Literanista
January 20, 2010
I spotted this great post on ethnic diversity and reading:
And she offers a great list of suggested new books and blogs:
If you’re a fan of graphic novels, try anything by Shaun Tan, Incognegro by Mat Johnson & Warren Pleece, Bayou, Volume One by Jeremy Love, or Skim by Mariko & Jillian Tamaki.
If you can’t get enough thrillers, reach for Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie. If you’re more the mystery type of person, try more village cozy style of Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartery or the more hard-boiled A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn.
Or maybe you’re more interested in neo-gothic stuff? I loved White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi.
If you’re a fan of classic literature, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and Naguib Mahfouz’s Cairo trilogy are must reads. Or for those modern classics, be sure to include Toni Morrison and James Baldwin on your TBR list. They’re famous for a reason!
More of a historical fiction person? Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill, The Farming of the Bones by Edwidge Danticat, The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea, or The Book of Night Women by Marlon James might just fit the bill.
Itching for something contemporary, with a lyrical flavour to it? Why not try Song for Night by Chris Abani, Hardboiled & Hard Luck by Banana Yoshimoto or Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel?
Or maybe you just want a modern, strong woman as a book’s main character? Give a look to A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam or The New Moon’s Arms by Nalo Hopkinson.
Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King proves that magical realism works outside of Latin Amerca!
I know that I have a thing for books set in the American South. Sugar by Bernice McFadden is one of the best I’ve ever read!
If you’re a fan of YA, you have to read Jacqueline Woodson. Lucy the Giant by Sherri Smith and A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott are both marvelous as well.
Perhaps you enjoy coming-of-age stories that feel more like adult literature? You can’t go wrong with Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid or Bless Me Ultimate by Rudolpho Anaya.
Looking for a challenge? A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth will make you feel like an endurance runner while My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk will push you to try out mental gymnastics.
If you’re a short story fan, be sure to give Hunger by Lan Samantha Chang a shot.
Don’t worry-I’ve got some suggestions for non-fiction readers as well.
Do you love travelogues? Serve the People by Jen Lin Liu is a marvelous one.
Atul Gawande writes some of the most amazing essays I’ve ever read: you can’t go wrong with either of his collections: Complicated or Better.
Notes from the Hyena’s Belly by Nega Mezlekia is the kind of memoir that makes me love the genre.
And if you enjoy reading books about books as much as me, try out A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel.
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