Summer 2022 Reads
By Bookish BrewsWelcome friends! Here are the books that I read over the summer. I hope that you find something joyful in here. I hope you add some of these to your collection, these authors are so worth it!
Partners in Crime
Alisha Rai
$16.99 $15.80I'm not sure the crime ring made sense in this book but Alisha Rai managed to write a book that was so exciting I didn't care at all! It was a delightful ride!
A Thousand Miles to Graceland
Kristen Mei Chase
$15.99 $14.87I'm always looking for mixed Asian representation because there is hardly any out there. Forever really gave us a treat with this one (plus I'm now a Forever fan!). I cried three separate times and devoured this book in a single day.
Bindle Punk Bruja
Desideria Mesa
$17.99 $16.73More mixed representation! I am not a big fan of mob stories AT ALL but Bindle Punk Bruja isn't that at all. It takes place in the 1920s and there are debt collectors but this book is SO MUCH MORE. I absolutely adored it! Desi completely understands the mixed experience and throwing in the magic was wonderful.
Making a Scene
Constance Wu
$29.00 $26.97I was completely impressed with Constance Wu's writing style. She shifts between first person and third person when things get hard as she disassociates, but this is also in parallel with the multi level metaphor for "making a scene." I'm also a huge fan of how she very clearly talked about her assaults. More books that directly confront what exactly consent is will change the lives of many.
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Zoulfa Katouh
$19.99 $18.59This is a heart-wrenching love story to Syria. Zoulfa did a beautiful job of building a story about loving and losing a difficult home. Absolutely beautiful.
Ebony & Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities
Craig Steven Wilder
$32.00 $29.76I read this in preparation for my Dark Academia post! Make sure to read it!
Hell Followed with Us
Andrew Joseph White
$18.99 $17.66Super gory and tragic but hopeful at the same time. This book isn't afraid to say that horrible things can happen, and we may come out changed, but we DO come out on the other side.
If You Could See the Sun (Original)
Ann Liang
$18.99 $17.66This is a fun and light story of a girl in an elite school selling her invisibility services. I love stories that trade in secrets!
Strike the Zither: The Kingdom of Three Duology, Book One
Joan He
$18.99 $17.66I am a Joan He FAN and she did not disappoint with this one. It's way different than I anticipated but it is wonderful.
Daughters of the New Year (Original)
E. M. Tran
$27.99 $26.03I am so honored that books about Vietnamese women are coming out. I am starting to finally feel like I understand what it means to be a Vietnamese woman through books like this while simultaneously learning that being a Vietnamese woman is to just be me. Life changing.
The Women Could Fly
Megan Giddings
$26.99 $25.10This is one of my new favorite books because of the social commentary. I'm absolutely obsessed with the way that the modern day witch hunt was displayed here. Masterfully done.
Lunar Love
Lauren Kung Jessen
$15.99 $14.87Another mixed Asian rep story that made my heart sour. Lauren showed us that there is no one right way to honor our heritage and that is absolutely crucial.
Bitter Medicine
Mia Tsai
$18.95 $17.62Mia did a FANTASTIC job of blending languages, mythologies, and peoples in this book. I'm so impressed with how wonderfully everything went together in this one. Because in a modern city there WOULD be many peoples who would have multiple mythologies and languages and that is so rarely represented in books. Brilliant!
Love Times Infinity
Lane Clarke
$17.99 $16.73This book made me sob the entire time. It's incredible.
Beating Heart Baby
Lio Min
$18.99 $17.66Beating Heart Baby has my whole heart. Honestly it was too real for me at some points about having online friends and having them mean the world to you. This book is a new favorite
The Bruising of Qilwa
Naseem Jamnia
$15.95 $14.83A beautiful examination of being from an empire that has risen and fallen. A must read for any fantasy fans
Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice
Loretta Ross, Jael Silliman, et al.
$24.00 $22.32a must read after the overturn of roe v wade