Bookworms are continually thinking about the next book. We like to add books to our TBR shelf. Meanwhile, we’ve got a few in the queue, and more orders on the way! If you’re like me, there’s never enough time in the day to do everything you want, including sitting down with a good book to read. 

Here are five books on my shelf!

The Vanishing Half  by Brit Bennet

As teenagers, Stella and Desiree Vigness ran away from home with dreams of a life beyond the boundaries their small black community had set for them. But when Stella discovered at a young age that she could pass for white, the sweet relief of living as a white woman in the 1960s beckoned her until she made the final decision to never look back. Including leaving her twin sister behind.

This book explores how trauma can motivate an individual to live as something other than themselves. Stella is stuck between her past and her present life, precariously balancing both as she lives her current life in an upper-class suburban Los Angeles neighborhood. She’s married to a white man and has a white daughter, but is this life everything she dreamed it would be? And at what point does one life end and the new one begin? Are we ever truly able to leave it all behind?

This book is giving me major Toni Morrison vibes.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Clap When You Land is a story told in verse. The dual-narrative focuses on two sisters who are unaware of each other. Camino Rios lives in the Dominican Republic and looks forward to her father’s visits every summer. But when she arrives at the airport on the day of his arrival, she sees crowds of people crying. Simultaneously in New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office to meet her mother, who is there to tell her the tragic news of her father’s sudden death. From this point, the two girls – sisters – enter a new chapter in their lives. Their father is gone, but his secrets are revealed, including the love for both girls separated by oceans.

I’m excited to dive into Acevedo’s rhythmic and profound storytelling.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Noemí Taboada finds herself at High Place at the frantic beckoning of her newly-wed cousin. Set in the distant Mexican countryside, High Place is isolated and full of mystery. And so too is her cousin’s husband, an Englishman both menacing and alluring. But Noemí isn’t afraid, and she’s determined to figure out the story beneath the foreboding facade of this haunting abode – but will the glamorous debutante escape the grip of the walls of High Place? I’ll have to read to find out.

This book is described as H.P. Lovecraft meets the Brontes – all while setting in 1950s Mexico. Sign me up!

Silver, Sword, and Stone: three crucibles in the Latin American Story by Marie Arana

Marie Arana uses the lives of three contemporary Latin Americans to tell the thousand-year history of the region. Each individual’s life represents a driving force that has shaped the character of Latin America: exploitation (silver), violence (sword), and religion (stone). Arana weaves through these historical themes that have defined Latin America since pre-Columbian times. It is an expansive story and a massive undertaking. 

I love history books that use a unique lens to examine major historical events and challenge official narratives. This will not be a light read!

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

Vivek Oji’s story is set in southeastern Nigeria. One afternoon his mother discovers his body on her front doorstep, wrapped in colorful fabric. From here, readers are taken on a journey to retrace the steps of Vivek’s life. Along the way, readers will hear from Vivek from the grave, but most of his story is told through the perspective of other characters. His overprotective mother. His distant father. His closest friend, his cousin Osita. Through adolescence and into adulthood, Vivek struggles with disorienting blackouts, resulting from an inner struggle with his own identity.

I can’t wait to dive into the examination of Vivek’s life through multiple perspectives.

How many books do you have on your TBR list? Will you be adding any of these to your shelf? If so, be sure to support local bookstores in your city during these unprecedented times.