In 2026, I want to focus on reading books by authors of color and could use more suggestions! I read fiction primarily, occasionally dabble in non-fiction but other than that I cast a pretty wide net. Contemporary and literary fiction, historical fiction, mystery, thriller, sci-fi/speculative, fantasy, romance, some YA, cozies of all kinds, and more.
A few books/authors I've enjoyed over the past several years:
– Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
– Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
– Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
– The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
– A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen
– Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee
– The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
– Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
– Black Cake by Charlene Wilkerson
– Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
– Vera Wong books by Jesse Q. Susanto
– The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
– Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
by calmossimo
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If you want something fun and dumb (deliberately so) I thought the Mead Mishaps books were a hoot. They’re humorous romantasy that reaaaaallllly doesn’t take itself too seriously.
maybe whatever sounds interest from rf kuang’s works. my fav has been babel
*Parable of the Sower* by Octavia Butler
*Convenience Store Woman* by Sayaka Murata
*Lonely Castle in the Mirror* by Mizuki Tsujimura
Sula or The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Giavonni’s Room by James Baldwin
Exit West
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill
Love, Lies and Cherry Pies by Jackie Lau
Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson
In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran
Ring Shout by P Djeli Clark
A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
The Dark Becomes Her by Judy I. Lin
**She Would Be King** by Wayetu Moore
blends historical fiction and fantasy/magical realism
**Nervous Conditions Trilogy** by Tsitsi Dangarembga
I recommend reading all of them in order. Each book by itself can be pretty hard going, but by the time it’s finished, you have a nuanced, realistic character study where trauma has made the main character both brittle and strong)
**The Patient Assassin** by Anita Anand
History that reads like a thriller.
**The Wind That Lays Waste** by Selva Almada
Beautiful, spare, unsentimental prose about working class masculinity and parenthood against the backdrop of an incoming storm.
**The Barefoot Woman** by Scholastique Mukasonga
The Rwandan genocide hangs over this book, but it’s really a loving tribute to the author’s mother and Tutsi women generally.
We do not part – Han Kang
Colored television – Danzy Senna
Everything Inside – Edwidge Danticat
Brotherless night – V.V. Ganeshwanathan
The Trees by Percival Everett
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie
“White Teeth” or “On Beauty” by Zadie Smith!
Anything (everything) by Kiese Laymon.
Anything (everything) by Attica Locke.
*The Chain Gang All-Stars* by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
*All Tale for the Time Being* by Ruth Ozeki
*Martyr!* by Kaveh Akbar
*Yellowface* by R.F. Kuang
*1Q84* (My favorite book of all time) by Haruki Murakami
*The Vegetarian* by Han Kang
One of my favorites from this year was Death of an Author by Nnedi Okorafor. I think you would like it too!
– Human acts by Han Kang
– The seven moons of maali almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
– assembly by Natasha brown
– James by Perceval Everett
– the nickel boys by Colson Whitehead
– butter by Asako Yuzuki
– there are rivers in the sky by Elif Shafak
– open water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
– the covenant of water by Abraham Verghese
– the vanishing half by Brit Bennet
– the man with compound eyes by Wu Ming-Yi
– enter ghost by Isabella Hammad
– minor detail by Adania Shibli
– eternal earth and sky series by Rebecca Roanhorse
I’d suggest indigenous authors. Waubgeshig Rice has a superb post Apocalyptic duet with Anishinaabe characters based on a reserve.
Are you on storygraph? I’d be down to share my handle so we can follow one another! Feel free to private message me
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Homeseeking by Karissa Chen
Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis. Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu.