Recent Reads I Recommend!

Hi Spacehey! Since summer vacation started for me a couple weeks ago, I've had a lot of time to read whatever I want, so I figured I'd post some things I've read recently and would recommend.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: This is pretty famous, but I'm leaving it on here anyway. This book is about a Black woman searching for love in the early 20th century, in Florida. I actually read this for school, but it's probably one of my favorite things I've ever read for a class. Hurston's writing style fully swept me away, and every character felt so tangible. If you read this book, I highly recommend you read it in conjunction with:

The Color Purple by Alice Walker: I think most people have heard of this book, or at least the musical based on it, but it's definitely worth a read. It feels very much like a sister book to Their Eyes Were Watching God and Walker's writing style is also very beautiful. Set in around the same time period, it's also about a Black woman living in the American South searching for love, as well as the trauma she experiences and the happiness she ultimately finds.

(P.S. If you read even just the first one, I recommend Walker's essay, "In Search of Zora Neale Hurston.")

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki: I actually just finished this one today! The story is a back-and-forth between the diary the author finds and the author herself (although it's metafiction, so really there is no diary) and it really touched my heart while also being educational about Japanese history and culture (plus some physics).

Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho: This is a nonfiction account of the author's experience with uncovering her mother's trauma, learning to cook for her mother and reconnecting with her own culture, and her mother's experience with schizophrenia. It is super informative as well as written with a lot of care, and I can't recommend this book enough.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer: This is a book I think everyone should read. It focuses on Indigenous knowledge of plants and the natural world, how to adopt anti-colonialism into daily life and begin to care for both the Earth and each other, and provides thoughts on climate change and the future. Regardless of where you live, I think this is a super important read, and Kimmerer's writing style is absolutely gorgeous as well.

That's all I have for now! I know a couple of these books are a lot more well-known than the others, but on the off chance someone still hasn't read them, I wanted to encourage them to read them because they really are worth it! Let me know if you have any recommendations.