Adult Books by Black Authors

These are a mix of fiction and nonfiction, short story collections and novels, old favorites and new favorites. Have you read any? What would you recommend to me if I loved these books?

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans

The cover of this book hooked me first. I saw it posted all over #bookstagram. The title piqued my curiosity too, but when I actually read it, it blew me away.

I’ve been on a short story kick for the past year, but this collection is the best of the best. The plots are unique and engaging, the characters are too real, and the topics are timely. I keep thinking about these characters and stories and will probably have to re-read the whole collection soon. I can’t recommend this one enough.

The Broke Diaries by Angela Nissel

I worked as a library page in high school. One shift I was “reading” the nonfiction section and this title caught my eye. I have to admit, I started reading it right then on the clock and then checked it out and took it home with me.

At the time, I was envious of Nissel. Not because she was broke - I was too! But how she had so much humor about it, and such an engaging writing style. I remember taking the book to school and showing the girls in my math class and they passed it around and laughed at the entries.

I actually bought the exact copy I first found, years later after the library discarded it. It’s been on my shelf since, and I read Mixed too, but The Broke Diaries remained my favorite.

I wanted some humor in my life after all of...this, and I can’t believe that the book still cracks me up so much. Like laughing out loud reading on my front porch, because now it’s in the 60s after last week’s ice and snow. But I digress. This book is hilarious and makes me miss the 2008ish period of blogging because that’s exactly how it reads now, even though it was written way before then. You should read this. Then let’s laugh about it together.

Just to note, if you don’t believe me about Nissel’s humor: she’s been a writer on Scrubs, the Boondocks, and Mixed-ish.

Luster by Raven Leilani

I really really enjoyed this book, but it’s so hard for me to get my thoughts together about it. There’s something that is just so raw yet so guarded, with wonderful language that really sets the pacing. I loved the run-on sentences and how the story was broken into vignettes. I loved how the book made me experience something new, while also feeling understood. It’s a truly unique book that deserves that attention it’s getting.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

This book totally lives up to the hype. I absolutely loved the story itself, but Bennett’s writing is so seamless that you get sucked in completely, and then a beautiful, profound line will stop you in your tracks.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman by Athena Dixon

This essay collection is amazing. You can tell Athena Dixon has a background in poetry because the language is so beautiful, while still being so raw and matter-of-fact. So many of these pieces made me feel seen and understood. I know this is a collection I’ll come back to time and time again. The essays are honest and powerful and emotional and poetic, all wrapped up in this gorgeous package. If you haven’t gotten your hands on this one, you need to. Now.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

Deesha Philyaw read part of “Peach Cobbler” at an event I attended years long ago and I was hooked from the first line: “My mother’s peach cobbler was so good, it made God himself cheat on his wife.”

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this collection, and once I got it I was torn between racing to finish it and wanting to drag it out so I’d have longer with these multi-layered characters. I can’t pick a favorite from this collection because they’re all that. damn. good. I’ve been recommending it to everyone I know, and that includes you. It’s the perfect mix of gossip, drama, and breathtaking storytelling you need in your life.

I usually try to not re-read a book until a year after my last reading, but this is one I’ll be coming back to more often than that. I can’t stop thinking about it and I want more.

Best Adult Fiction Read in 2020

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (2020). I read about the concept of this book and bought it immediately. I’m still obsessed with it - loaning out my copy and recommending it to everyone I know. It’s so fresh and unique - Oona is living her life out of order, meaning when she’s 18, instead of turning 19, she turns 51! She lives that year and learns about her condition, so on her last day of being 51, she knows she won’t necessarily wake up 52 the next day. I already want to re-read this book, and maybe even read it in as chronological of order as it can go.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (2020). Desiree and Stella are twins, light enough to pass for white. One twin embraces this and disappears into a privileged white life, not acknowledging her past. The other doubles down and ends up working hard, being a single mother to her darker daughter. This book totally lives up to the hype. I absolutely loved the story itself, but Bennett’s writing is so seamless that you get sucked in completely, and then a beautiful, profound line will stop you in your tracks.

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans (2020). I’ve been reading a lot of story collections this year, and all of them have been so good. Evans blew me away, though. The stories are so fascinating yet realistic and have really stuck with me even after finishing the book. I got to hear her read part of a story at an online event and she was fantastic! I have her other collection to read next, but I know I’ll keep re-reading these stories and recommending them to everyone I can.

Writers & Lovers by Lily King (2020). I was in a reading funk until I opened this book. I absolutely loved it, and I want to read more like it and I already want to re-read it. Something about the everydayness of things drew me right in and kept me comfortable in the story. I think King captured exactly that uncertainty of relationships and writing and how they work together.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (2019?). I absolutely love time travel books, and this one was all I ever wanted and more. There are so many rules about going back in time at the Funiculi Funicula cafe that made the story more suspenseful. A few different characters went back in time within the cafe's constraints, and it was very touching and thought-provoking to see how they dealt with their situations. I loved how all of the characters tied together. Amazing book.