I Should Read That

Books to read all year round!

February is Black History Month in the United States, and you may be looking to dive into books by some Black authors to celebrate. Given the state of the world, and especially the United States, there’s no better time to support Black writers and creatives. With that in mind, here are four of my favourite authors and recommended reads for each, with links to my reviews where possible.

And remember to read Black books all year round, not just in February!

P. Djeli Clark is one of my favourite fantasy authors and a fantastic novella writer. While Ring Shout is the book that is on most people’s radars (and it’s fabulous, you should absolutely check it out), his Cairo series is one of my favourite fantasy series. Consisting of two short stories, a novella, and a full-length novel, he lets you get immersed in this fantastic world of a steampunk Cairo, djinn, and the police force that investigates paranormal crime.

N. K. Jemisin’s name is one that’s familiar to pretty much every fantasy reader, but have you read the Broken Earth trilogy yet? A stunning feat of apocolyptic fantasy fiction, this series is beautifully written and features some incredible worldbuilding and a fantastic cast of characters. Admittedly, the barrier of entry is a little high – as she throws you right in with little explanation – however it’s worth sticking with The Fifth Season until the story starts to come together in your mind. You’ll quickly see why she’s one of the most celebrated modern fantasy writers.

Apocalyptic fantasy not your thing? She’s written a number of fantasy books from various subgenres, including urban and high fantasy!

The Binti trilogy is one I only recently finished, and I regret not reading the second and third books sooner. Nnedi Okorafor is a wildly talented writer of Afrofuturism and this series showcases her talents so well. This trilogy of novellas follows Binti, an extraordinary young woman who is the first of her people to attend Umza University, a university off-planet. This series is about defying expectations, living up to your full potential, living for yourself, and finding friendships in unlikely places.

Octavia E. Butler is an author I have always known about, but hadn’t actually read until last month. I picked up Parable of the Sower in January and fell in love with Lauren’s story. Now reading Parable of the Talents, I’m shocked by the accuracy of the world Butler predicted and warned us about. Is she a time traveller or just an incredibly insightful woman who saw the direction society was going in and tried to warn us? You decide.

Butler’s vision of a grim future is hard to read, but is also poignient and filled with hope for a better world. I can’t think of a better time to read the Earthseed duology than now.