You made an excellent point that authors are not obligated to out their mental or physical disorders. Didn’t even think of that. I never cared if the author has the disorder that is talked about in a book.
I'm a white person from Norway, my ancestors going back as far as we know are from here. So, When No One Is Watching is not something that speaks to my lived experience, but HOLY SHIT that book scared the shit out of me!!!!!!! I would listen to the audiobook going on a walk and would have to stop myself from screaming a couple of times. I keep seeing people leaving bad reviews for amazing books because they don't identify with the characters and the setting and it baffles me. Like ALL you have to do is empathise? it feels like something is broken in them, the part that just let's you put yourself in other peoples shoes. I would feel sorry for them if they weren't causing harm with their attitudes. On a brighter note, I'm so excited Alyssa Cole has another book coming out! I can't wait to read it!
Also I don't really need to relate to the characters to be invested in their stories. I already don't relate to a lot of characters in stories in general but it does not affect the quality of any said story at all
I have a few I wanted to share that I think might interest you: Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma (black vampires + boarding school) The 7-10 Spilt by Karmen Lee (a black Sapphic romance involving bowling) The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest
Thank y'all for this video! Not only did I add several books to my personal TBR but (perhaps more importantly?) I've written down several titles as purchase suggestions for the queer bookshop I volunteer at, since I'm part of its inventory team. Which reminds me, at our latest meeting we odered copies of "High-risk Homosexual" and "Punch me up to the gods", titles I've suggested and both got put on my radar by y'all. So if y'all want to take some credit of being the reason Sweden's only queer bookshop soon will have them in stock, y'all are definitely free to do so 😉
My most anticipated release by a Black author is Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis. It’s a YA horror slasher set on a summer camp for horror-obsessed queer girls. I simply had to pre-order to get my hands on it ASAP😳
Not me jumping up and down so excited when I saw my rec was first on y'all's list!!! 😍 Also, just found out about another book by a Black author I think y'all would love! It's called The lion's den by Iris Mwanza - and it's also queer!
'When No One Is Watching' also gave me a panic attack. So I'm eagerly waiting for Alyssa Cole's new release. Fingers crossed 'One of Us Knows' handles DID with care and without sensationalizing the experience of living with said diagnosis. Thank you for once again adding to my tbr! Every book I've ever picked up upon a recommendation of yours has ended up being a favorite. 💜
For the first half of the year, I am looking forward to: River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta (I loved her book of short stories) Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi (with her I just know it's going to be deeply weird) The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams (family drama) A Kind of Madness by Uché Okonkwo (short stories) While We Were Burning by Sara Koffi (thriller) The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé (historical fiction) Skin & Bones by Renée Watson (contemporary) Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi Nwabineli (her first novel was so bittersweet) The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma (The Fishermen is amazing) Swift River by Essie J. Chambers (family drama) One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon (I am interested to see how she writes for adults)
Do you have a video detailing your feelings and opinions about "disability as a plot device"? I share some of your sentiment, and i would love to hear other black readers' thoughts. Thank you ❤ great video!
❤ the Jamaican book is called BROUGHT UP SEE. Its a Jamaican Patois word describing how you are raised. I was playing this in the background and almost choked drinking my drink when you said it like that. 😂 its going to be hilarious to hear everyone saying it.
Just when i was getting my tbr list curated to read as many authors who look like me. I will never not be in my vampire era, btw. I will be rewatching this video because i love your takes on books.
@@JesseOnRU-vid I found your channel last month and have been enjoying your recaps. Especially the way you center the African diaspora, queerness, and mental health in your reviews.
Y'all informing and educating everyone with all these exciting books and I've definitely put a few on my TBR (So Let Them Burn is definitely near the top for me)! Thank you so much!📚💖✨
New thriller by Alyssa Cole!!! I screamed so loud. Is it April yet???? Bless all those Black authors and their new thriller books. It's gonna be a good reading year 😊
I had no idea Micaiah Johnson had a new book coming out. Her debut was a solid 5 stars for me. She’s def a auto-buy author now. Thanks for letting me know!!
I screamed when learning this, her debut was my favourite book of 2022! I also gifted it to my dad, who also loved it, and I'm definitely going to text him with this information
I know this is a couple months from now, but I like to recommend “The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly,” for Asian readathon. It’s a story about the importance of motherhood, tranquility of nature, having the courage for being who you are and the ending will probably make y’all cry!
Definitely looking forward to Little Rot, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, and Those Beyond the Wall!! That cover for Curvy Girl Summer is so gorgeous though!!
You know I’ve never looked at When no one is watching how you described it. I personally didn’t care for it BUT i absolutely agree with your statement. It makes me look at the book in a different light now. Thank you for that .
I am Jamaican. Broughtupsy is pronounced ( brought-up- sy) I am also queer and excited to see so many Jamaican authors writing about queer experiences, although I prefer horror so I haven't read any yet. Marlon James' dark star trilogy is on my tbr though
It made me laugh hearing it because I'm like so many people are going to say it the same way. I had the same reaction with the book a few years ago where kept saying obeah wrong even the audiobook said it wrong and I just had to stop and ask myself how we have managed to spread so much of our culture but not the language.
Loved this list, had some of these on my radar but even more I'm adding to the watch and explore more list . Thanks, there's way too much to keep track of without help.
When No One Is Watching was terrifying even as a white lady. The Uber scene???? chills. screaming!!!! I read from Kellye Garrett in the past, but it was her cozy mystery series. I want to check out her more serious thrillers. that new one sounds awesome. this will be the year I finally pick up a P. Djeli Clark! thanks for putting this list together!
I genuinely am skeptical of white women who couldn't empathize with the fear the Black woman protag faced. If she had been white, that scene and the novel would've been perceived as terrifying. Ppl need to get it together and do more than just read Black authors but practice empathy for those characters
Jordan ifueko also has a new book set in the Raybearer universe coming out this summer, called The Maid and the Crocodile. It is definitly on the top of my list 🎉
Tender Beasts hit me the same way Delicious Monsters did; I had similar problems with the plot getting a bit convoluted toward the end but the characters…so complex and compelling and I will be reading any and everything this woman writes. She’s brilliant
My Dear Henry has been out for awhile now, funny enough, I finally bought my own copy and it arrived a couple days ago! can't wait to read it. YES, forgot to put Outdrawn in here! can't WAIT to read that
Briarcliff Prep is a book about a girl starting her freshmen year at a black boarding school while trying to help her older sister who is in an abusive relationship. The sequel, Briarcliff Prep: Sophomore Year comes out in November and I recommend the books to anyone that loves good ole boarding school shenanigans.
I have several on my list, too. 2024 is going to be a great year of books. Two of my most anticipated books are not on your list: James by Percival Everett and There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
I LOVE Alyssa Cole and so excited for her next thriller!! I’m curious how DID comes up in the book. And thank you for bringing up the issue of folks (authors, artists, etc) being forced/shamed into sharing their mental illnesses, physical health, and queerness 💜
Another April 16 release I have my eye on is The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar. Sci fi novella about a boy working on a mining ship who is then selected by a woman hoping for a better future to attend the ship’s university.
I'm watching my mailbox for When No One is Watching now! I just finished Womb City and holy crap that was terrifying! I'm ready to dive into this one. ❤
I loved So Let Them Burn and I'm currently reading The Principle of Moments and I'm really enjoying it so far! I've been following Hayley Dennings for a few years now, I found her through a pitch for her sapphic dragon book on Twitter and literally every project she's talked about sounds amazing, so This Ravenous Fate is def in my top 5 most anticipated books this year.
Such an incredible list thanks for putting it together. I’m so excited for Mirrored Heavens and here’s a few more I’m looking forward to🌻 Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma- dark academia with vampires Bluff: Poems by Danez Smith Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi- west African hades and Persephone
I love the Principle of moments, I have 3 copies and the preview, which made me so excited as it also helps that Esmie is a Gem. The other ones are also on my list too!
I have a book recommendation for you. Eddie & Alan is written by black gay author Anthony Amiewalan. It sheds light on the complexities of relationships between men, the fluidity of sexuality, and what happens when the lines are blurred.
Added so many of these to my list! Others I’m excited about: The Blonde Dies First (by: Joelle Wellington), Ours (by: Phillip B. Williams), Dead Girls Walking (by: Sami Ellis); And then some sequels: Drown Me With Dreams (by: Gabi Burton), Saint-Seducing Gold (by: Brittany N. Williams), Blood Debts (by: Terry J. Benton-Walker), Beasts of War (by: Ayana Gray), Shadows of Perl (by: J. Elle), The Eternal Ones (by: Namina Forna), and Children of Anguish and Anarchy (by: Tomi Adeyemi)
So great to see this list. Some where on my radar, but raised some especially YA fantasy that I tend to ignore because I avoid YA these days. My two big anticipated releases not mentioned are Daughters of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope (loved The Monsters We Defy) and Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton (I super liked the Spite House). Others on my radar but I haven't read these authors before are Kinning by Nisi Shawl, The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi and Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann.
Y'all speaking eloquently about mental health, how Black authors are treated vs white authors, etc... meanwhile, I'm just super impressed that Alyssa Cole has been crossing genres. I was impressed by a romance book a few years ago and now y'all are making me want to find and finish that series I started. (And I might just have to stick with romances, and let others who like thrillers read them.)
This is an amazing list! I’m here for all books about vampires. Another title that I’m looking forward to is Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma which (surprise!) also features vampires. It also has a stunning cover
Also thank you for sharing these amazing authors and giving me 41 books 📚 to read from black authors when I have not read many of them so thank you again my friend ❤❤❤
@@JesseOnRU-vidI hope you’re able to get to it, because my goodness is it an experience. Easily one of the best shows out now. And s2 is coming out in May
Imagination: A Manifesto made me think of "all organizing is science fiction" which is a thruline that adrienne maree-brown uses in a lot of her writing
@@JesseOnRU-vid I think RU-vid deleted my comment because I shared a link lol but basically that organizing for change is a sort of “science fiction” because we have to imagine a world where everyone is free, and that sci-fi (specifically Black sci-fi authors) have revolutionary potential
I am still in my vampire era, have been since twilight and will probably be till the day I am finally bitten and transform x I've only read a princess in theory by alyssa cole, but I will try her thrillers at some point in the future ^.^ Something kindred looks gorgeous!! Jamaican fantasy elements OKAY. I need so let them burn in my life and it is already on my wishlist. P. Djeli clark automatic tbr agree. Lore of the wild sounds promising and I'll wait for reviews on that one. My sister is v interested in lost ark dreaming. LITTLE ROT. I AM SO EXCITED. ASDFGHJKL. Infinity alchemist, the poisons we drink and where sleeping girls like are already on my shelf of course ^.^ I have only read Kacen's contemporaries so far so it will be my first fantasy by them.
2:40 if you're all comfortable talking about it, can you all tell me why justina ireland was omitted? i have her books on my tbr and if she's done something problematic, i'd like to know. google is failing me rn.
I have been waiting for this amazing and wonderful video and I can’t wait to start reading these amazing books 📚 prayers and blessings to my favourite dog channel please 🙏 give her a hug from me please and say hello to your mom also please love your Aussie family friend John ❤❤❤your mom needs to come on your video and I totally agree with you about black people writing horror books 📚
@@JesseOnRU-vid tell Akasha hi back and you bring tears to my eyes while I’m struggling with my mental health issues so you’re comments mean the world to me
I don't agree that only people with a certain disability can write about that disability. If that extends to different races, genders, sexualities I'm doubly miffed. Write about who you want, but research as much as possible in good faith and write as accurately and respectfully as possible.
With this take we may see great white authors who weren't allowed to write people of colour due to their publishers and the market now not do so due to public pressure. Charlie of chocolate factory fame was supposed to be black. How many other great characters from great authors are we missing out on due to the fear of being cancelled.
Indigenous readers had issues with how Indigeneity was handled in her debut series (can't recall the title). there was more to it then that but i just woke up lmao
Hello Jesse. I'm a new author and I'd love to get a review from you on my book; Quantum Interface. Based in 2057, Quantum Interface is an Afrofuturism tale infused with eroticism and adventure.