I’m so glad that I’ve rediscovered my love for reading again – growing up I used to read all the time, just sit in my room reading Jacqueline Wilson books all day. In the last 4 months of 2020 I read about 12 books – a record for me! This year I’m aiming to read 2 books a month to break my record from last year. As I’m spending more time at home I would expect to be reading more but I’m not, I find myself being distracted by Netflix and not finding the time to read. Pre-Lockdown, my absolute favourite place to read was on the train travelling to and from work, now I love to sit in my room with blankets and candles and relax my mind.
One of my fave things to do is to visit bookstores and see the new releases and plan which books I want to get next – Here is a little list on the books I’m excited to read next!
Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy by Kevin Kwan
In this series Kevin Kwan opens up the crazy world of the rich community of Singapore. It follows the love story of Rachel and Nick and the introduction of Rachel into Nick’s family and finding out that he is the most eligible bachelor of Singapore and his family are insanely rich.
The first book follows the ups and downs of Rachel and Nick’s relationship and also features various members of Nick’s family and their relationships. For my full review of the first book click here!
Those who read my review of the first book ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, know that I absolutely loved this book, giving it a rating of 5/5 – honestly after reading the first book I wanted more of the story. I didn’t want it to end! I wanted to find out what was going to happen next for Rachel and Nick and for Astrid (Nick’s cousin) who was one of my favourite characters in the book. So I was so excited to find out that there were more books and the story didn’t end and I immediately added this to my Christmas list!
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ story lines intersect?
I saw this book and it looks so interesting exploring the topic of race and living as a Mixed Race woman in Southern America, also exploring the history of passing. ‘Passing’ means when a person who is a member of one racial group is accepted into another racial group – in American history, individuals did this to escape the racial discrimination. It’s intriguing to me to find out how the twin sisters interact with each other after living such different lives, different experiences.
The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish
It all happens so quickly. One day you’re living the dream, commuting to work by riverbus with your charismatic neighbour Kit in the seat beside you. The next, Kit hasn’t turned up for the boat and his wife Melia has reported him missing.
When you get off at your stop, the police are waiting. Another passenger saw you and Kit arguing on the boat home the night before and the police say that you had a reason to want him dead. You protest. You and Kit are friends – ask Melia, she’ll vouch for you. And who exactly is this other passenger pointing the finger? What do they know about your lives?
No, whatever danger followed you home last night, you are innocent, totally innocent.
Aren’t you?
Oooooo! Now I love a good thriller! This books sounds like its going to keep me on the edge of my seat wondering if the narrator is innocent or guilty. The last book I read that was kind of similar in the theme of wondering if the narrator was guilty of a crime was Once a Liar by A. F. Brady (my review here) and I really enjoyed it so I’m really excited to get into this book.
Loud Black Girls by Elizabeth Uviebinené and Yomi Adegoke
Being a loud black girl isn’t about the volume of your voice; and using your voice doesn’t always mean speaking the loudest or dominating the room. Most of the time it’s simply existing as your authentic self in a world that is constantly trying to tell you to minimise who you are.
From assessing the cultural impact of Marvel’s Black Panther, to celebrating activism in local communities. From asking how we can secure the bag while staying true to our principles, or how we can teach our daughters to own their voices, to reclaiming our culinary heritage, the essays in Loud Black Girls offer funny touching and ultimately insightful perspectives on the question of ‘What’s Next?’
This is the second book from Elizabeth Uviebinené and Yomi Adegoke, the first being ‘Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible‘, I absolutely loved the first book so when I saw this in the new release season in Foyles bookstore I instantly put it on my wishlist. Slay In Your Lane is an inspirational guide for Black women, it includes stories and interviews of successful Black British women. In Loud Black Girls, Black women explore how to be your best authentic self in our current society through a collection of essays.
The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary
Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met…
Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.
But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window..
As soon as I saw the review from Cosmopolitan ‘The new Jojo Moyes‘ I already knew that this would be a book that I would enjoy – I absolutely love the ‘Me Before You‘ series by Jojo Moyes and if this book is being compared to that series then my expectations are high! I’ve seen this book all over Instagram, all the book bloggers have recommended it so I’m very excited to finally read this book and see if it is worth all the hype.
Are there any books that you are excited to read this year?
Thank you for reading,
Antonia
xoxo
Antonia Conduah 