How has your week been? What have you been reading lately? I’m almost finished with Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor and loving it so far. This month, I’m reading only books by Black authors, and Kim’s February TBR has Black Authored Books too. Now on to the 10+ bookish links I bookmarked recently.
one+ Welcome February! Also, Black History Month in the US. Goodreads came through with 177 New Fiction and Nonfiction Reads for Black History Month. This collection cuts across all genres, which makes for some exhilarating swerves in topic and theme – fiction and nonfiction published since the beginning of 2023. I’ve read and mentioned a few of these books already, so let me throw some more love at Maame, Jessica George.
two+ Also, since it’s the beginning of the month, The Goodreads Editors Share Their Top Book Picks for February and their Readers’ Most Anticipated Books for February plus Barnes & Noble Monthly Picks February 2025. Which books coming out this month are you most excited for?
three+ Audible Editors Best Audiobooks of January 2025 includes Onyx Storm, Rebecca Yarros (no surprise here), and Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor, which I mentioned reading above. I do wish I had listened to the audiobook though!
four+ Elecric Lit’s Literary Crossword for Book People is just plain awesome. Forget baseball stats or presidential timelines; this puzzle is all about literature along with a couple cheeky little references that you’ll be able to guess by looking on our homepage.
five+ Can Influencers Predict the Next Big Thing in Books? I suppose they are right now, but I see a small, but growing number of people like myself, who are leaving social media.
six+ I’m only reading books by Black authors in February, and when I did a Google search for “thrillers” by Black authors, I was thrilled to see quite a few excellent resources come up. I bookmarked Penguin & Random House’s list of Mysteries & Thrillers by Black Authors (definitely read The Violin Conspiracy, Brendan Slocumb if you haven’t yet), which also led me to their micro-site All Ways Black Book Guide – an awesome resource if you’re looking for books by Black authors in different genres.
seven+ More recommendations for thrillers written by Black authors here, here, here and here.
eight+ I’ve been looking forward to the 2025 Alex Awards announcement. I’ve already read The Dead Cat Tails Society, by P. Djèlí Clark – love, love, loved it! Also – one of my favorite annual lists is out – Locus Mag’s 2024 Recommended Reading List of Speculative Fiction.
nine+ A reading list for the 2025 Oscars from the Amazon Editors. The Amazon Book Editors have culled together all of the books that have inspired the 2025 Oscar nominations, offering readers a great list of books to add to your TBR pile in excitement/preparation for when the winners are announced in March. I’m so happy to see The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead, getting so much love because that’s an amazing book to read.
ten+ Off the Books …. What are you watching? I finished The Night Agent S2 which was a fast paced, action packed adventure that I loved. Next up … I don’t know, maybe something from The New Comfort Movie Canon: The 10 Best Feel-Good Films of the Last 10 Years. Also Where to Stream Every Nominated Movie Before the 2025 Oscars.
Again, in case you missed it, this week Kim shared her February TBR: Black Authored Books.
—- Cheers to the weekend and week ahead!
