DO IT, BUY THE BOOK - May, Challenge One Recommendations

Article by Fay Clark

Alrighty, we are now in full on reading mode. I have all of my books set out for May's challenges. You can see updates for my reading on our Instagram page @FANuniverses.

I thought it might be a good idea to give everyone some recommendations that fit the challenges we've set out, just in case you're struggling to find anything. This will be done across several posts coming one after the other, as I have a lot of recommendations!

CHALLENGE ONE - READ SOMETHING BY A BLACK AUTHOR.

Recommendation 1 - The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas. This is a contemporary novel about a sixteen-year-old called Starr Carter, who moves between two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Recommendation 2 - Legendborn by Tracey Deonn. This is a Fantasy novel about a sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews, wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home after her mother dies in an accident. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape, until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. Heavy Arthurian Legend mixed in.

Recommendation 3 - Detective Comics: On the Outside by Bryan Hill. This is a Graphic Novel of the Batman persuasion. You can read it as a stand alone. Duke Thomas. Cassandra Cain. These young heroes need guidance, no matter what Batman thinks is best. Who can the Dark Knight trust to mentor them? They need a teacher and Black Lightning fits the bill!

Recommendation 4 - Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. This is a Fantasy novel about a danger that lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie Adebola herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for the enemy. So much magic involved.

Recommendation 5 - Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. The first science fiction written by a black woman, this combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity. Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given...

Those are your top 5 recommendations from us, please let us know what you will be reading or if you've read any of the ones we've mentioned! More recommendations to come soon!!

Book Queen Out!