Books in the Summer, Summer, Summertime

Reading is a necessary respite for me, especially when life is at its craziest: work, extracurricular activities, hustling, writing, or dealing with my puppy’s early morning and late-night zoomies, (HELLO Dog TV). Whether chilling on the beach or in the backyard, drinking chilled lemonade the color of the sun, or sipping on a pink and bubbly cocktail, stealing time out of the day to read can help you flee the bustle of everyday life and for at least a moment, mentally escape the summer blues. Here are a few books to get you started:

Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker, edited by the late Valerie Boyd. I savored every chapter. It’s an intimate peek into Walker’s journal entries from 1965 to 2000. Covering vast ground, from the civil rights movement to marriage, to motherhood and her evolution as a writer. In one of her earliest entries, Walker wrote, “How incredible it is to thirst for pen and writer, to need them as if they were water.” A fascinating look into this Pulitzer Prize winner’s reflections.

Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro

Obaro, an editor at Buzzfeed, writes a captivating novel about three college classmates reuniting after thirty years to attend a wedding. The spot-on sacredness and familiarity of female friendships, along with the engrossing setting of Nigeria, had me loving every page.  

It was All a Dream: Biggie and the World that Made Him by Justin Tinsley

Tinsley interviews an impressive number of people who were in Christopher Wallace’s circle and beyond, from neighbors to friends to DJs. It’s an intriguing tale of Biggie’s life, pricking far beneath the skin, revealing profound insight into his world and the harsh environment that surrounded him.  

The Little Book of Big Lies: A Journey into Inner Fitness by Tina Lifford.

This book is not new, published in 2019, but if you haven’t read it or listened to it, you’re missing a lot of goodness. Think Aunt Vi meet Tabitha Brown over brunch, no subject off limits, spilling wisdom and lessons learned about issues they’ve gone through. There’s no Tabitha Brown, but Aunt Vi’s wisdom is golden.

President Obama recently released his 2022 summer reading list. Have you read any on the list? S.A. Cosby’s Razor Blade Tears and Charmaine Wilkerson’s’ Black Cake are scrumptious. Pun intended. 

Happy Reading!