Diverse Voices - Fiction by Diverse Authors

 Recently I asked my blog readers for suggestions for blog topics.  One of the requests I got was for my favorite books by diverse authors, and I thought this was a great idea.  I know many people in the last year have stepped up their reading of non-fiction and memoirs about racism and anti-racism. That’s very important, and I’ve been doing a little of that too, but I think there’s also a lot you can get out of reading fiction by and about people of different backgrounds.  Good fiction helps you really see the world through other eyes which makes for not just a good reading experience but food for thought as well, not to mention supporting diverse authors as well.

Anticipated Books of Fall 2020

It has been a while since I have posted anything - don't know where the time goes!  But never fear, I have spent plenty of time not just reading, but reading and researching upcoming books.  So without further ado, here are the books being published this fall that I'm most looking forward to!

Anticipated books of July/August 2020

So many books end up being published in summer that I split my summer reading posts into two again this summer - one on books coming out in May and June 2020, and now this post on books coming out in July and August of 2020 that I'm particularly excited to read.  I'm happy to report that I have done a pretty good job already working my way through my May and June list, having already read 9 out of the 11 books I mentioned which I hadn't read yet at the time of that post - not too shabby! 

5 Star Review: Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

I've read lots of great books this year - I've already handed out lots of 4 star and even 4.5 star reviews - but I save my 5 star ratings for the top of the top, so I only just now read my second 5 star book of the year - Rodham, by Curtis Sittenfeld.  If you haven't already heard of it, the main character of this novel is Hilary Rodham - yes, that Hilary Rodham - but though she meets Bill Clinton and dates him in law school and beyond, she ultimately doesn't marry him.  So while part 1 is a fictional rendering of that young time of her life and their early relationship, parts 2 and 3 are something even more interesting - an imagined rendering of what would have happened to Hilary - and the world - if they had not gotten married.  Some things turn out the same, some turn out totally and utterly different, but in a way the most interesting are the little parallels of things people say or do that echo things that happened in our version of history but sometimes play out in different ways.

You definitely don't have to be a Hilary super-fan to read this one, though I think it would be hard to read it and not come out with more appreciation at least for this fictional rendering of her.   In Sittenfeld's hands, she is certainly not portrayed as unflawed, but she comes across as so deeply human and emotionally relatable.  It's part of what makes this book so interesting - not just the politics angle and the "what if" angle, but the interpersonal relationships and the self-reflection.  And the portrayal of sexism - both overt and unconscious - is searing.  

5 Star Review: A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

I've been wondering when I would read my first 5 star book of 2020, and I'm happy to say it has finally happened!  Indeed, my last 5 star review was last August, so it's been a long time.  But don't worry, I've already read nine 4.5 star quality books this year - maybe I've just gotten pickier at awarding that coveted 5 full stars.  Anyway, the book is "A Good Neighborhood" by Therese Anne Fowler, and it was amazing.

Anticipated books of late spring/early summer - May/June 2020

Are you bored after being stuck indoors for the past 6 weeks and looking for something new to read?  The good news is tons of new books are coming out over the next two months!  A few publishers seem to have pushed back some publication dates, but plenty of others are still coming out that should be great reads.  Some of these you've already heard about in my January post about anticipated books of 2020, while some are new additions.

Light fiction, part 3

In this crazy time of coronavirus self-isolation, I'm starting to get requests for light and funny books to read.  So it seemed like the perfect time to bring you a blog post on just that topic.  I have also seen various articles about books that are about life during/post-pandemic, but although I love a good dystopian as much as the next person, who wants to read about that right now?  It's hard enough to tune out from the news and/or ignore your kids long enough to find a moment to read, so something light and funny seems like a much better way to go!