What I’m Reading For The Rest of The Year

It's incredible that there are just about two weeks left before the end of 2019 and the start of a new decade. There is a lot to celebrate and to be happy about. For me one such reason is the plethora of good books I encountered this year. One of the ways I'm celebrating 2019 is by cosying up with a three more titles. Here they are...

Red To The Bone
Written by Jacqueline Woodson, this small book packs a punch. The story follows three generations of people grappling with the implications of class, colour, and family. Set predominantly in Broolyn during the 90's but moving through different places and time periods, the novel begins with the coming of age party for sixteen year old Melody. The story reveals how ambition often comes with a cost and how personal longings sometimes compete with what others want for us or from us. While I haven't found the book the most beautifully written {I'm almost done reading}, I do think it is a keen portrayal of the challenges African Americans face when it comes to climbing the socioeconomic ladder.

The Wedding Party

This will be the third book I have read by Jasmine Guillory. After The Proposal and The Wedding Date, I was hooked. Typically, I don't read fluffy romantic books but with Guillory's books that has changed. In times when life feels heavy, these romcoms add a bit of lightness with their humour and romance. After Red To The Bone and a couple other serious books, not to mention real life's challenges, I'm looking forward to diving into The Wedding Party. The story is about Maddie and Theo who despise each other but are thrown together to help with their mutual friend Alexa's wedding. As they tease each other, it becomes clear that there is chemistry between them. As the wedding approaches, they are compelled to explore the undeniably strong feelings for each other.

The Water Dancer

My introduction to Ta~Nehisi Coate's writing was through his essays Between The World And Me and The Beautiful Struggle. I was in awe of how he wrote about painful issues in, dare I say, such a beautiful way. He is one of my favourite essayists. This year I was excited to learn that Ta~Nehisi had released a work of fiction. I'm not alone in my excitement. Oprah Winfrey enthusiastically declared The Water Dancer a must read and it has been popping up around social media for the past several months. The book is about Hiram Walker a boy born into slavery in Virginia. Compounding that tragedy, his mother is sold away and his memory of her simultaneously disappears but he also gains a mysterious power. Eventually, he reaches the point of no longer being able to accept bondage and escapes into the The Underground Railroad. There are many other novels about this piece of history but I am eager to see what this fictional book by Ta~Nehisi brings to the discourse about America's most shameful sin.

What are your end of year reads and have you read any of these books?

Photography Credit: Dextdee Photography