challenges for each, yet the biggest connector is friendship—and eats!

Rivermouth by Alejandra Oliva (2023): I admittedly got a chance to see an early version of this one and I will happily proclaim that Oliva’s debut memoir and exploration of immigration is fantastic. The lyricism, the structure, the focus. This is amazing! If you’ve had the pleasure of reading Oliva’s essays you’ll see how confident and assured her voice is, which for this upcoming narrative (and narratives within) is truly a testament to how we can look inward and outward and brilliantly weave the complications of it all. Make sure to preorder!

And I also very much recommend The Furrows, the second novel by one of my fave contemporary writers Namwali Serpell!

Fave Reads of 2020 (#Bestof2020)

I did mean to publish this end of 2020/early 2021. I had 80% of it drafted and everything, y’all! As the saying goes: better late than never. So here are my faves of 2020.

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From 2020 draft: I’m gonna say something similar that many have said this year: I had a hard time. With a lot of things but especially my tried & true love: reading. Jess Zimmerman at Electric Literature wrote a really good post about having a hard time reading due to the events of 2020 that are also bleeding into 2021 and will be in our psyche for a long while.

Now, I did start and stop many books. Some that I just didn’t have the bandwidth to finish due to content but were/are great reads and others I just wasn’t feeling and gave up on 50 or more pages in. If I had included those my tally would’ve been 50+, which is still less than my 62 aim for 2020. Perhaps next year I’ll go above and beyond my goal or perhaps I won’t and may get stymied from our current situation extending. Who knows? I do know that by not reading, notice the dearth of poetry on this list (sigh), really hampered my own creativity. I get SO much inspiration from arts and not being able to go to museums or live shows, socialize, or read steadily/daily impeded other ways I was absorbing methods for my own artistic expression. TV and film can do but so much. And a hope I have for 2021 is to not only be healthier by moving/exercising more in my current WFH life but to also carve out time to read at least 45 minutes a day to help get the mind percolating. Wish me luck! Now on to some of my favorite reads of 2020.

The Illness Lesson by Clare Beams (2020): I believe this may have been one of the first books I read start to finish in 2020 and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The premise had me intrigued and the writing dug the hooks in so that I couldn’t stop. I even wrote an essay about the themes in Illness Lesson because Beams’ prose really tapped into how much the world can beat you down and make you second guess yourself.

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel (2021): The writing is sparse but the emotions run high in what would become an immediate bestseller for Engel. This is the kind of book you can also learn from, tightly packed, clear details, sensory utilized consistently. So beautiful and not a “typical” immigration story as labeling it as such is not only inaccurate but a limitation. Really enjoyed this and can’t wait for more from Engel, and to read her backlist.

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry (2020): I am a huge fan of Mabry’s National Book Award longlisted YA novel All the Wind in the World. So I was pleasantly surprised when I received a copy of her latest book smack dab at the start of quarantine. This was one of the first books I read start to finish once quarantine was officially in play throughout the United States and Mabry did not disappoint! Mabry’s writing is always excellent and her sentences are to be savored. Get this one if you hadn’t already.

Class Act by Jerry Craft (2020): I wouldn’t dare compare the bestselling Class Act to the bestselling/award-winning New Kid because they stand solidly on their own. This was exactly the type of book I needed during quarantine. Graphic novels in general have, finally, been more sought out by major publishers. And I’m glad because books that combine humor, commentary, and put you at ease like this one are really great for kids, especially Black kids, to have when times are dreary.

Twins by Varian Johnson & Shannon Wright (2020): As I mentioned, I craved graphic novels as we headed into fall and several months in quarantine. I needed the visuals and “lighter” fare. So you’ll see a few on this list because I wanted more and more. I loved the sisterly bonds in Twins and how their love for each other, even as they were coming into their own never wavered.

A Is for Audra: Broadway’s Leading Ladies from A to Z by John Robert Allman and Peter Emmerich (2019): Emmerich’s illustrations really make this book for me, no offense to the wonderful rhyme from Allman, connecting each letter and person(s). It’s so vibrant and encapsulates the beauty of Broadway that I miss so much. Whether you’re a fan of Broadway or not I highly suggest this book as a celebration of women in the arts.

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans (2020): I’m a big fan of short stories and wish I had been able to read more or had more on my radar. Either way, Evans’ latest was a great read utilizing humor and reality and, on occasion, turning the world on its head slightly to show how what we’re dealing with now has been part of a larger history. Read this and her debut Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self ASAP if you hadn’t already.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (2020): One of the biggest bestsellers of 2020, Bennett’s second novel was one everyone heard about. And it is a lovely and piercing read. Switching POVs over time—and you know I love multi-POV stories—as well as looking at passing and giving us a bit more context from a contemporary lens, though a good chunk of the story is in the past/recent past, outside the Harlem Renaissance tomes, Bennett’s look at two sister’s choices in how to live their lives doesn’t skirt hard truths.

Max & the Midknights by Lincoln Pierce (2019): Another graphic novel! And a fun one to a bestselling series from Pierce. Max and his merry friends are on a mission and it’s great to see a kind of Scooby Doo gang vibe in this medieval look at young people finding their destinies. Super cute and funny.

How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang (2020): Longlisted for the Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, Zhang’s debut is phenomenal and a great first read of 2020. I’m hoping we’ll see a worthy adaptation of this to the screen because Zhang’s storytelling is absolutely cinematic.

Running by Natalia Sylvester (2020): Sylvester’s YA debut is just the book we need. As the daughter of a conservative politician comes into her own politics and beliefs there’s a lot to traverse. You can love folx and also disagree but this is hard. How much have people sacrificed for other’s dreams and what about broaching hard conversations? In Running, there are no easy answers, which is why I love this book and what it provides for young readers who are more politically aware than I was at their age.

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (2020): As always Emezi’s prose is pristine, taut, and emotionally charged. The beauty of Vivek Oji is the love for a character we know from the start will pass, but has such a bright life on the page as a corporeal being and in the after life.

Other enjoyable reads in 2020 include: Real Life by Brandon Taylor, Memorial by Bryan Washington, Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.

Happy reading!

Fave Reads of 2017 (#Bestof2017)

It's that time of year again. Where everyone discusses the Best, Best, Best of the year. And then we all consider what the new year brings and pray it's better than the last. In the case of the world itself we need it to be better than 2017--a year that will live in infamy for the regularity with which many of us said "dafuq???" That said, 2017 was also another wonderful one in terms of the arts. Books in particular. So here's my list of fantastic books I read that stayed with me long after I folded the binding back in place. These are titles I'll keep recommending over the course of 2017 and beyond. (Not all books I read this year were published this year.)

All the Wind in the World by Samantha Mabry (2017) - All the Wind in the World was a much deserved longlisted title for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Samantha and I had a great talk on the MiP podcast about her process and what she aimed to do with this book; I loved every minute of it. All the Wind is dark, heartfelt, and kind of messes with you when it comes to what people's intentions are as well as mysticism. Who's at fault and when do we become accountable for our own actions? Really good stuff from the opening line.

Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith (2017) - A finalist for the National Book Award in Poetry, Danez's second book hits on a very emotional and visceral level. Exploration of Black bodies and gay bodies and marginalized bodies is at the heart of Don't Call Us Dead to experience narrators from beyond and on the ground seeing the world as it could be and is.  

Nature Poem by Tommy Pico (2017) - Tommy's second book of poetry to come out in 2017 has been categorized as poetry as well as nonfiction, rightly or wrongly. In an epic nature poem Pico weaves in a story of disenchantment, love, longing, desire, and investigation of the self as a Native American, a gay man, an artist among many identities that creates a self spilling their emotions on the page. 

Octavia Butler's Kindred (graphic novel) adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings (2017) - Kindred was the first Octavia Butler novel I had the pleasure to read, so when I heard there was a graphic novel that came out early in 2017 I got it immediately from the Black Comics Festival at Schomburg Center. This is basically what a sketch of an adapted movie would look like of Kindred utilizing the text with Jenning's stark and sparse imagery to capture Dana in two worlds as she navigates the challenge of saving her family line and herself. 

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison (2017) - It's easy to see why Little Leaders became an immediate NYT bestseller when it came out. Vashti has created a great reference book and discussion book for young and older readers to learn more about Black history. Thankfully we have more to look forward to. When I spoke with Vashti for the MiP podcast she mentioned another Little Leaders of the World due out in the near future. 

A Burst of Light and Other Essays by Audre Lorde (2017) - This reissue of Audre Lorde's essays from independent press ixia press allows us to revisit Audre's voice and her final years. It's a somber read but helps you feel more connected to what she sees in America and overseas as a Black woman utilizing art to connect and uplift. 

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui (2017) - This graphic memoir from Thi Bui is an expansive look at her family's journey from Vietnam to the United States. How they came together and broke apart, and how Bui sees herself through her relatives and parents emigration as she builds her own family in the U.S. while trying to reconcile the idea of family and being an impending parent.

In the Country by Mia Alvar (2015) - These are phenomenal short stories from Mia Alvar in her debut. Just wonderful. They're not short in terms of length (no story is shorter than 7,000 words), which is what I loved because my stories tend to be on the "longer" side. And Mia manages to navigate worlds within those pages and give us the complete breadth of characters moving on, staying put, recognizing who they are and what their beliefs are when pushed to the brink. So good. 

Saga, Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples (2017) - My heart was utterly shattered when I got to the end of Volume 7. And I just found out that Volume 8 released two days after Christmas. (So I can guarantee that that one will make the Fave Reads for 2018.) Without wanting to reveal spoilers I can say that Vaughan and Staples collaboration continues to show the tenuous nature of a family in general let alone on the run in outer space. 

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) - The hype was real. I got to sit down with Colson's multi award-winning tome last spring while on residency in Nebraska. The writing is impeccable and it's a slimmer volume for a historical novel not weighing you down in the violence of the time but never letting up from the brutality. 

Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (2016) - Caldecott honoree and a CSK honor mixes the fabulous poetry, practically hymnal, from Weatherford with the abstract and colorful illustrations from Christie to tell a story of slavery and joy in the freedoms Black people found when in their community. 

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe (2016) - Winner of the Caldecott award Javaka's five-year sojourn to produce Radiant Child was worth the wait and work behind it. Vibrant in it's details and lush in it's admiration of Basquiat this is a visual masterpiece. 

Other books I read this year and also very much enjoyed were Rise of the Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste, This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins, Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, King Me by Roger Reeves, The Leavers by Lisa Ko, Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Marchado, and Hunger by Roxane Gay.