4 Caribbean Novels To Read This Summer
So it turns out that I overextended myself a bit during this past month. I planned to create and share lots of content for Caribbean Heritage Month. For some reason, I thought I could pull it off but considering that I have been working on my online store and still in the midst of multiple home decor diy’s, that idea was overly ambitious. Although things did not pan out quite as I wanted on the “all things Caribbean content for June” front, I do want to share a round up of a few Caribbean novels to read this summer (assuming you’re in the Northern Hemisphere). I have read and enjoyed two of them - Pao and Lucy and from what I have heard, the other two are juicy stories themselves.
Catch Up On Papyr.us Book Club Posts
“Books are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind.”
— Toni Morrison
Papyr.us Book Club
FAQ’s
What is The Papyr.us Book Club?
The Papyr.us Book Club is a literary community for women of colour that highlights books written by people of colour, with a special interest in works by black people. We gather in person *(not currently due to the Covid-19 pandemic) and virtually to discuss the books we read and to share good vibes.
Who Can Join & How?
We invite black women and other women of colour to become a part of the Papyr.us book club. Fill out the subscription form at the bottom of this page to join and to receive our bi-monthly newsletter. We share our latest selections; dates for irl gatherings and internet discussion; giveaways and other #papyrusbookclub announcements through the newsletter.
Who Selects The Book?
Jenissa Sullivan, founder of the Papyr.us Book Club, selects the books we read on a quarterly basis. Join our newsletter to be informed as soon as we announce new selections.
Do You Meet In Person?
We have met in person before and were eager to resume doing so but alas Corona! Hopefully, we can safely gather in person again soon. As much as we are thankful to reach a wider audience through the internet, there is nothing like in person interaction. Best believe once we can pick back up our face to face sessions, they will be special! We look forward to sharing that with you so stay posted. In the meanwhile, we invite you to be a part of the virtual vibes.
What Type of Books Do You Feature?
We cover a variety of books. Fiction. NonFiction. Poetry. Essays. Autobiographies. Fantasy. Historical Fiction. The main criterion is that the books be penned by P.O.C. The reason we put emphasis on this is the discrimination that authors of colour, especially black authors face in the publishing world, in terms of pay, marketing and representation. We feel strongly about amplifying the voices of black and other p.o.c.
Can I Participate On Social Media?
Yes, you can. We host discussions via IGTV and share glimpses of our selections on our IG Stories and feeds. Follow us on Instagram @ancestral_memory & @papyrusbookclub. We would be thrilled to engage with you there. Passionately discussing the books we read with our community is a favorite part of facilitating this space. Share your comments and tag us in your #papyrusbookclub reads
Where Can I Find The Books?
We grew up reading books from our local library and we still suggest relying on these precious places. We also encourage supporting independent book stores and it’s even sweeter when we can support black or P.O.C owned book stores. Indiebound is a good resource for finding independently owned book sellers. We hope to create a directory of black/p.o.c owned bookstores here sometime soon.