First of all, Happy 2019! I hope it's been off to a great start for you guys!

It was a really solid month of reading for me in January. I read 10 books which, after last year's weak months, felt completely insane. More importantly, a few of them were reads I won't forget any time soon.

Here we go...



America for Beginners - Leah Franqui
Despite its relatively light tone, this was a very satisfying read for me. The story is about a Bengali widow named Pival, who decides to travel to America and go on a road trip from NYC to California, to find out what had become of her gay son. She's joined on this journey by her tour guide Satya, and a woman named Rebecca. Their time together leads them to a deeper understanding of one another. This is a funny and touching book, and I found it to be a quick and lovely read.




Augustown - Kei Miller
Upon finishing Augustown, I had complete body chills. It's a beautifully written about a town on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica. And though the book is fictional, the history of the book's Augustown closely parallels that of Jamaica's real August Town. The story begins with a young boy who runs home from school one day, his dreadlocks having been cut off by a teacher. From here, Miller's story jumps back and forth through time, and we learn about a particular time in the town's history - focusing in on when one of the town's preachers flew - via its memorable characters and their stories. It is brilliant, fantastic, and Miller has established himself as a writer I want to read more from.



Heads of the Colored People - Nafissa Thompson-Spires
This book blew me away! Another one that gave me all over body chills, Thompson-Spires' debut (!!!) is a collection of short stories that focus on the lives of upper middle class African-Americans. The "heads" in the title works more than one way. In this collection, we are given a glimpse into minds of these characters, their hopes, fears and thought processes. But many of the stories also feature characters going head to head with one another, fighting for a space in an imaginary post-racial world where blacks are treated equally. The stories run the gamut, and I found myself laughing out loud at some and deeply disturbed by others. This was a truly standout collection, and I can't wait to see more of what Nafissa Thompson-Spires is capable of writing!


Also read: The Changeling - LaValle; Jackaby - Ritter; Behold the Dreamers - Mbue; The Only Harmless and Great Thing - Bolander; Friday Black - Adjei-Brenyah; My Sister the Serial Killer - Braithwaite; Convenience Store Woman - Murata.