4 Sizzling Books To Add To Your Summer Reading List
Picture this! You sit cozied up in your couch, snug as a bug in a rug. The AC or fan is on cooling you off keeping the smoltering heat at bay and you just relax into the moment. You're enthraled in the book you have in front of you. The words captivating your every thoughts. And you eagerly power through in anticipation of what comes next.
I know I’ve probably mentioned reading a decent amount of times on this blog in the past few months and I possibly sound like a broken record by now but I truly just love reading a good book. I think there is nothing better than a great read on a hot summer day. The sizzling book that occupies your time as you lay out at the beach or pool, sitting down at a picnic or snuggled up in your living room. The unplanned, yet fulfilling adventure that each author takes you on with their words. It's truly spectacular if you ask me.
Related: 5 Books To HEAT UP your Summer Reading List
And now that many of us have a bit more time on our hands, I thought what better time to share some amazing books to cozy up with during the summer. Especially, those of us who are still stuck in quarantine. From nail-biting thrillers to heart-filling romances to mind-opening adventures; these are some of the most exciting books currently on my TBR bookshelf. Check them out.
1. On the come up by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give was one of my favourite reads of 2018/2019. Angie Thomas did a magnificent job of telling a story that even now remains relevant to our current sociopolitical atmosphere.
So when I heard that she wrote another book, I just knew I had to grab my copy. In this book Angie shifts the story towards the coming of age story of Bri, a young rapper with dreams of making it big and living up to the legacy that her father left.
I really appreciate the fact that this book explores the development of a female rapper/MC as oftentimes their struggles are unique but the stories aren't always heard or fully explored.
Here's the synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill.
But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral . . . for all the wrong reasons.
Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn’t just want to make it—she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.
2. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Enter the world of fantasy and adventure with the Binti series. This trilogy book series carries readers into the world of science fiction, fantasy and an intergalactic adventure through space. The author then heightens the experience by adding African lore and cultural experience. It adds a unique twist to a topic that isn't often explored using a black character lead so I'm very interested in reading the story and finding out what happened.
Here's the synopsis:
Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.
Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.
If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself — but first she has to make it there, alive.
3. How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurst
I've heard so many rumblings about this book since its publication that could you blame me for being hella interested? I mean I am Jamaican afterall.
This collection of short stories explores the American experience from the eyes of Jamaican immigrants and the family they left at home. It brings a unique viewpoint and a level of cultural awareness to the conversation of romance, regret, and rivalry. The added sprinkle of Jamaican history, culture and realisms add to the stories’ relevance and showcases distinct aspects of the Jamaican reality.
Here's the synopsis:
In “Light Skinned Girls and Kelly Rowlands,” an NYU student befriends a fellow Jamaican whose privileged West Coast upbringing has blinded her to the hard realities of race. In “Mash Up Love,” a twin’s chance sighting of his estranged brother—the prodigal son of the family—stirs up unresolved feelings of resentment. In “Bad Behavior,” a mother and father leave their wild teenage daughter with her grandmother in Jamaica, hoping the old ways will straighten her out. In “Mermaid River,” a Jamaican teenage boy is reunited with his mother in New York after eight years apart. In “The Ghost of Jia Yi,” a recently murdered international student haunts a despairing Jamaican athlete recruited to an Iowa college. And in “Shirley from a Small Place,” a world-famous pop star retreats to her mother’s big new house in Jamaica, which still holds the power to restore something vital.
Related: 12 Must Do Jamaican Bucket List Adventures
4. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
I have to admit, I love a good contemporary romance novel. It's light-hearted, whimsical and you can almost expect the ending to end in the 2 leads getting together. It's the kind of uncomplicated escapism that's perfect for a summer beach read and to take your mind off of the perils of the world.
One of the best things about this classic enemies turn lovers, you can cut the sexual tension with a knife novel is that there is a black female lead. The romantic and sexual relationships of black women aren't often explored especially from a softened, sweet and sometimes silly perspective. It's a fun, cute and witty take on black romance that we don't often see and I'm most definitely here for it. All of it!
Here's the synopsis:
A wedding planner left at the altar? Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials.
Marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning—absolutely off-limits—ex-fiancée. And she loathes him.
If they can nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own.
Soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again…
The Wrap Up
There you have it folks. 4 amazing books that should be added to everyone's summer reading list. For this list I tried to add books that showcased black leads and written be black authors in order to add some diversity to the reading shelf. I hope you grab one or 2 of these books and truly enjoy the stories being told.