Inspire Great Reading for Summer 2021

Summer is my favorite season of the year. It's warm outdoors, the sun is shining, and you can relax more. I feel happier during this time of the year, and one of the best pleasures, in my opinion, is sitting outside with a good book in your hands. You can drink a refreshing glass of lemonade, listen to the sounds of nature, and get lost in another world through the pages of a book. 

For many people, summer is the best season to read books. Whether you read a book while relaxing on the beach or by a swimming pool, or just sitting outside, reading helps you relax. You might even have more time to read during the summer when many occupations (especially those in the education field) tend to "slow down" during the summer months. 

Like always, I'm offering five new reading recommendations for this summer season. These books challenge readers to think outside the box while telling beautiful, enticing stories. They're simply fun books to read this season. 

Enjoy my selection of the best books on the market right now. Trust me, they're so worth it.

1. "The Other Black Girl" - Zakiya Dalila Harris

Zakiya Dalila Harris's debut novel, The Other Black Girl (photo/Target).

Zakiya Dalila Harris based her debut novel, The Other Black Girl, on her real-life experiences working in a white book publishing industry. Her protagonist, Nella Rogers, is frustrated with being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. She's doing her best to achieve, but she notices the racial differences between herself and her colleagues. 

That's why she is thrilled with the arrival of the Harlem-born employee, Hazel. Finally! Someone will relate to her. 

However, things change when anonymous notes appear on Nella's desk: "LEAVE WAGNER. NOW." Suddenly, Nella has an enemy, and she has no idea who could be writing the notes. It couldn't be Hazel, right? Nella starts to obsess over these notes, and she starts to wonder if Hazel is threatening her career at Wagner to get to the top. She thought the two would be friends--perhaps allies--but Hazel isn't interested in this. There might even be more at stake than just Nella's career. 

A fast-paced, daring, and whip-smart thriller, Harris addresses society in this dynamic satire. The Other Black Girl, now available, has many twists and turns that will inform readers about the inner workings of the publishing industry. Described like The Devil Wears Prada meets Get Out, the novel demonstrates how far someone is willing to go to beat the competition. 

2. "The Chosen and the Beautiful" - Nghi Vo

Nghi Vo's debut novel, The Chosen and the Beautiful (photo/Goodreads).

On January 1, 2021, F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous 1926 novel, The Great Gatsby, entered the public domain when its copyright expired. Now, authors can freely reinvent the story of Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, Nick Carroway, and the glitz and glamour of the Roaring '20s. 

That includes Nghi Vo's debut novel, The Chosen and the Beautiful. Now available, the novel focuses on one of Fitzgerald's side characters, Jordan Baker. In Fitzgerald's story, Jordan is Daisy's friend and she belongs to the upper crust of society. She informs Nick about important details, but she isn't a crucial character. 

She's the star of Vo's novel. Set in the 1920s, Jordan has it all: money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to all of the elite parties of the American Jazz Age. There are a few important changes from Fitzgerald's novel. Jordan is a queer Asian woman--a Vietnamese adoptee who has always been treated as an exotic attraction by her peers while also facing prejudice and discrimination. 

Jordan is just trying to navigate her way through New York's social scene--fighting for her place in this society. Jordan learns about all of the wonders of the world: dazzling illusions, elemental mysteries, and perhaps even some magic. It's a lyrical, subversive, and dreamy coming-of-age story about a character who deserved more attention in Fitzgerald's novel. Vo reinvented a literary classic for new audiences.  

3. "An Emotion of Great Delight" - Tahereh Mafi

Tahereh Mafi's novel, An Emotion of Great Delight (photo/Goodreads).

I'll be honest: I will read any book that focuses on 9/11. This includes Tahereh Mafi's new novel, An Emotion of Great Delight--now available. From the author of the acclaimed Shatter Me series, the novel centers on an American-Muslim woman, Shadi, following the horrific events on September 11, 2001. As you can imagine, she struggles with harassment.

Starting in 2003, tensions are high as the United States officially declared war on Iraq. Hate crimes are on the rise, especially toward Muslims. FBI agents are infiltrating mosques, and Shadi's Muslim community is targeted more than ever. Because she wears a hijab, Shadi keeps her head down to avoid any confrontation. 

Shadi does her best to handle the tension--not just from Americans but in her own family. Her brother is dead. Her father is dying. Her mother is falling apart, and her best friend mysteriously left without a trace. Shadi's heart is broken, and she tries to repair it, but it gets harder as each day passes. 

An Emotion of Great Delight is a bold, searing look into the world for an American-Muslim family in a post-9/11 world. It's a novel about loneliness, family drama, heartache, accepting your cultural identity, and finding hope in the midst of a modern war. 

4. "Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir" - Ashley C. Ford 

Ashley C. Ford's debut memoir, Somebody's Daughter (photo/Amazon).

Ashley C. Ford's debut book, Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir, is one of the most critically acclaimed books of the summer, as well as one of the best nonfiction books of 2021. A prominent voice for her generation, Ford describes her childhood as a Black girl growing up in poverty in Indiana with a family fragmented by her father's incarceration. As an adolescent, Ford had no idea why her father was in prison, and this trauma plagues her for years. 

Ford's memoir (now available) explores her personal experience with her father's incarceration, her relationship with her mother, her history with body shaming, sexual assault, and other relevant topics. This coming-of-age memoir is one that people will be talking about for years. It's extraordinarily powerful, brilliant, and it embarks on Ford's journey to learning more about herself while dealing with her family's drama. Despite her challenges, she managed to reveal the truth and search for meaning in all of the chaos.

5. "Instructions for Dancing" - Nicola Yoon

Nicola Yoon's novel, Instructions for Dancing (photo/Penguin Random House).

In Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star author Nicola Yoon's newest novel, Instructions for Dancing, Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love following her parents' ugly divorce. She knows true love doesn't exist. So, she's surprised when, on an average day, she witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began and how it will eventually end. Relationships always end in heartache, confirming Evie's theory that love doesn't exist. 

As Evie tries to understand this strange talent, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, where she takes lessons with an adventurous boy named X. He is the polar opposite of Evie: adventurous, passionate, daring, and open to love. He says "yes" to everything, even entering a ballroom dance competition with Evie. Together, they learn to waltz, fox-trot, and tango together, discovering more about each other every day. 

Evie doesn't want to develop feelings for X in fear of her visions predicting their future, but she can't help it. He is unlike anyone else she has met and she enjoys spending time with him. In Yoon's latest romance (now available), Evie wonders if she can ignore her visions. Is love worth the risk of potential heartache? Should we live in the present? Like Yoon's other novels, Instructions for Dancing is a charming, unique romance that is a fun summer read. 

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These are only five reading recommendations for the Summer 2021 season. There are many phenomenal, captivating books being released this season from talented writers. Reading is a fun activity for the summer, and I hope you will find time to read as many books as possible. Sit outdoors, drink a glass of lemonade, and read a good book that takes you on a little vacation away from home. You can travel within the pages of a book. Isn't that wonderful? Where are you going to explore first? 

Read on.

-KJL-