Writers of Color Book Club discussion
Introductions
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Alexandra wrote: "Adira wrote: "Hi Alex! I'm glad you joined. Sorry if we gave off that impression that we only like BookTubers (^_^)that's totally not true. ..."
I can't wait to read North & South so I can talk about it with you all.
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Feel a bit nervous writing here as you all seem to know exactly what you like - I on the other hand am still trying to figure that out, but I am an avid reader of anything that interests m..."
Hi Rumbi! I'm glad you came to join our humble little group! (^-^) Don't worry about not knowing which books are your favorite! The best part of the whole process is discovering your taste and what you love about books. LOL When it happens, you'll just know.
Hi everyone!I'm Maria, I'm 24 years old and I live in Sweden. I've always considered myself an avid reader and I love discussing what I read. But with school and work and life in general I don't have as much time as I used to for reading (that's why I only started Giovanni's room yesterday, I will catch up though!!)
I'm very happy I've found this Goodreads group because I truly believe it's important to read diversely to get a wider perception of the world and to create a better understanding for people and different perspectives. I read all the discussions here but I think my active participation will be changing month to month depending on my schedule.
I don't really think I have a preferred genre but if I were to mention three books that have spoken to me the most I would say Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, White Oleander by Janet Fitch and Atonement by Ian McEwan. I guess that in way it says a lot about my need to branch out!
Lastly, I'm so happy to read all of you guys intelligent and insightful comments and thoughts on the books we read :) It truly is a privilege!
Hello everyone,I'm Sarah, 25 years old, French person living in France (hopefully not for long).
I was the lucky first guest to this group's monthly book liveshow.
I like to think myself a nerdfighter.
I love languages in general.
I have a part-time job that is paying the bills (how I feel so grown-up and mature writing this).
My special book kink would be fiction and non-fiction about mental illnesses, North Korea, and autism (I'd like to make clear that there are no connections between the three, I only listed them).
I like every type of fiction except for mystery. I have a bad bias against the mystery genre. The bias being that I rarely enjoyed reading a mystery novel until now.
You can go look at my favourite shelf on GR if you are interested. Just know that they are far from constant. (@Maria: I have a Ian McEwan in there, not "Atonement" but "Enduring Love".)
I'm glad I've found this group because I don't read diversely enough and I had wonderful insightful committed interesting discussions with you guys.
I hope I'll read Giovanni's Room (I voted for the damn book), but I'm having trouble focusing on a text this month, bleh.
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I'm Maria, I'm 24 years old and I live in Sweden. I've always considered myself an avid reader and I love discussing what I read. But with school and work and life in general I don't h..."
Hi Maria! I'm glad that you're a part of the group as well! Don't worry about it if you can't participate every month. Catch up whenever you like. I totally agree with you about reading diversely. It's a must in my opinion. What do you study if I may ask?
I really hope I can read an Ian McEwanmbook soon. Atonement is on my TBR list.
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I'm Sarah, 25 years old, French person living in France (hopefully not for long).
I was the lucky first guest to this group's monthly book liveshow.
I like to think myself a nerdfi..."
Lol hi Sarah! (^.^)/ I'm glad you're a part of the group. You're awesome, but we've already established that!
I think it's cool you enjoy languages. Do you know any others ones besides French & Spanish? Also, have you ever tried historical mysteries? They're much better than regular detective stories because you learn about different events in history while trying to solve the mystery at hand.
Hi everyone! I just joined this group recommended to me by Katie (Effusions of Wit) an Elli (The Bibliophile)!I'm Nnenna, I'm 24, and I live in NYC. Like many people here, I've always been a book lover. I recently started booktubing (it's so much fun!) and I also have a blog where I talk about books from time to time, among other things.
I would say that I mostly read contemporary/literary adult fiction, but I also like historical fiction, YA, mysteries and the occasional nonfiction book. I'm happy to be a part of this group because I think it will help me diversify my reading!
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I'm Nnenna, I'm 24, and I live in NYC. Like many people here, I've always been a book..."
Welcome Nnenna! I'm glad you found our club through recommendations by Katie & Elli! I'd love to watch your videos, do you have a link to your channel and blog?
Adira wrote: "I think it's cool you enjoy languages. Do you know any others ones besides French & Spanish? Also, have you ever tried historical mysteries? They're much better than regular detective stories because you learn about different events in history while trying to solve the mystery at hand."I don't speak Spanish, I only understand some because of common knowledge and a mixture of the latin languages I already know.
I speak French, English (obviously), Italian ("father-tongue", I understand it much better than I speak it), and I'm familiar with Korean.
I don't think I've tried historical mysteries. Or maybe a Sarah Waters book that could be under the mystery genre, but it was my least favourite. I should reread it though.
Sarah wrote: "Adira wrote: "I think it's cool you enjoy languages. Do you know any others ones besides French & Spanish? Also, have you ever tried historical mysteries? They're much better than regular detective..."I enjoy historical and cultural mysteries. I was planning on focusing on this subgenre more this year -but other projects have kept me too busy.
Adira wrote: "Maria wrote: "Hi everyone!I'm Maria, I'm 24 years old and I live in Sweden. I've always considered myself an avid reader and I love discussing what I read. But with school and work and life in gen..."
Thanks for the welcome! :) And now I've read the first three chapters of Giovanni's room, so I think I'm gonna throw myself into the discussion soon.
I'm studying to become a nurse.
Adira wrote: "Nnenna wrote: "Hi everyone! I just joined this group recommended to me by Katie (Effusions of Wit) an Elli (The Bibliophile)!I'm Nnenna, I'm 24, and I live in NYC. Like many people here, I've alw..."
Thank you- happy to be here! :) I don't know that I'll have time to read July's book, but I'm hoping to jump in come August! Oh, and here are my links!
blog: http://starcrossedsmile.com
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHsW...
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Cool! I've always wanted to learn Italian. I did my first study abroad in Florence, but I never got the hang of the language. I've also never read any Sarah Waters' books, but I know Mercedes at MercedesBookishMusings on YT raves about her.
Maria wrote: "Adira wrote: "Maria wrote: "Hi everyone!
I'm Maria, I'm 24 years old and I live in Sweden. I've always considered myself an avid reader and I love discussing what I read. But with school and work a..."
Congratulations on your studies! I'm glad you've been able to balance reading and school. I hope you enjoy our selections.
Nnenna wrote: "Adira wrote: "Nnenna wrote: "Hi everyone! I just joined this group recommended to me by Katie (Effusions of Wit) an Elli (The Bibliophile)!
I'm Nnenna, I'm 24, and I live in NYC. Like many people ..."
Thanks for the links Nnenna! I'll be sure to check them out.
Beverly wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Adira wrote: "I think it's cool you enjoy languages. Do you know any others ones besides French & Spanish? Also, have you ever tried historical mysteries? They're much better than reg..."
If you've never read a Steve Berry book, I totally suggest it. I've also just picked up The House Girl by Tara Conklin, but IDK if it's any good yet.
Hi,My name is Kamil. I'm a law and political science graduate working in finances. Since my everyday life is a lot numbers oriented I miss humanities. Books are my escape from a corporate life. (It's not as sad as it sounds:).
I live in Warsaw, Poland. Even though Polish is my mother tongue majority of the books I read are in English and thanks to that I can read then long before the Polish translation is out, not mentioning I have big reservations regarding reading translated works. I also have my own booktube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/coveredi...
I've heard about your group from Adira, that is my booktube buddy:). This year I've read quite a few books written by Writers of Colors and I want to continue in doing so, therefore I though it'd be great to do that with you guys.
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Hi Nnenna! Im glad you joined the group :)Nnenna wrote: "Hi everyone! I just joined this group recommended to me by Katie (Effusions of Wit) an Elli (The Bibliophile)!
I'm Nnenna, I'm 24, and I live in NYC. Like many people here, I've always been a book..."
Hi Kamil! I also studied political science! Im thinking of going into law!Kamil wrote: "Hi,
My name is Kamil. I'm a law and political science graduate working in finances. Since my everyday life is a lot numbers oriented I miss humanities. Books are my escape from a corporate life. (..."
Hi everyone!! My name is Ashley! I'm from the US. I found this group via booktube. I'm fairly new to booktube and I wanted to expand my horizons and read diverse books and when I heard about this group I thought I would join. I pretty much read anything and everything. I've read lots of books from authors of color; however, I want to read more. I'm really looking forward to meeting some awesome people!!
Elli (The Bibliophile) wrote: "Hi Kamil! I also studied political science! Im thinking of going into law!Kamil wrote: "Hi,
My name is Kamil. I'm a law and political science graduate working in finances. Since my everyday life..."
I really think that it's a nice combination Elli, law gives you some specific specialized knowledge that is marketable (at least relatively:) while politics give you wide social perspective.
Adira wrote: "Lol hi Kamil! I'm so glad you joined and are reading more authors of color this year! I hope you enjoy the discussions we have here."Thank you Adira, it's a pleasure as always :)
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Hi Ashley! I'm glad you found us! I hope we help you find some new books. Do you have any specific authors you enjoy? We have an author recommendation tab with a bunch of really good suggestions and links to great websites with reading lists if you're interesting in getting suggestions for a new book with adverse author besides the ones we're reading. Definitely check it out if you're looking to pad your shelves.
Hi everyone. My name is Chaneli. I'm a Human Services major. I'm a huge lover of books. I especially really enjoy reading fiction and poetry. I'm so happy this WoC book club exists and reading the works of all PoC throughout the diaspora. Some of my favorite books are the Little Prince, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao to name a few and poetry works by Warsan Shire, Nayyirah Waheed, Sonia Sanchez, Alysia Harris, Jasmine Mans, Safia Elhillo, and so so much more (:
Adira wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Hi everyone!! My name is Ashley! I'm from the US. I found this group via booktube. I'm fairly new to booktube and I wanted to expand my horizons and read diverse books and when I hea..."I really like Toni Morrison and Alice Walker!! But I'll definitely check out the list so I can expand my horizons! :)
Welcome Chaneli! I'm glad you joined! :) I need to check out those poets!Chaneli wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Chaneli. I'm a Human Services major. I'm a huge lover of books. I especially really enjoy reading fiction and poetry. I'm so happy this WoC book club exists and reading the ..."
Elli (The Bibliophile) wrote: "Hi Nnenna! Im glad you joined the group :)Nnenna wrote: "Hi everyone! I just joined this group recommended to me by Katie (Effusions of Wit) an Elli (The Bibliophile)!
I'm Nnenna, I'm 24, and I l..."
Hi Elli! *waves* :)
Chaneli wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Chaneli. I'm a Human Services major. I'm a huge lover of books. I especially really enjoy reading fiction and poetry. I'm so happy this WoC book club exists and reading the ..."I adore Nayyirah Waheed! I haven't read "nejma" yet but I've read "salt." probably 10 times!
Lynecia wrote: "Chaneli wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Chaneli. I'm a Human Services major. I'm a huge lover of books. I especially really enjoy reading fiction and poetry. I'm so happy this WoC book club exists ..."Salt. is everything! I read Nejma and it's perfect! Her next book will come out around December
Chaneli wrote: "Lynecia wrote: "Chaneli wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Chaneli. I'm a Human Services major. I'm a huge lover of books. I especially really enjoy reading fiction and poetry. I'm so happy this WoC b..."I think I'll splurge on the physical copy - it's so pretty!
Lynecia wrote: "Chaneli wrote: "Lynecia wrote: "Chaneli wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Chaneli. I'm a Human Services major. I'm a huge lover of books. I especially really enjoy reading fiction and poetry. I'm so ..."It really is! Its so beautiful
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Welcome Chaneli! Thank you for telling us all your favorite poets! I've been trying to find more poets since I don't know that many besides the few I already know (i.e., Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Maya Angelou, etc.). I'll be sure to look into the ones you listed. I'm so glad that our club has fulfilled a void for you in the BookTubing world! I hope you continue to enjoy the club!
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You should watch Kim Lechelle's video on Alice Walker that he just posted on Thursday of last week about Alice Walker and a documentary she saw on the author. Also, I know Eli is doing a read Toni Morrison book challenge this year and has been reading a book by her each month. I think this month's pick is Jazz.
Here's the link for Kim's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udbpH...
Adira wrote: "Chaneli wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Chaneli. I'm a Human Services major. I'm a huge lover of books. I especially really enjoy reading fiction and poetry. I'm so happy this WoC book club exists ..."If you want to look for more poets you can go to my goodreads page. I have a poetry shelf with tons of poets to check out.
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Thank you! I'll check it out!
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This is not an introduction but I just wanted to share this very relevant article from NPR with everyone in the group. It's about the exclusivity of the American publishing industry.
To Achie..."
Thanks Eleni for sharing this with the group!
Hi everyone! I'm Erin from central Ohio, USA. I'm a bibliophile who especially loves contemporary classics, dystopian/sci-fi, & books of many cultures & viewpoints. I just recently read "Americanah" and absolutely loved it. I'm also a lover of Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, Khalil Gibran, & Margaret Atwood. I work as a librarian assistant & am often recommending books :D Can't wait to discover books I wouldn't have otherwise considered.
Hello all!I'm Rebecka, from Sweden, who just joined this group because a couple of birdies whispered to me that there might be a read-along of Americanah happening here soon....
I read mostly literary fiction, a lot in English, even though swedish is my first language. Some of my fav authors at the moment are Donna Tartt, Jamaica Kincaid, and Janet Frame. I also dabble in YA & fantasy stuff (even though they useually make me break out in feminist rants), where I'm finishing the Mortal Instruments series (raaaaant!!!) and Octavia Butler is no 1 on my list of what-to-read-next (who's supposedly more on the safe side concerning the feminist rant-factor, or so I've heard).
Just put up my first booktuber vid, if you feel like checkning it out it's at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyP-...
well, i guess i'll see you around :)
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Gah! You're so lucky! I'd love to be a librarian. I just recently discovered Jhumpa Lahiri and Junot Diaz. I can't wait to read the other authors you listed. I'm excited that you joined us,
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I'm Rebecka, from Sweden, who just joined this group because a couple of birdies whispered to me that there might be a read-along of Americanah happening here soon....
I read mostly li..."
Welcome Rebecka! You're in luck! Americanah is officially our September read. I've never read any of the authors you've mentioned besides Ja,Arica Kincaid. Lucy is one of my favorite books of all time even though I've technically never finished it from when it was assigned back in my first semester of grad school. Kincaid has an amazing way of writing the things I'm thinking. I'll be sure to check out your channel.
Adira wrote: "Rebecka wrote: "Hello all!I'm Rebecka, from Sweden, who just joined this group because a couple of birdies whispered to me that there might be a read-along of Americanah happening here soon....
..."
Yes omg Lucy! Have you read Desirada by Maryse Condé? I really thought the two seem connected somehow, as if they're vaguely referencing each other (or: Condé referencing Kincaid, chronologically).
Also, how does the monthly read work? Do we read a certain amount per week etc? so excited to talk to you all about Americanah!!
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I'm Rebecka, from Sweden, who just joined this group because a couple of birdies whispered to me that there might be a read-along of Americanah happening he..."
No, that's another book I've never read. I'll add it to the list along with finishing Lucy.
As for the book of the month, we usually read books in chunks and discuss it that way. We're still working on breaking Americanah up, but the discussion boards should go up soon. Thanks for participating! I'm totally stoked to have you here.
Hi everyone!I'm Elizabeth. I'm 24 from New York. My favorite genre is literary fiction, though I will read a bit of everything. I just discovered this group through Booktube (which I also just discovered...whoops), and it sounds perfect because I have been wanting to diversify what I have been reading, and I have been wanting to read Americanah (I've heard great things!). I look forward to discussing the book with everyone!
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I'm Elizabeth. I'm 24 from New York. My favorite genre is literary fiction, though I will read a bit of everything. I just discovered this group through Booktube (which I also just dis..."
Hello Elizabeth! Welcome to the WOCBC & to BookTube in general. I'm so glad that you found us and hope that you enjoy Americanah. It's one of my favorite Adichie books. Don't forget to checkout the Author Recommendation tab to get some ideas of diverse books to read. Also, the We Need Diverse books tumblr is amazing as well. It will give you tons of things to read from all genres if you want even more suggestions than are offered by our club members.
hey everyone :) I'm Megan, a nineteen y/o (newly turned, still feels weird) from the south-west of England.I mostly read realistic/contemporary fiction and I particularly like quite hard hitting books that deal with social issues. over the past couple of years I've taken to educating myself on topics like racism, sexism, homophobia etc as not only am I affected by all three, I think it's important to understand how these things are entwined in our society. and now I'm done sounding crazy pretentious, I've recently started reading more diversely, from more of a mix between ya and adult, different genres, to books with a diverse mix of poc and set in other countries. a recent favourite being The Colour Purple by Alice Walker.
so yeah, hi! I'm excited to be a part of this group
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I mostly read realistic/contemporary fiction and I particularly like quite hard hitting b..."
Hi Megan! Thank you so much for joining us! I read The Color Purple back in high school, but have yet, to read any of the other books in the saga. I'm excited to hear your view on it and all the other books we/you read. Don't forget to nominate some of your favorites for the book choice for the month.
Hello, everyone. My name is Autumn and I am from Louisiana. I am a junior in college and I am a marketing major. I have always love reading but I sort of slacked off in the past four or five years. I am finally jumping back on the horse and reading like crazy. Having recently discovered BookTube, I am more motivated to reading hundreds of different books throughout all of the different genres. I am currently attempting to keep a blog updated but school has not made that really possible. Hopefully I will do reviews there but until then... Hello, Goodreads.
I am looking forward to discussing African American literature with the group and learning more about my culture as a whole.
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Welcome Autumn! I'm glad you've discovered BookTube and are getting back into reading. Do you happen to have a link to your blog, I'd love to check it out if you're willing to share it. Also, I hope you're having a good school year so far!
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Welcome Autumn! I'm glad you've discovered BookTube and are getting back into reading. Do you happen to have a link to your blog, I'd love to check it out if you're willing to share it. Also, I hope you're having a good school year so far!
Thank you, Adira!! I do have a link to my blog on my profile (somewhere). But if it is not there, it is www.chroniclesofprocrastination.blogs...Hope you enjoy.
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Hope you enjoy."
Thanks Autumn! I'll check it out!
Writers of Color Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Beloved (other topics)The Kite Runner (other topics)
The Namesake (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Eric Jerome Dickey (other topics)Omar Tyree (other topics)
Mary Monroe (other topics)
Feel a bit nervous writing here as you all seem to know exactly what you like - I on the other hand am still trying to figure that out, but I am an avid reader of anything that interests me which can be quite broad but at the moment I am really into reading books by people of color. I am Zimbabwean Australian, living in Australia and have a strong need to connect with people or stories that have diversity.
I do love classics though, my favorites are Jane Eyre, Tess of the D'urbervilles and anything from Charlotte Bronte. Anyway hi!! Look forward to reading this Giovanni book.